"Marshall isn't the kind of guy I would suggest you have look after her. I don't know what it is. But I do not trust the guy, especially around someone young and vulnerable like Raven." I could hear that in Hazel's voice held some distress.

"Marshall is the perfect guy."

"This is not the army, this is not a secret mission. You are talking about leaving a seventeen year old girl with a man twice as old as she is and he is just….I don't know. But whenever I was around him he made my skin crawl." Garrison interrupted.

"Marshall is the only choice I have."

"When are you going to tell her you're leaving her with a man she doesn't know?" Hazel shot back.

"I'm not leaving her. I will be away. But only for like a day and a half. I won't be gone long," I heard a sigh, "it's not like I actually want to leave, but I must go."

I came out of the kitchen with some eggs and toast. When I sat down, I looked into the faces of every person in the room. And all eyes pointed to me. I cleared my throat.

"So how are you two feeling?"

Hazel laughed, "Much better, thank you." I looked at Chris, but he just looked at the floor. Nobody spoke for a few moments. "I think we best be getting home." And they left without a word. I soon got up to clean my dishes.

When I was done, I turned around to see Garrison leaning against the doorway. I sighed and walked towards him. As I got closer, he stared down at me. In those eyes, I saw so many emotions. I wasn't sure what to think. I touched his arm, and felt him stiffen under my touch.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Nothing." And then he turned and walked away from me and sat on the couch. I felt my stomach drop, What did I do?

I wasn't going to give up though. And I sat beside him. I turned so my body faced his. And my leg that I tucked under me was leaning against his.

"Please. Something is wrong. Can you at least tell me so I can try and help you."

"I told you, its nothing." His voice was cold.

"If it's nothing, then why are you acting like this to me?" His cold glare turned to me. I felt tears well up. My tears started flowing down my face.

"What did I do?" I whispered, afraid my voice was going to crack.

"It's not you."

"Then what is it then? If I can't make you happy, then what can I do? What did I do!" He shot up off the couch and started pacing. He ran his hand through his hair, and kept looking back at me.

"It's just that…it's not you. Don't ever think that it's your fault. It's mine," he continued while I just sat and watch him walk, "what Chris said last night was true. I am lucky to have someone like you. And I don't know what I would do if I lost you." He sat down and took my hands into his. "Please, don't leave me. I don't think I could survive if you did. Please." I numbly shook my head, silent tears falling down my face. He got off the couch and knelt down in front of me.

He wrapped his arms around my middle, and buried his face in my stomach. I tried to be as comforting as I possibly could. He continued to babble on.

"If you ever left, I'd search for you until every rock was unearthed. I would find you, I don't think I could ever live a day without you, and keep you by my side." I got him back on the couch, and we laid together in silence.

"What brought this on?" I asked him hesitantly.

"Past experiences." He said wearily.

"You mean you're last breakup?" I stiffened the second the sentence had escaped. He raised up quickly to look into my face. I looked down as the heat flood my cheeks.

"How do you know about that?"

"I…uh….never mind. Just forget it."

"No, tell me where you found out this information." I kept looking down trying to see his face.

"Please, I didn't mean to say anything. Just forget I said it." He grabbed my chin and made me look into his face.

"How do you know about Kristen?"

"I didn't know her name, and I didn't know what happened. I don't know anything."

"You're lying!" He growled the hand on my chin tightened.

"No I swear! I don't know anything. All I know is that it didn't work out well." By the time I had finished I was hysterical. "Please, you're hurting me."

He let go like I was something infected. He got up, and I sat on the couch crying into my hands. I felt the couch sink next to me, and his arms came around me trying to comfort me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He kept saying softly into my hair. "I'm sorry. Who told you about Kristen and my relationship?" I looked up at him.

"You won't get mad at them?" He sighed,

"No I won't."

"Well it was…Hazel…she was telling me that it was O.K. for me to talk to you and not be scared. And then she let it slip, how you're last relationship didn't go too well. But she didn't say anything else I swear." I looked into his eyes trying to see if he had any anger in them.

"It was an innocent conversation."

"I know. I understand. But Hazel knows better than to talk about Kristen especially to you."

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Please." He looked at me and sighed. "When Hazel and Chris first started dating they wanted to double date with me. And Hazel brought along Kristen and we just seemed to click. Months later, we had moved in with each other. And I came home to find that she had just skipped the whole break up part and was sleeping with my friend who happened to live next door.

The irony in all this is that day. I had gotten home early to surprise her with a wedding ring, and did I surprise her."

"What did you do? When you found them."

"Threw her out, literally, and her clothes followed right out the door with her."

"And your friend?"

"He definitely needed some medical attention after I was through. She went and slept with him that night. And I told myself I would never open up again. Well until I met you, of course." I looked at him, and thought about what I could exactly say to that.

"Sorry I was the one who broke your promise to yourself." He laughed at this.

"It is worth it, I think." I got up from my position by his side to look at his face.