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Dedicated to @sms1d4ever

~Jaden~

"Are people staring?"

I watched as Kris's dazzling green eyes left mine to scan the incredibly large ballroom during the slow dance. I saw a smile cross his face before he returned his gaze to me.

"Pretty much," he answered. I felt my cheeks heat up before I practically buried my face in his chest. He just laughed and held me closer.

"Does it make you nervous?"

"Kinda," I confessed. "Not you?"

"This isn't to sound cocky, but I've grown used to it." He was right about that. It was just a fact that he'd been such a fixed center of attention for so long, I couldn't be surprised. "Besides, I'm with you. Let 'em stare."

I lifted my head. "I'm happy I came. Looks like my friends are having a good time as well." I spotted Kari with Sage, and it seemed that Mae had finally mustered the courage to ask Tiana to dance.

"Is there a but?"

I squinted and purses my lips. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, maybe I misread. It just looks like your mind is elsewhere, that's all. If you don't wanna be here, don't stay for my sake. I'm just glad to be around you."

He wasn't wrong. My mind was doing a bit of traveling tonight, but that didn't take away how grateful I felt for tonight. "This isn't as creepy as it sounds, but before you even knew I existed, I'd wonder what it'd be like to dance with you."

He raised his eyebrows. "That is creepy." We laughed as he shook his head. "No, on a serious note, I hope I'm living up to your expectation?"

I smiled warmly. "Consider it exceeded. Although..." I noticed students still staring at us from the corner of my eye. "I never envisioned there being other people, which may have been a little selfish I admit."

"Hm... well, we could leave. It's my dad's hotel; I have my own room on the top floor."

I chuckled. "Lucky you. Show it to me."

"Before we go..." He cupped my cheeks and planted a soft kiss on my lips. It was too short, and I wanted to beg him not to stop but I had to remember where we were.

"Well, that'll give them something to talk about, huh?" I joked, but he probably just saw my lips moving.

He held my hand and gently led me up the stairs, and I made a mental note to text my friends later on.

🎻🎻🎻

I wasn't prepared for the grandeur of Kris's personal hotel room when he unlocked the door. He let me walk in first so that I could admire the sophisticated design and expensive furniture. "This is yours, you said?" I asked.

"Yup. My sister has a room as well nearby."

I took off my fur shawl, laying it on the high quality leather sofa. I touched the soft, large bed then sat down on it. "Is it all gonna be yours one day? This hotel."

"I'm sure it will. It was my grandfather's before my dad's."

"Wow, wouldn't that be something." I continued scanning the room. "Could we stay the night? I'd like to see if it maintains its glory come morning."

He chuckled. "You make it seem as if I'm gaining so much."

"But you are."

"Not to me." He moved forward, lifting my head and cupping my cheeks. "I already have the world right here in front of me."

"Cheesy," I teased, feeling my heart beat a little faster.

"I know." He leaned down to kiss me briefly, but I quickly grasped his hands when he pulled back.

"Kris," I called hesitantly. "I know I wanted us to wait but... could we..?" I asked the question with my eyes, and he answered with his lips against mine.

~Corbyn~

I knew where I was the instant my eyes flitted open. Because of how well-rested and relaxed my body was, I figured that I couldn't be at home. Even though my bed was much more comfortable, just being in that mansion made me tense.

I turned over and saw Nico sleeping beside me on his back. I watched his chest rise and fall, getting a better look at the cheaply made necklace he always wore. It was a thick string carefully tied to an inverted cross that seemed to have been carved from something. Maybe wood. Then of course there were his three tattoos. I didn't have the opportunity to admire them before all the events of last night flooded me.

I swiftly sat up, awaking him.

He groaned. "This is why I don't sleep next to people," he mumbled as his eyes opened. Once he saw me, he gasped and shot up. "Did they come?"

"No, no," I touched his hand. "Nobody's here."

"Oh, thank the devil himself." He fell back onto the bed, squeezing a pillow to his face. "If the police haven't come to take you, why'd you wake me up?"

I sent him a flat look that he couldn't see until he removed the pillow, smirking to indicate his humor.

"They would've found me here by now. My sister knows me too well, and she knows you're the only person I care about."

"So she would've told the police you'd be with me?" he understood.

I bit my nails nervously and shrugged. "If she told them."

He gently locked our fingers together. "Thought you didn't care if they came for you."

I sighed. "I don't."

"Then why are you so worried?"

