~Coming to terms~

"What are you doing here," Jaxon asked, staring into my befuddled eyes. I hoped I didn't look as terrified as I felt. No control of facial expressions has always been a weakness of mine.

"Well, I, uh, don't know exactly h-how Riley and Austen and Cameron got me here without waking me... but they must have come up with a brilliant plan to kidnap me and t-trap me down here. They say I can't go anywhere, until we...." I trailed off, already turning into a stuttering mess. Jaxon dropped his gaze to the floor, crossing his arms.

"So... you don't actually want to talk?" Jaxon stated in a smooth voice, almost too smooth. I was in a daze, and somehow unconsciously shook my head no. He sighed, gripping the door.

"Well shit, that's just perfect. You go ahead and have yourself a great life." He went to slam the door shut, but in a haste I got in the way, pushing against it. He stopped and let it swing open again, clearly exasperated.

"What is it Bailey? Avoiding me all week, running away when I show up at your school... You've made it clear you never want to see me again. I won't force you to be in my company any longer." He didn't shut the door, but waited for a reply. I stood there, millions of feelings burgeoning inside of me and making it hard to speak.

"I-I know. I handled it badly. But you.... you hurt me," I responded in a weak voice.

Jaxon ran a hand through his thick black hair, pushing it out of his face only for it to fall back. He breathed out of his nose, then stepped aside, and motioned for me to enter. I hesitated, then slowly went and stood by his bed, standing amidst the rubbish. Yes, his room is still a third world country in ruins compared to every other teenage bedroom.

"Look, I didn't mean to hurt you in any way. I shouldn't have.... pounced on Austen like I did. I couldn't think of any other way to deal with it..." Jaxon began. It hinted at something bigger than his actions.

"Deal with it? Why did you feel the need to deal with it?" I interrupted, the anger from that night returning in a flash, "I was fine. I certainly didn't ask for you to step in and get involved in my problems. So why did you?"

He was silent, and we locked eyes. His brown eyes looked agitated, while mine... I don't know. Probably mad. Though I'm not sure how I felt on the matter. I waited for him to say something. Come on... any day now.

"You certainly weren't going to stop him. Sierra wanted to go to the bathroom, and she dragged me along with her. While I was waiting outside for her, I heard you say something, and it sounded like you were in trouble. When I finally found you in the hallway, Austen was all over you, and... I don't know, I couldn't stop myself. There was no way in hell that I would let him get away with...." He stopped mid sentence, unable to portray what he wanted to say, "I-I don't think you understand." He stood tall, towering over me, and I tried to look somewhat challenging from my stance below him. There was a five second delay until I answered back.

"You're right, I don't," I told him bluntly, breaking the silence "How can I make sense of that? If I'm to get this straight, you assumed I didn't want it, and stepped in to put an end to it?" Jaxon looked around, and quickly nodded his head, aware of the doubt in my voice.

"Okay, then why? Tell me why you felt you needed to do that. Because in my head, you've shown countless times how little I mean to you. What would cause you, Jaxon Bennett, to get involved in my life, over something that has absolutely nothing to do with you?" There. I could see that I had finally asked the right question. This is when his real motive would come out. The moment of truth.

"I don't know."

Jaxon stared at me with a confused expression. I could see him struggling to comprehend all of the events leading up to this. That's all I get? An 'I don't know'?

"I don't know doesn't cut it Jaxon," I retaliated, piercing into his storming brown eyes, eyes that held so many secrets and longed answers, but none of which he would share with me. If this was all that Jaxon had to say, than I wasn't going to stick around. I'm sick of his little games.

I turned and began to make my way out of his room. Aimlessly, of course, because where would I go? It's not like I have a way out of here. But before I could take so much as two steps, Jaxon closed his hand around my wrist.

He spun me around, right into his arms, and without warning, crashed his lips against mine.

The kiss only lasted a couple seconds long. I was stuck in place, my spine stiff and displaying no reaction whatsoever. I could hardly process the fact that he was actually kissing me until he pulled away, his eyes wide and his expression completely stunned. I looked at his lips, and then back up at him, wondering if that was imagined or not. He didn't kiss me. He couldn't have. It made no sense.

"I-I'm s-sorry," He stuttered, stumbling backwards to put some distance between us, and recklessly running into his dresser drawer positioned up against the wall. I let my arms drop to my side, shocked myself, but trying to shake it off. He continued to stare at me with bewilderment.

