Chapter 4

Twenty Questions

As it turns out, I really had no idea what to tell him. It was slowly creeping towards nine o'clock and I knew that I had to text him soon. I was pretty sure he was waiting. I leaned back into the soft cushions of my couch and weighed the pros and cons in my head while I stared down at my phone. If I did decide to let him tag along again I wouldn't be all alone, but there would definitely be some more awkward silences between us. If I didn't let him tag along, I would probably get a lot of work done, but I would get bored really fast.

I groaned in frustration and dropped my phone in my lap then rubbed my aching temples. I was letting this boy get inside my head. I needed to stop this and letting him come back to the studio with me wasn't going to help, but I really did enjoy his company, as strange as that sounded. I groaned once more then flipped my phone open.

To hell with it... I thought as I scrolled through my phone book, selected Baralai's name and started writing a text message.

Do you really want to go with me?

I stared at the screen for a few minutes more then, with a resigned sigh, sent it. I placed my phone on my leg and rubbed my temples, realizing a little too late that I needed him to come with me anyways because of the music I was writing for his lyrics. I wanted to experiment with the beat and he needed to be there when I did it.

Holy Shiva, this boy is scrambling my brain already.

I almost jumped out of my skin when my phone vibrated a few moments later. I wasn't expecting him to message back so quickly. He must have been waiting, I thought as I flipped my phone open to read the text.

His answer was to the point: Yes.

I chuckled in spite of myself. That I hadn't been expecting either. Good, because I'll be doing more work on your lyrics.

I had some last minute dish washing to get done while I waited for him to text me back so I trudged into the kitchen and loaded my dishwasher with the ones that wouldn't warp then filled the sink with hot water for everything else. Flimsy plastic cups and plastic plates were among the ones that would melt along with coffee mugs that had 'non-dishwasher safe' engravings on the bottoms. They were a pain to wash by hand, but it kept me busy so I didn't complain.

To prevent my phone from getting wet, I kept it on my very small dining room table, which was just big enough for three people. I only pulled out the two extra chairs whenever Yuna and Rikku came over for dinner. According to them, the food I made was better than some of the stuff they had at their own homes. When we first met, they couldn't believe that I actually knew how to cook. Rikku had actually told me she never thought a girl that looked as "rough" as I did would know her way around the kitchen. I enjoyed home cooked meals; something I picked up from my mom.

I wanted to finish the dishes so when I heard my phone vibrate, I left it alone until I had washed everything and put them in the rack to dry. I then emptied the sink and started the dishwasher. One chore down.

What time are you gonna pick me up?

I frowned as a thought occurred to me. His parents were filthy rich. Why in the world didn't he have a car of his own? Nine. Don't you have a car?

His reply came quickly, which was surprising because it was a little longer than the rest of his messages. My parents took it away back in Bevelle when all that stuff you heard about was going on. I won't be getting it back for a while.

Now I felt extremely dumb for asking that. I should have figured that one out sooner. Oh... Well, I'll see you in the morning. I won't be late this time.

Ok. I was pleased by his simple reply. I wasn't really a big texter. I only used that function whenever I needed to and, even then, it was sparingly.

I finished up the rest of my housework, which included washing a load of laundry – mainly underwear and socks – and vacuuming. When I was younger I had always found housework tedious just like every other child. Now I didn't mind it at all. I was the only one here, so it wouldn't get done if I didn't do it.

It was only a little bit before eleven after my few chores were completed so I got right in bed, determined on getting a good night's sleep.

The next morning, I almost fell out of bed in fright when my cell phone started ringing a few minutes before seven thirty. My eyes wouldn't focus so I didn't bother to see who was calling. "Hello?" I answered, my voice thick from sleep. Needless to say, I was just a little annoyed.

It better not be a telemarketer.

It was silent on the other end for a few short seconds and I almost hung up when the mystery person finally spoke. "Hi, Paine. It's Baralai."

My eyes snapped open and suddenly I was wide awake. I looked back over at the clock to make sure my eyes hadn't been playing tricks on me, which I was pretty sure they were. Nope, it was indeed almost seven thirty. "Why are you calling me this early in the morning?" I asked, the words pouring out of my mouth before I had the chance to stop them.

"I'm sorry. It's...complicated." He paused and I heard him take a deep breath on the other end of the phone. "You remember the park you pass on the way to my house, right?"