I squeezed my lips together, snapping my eyes down to our entwined fingers. I was overcome with a sadness that I'd never known before, and I found myself sinking into his arms in an attempt to eradicate my sudden sorrow. My efforts were futile, and I quickly learned that it was pointless trying to fight it. I didn't care about my pretend-father, or whether he lived to see the sun rise again. Not even the thought of his death satisfied me anymore. I didn't care about my mother, or how this would affect my brother and sister. I most certainly didn't care what the public would think when word of this began to spread. Just last night, I figured that if the police came to lock me away, what did it matter?

Except that was a lie because it definitely mattered. As I pressed my face into Nico's chest, I closed my eyes to listen to the tempo of his heart beat and to feel the cadence of his chest as he breathed.

And I finally understood why I was so sad, or why I couldn't fight it.

My sincerest regret was the single possibility of being taken away from him. I lifted my head to look at him, catching those pretty smiling eyes and mischievously smirking lips. I felt it resolutely, that I loved him.

I almost let it leave my lips, but I immediately stopped myself. If I confessed it, then I absolutely wouldn't be able to let him go.

"I can't believe I once thought you were annoying," I said softly, trying to bite back my grief.

"Ah, yes. Wonderful times. I especially enjoyed watching you write poems during class and making you seethe while I stared."

I cringed for a second then revised my previous statement. "Incredibly annoying."

Realization struck his features and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, whoa. Why are we reminiscing?" He shook his head. "No, people only reminisce when they're reuniting or saying goodbye-Corbyn, this isn't... you're not..."

"We have to face reality, Nico."

"No goodbyes," he urged. "If the cops haven't come by now, maybe they're not coming. Maybe your dad's alive."

"He's not my dad," I snapped then sighed, calming myself. "My dad is in a trailer four doors away from us, getting high off of god knows what."

"Jett cares for you, you know that right? He might have an odd way of showing it, but after how concerned he was last night... it's clear."

I nodded with a tight smile. "Gee, how delightful. Just another person I can irrevocably disappoint."

"Hey," he scolded. "I care about you and you don't disappoint me." He reached down to give my bare butt cheek a light smack. "Especially not after last night."

"Yeah but you're my boyfriend; you're supposed to lie to my face and make me feel more special than I actually am."

He snorted helplessly. "Is that what oh-so perfect Mr. Hamilton did?"

I laid my head back down on his chest, resting my palm against his skin. "I don't wanna talk about him." I stared at one of his tattoos, which was right in front of my eye. It was the simplest one he owned: aris.

"Does that mean something? Ay-reese?" I pronounced.

"Air-ris," he corrected. "It's a name. Belonged to someone I cherished."

"Was this person... a significant other?"

He rubbed his eyes and swallowed, and I became aware that this was no easy subject matter. "As circumstances had it, we knew what we were but never labeled it. He was mine, and I was his." Then he shook his head. "I don't talk about it. Ever."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"No, don't. After everything that's happened, I do trust you. You told me your darkest secret; I'm sure I can spare mine."

I decided to sit up so that he knew that all my attention was his.

"Trust me, it's dark," he reassured with a hesitant expression. I just held his hand and nodded.

"I mostly grew up in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but it was in Mexico. That I knew because I had to cross the border. That was all we wanted, to cross the damned border."

"You and Aris?" I presumed.

"Me and Aris," he affirmed sadly. Personally, I didn't know how to feel about this... Aris person. Did he somehow break Nico's heart? Should I hate him? Be jealous of him? Should I even feel anything at all? Clearly, he had some kind of impact on Nico if he had that name beautifully tattooed. I decided not to let my feelings get the best of me and hear the rest of his story. "I was born here in America, and I knew my parents for some time." He shook his head, staring intensely into space. "But I can't remember their faces. I was no older than five when they traveled with me down to Mexico, where they left me with this... community of people. As I grew older, I came to learn that it was a cult."

"And you were raised there?"

"Yeah. It was an awful place to be. They were strictly religious, pretentiously hiding behind their claims of being godly and just. It was absolute bullshit. They raped and killed people, they even molested children, and called all of it righteous."

"Jesus, Nico..." My eyes widened. "Why would your parents take you to a place like that?"

"I'd like to think there was a good reason." He snickered bitterly. "But I'm not that stupid."

"Parents, right?" I empathized. "At the end of the day, all they have is one job. Yet, many fail in the most unique ways."

"I wonder if I would've been better off with or without them."

