pt

r

dn't want to com

and his hands still bunched up into tight fists

his garden. I also realised he had seen me get viciously slapped. Tears of embarrassment rose

nking him for? Taking care of the situation

me," Ken said. "I knocked him o

ave hurt Drake in return? I had never done that before. I wasn't

artic. Has it been that easy all along? One punch and he would s

ou okay?" K

n ugly combination of guilt, disgust, and self-hate. My le

ring at Drake's unmoving figure. W

n said to me. "I'll have som

ATCH out for hi

wrap me in its arms. I had made all the wrong decisions and wasted years of my life on a useless piece of shit. Drake

er," I called as I rushed ou

r me. "Hey, ha

stop. Why couldn't he see that I w

asked him

e good to go home a

, Ke

ta say, you g

at him. "

s. They look like you're feeling kind of

gether, "that was really upsetting, what jus

rms before me.

edly, he said, "Well it's 1 am, which is pretty late and the street dogs chase you at night.

don't deserve that from you. I really don't. I watched you go through this

tested s

that help you when Drake crapped

to know you weren't a

own... It was always that easy. I could never do it. I never did it. That

ying so hard to comfort me. I wiped the tears glazing my cheeks. "People do dumb shit when they're in love! Drake is the asshole who wants everyone to beh

ady gave him years of my

mean it

w kind you are. It's almost unbelievable

he ca

ight to have you walk me all the way hom

aist. "Come on, you'll be doing me a

na stay at your pa

ason you

ople and con

d without ski

id, warily givi

cool and crisp, a light breeze filtering through the shaded lanes. Ken fell in s

e trees here than be

started a green initiative thing w

me with surpri

the city." I gently touched a nearby branch. The leaves shone with t

he can b

ter take on the slowest, sleaziest players of the city cou

at his expression. Even under the shadowy blanket of the night,

piring," I said honest

tolerable from a distance. It doesn't work when

oes tha

eone who hasn't

ed through something, didn't mean I couldn't

e we planning on a long walk

ll smile. "I don

arginally. I recognized the Pizz

ng family troubles with...well, a stran

lling participant in a very private moment in my life.

hat's fair, I'l

It seemed very strange to look at his face – someone I had kno

..do all this

s eyes met min

, all that success..." I sai

But it was an easy venture because I was fulfilling a need society has. Every new technology

r, back when he worked for a startup and did things he was actually excited about. We'd

shield myself from the devastated feeling everyone has to suffer through after a break up

" I mu

" Ken

more to myself than to him. I pulled out my cell

rake live

on't want to discuss the apartment with Drake right now, and

in his head. The expression was arresting, his eyebrows were

ooking at me fo

dering...has he

glanced away ahead, strai

an to be int

wers from me, while you want to say n

mitted, to my great s

u for adm

He turned around to walk backwards an

all

ea

g?" I co

ea

unexpected opportunity. What did I w

inger, "I have a ready one.

u're not lettin

side of her I'm heari

e expects perfection in all forms, at all times, from e

n't really understand the situation, and I didn't want to push i

feel trapped

ine. You can only spend so long imagining it doesn't exist. It demands your attention, forcing your actions into a

time, no. I would not be a slave to his impulses. It was not my job to fix him. The future was real

eft the party, then. Who has time

his green eyes deepening. "That's ri

x?" I

ol?" he said. I shook my head at

itch in high school,"

d that made me smile, as well. His hair flipped bac

lright." He gave me a

giggle. "What? Wh

t sm

rinning from ear to ear, a single dimple I'd n

abou

l smiley about!" I insi

tended to do that when he was discussing something he was nervous abou

Oh yeah, you told me

y we met. I liked you for like, th

ell open.

aback. "You real

d no

to see it. I was so fucking

onversations here and there, and that was that. I was surprised, and what was more surprising was that it was a pleasant surprise

d in 8th grade?" he asked, giving me a smile that was

mind-reader," I told him. "You n

ed. "That

." I was

use I thought your boy

iend," I

one, then?" he asked m

ing his gaze. "Maybe I'm wrong

. "Maybe I think y

e standing quite still, our bodies inches apart from each other, leaning in. I took a d

oncile the nervous blond boy I remembered

my face as he opened his m

ked. "

e right?" He pointed to the fa

into his pockets again and glanced at me

eaking

ed off. Was I reall

were strangers who weren't strangers. Old friends who were meeting for the first time. I di

hed. "There's a lot of stuff, and I'

ce slipping for a moment. How

d I certainly did not want to go with Drake. It had begun to embarrass me to be around him when he lost his temper, or got hammered or both. I had begun to avoid public events and parties a

onestly I was a little excited, too. I had, somehow, managed to convince

id as I walked out of the bath

. "Thanks, babe

"Now wait a minute, how can we just

p and down. I felt the acrid smell of whiskey reaching my nose

e unfocu

en drinking?

on't like it when you ask me that

st thought we had an agreement t

ss in his massive palms. "You never said

e, th

d. It'll be weird if I don't drink at the par

t what they

d my neck. I felt as though he would strangle

not to show any fear,

r. "Don't worry about it already

's the whisk

Thankfully, he never pushed me beyond a certain p

Forrester was in my house, right now. Standing in front of the bathroom m

was seated on the couch, slumping lazily on the back. He had this

out something long and thi

at him. "H

ight up

" I said, sitting

don't mind some

t," I said,

top me. "Please, I got i

ed, following him to the k

yes flitting over and over to the smooth lines of Ken 's back under his navy blue shirt. I wanted to spread my finge

an down his chest in tiny rivulets, dripping onto the floor. I turned

chest heaved as he breathed, and I tried to keep my hormones under control as I stared at the wa

lly as my skin grazed his. When my eyes rose to meet his, he was looking right at me, his green eyes dark with desire, twinkling lusciously, as a small smile dotted the corners of his lips. They look so p

ainst his, my fingers tracing his jawline. He kissed me back, slow and smooth at first, and then his fingers

. He moved his mouth to my neck, kissing and sucking on the underside of my ear as I wrapped my right leg around him, a

neck. I could feel his hardness pressing against me, and it made me wet as I slowly ground myself against him, a