I frowned, but knew exactly which park he was talking about. In fact, to be more specific, it was at least a mile and half to two miles away from his house, but who's keeping track? "Yeah."

"Well, that's where I am right now. I know that I might be pushing it, but since you're taking me with you to the studio I was wondering if you could come pick me up."

I was silent on my end for a few moments. A dozen different questions were on the tip of my tongue, threatening to spill out, but I quickly bit them back. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn't want to discuss anything over the phone. I knew it would take me about fifteen minutes to get to the park so I immediately got out of bed and started searching for something to put on. "Alright, I'll be there in a few."

"Uh, okay. Thanks," he said.

I hung up and covered myself enough so that I wouldn't freeze on my way to get him. A thick sweater and a baggy pair of sweatpants would suffice for now. Instead of putting on my sandals, I grabbed a pair of socks and quickly laced up my favorite pair of running shoes. I chuckled to myself as I saw what I looked like as I passed by my mirror on the way out of my room. Rikku would die laughing.

Baralai was standing next to a tree with his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground as I pulled up to the curb. When he looked at me I could tell that he wasn't in a good mood so I didn't say anything as he got on the back of my bike and wrapped his arms loosely around my waist. My fingers stiffened around the handlebars when he – instead of pressing his forehead into my back – laid the right side of his head against my back like he was hugging me. My right hand tightened around the brake, getting ready to stop this right here and now, but I stopped short. I don't know why I did. A lot of the things I've done recently haven't made any sense lately, especially since I met Baralai.

After about five minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. Allowing him to put his arms around my waist was one thing, but lying his head against my back was going just a little bit too far. I pulled over to the side of the road and flipped up my visor so he could hear me. When I turned to look at him, I lost my train of thought for a few seconds because the angle of the sun was hitting his eyes just right so as to make them look like liquid bronze. It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

"Um, I know you're upset, but I'd really appreciate it if..." I paused, unsure of how to continue. Thankfully, Baralai caught onto what I was trying to say.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." He swallowed and ran one hand through his hair, an embarrassed smile making his mouth twitch. To prove that he was truly remorseful, he placed his hands on my shoulders instead of around my waist. I felt like smiling a little to myself; good thing my helmet was hiding half my face.

I wet my lips, feeling the need to give an explanation even though I probably didn't need to. "I don't mean to be rude or anything. I'm just...not used to that."

Baralai's smile softened and I knew that he wasn't insulted. "It's alright. Don't worry about it."

I nodded then flipped my visor back over my eyes, continuing on our way to my house.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll be in my bathroom," I said after we walked in from the garage.

I tossed my keys onto the dining room table and watched over my shoulder as he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. The look of stone that was plastered on his face earlier was now replaced with something that I couldn't quite place. 'Sullen' popped into my head, but that really wasn't a very accurate description either.

I huffed as I walked into my room, grabbed clean undergarments and promptly jumped into the shower.

No less than fifteen minutes later, I was motivating my hair to cooperate with me and I had almost completely forgotten about my guest down the hall until I heard him shuffling around in the living room. I instantly froze, staring at my reflection almost in shock. The realization that I had actually brought Baralai to my house hit me with the force of a freight train. I couldn't believe that I had really, truly invited him into my house, especially while I was showering only a few rooms away.

Once that thought had floated through my mind, I forgot about my hair and went straight into my bedroom, thanking Shiva that my bathroom and bedroom were connected. I wasn't concerned about what I was going to wear as I pulled a comfortable pair of jeans and a gun metal gray blouse out of my closet. I settled for black slip ons then ventured out into the living room to see what Baralai was up to.

I kind of wished I hadn't walked out just then.

After I moved in, I mounted a shelf on the wall about a foot above the couch and placed half a dozen photos of me and my parents on it. My father had been an avid sword collector so I had his favorite katana mounted above the shelving. Baralai was gazing at a family portrait that had been taken only a few short months before their death. My heart involuntarily clenched as my eyes scanned the shelf, resting on each individual picture. I couldn't remember how many times that I'd been tempted to take down all those photos just so I wouldn't have to feel the hurt those memories caused me.

Right when I thought I was going to lose my composure, I cleared my throat to get his attention, making him jump. He whirled around and met my gaze with wide, scared eyes like I had caught him in the act of something he shouldn't have been doing.

"Well, I'm ready," I said, a cold mask of indifference sliding into place. "Let's go."

