18. What Love Feels Like

She slapped me again as if by slapping me she could forget the pain I caused her, or maybe she wanted to hurt me the same way I had hurt her. Either way, I was already breaking inside.

"I hate you. I hate you." She hit my chest painfully with her hands balled up into fists as she spoke with hatred but yet I could still feel her love. She was doing this because she loved me or else, she wouldn't have even cared. She kept up her assault as I let her hit me, staying silent.

"I know." I spoke with a sigh as she kept hitting me with her fists, she was crying harder by the minute and I had found out a while ago that this was her way of coping with pain, just like I used to break things to cope with my pain.

"I hate you." She punched my shoulder and I felt the impact as I hissed a little, making her look at me in regret.

"I'm sorry." She immediately flattened out her hand and placed it on my chest, making me smile a little but then she hit me again making me groan.

"Why don't you stop me from hitting you?" She asked as she placed her hand back on to my chest as I sneakily smiled at her. She stared at my collarbones for a whole good minute before her eyes met mine. Her eyes turned green, the light emerald green as she glanced between my lips and my eyes. I didn't know what was happening anymore as I saw her eyes darkened. I didn't see it coming as she grabbed the back of my neck and brought my head down to meet her lips in a fiery battle. Her lips fit with mine perfectly and I felt myself sigh out in content.

With her, I felt like I had found the puzzle piece that was missing. With her, I felt more alive than I've ever felt in my entire life and I wanted her to know that as I placed my hand on her arm sliding it down, leaving only my mark on her skin, and intertwined our hands together.

A moan escaped her lips as she pushed me back suddenly making me fall on my butt with a wince. Okay, she's getting rougher with me by the minute.

She stared at me with her breath ragged and her eyes dilated, as she placed a hand on top of her own heart. She walked closer to me and settled down on my lap with her hands placed on top of my shoulders. She bit her lip as she brought her lips closer to mine, but this time with a gentle look.

Her lip biting didn't stop and I groaned before I latched my lips on hers initiating another battle, but this battle was softer and gentler which showed the love she had for me. I smiled into the kiss making our lips break off with an audible sound. She growled before she slapped my cheek gently, "Keep kissing me." She commanded and I followed her command with a small laugh.

Her lips were dominating mine before I pushed my tongue into her mouth getting a moan in appreciation. She tangled her fingers in my hair, pulling slightly as she slid her body closer to mine, leaving no more space between us.

The wind was blowing wildly and suddenly it reminded me of where we were at the moment. I quickly tore our lips apart with an apologetic smile.

I did not want the kids in the park to see us making out.

"No PDA, love." She groaned before burying her head in my shoulder fisting my shirt possessively.

"I forgive you." She spoke barely audible and I smiled before pushing her stray locks to cascade down her shoulder exposing her neck to me.

"But-" I immediately groaned to which she giggled.

"I'll do anything as long as you keep loving me." I spoke as I stared into her eyes seeing the familiar emerald green come back to its original color.

"I'll always love you." She whispered to me as she caressed my cheek making me smile. "But from now on, you can't be alone with any girl." I laughed as she began to pout at me.

"Okay. Anything else?" She smiled before nodding her head.

"We need to have sex." I choked on my spit before I looked at her with wide eyes.

"What?" She smirked and I would've smiled seeing her smirk again but I was still shocked by what she had just said.

"I want to be only yours and you to be only mine. What if some other girl tries to sleep with you?" I smiled at her before I shook my head at her possessiveness.

"I won't even look at another girl. I'll even not look at myself naked but please, stay with me." She giggled and I smiled seeing her not crying anymore.

"I'm truly sorry, Claire. I don't know what-" She shushed me with her index finger on my lips, looking at me with a smile that could shine brighter than the stars.

"It's okay. But next time, I'm gonna hit you till I'm satisfied so you better be careful." She pointed at me and I smirked at her making her frown.

"Like the way you abused me a minute earlier." Her cheeks reddened as I laughed and after a minute of embarrassment, she smiled before hugging me close to her. Our bodies were molded together and our heart beats in sync. This was what love felt like.

Bodies close but hearts closer.

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On Monday, things were really awkward between Zeke, Amanda – Allison – and Claire, since Claire kept glaring at the two while scooting closer to me and making me rest my arm around her shoulder. Kyle didn't have an idea what was going on and his confused glances were ignored by most of the people on our cafeteria table.

"What is going on around here?" Kyle whispered in Josh's ear which made me want to roll my eyes at him. So much for whispering.

"I have no idea." Josh whispered back while Clayton looked between Allison – Amanda – and Claire with a concentrated face, maybe trying to figure out what was wrong.

Zeke and Allison were sitting on another cafeteria table and Claire ordered her two friends, Clayton and Josh, to keep it that way. Kyle had asked me what was wrong and I pointed at Claire as to tell him to ask her. Kyle frowned and sat down silently.