"You're... apologizing?" I emphasized the words, hoping he would explain himself. Jaxon shoved his hands in his pockets. Then he started rambling, something I would've never thought I'd witness Jaxon doing.

"Y-yeah. I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid, and I, I don't know what I was thinking." He paced over to the edge of his bed, kicking the frame of it lightly and looking down at the floor.

"You hate me. You... told me that, and I don't blame you. I've been a jerk, to everyone really, but mostly to you. I don't know why I did what I did, I just did it thinking it would make things better, but after, I always felt... so much worse. And then knowing I couldn't fix it, I went on doing something else stupid and making a mess of everything. That's all I do, ruin things. I'm sorry you were a victim of that," Jaxon confessed, in a tone that was soft and sincere and very foreign to me. I gazed at him curiously, but he wouldn't look me in the eye. Instead, he kept on talking.

"She was the only thing good left in my world. And then she packed up and left, and she forgot about me, left me here with him to live in someone's basement. And ever since then, I haven't been the same," He stopped, "I-I'm afraid I'm starting to become like my dad." Fear and pain leaked from his voice. Hearing him speak about his mother hit me hard. I bit my lip to keep the tears from flowing out. No one should have to go through that. I didn't have much time to dwell on it, since after a short pause he continued on rambling.

"I can fool everyone- the strangers at school that call themselves my friends, stupid girls that stare at me, but don't really see me, just the idea of me. I felt like it was all so pointless. I ran away a couple times, got far just to find there was nothing out there for me. I considered death, but even that seemed worthless. I was already dead on the inside, and nothing mattered..... until I met you." Jaxon looked up for the first time, remembering I was there. I blushed a little, having all his attention diverted to me. He stared for a little bit, and I found myself entranced by him, wanting him to take me in his arms and tell me he was going to be okay. My chest was filled with this desire to simply be with him. He stared at me, and suddenly snapped out of it, falling back into his tormented state. Seeing him like this ripped me apart too.

"You just.... you never.... I didn't... expect you to be so different. I've never known anyone like you. But you don't.... you can't... care. Nobody does. Sometimes it seemed like it.... But no. You don't. I'm nothing. I've always been nothing." Jaxon's face looked so hurt, just saying that aloud. He can't really think that. He's... everything. I could see the emotionless mask creeping back on, and I knew I had to prevent it from happening. If he shut me out now, he would never let me back in. I quickly wiped a tear that slipped out down my cheek, and drew together the courage buried deep inside of me, to say what I needed to say.

"Jaxon," I spoke softly, nearing him carefully, "You're wrong." I closed the space between us, feeling closer to him than I've ever been with anyone before.

"I really, truly care about you, and I mean that. I'm not saying it out of pity, or just spitting the words out to make you feel better. You have to believe me." He looked up when I got close enough, his face already cold but his eyes still awake, vivid with the pain and fear that he'd been concealing his entire life.

"No, you don't. Nobody does, and nobody ever will, just like you said," He told me in a harsh tone. I shook my head fiercely.

"No, I didn't mean that. I was crushed, and said some things I didn't mean, thinking it would make you turn back around. I've never been hurt like that before. But I would have never said it if I didn't care about you." Saying it out loud made me realize it even more. I care about Jaxon, regardless of the consequences that brings or how I've denied it in the past. I really, really, really care about him. It's not just some silly crush- because losing him felt like losing the world. He doesn't just understand me, he completes me. And even though it's scary, it's terrifyingly worth the risk.

Overcome with a surge of bravery, I reached over and laced my fingers through his. He looked at our hands and up at me in surprise, then tightened his grip, letting me know he wouldn't let me go this time.

"Are you... sure?" He asked, puzzled. I cracked up, not being able to stop it.

"Yes I'm sure! I knew the night of prom that I did, and I know now I still do. I'm not going anywhere. You're just going to have to accept that." I smirked up at him, and he gave me a tiny smile back. His brown eyes were now sparkling, looking more beautiful than they've ever been.

"Okay," He whispered. I watched as his face came closer, and gently, his lips pressed against mine. His other hand came around my back and wrapped around me, keeping me from running away, not that I would ever run away again. The kiss sent my head spinning and the rest of my body weak.