I snatched up my keys and started briskly walking away. I heard his hurried footsteps following me when I reached the door to the garage. I slammed my hand down on the garage door opener as I walked past it. Baralai joined me just as I was fastening my helmet onto my head and climbed onto my motorcycle behind me without a word.

I drove a little faster than I probably should have been on my way to the studio. I wasn't angry at Baralai. I had those pictures purposefully displayed in my living room, so it wasn't his fault that they had caught his attention. I was angrier at myself for allowing him to come into my only sanctuary when I barely knew him, but I had to remind myself that was no one's fault but mine. The fact that I kept putting myself in a position where I was close to him – like now – made me even more irritated.

What in the hell is wrong with me? For the last three years I've stayed away from the male population entirely. So much so that a large number of my classmates think I've turned into a dike, which I'm far, far away from even considering. What's so special about him anyway?

My mind pricked as it reminded me about the first day I met him and the mysterious shock that had passed between us when we shook hands. I didn't even want to begin to try and explain that little phenomenon. I was convinced that it was only a fluke; something like that could have been caused by static electricity or any number of things. I definitely wasn't going to read too much into it.

I jumped and almost gasped out loud when Baralai softly knocked on the side of my helmet, literally snapping me out of my trance. We were sitting in front of the storage facility and I was staring at the keypad that controlled the gate. I blinked a few times and quickly punched in the code. I felt my face grow hot as I waited for the gate to slowly slide open. Strangely, I felt the need to give an explanation about my behavior.

What in the world is going on with me? First, I invite him inside my house, a place where only my closest friends have been, and now I feel like I need to explain my behavior to him? I must be sick or something.

All of a sudden, I really wasn't looking forward to being alone with him again.

I reluctantly swallowed that bad feeling as I pulled up next to the studio. I stayed quiet as we walked inside, more out of not knowing what to say to him. I could see Baralai looking at me expectantly out of the corner of my eye as I turned all the equipment on. The buzz of the sound equipment and the lights was the only thing to be heard for quite a while. I tried stalling all my sound tests for as long as I could, knowing that as soon as I got his lyrics and sheet music out I would have to start talking.

Much to my chagrin, Baralai spoke up, but thankfully didn't say anything about me and my sudden silence. "Sorry about this morning," he began sheepishly, staring down at the floor with his hands fisted in his pockets. He was silent for a few more seconds then looked up at me. "I just needed to get away from my parents."

The corners of my eyes twitched ever so slightly as I tried to imagine myself speaking those words. "You have no idea how bad I want to be in your position right now." My voice sounded hollow, foreign, and it was too bad I realized that I had thought out loud after the fact. My hand flew up over my mouth like I could somehow shove those accursed words back in my mouth and swallow them. I was literally shocked to my core.

Instantly, my shock turned to anger that I once again directed at myself. There was no possible way that I could be angry at Baralai for my mistake, but never had I been so loose lipped with someone I barely knew. Hell, I wasn't even like this with Yuna and Rikku most of the time.

"Sorry," I mumbled, raking my hand through my hair. I kept my eyes averted from his, apprehensive about what I would see there. "I shouldn't have said that." I sank into my chair and tried to ignore the fact that Baralai's eyes were burning holes into the side of my head.

I pulled his lyrics and sheet music out of a drawer on my right and tried to make sense out of the foreign language that the notes had mysteriously become. I was so engrossed staring at the paper in front of me that I flinched and almost threw Baralai's hand off me when he gingerly touched my shoulder. "Sometimes the things you don't mean to say are the most meaningful." His voice was merely a whisper, but his words sank into me and made me freeze in place. What I had said really was true; I really did wish that I could be in Baralai's shoes. I just shouldn't have said it in front of him.

I finally looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time since we arrived. "So what happened?"

Baralai let his hand slide off my shoulder as he sighed and pulled the other chair over next to me. He let another sigh escape as he sat down heavily. "We argued this morning," he began. "At first, it was just the same speech I've heard for months. 'Stay out of trouble, check in every once in a while.' Then somehow the conversation shifted to you." He stopped and looked at me.

I frowned and was sure that the confusion I was feeling was blatantly evident all over my face. "I'm not sure I follow," I said, hiding the fact that I was pretty sure I knew what the conversation was about.