"For what it's worth..." I shrugged. "I think that you turned out perfect. Maybe if Jett raised me, he'd have an actual job on the other side of California and I'd be a much nicer person. Maybe if your parents kept you, you'd be a tad bit happier but with a very poor sense of humor. A lot less devious, that's for sure. And if all these things were the case, we never would've met. Even if we did, what would we have in common? Two very boring middle-class boys. This is probably the smartest thing I'll ever say, but we are where we are because of what we've been through." I crossed my legs and lifted my eyebrows. "Tell me. Where does Aris fit into all of this?"

"We shared a room with two other boys. That's how it was there; boys and girls were separated by rooms. I practically knew him my entire time there and he was just a year older than me. We grew up together; all the kids." I could see the faintest of smiles on his face as he pictured it all in his head. "I always adored him. He was so smart and very brave. We had to worship three deities; the gods of fertility, life, and the Christian God. Like I said, they did terrifying things in that cult in the name of their gods. So, Aris and I found our own."

"Lucifer?"

"Exactly." He touched his necklace. "Lucifer was ours. We weren't like hardcore Satan worshippers or whatever, obviously. We just hated the cult so much that we hated their gods, their beliefs and values too. We prayed every night that he'd set the community on fire and lead us to a safer place. That 'safer' place was across the border. I know nowhere is safe, but America was a much better option and we'd take it any day." His face hardened. "Aris was fifteen when he was molested, and he was taken advantage of many times after that. He always tried to protect me from suffering the same fate, and he succeeded... except once."

I tightened my grip on his hand, begging him not to continue. He ignored my plea. "I wouldn't leave my bed the day after, and by the look on my face, he just knew. Every shred of innocence that I had was stripped, and he could see it. He crumbled to the ground and sobbed; I'll never forget it. I was just paralyzed in my bed, watching his meltdown. I remember him crawling under the covers, embracing me and comforting me. He told me how much he loved me, and if it were the last thing he did, he'd get me out of that place." Nico slowly sat up, looking down at his tattoo for a moment. "He kept his promise. It took months for him to plan it all out, but he did it. He caused the biggest fire I'd ever seen and although we managed to escape together, we didn't get very far. He was shot, and he died in my arms. The last thing he told me was to cross, and to never look back. He made me vow, even though I had every intention of dying beside him. But he kept his promise--the last thing he did was to get me out. So I kept mine. Now I'm here."

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting him to have endured such a twisted, painful past. My heart ached for him. Before I could speak, the blare of my phone ringing pulled us both back to earth.

"Who do you think it is?" he asked.

I breathed out. "I really don't wanna find out."

"Answer it."

I bit my lip and stood up to pick up my sweatpants. I fished my phone from its pocket and sat back down, glancing at the caller ID. "My sister." I gazed at him and shook my head. "I can't. I-I'm... Nico, I'm scared."

He grabbed the phone and set it on his night stand, and we let it ring until she gave up. I swallowed and looked at him again, and he met my eyes as well. We were silent for quite some time until I leaned forward to hug him tightly. Without question, he hugged me back and I relaxed into his arms.

"He's always with you, you know that," I whispered.

"I know."

I pulled away just enough to make eye contact. "This... probably doesn't make anything better, but..." I cleared my throat nervously. The first time I told someone else these words, they weren't reciprocated. And when I finally received them, he didn't mean it. "I love you," I quietly admitted, feeling my cheeks heat up in protest. It was too soon. He literally just poured his most guarded secret into my hands. I was just setting myself up for disappointment.

Welp. It was out there. No way to take it back.

Nico cupped my cheeks and rained a few kisses on my lips. "I love you too. I have for some time; I just didn't have the balls to say it."

I was stunned. And relieved. And happy. And a million other emotions. "Really?"

"I thought if I told you, something would carry you away like the wind and leave me behind. You know, history likes to repeat itself."

He feared the same thing I was afraid of. And now that I finally knew why--because of Aris--I was profoundly ashamed.

"Now because of what I did, I'll be carried away by law enforcement instead of the wind." I shook my head. "I'm such an idiot."

"I don't blame you. The mayor is a prick, and all you need to do is explain that he abused you. You have proof. I just want this whole thing to be over, with you in my arms. Let the world go to hell around us."

"Wouldn't that be a sight to see?"

"Mm, yes it would." He pulled me onto his lap, kissing the base of my neck to my shoulder. "You'll call your sister back, but after we enjoy ourselves a while longer."

🎗🎗🎗🎗🎗

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