My hands wrapped around his neck naturally, and I ran my hand through his thick tangled hair, hair I always wanted to mess with but never had the guts to. Jaxon responded with a slight moan, both hands going around my waist and lifting me up to him. The kiss deepened, and I felt a fiery warmth start in my chest and trail throughout my entire body, igniting me on the inside.

We fell back on his mattress, and his arms went on both sides of my head. We drew back to catch our breath. I stared up into his shimmering brown eyes framed by dark lashes, wondering how I could have ever looked into them differently. They were so dazzlingly radiant now. Everything that happened between us, with all of the agony and drama it caused, needed to happen, because finally, finally, I could see him.

He began kissing me again, and his fingers skimmed the edge of my arm, making me feel fragile. They trailed up to my cheek, and gently brushed against my skin. I shuddered, feeling a sense of perfect delight, before wrapping my hands around his muscular back and holding him close to me. His gentle kisses left my mouth and brushed down to my neck. His lips hovered over my skin, and once they met my neck, I released a loud moan.

"Jaxon," I gasped breathlessly, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. Well, that was embarrassing. He chuckled, his breath hitting my neck, and slowly rose up to meet my eyes.

"I know," He said, his eyes amused. I didn't need to explain to him my boundaries- he already knew, although I was afraid I was already compromising them. Carefully, he placed one last warm kiss on my lips, and with a grunt, pulling himself off me. I sat up a little dizzily, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. Jaxon sat in the center of the bed, leaning against the bedpost and watching me.

While I thought about what had just happened, I could feel myself blushing big time. I looked over at Jaxon, who was so happy he was grinning, and probably loving the pink color in my cheeks. I rolled my eyes at his ecstatic expression, and straightened my spine, rubbing the back of my neck. I was unsure what to say, or where to sit, but good thing, I didn't have to.

"Come here." Jaxon grabbed one of my hand and pulled me closer to him without permission, into a position where he slung an arm around me. I rested my head on the side of his chest without arguing. It felt so right. Nothing else was said for a while. We just laid together in content silence, listening to each other's heartbeats. Out of nowhere, a piece of the mysterious events of the past landed in place.

"The flowers...?" I asked out of nowhere, looking up at him. He smiled, and nodded.

"Yup." I looked back ahead and beamed. It was him all along. He sent them, not Austen. How stupid am I? Wait, don't answer that.

"That reminds me, you and Austen... you aren't still...?" He looked worried for a second, and I smiled, shaking my head no. That seemed to reassure him. He sighed a happy sigh, settling back into the bed and holding me close. I fell into deep relaxation, and my eyes started drooping close. I shifted in place, turning to snuggle up against Jaxon. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I smiled, not able to be any happier than I was right then. Sleep came easily, and I no longer had to dream of being in his arms. I finally was.

I woke up to the sound of steps and mumbling. Jaxon was sleeping too, and even though I didn't want to ruin his adorable state, I did anyway.

"Jaxon," I whispered, sitting up and shaking him gently, "Hey, wake up." He cracked an eye open, and sighed, using his arm to lay me back down on his chest.

"Too early," He complained, closing his eyes. I wriggled out of his embrace, and listened. Heavy footsteps were coming down the stairs. When they had reached the bottom, the basement door creaked open. Jaxon suddenly shot up, and he tilted his head and peered out of the crack in the doorway, trying to figure out who the visitor was.

"Someone's here," I told him, "and I don't think it's Riley or any of those guys." He bit his lip in concentration, and at once, became terrified.

"No.... No no no no no. Why now," He mumbled, "This can't be happening." I tried to hide the fear that swooped in and took over my body. Jaxon ran a hand through his hair, and hastily stood up, pulling me with him.

"Okay, listen to me. Don't be scared. Everything's going to be fine. But you have to hide." He ran and shut the bedroom door, then his eyes darted around, looking for a place to safely tuck me away. My blood started pounding in my ears.

"What's going on?" I demanded him, wishing it was just a nightmare, and I'd wake back up in his arms. He laughed sharply without humor.

"You ready to meet my dad?"

This was so difficult to write, since everything's kind of been leading up to this, and I know I've left you with a bad cliffhanger, but don't worry, more will be coming soon. But hey, I did good, right? Please tell me what you think of this delicious chapter, and leave your opinion in the comments. Plus, voting would be superb as well. Hang in there until the next chapter you guys :) Thanks for the support