He looked away from me and covered his face with his hands. His throat convulsed as he swallowed and I could hear him breathing in and out deeply. A second later, he exhaled sharply before roughly dragging his fingers down his cheeks. "It's really embarrassing. I know I only met you a few days ago, but I really do enjoy being your friend. If I told you what my parents were saying…" He paused and I could tell he was scrambling for some way to explain himself.

I turned toward him and held my hand up, stopping him from speaking any further. "Don't say anything else. If you don't think I should know, that's good enough for me."

Baralai's shoulders slumped with relief and he looked at me with gratitude painted all over his face. "Thank you. You have no idea how awkward I was feeling a second ago."

One corner of my mouth curled up slightly. Yeah, me too.

I almost spoke that thought out loud as well, but smartly kept my mouth shut. He didn't need to know everything I was thinking about. I grabbed the paper that contained the almost finished percussion notes and held it up so he could see it. "Well, I've got just enough of the beat down to see if you'll like it or not."

His face instantly brightened and he jumped out of his chair like something bit him. "Yeah, let me hear it!"

I chuckled as I got up and followed him into the recording booth, going over to the drum set and placing the sheet music on a small stand beside me. I grabbed the drum sticks from their place on the snare, twirled them around in my hands a couple times then did a drum roll. I looked over at Baralai who was staring at me and the drum set expectantly.

"Now I have no idea how you thought this would sound so just let me know if you don't like what I've come up with."

He nodded, but offered no reply. I could tell that he just wanted me to get on with it. After quickly glancing at the sheet music, I began drumming out the beat. A few seconds in, I started singing the words, which I assume surprised him because his eyes widened considerably. I played and sang through till the second run through of the chorus then stopped and looked at him.

"So?" I questioned. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect," he said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I wanted it to sound more cocky and arrogant than anything else and you got it just right."

I smiled back as I set the drum sticks back on the snare drum and collected the sheet music. "Well, I'm glad I got it right. If I hadn't, I would have been pretty angry at you." I made my face look more serious than I actually felt to see how he would react.

Sure enough, I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from laughing as the happy expression on his face turned to wide-eyed fright. "What? Why?" he asked, his voice almost frantic.

After his fearful response I couldn't contain myself any longer. I burst into laughter, earning a very confused look from the dark skinned boy beside me. I looked away from him and quickly got a hold of myself. This strange behavior of mine that reveals itself in his presence was starting to get just a little agitating.

That thought sobered me up instantly and then I turned back to him, my face serious once more. "I'm sorry," I said as I stood up. "That was a little harsh."

"A little?" he shot back as we walked back into the sound room. I could hear the smile in his voice so I knew that he wasn't that upset with me.

"I need to finish writing this music and then I have to get started on the mix for this Friday." I paused as I studied where I left off on the percussion notes then pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time. It was barely nine-thirty and it would probably only take an hour to an hour and a half to finish the music for his lyrics. I was going to be starving by then and I was pretty sure Baralai would be too.

"Actually, how about we go get something to eat after I finish writing this music?" I asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll probably need something to eat by then."

"I hear you," I replied, pulling a pencil out of a drawer. "You can go ahead and listen to more of our music so you don't get bored."

He nodded as he started up the computer and picked up where he had left off the other day. This time, instead of the silence between us becoming awkward, it felt much more comfortable and natural. I was actually able to concentrate on writing the notes and finished the rest of the percussion in a matter of minutes. It took me another hour to finish the rest. I breathed an enormous sigh of relief as I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my eyes. The hard part was finally over.

I looked over at Baralai, who had his eyes plastered to the computer screen. Sometime while I was working he had managed to find our archive of music videos. We didn't have one for every song, but the list was still quite extensive. I leaned over just far enough so I could see which video he was watching without catching his attention and just about had a stroke right there. He was listening to the song that I had written for my father after he had passed away. It wasn't a happy song by any means and I remember having to fight off tears while we were filming that video.

I took a deep, shuddering breath to calm myself, but couldn't help the tears that flooded the corners of my eyes. The reason why I wrote that song haunted me every day. The night of the accident my father and I had gotten into a fight over something that wasn't even worth it. I've punished myself so much for that fact. Even more so because we never got the chance to tell each other we were sorry and that I loved him.

"What's wrong?"

I both cursed and praised the sudden intrusion of Baralai's voice. Praised because it pulled my mind out of my morbid train of thought and cursed because he had caught me. I blinked reflexively, causing the tears pooling in my eyes to run down my face. I quickly wiped my eyes, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong and hoping Baralai would just go along with it.