"Okay, I can't take this anymore. What happened between you four?" Clayton spoke up and Claire looked at him with her eyes dark as if she was refraining from attacking the boy.

"Umm, she doesn't want to talk about it?" It came out as a question as I looked at the tattooed boy, who just shook his head at me before returning his gaze back to Claire.

"Allison or should I say Amanda lied to us, all of us. She wasn't our friend, she just wanted Hayden." Claire grumbled as she glared at Allison from beside me. Clayton looked confused just like Josh, who had yet to say anything while Kyle's face formed into an 'o' and he quickly looked at me.

"Amanda. As in your girlfriend Amanda." Claire turned her glare towards Kyle, who was busy looking at me for an answer. "Ex-girlfriend. I'm her girlfriend now, not her."

I smiled at Claire's possessiveness which was really amusing since she looked so cute being all possessive. I kissed her cheek to calm her down, to which she leaned into me more making Clayton gag getting an elbow nudge from Josh.

"Why'd you do that?" Clayton whined while soothing his side with a hand, pouting towards Josh.

"Yeah, turns out Amanda was going to New York with her family by the same plane, my parents were travelling. Her family died and she got her face badly injured. She said that she got it fixed form surgery." I explained to which Kyle nodded in understanding.

"I don't like her." Claire mumbled from beside me and I chuckled at her. "Well, she was the first girlfriend and the first girl to ever meet her parents." Kyle spoke and this made Claire shrink in her seat. I glared at Kyle to shut him up which he immediately did but the damage was done and now Claire was feeling sad.

"Don't worry. I bet you, my aunt will love you." Immediately a smile came on to her lips and she snuggled closer to me. I smiled back at her before glaring at Kyle, who raised his hands in defense while the two other boys laughed at him.

"So, this Friday?" I turned to look at Claire questioningly as she gave me a cute smile.

"What about this Friday?"

"Can I come over and meet your Aunt?" Kyle managed to laugh out loud as he heard Claire which made me glare at him. "Uh, yeah sure."

I smiled at her and she rewarded me with a quick kiss to the lips. "Whipped."

I turned my attention back to Kyle with a glare as he began to whistle audibly, looking around the cafeteria innocently. Josh and Clayton were just watching us with laughter as if we were a part of a sitcom.

I looked across our table to the table where Amanda and Zeke were, and they seemed to be in a heated conversation.

....................................................................................

Aunt Carrie was excited to meet Claire, well the word 'excited' was an understatement, she was pretty much ecstatic when I told her that Claire was coming over for dinner this Friday.

And just like any other family member, she had my childhood albums ready to embarrass me in front of my one true love. It's not like I was worried that Claire might leave me, if she saw me in a tutu or that horrid girl's scout uniform, but I really thought that those pictures might be a deal breaker.

I was horrified but at the same time happy because for once everything was going great. I had finally begun to open up, Kyle became my best friend again, I got a beautiful and great girlfriend, and I made some new friends. But still, something wasn't going great and that was my Aunt's love life.

I mean, she's a beautiful lady and she's independent too but she just doesn't give a guy a chance. She's always so busy with me and my life that she doesn't see that she also needs to share her life with someone that she loves.

"Hey, AC." Aunt Carrie turned to me, as she typed something in her laptop.

"Are there any hot guys at work?" I asked and instantly her face went red as if I asked her a dirty question.

"W-Why are you a-asking?" Her face was still red as she looked back at her laptop while I shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe you could date one of them."

She turned to me immediately with her eyes wide and her mouth open, "Why the sudden interest in my love life?"

"Oh please, I've always been interested in your love life." I spoke as I began to change the news channel, getting bored from the same news repeating over and over again.

"And why is that?" I glanced at her before I laughed. "Oh, come on, how long do you plan on staying single?" She just shrugged as I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe, I don't need a man in my life." She spoke and I nodded my head in understanding.

"Maybe, you don't need a man but you need someone to love. I'm going to graduate and then leave for college. You're gonna be all alone, I don't want that for you." I looked at her and she finally closed her laptop before she turned herself fully towards me on the couch.

"And besides, you're hot." I wiggled my eyebrows as she laughed before hitting me on the arm.

"I'm not kidding on the hot part. Woman, you are smoking hot." I said with a straight face and she turned serious as well. "I find that flattering but at the same time, quite disturbing." Now, it was my turn to laugh as she scrunched her face.

"But no one is as hot as my Claire." I sighed dreamily as she smiled while resting her head on my shoulder. "No offense."

"None taken. I'm just happy that you aren't having thoughts of incest." I laughed out loud as she blushed.

"But seriously though, you should date someone. You know, beauty doesn't stay forever." She nodded her head, placed still on my shoulder as she sighed.

"Okay." I smiled hearing her answer.

"Okay then."

Everyone comes with scars, but you can love them away.

-Fifth Harmony

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