"I can't believe that spring break is over."

"There's still the weekend. Don't pout. Not everyone gets to jet-set off the the Hamptons with their family at the spur of the moment."

"But that means two whole days without you."

Tristan lifted his head from Miles' chest long enough to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before snuggling back in his arms.

"What do you wanna do today?"

"I really can't think of anything better than keeping you right here, Tris."

"You know... you're the first person to just hold me like this."

Miles angled his head and shot Tristan a confused look.

"But weren't you in an... intimate relationship?"

A shadowed look fell over Tristan's eyes and he shimmied out of Miles' hold. He took a few breaths before facing the brunet again.

"I'm ready to talk about it now."

Miles nodded solemnly and straighten himself up, ready to give Tristan his undivided attention and all the time he needed.

"I've never been shy about looking for love. From being set up with a guy because he had an LGBT pin on his bag, but turned out being a trans kid who liked girls to falling hard for a straight boy who would eventually become Maya's first boyfriend, I never really did give up on the chase. Hell, I even thought that you played for my team at one point."

"Well, it turns out that you weren't entirely wrong."

Tristan let out a shaky chuckle before continuing.

"When Grant first came to take over English class, I thought he was all kinds of amazing. And he was actually there for me when things started to get bad at home. Zoë was neck deep in her trial and Maya was too busy keeping Zig out of trouble. And you were nursing a broken heart so I didn't think it was fair to unload my problems on your lap. For the first time, Grant made me feel that someone out there appreciated me. But there was a reason why he was the one who was always around. When he said that he saw himself inside of me... it turns out that he wasn't speaking figuratively. I was... his target."

Miles felt his heart tighten in his chest as Tristan stood up to look out outside.

"He knew how desperate I was to get into his collective. He made me jump through hoops. It was as if he was already starting to test how much power he had over me. Once he let me in his precious little society, he acted as if he was doing me a favour. Before I knew what was happening I placed him on a pedestal and I was hanging on to his every word."

Miles slowly got up to join Tristan by the window. He was sure to give him his space, but he wanted to make himself available at any moment's notice.

"Do you know how hard it is to sit on the sidelines and watch your friends find love? It started with Tori. Then it was Maya. Then it was Zoë. And of course it just had to be Maya again who soon had not one, but two guys fighting for love. Who wanted me? I needed someone, Miles. Was it a crime that I wanted to give my heart to another person? I longed for an epic romance and I thought that I finally found it."

Miles was at a loss for words. He had no idea that Tristan, who was always so loveable and carefree, was harbouring so much pain deep inside of him for all this time.

"He played it off as if I was the one who made the first move since I decided to kiss him. But he invited me to his place. He deliberately lured out his trap and I fell for his bait. A part of me knew that this wasn't what I wanted and I actually ran away when things started moving too fast. I always thought that I would give myself away emotionally before the physical part came into play. But what other choice did I have? I was fed up with watching my friends fall in love. I wanted a turn even if it meant turning my back on what I believed in. It looked like this was my only chance. I went to his place on my own. And when I kissed him, I gave him the permission to let him have his way with me."

Tristan leaned on Miles' shoulder before continuing.

"Before I realized what was happening, I was completely under his control... ready to do anything and everything that he wanted me to. I couldn't compare this relationship to anything else. So I thought that this was happiness. I didn't question the fact that the only thing we ever did together was have sex. Of course we couldn't go out in public, but even in private he never savoured the time to just hold me. It was always intense and fast. There was no courtship. I was afraid that he would tell me that I wasn't adult enough again if I expressed what I wanted, so I did things his way. I thought that this was love and I made myself believe that we shared the same needs. But the feeling went away the second Winston talked about Grant... groping him. That was the night when I realized that we never had a connection. It was all a cruel joke. I was used. Manipulated, even. And to think I fell for it, Miles. I fell for all of it."

Miles had to battle a wave of nausea that overcame him. Yates shaped Tristan to be his glorified sex toy. There was nothing healthy about it. A part of him wanted to fly out and hunt down the man who had taken advantage of his Tristan and beat him to a pulp. But violence wasn't the answer. He reached out for the boy's hand and lightly rubbed his lips over the knuckles.

"But that was also the night that I fell for you," Miles rumbled softly as he pressed a kiss against Tristan's wrist. "He was a dark cloud, Tris. Let me be your silver lining."

With that Miles gathered him in his arms and Tristan couldn't help but notice how much more intimate this hug was compared to the last two times. Forget about it lingering. Miles held him tightly and it didn't seem like he was going to pull away any time soon. Encased in his protective grip, Tristan felt as if he would float away if it wasn't for the fact that Miles' hold had him firmly planted on the ground. He melted when he noticed how perfectly Miles' head comfortably rested in the crook of his neck as if the space was especially designed for him. Tristan couldn't help but smile when Miles placed a hand to the back of his head to caress his blond locks and slowly swayed back and forth.

"Thank you for opening up to me," he sighed. "I'm really gonna miss you this weekend. And on Monday we're definitely going to make up for loss time."

"Miles... we can't spend hours making out on school grounds."

"That sounds like a challenge."