"It's nothing," I said, turning away from him to wipe my eyes some more.

I jumped when Baralai's hand roughly wrapped around my shoulder and jerked me around so I was facing him. I gasped when I saw how close he was to me and at how intense his glare was. The way they were burning into mine almost made me want to shrink into my chair and disappear.

"Bullshit," he whispered harshly. "I know what I just saw and I know that it's not 'nothing'." He paused and his eyes narrowed. "Who were you singing about in the song I was just listening to?"

He caught me again, I thought with ire. He's smarter than he looks.

I sighed in defeat and looked away from him. I really didn't want to tell him, but I didn't feel uncomfortable about it either, which confused the bloody hell out of me. And on top of it all, he never tried to pry the information out of me like a certain blonde headed Al Bhed would do. It was my own damn fault that he caught me. He looked like he was genuinely concerned about me, which confused me even more.

"We aren't going anywhere until you tell me so you might as well start talking," he said, leveling me with an expectant glare.

I've gotta give it to him. His tactics are much better than Rikku's.

I chuckled in spite of myself. I knew he was serious. I wouldn't be able to weasel myself out of this one. I swallowed before I spoke, rather against the idea of my voice cracking. "My father," I whispered. "I wrote it for my father."

He leaned back and released my shoulder, biting the corner of his bottom lip. "I guess I understand now," he said, his voice low. I could tell he was referring to how I had acted earlier when we were at my house as well as now. "I won't ask why. I figure it took a lot just to tell me that much."

I nodded. "You have no idea. So how about lunch?"

"Sounds wonderful. I'm starving."

We conversed outside next to my motorcycle about where we wanted to eat. After about five minutes of bickering back and forth, we finally decided on a small sandwich bistro that the both of us agreed on, surprisingly. The drive there only took a few minutes; the bistro was relatively close to the studio. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot my mouth began to water immediately from the succulent aromas wafting out of the doors.

"My mom told me about this place," he said as we walked through the parking lot. "She ate here a lot when my father came here for business. She loves their homemade bread."

"It's delicious," I agreed, my mouth watering just thinking about it. "Anyone that eats here can contest to that. If not, then they're lunatics."

Baralai chuckled at my choice of words as we got in line to order our food. Besides their amazing sandwiches the bistro offered a variety of different soups and even chili that they made from scratch as well as salads and a few desserts. Our wait seemed to pass by agonizingly slow while the customers in front of us received their food. When it was our turn next I fished around in my back pocket for my gil and counted it to see how much I had. I sighed in relief when I realized I had just enough for a sandwich and bowl of chili. I needed to stop by the ATM and withdraw some more cash from my bank account on my way home.

I jumped when Baralai's hand closed over mine. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his eyes scrutinizing me.

I frowned, not sure what he meant. "I'm counting my gil to make sure I can pay for my food."

"Put your gil away," he said, pulling a black leather wallet out of his back pocket and lifting some crisp bills from it.

I gazed at him in astonishment, still holding the folded gil bills in my hand. "Why are you doing this?"

"My parents actually raised me right," he replied, sliding his wallet back into his pocket. "It goes against my nature to not be courteous."

I continued to stare at him, absolutely dumbfounded, but acquiesced and reluctantly put my gil back in my pocket. I was getting ready to argue further, but the attendant behind the counter looked at me expectantly and asked for my order. I huffed indignantly in his direction, earning a smirk, before I turned back to the girl and ordered my food.

After we received our food, we chose a table out on the patio. The day was warm, but the misters on the overhang kept the patio pleasantly cool. We ate in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying our food as well as being out of the studio. Well, at least I was happy to be out of the studio, Baralai I wasn't so sure about. He seemed happy enough just sitting there listening to our music.

"If you don't mind," Baralai began, taking a sip of his drink. "I have a few questions I want to ask you. Personal questions."

I leaned back in my seat, continuing to nibble on a piece of my sandwich, while I pondered all the possible meanings of 'personal questions' as alarm bells were going off in my head. I had a sinking feeling that his questions were going to take on a very Rikku-esque nature. The small blonde's quest to know more about my personal life was aggravatingly insatiable and I don't think I would be able to handle it if Baralai started acting like that.

I was just about to open my mouth to tell him no when I stopped short. There were a couple of questions that I was itching to ask him which would, in the long run, make his questions a little more bearable. A small, but reasonable compromise.

"On one condition."

"Okay, shoot," Baralai replied.

One corner of my mouth curled up as I leaned forward to grab the other piece of my sandwich. "I get to ask you some questions of my own."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered it, but a second later a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Deal."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips as I straightened up. "I've never played twenty questions before," I confessed. "Let alone with someone I hardly know."

Baralai's smile grew wider. "Who's going first then?"

"I suppose you can since this was your bright idea," I answered, mentally bracing myself for what was to come.

"Who's the boy that you write about in your songs?"

Instantly, the smile that had been on my lips died and fell right off my face. My mind began reeling, trying to conjure up an excuse. If I would have known that this was one of his questions then I would have flat out refused his little game. The question he asked me earlier about my father was nothing compared to this. I briefly thought about telling him to ask another question, that I would prefer to not answer, but I pushed that inhibition away. If I wanted him to answer my questions, I needed to answer his.

"He was the first boy I dated," I began, my voice quavering. "back when I was young and naïve." I paused to wet my throat. "He was one of those boys that enjoy playing with emotions and I was stupid enough to believe his lies. Of course, I heard from other girls that he was a liar and a cheater, but I didn't believe them. I never thought that he would do something like that, but when I caught him in the act…well it goes without saying that I finally started believing everyone. Writing those songs helped me deal with what I was going through. I'd never experienced anything like that before and I was embarrassed by the fact that I allowed it to happen. Yuna and Rikku don't even know about half of those songs. If I could go back and live that time over…I would stay away from that boy all together." I met Baralai's gaze, but his face was unreadable to me. I cleared my throat. "Now it's my turn. Your dad said you got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Exactly what crowd would that be?"

Now it was his turn to be uncomfortable. Before I was unable to read his expression, but now his emotions were splayed across it. He averted his eyes away from me and crossed his arms over his chest. I could read the conflict all over his face and I knew that he really didn't want to answer. I leaned back in my chair and just waited. He hadn't prodded me so I would give him the same courtesy.

He heaved a large sigh before turning his face back in my direction, but still not meeting my eyes. "That's the one aspect of my life that I'm the most embarrassed about. I was young and naïve too. I befriended a group of druggies, but not because I wanted to get into what they were doing." He paused and his eyes flicked everywhere except at my face. "I met a girl and that was her group. I hung out with that group to be with her."

My eyebrows shot up and almost soared off of my head at his confession. I immediately felt a connection of sorts with him. Both of us had been burned by past relationships and still carried the scars. I had to hold back from asking the myriad of questions that had popped into my head from his confession, but it was his turn to ask a question. I would have to patient and bide my time.

He jumped into his next question without hesitation. "What about the song that isn't finished?"

I inwardly swore. I should have known that question would pop up sometime. "I wrote that because he wouldn't leave me alone after the fact. I wanted to try a different style, but it doesn't sound right with the way my voice sounds. So I never finished it. Yuna and Rikku said that 'different' draws people in, but I don't agree. Even now I don't have the heart to erase it. I don't know why."

Baralai nodded, seeming satisfied by my answer. "Alright, your turn."

I checked my cell phone as I mulled over what to ask him next and was shocked to discover we had been sitting there for over an hour. "We actually should be getting back to the studio. I've still got a lot of work to do. We can continue this when we get back."

We disposed of our trash and made our way back to my motorcycle. Baralai automatically hopped on the back, but I hesitated, holding my helmet between my hands. He shot me a confused look, his dark brows furrowed.

"What?"

"I'll probably need to find you a helmet if you keep hitching a ride with me," I answered as I placed my own helmet over my head and buckled it on. "Just so I don't get in trouble with the local law enforcement."

One corner of Baralai's mouth curled up into a smile that I was quickly starting to like a little too much. I snapped my visor down over my face so he wouldn't see the faint pink tinge on my cheeks. "They haven't caught us yet have they?" he said, his smile spreading across his face.

"No, but I would rather not push my luck."

I sighed inwardly as I drove back to the studio. The fact that I was willing to answer the most personal of questions about my life to a boy I've known for a grand total of three days just so I can do a little prying of my own was astounding. I was shocked by my own stupidity. Here I was, opening up to another boy that, for all I knew, could end up screwing me over.

Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me.