After confirming I was doing better after all that happened last week, Rae told me that she was planning a trip to New York. She wanted to visit her cousin.

"Do you want to go?" I smiled and thanked her for inviting me. But I needed to hang around here because I had missed a lot of time working at the office... ironically enough.

We spent time together at a cafe to talk about what we had been doing during the week.

Mid-sentence, I saw Jackson from outside the window. I tried to duck down but he saw me and started waving enthusiastically. While was walking into the cafe already I tried shooing him away with my eyes, but he didn't take the hint...

"Fancy seeing you here..." Rae looked at Jackson when he spoke and then shifted her gaze towards me.

"Do you two know each other?"

"Yeah, we actually live--" I stood up instantly and pulled him aside. When the coast was clear I looked back at him and he chuckled.

"What's up?"

"I should be asking the same thing --what are you doing??!"

"Whoa... why are you reacting this way?"

"She doesn't know anything. About me living at Ravenwolf. Me working there. Nothing."

"Oh... and?"

"One of my conditions for moving into Ravenwolf was that my best friend wouldn't have any idea of what was going on."

"Why...?" he seemed so surprised. I couldn't believe it. Something that had given me so much stress seemed so blase to him.

"Are you... do you not have a grasp of the situation? At least my situation? Poor girl becomes heir overnight and has to live with several strangers for an entire year?"

"Well, I suppose if you put it that way..." I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"I now live in a fairy tale sized mansion but she thinks I'm living at my aunt's. If you blurted that out..." I nervously laughed and then held my head in despair: "I don't even want to think about what she'd do," I shivered. "So, you need to sneak out."

"Well, why? Can't I just meet your friend? I know now what not to say..." and with that he breezed past me. I tried reaching out to him but I was already clutching onto thin air.

"Jackson!" I ran after him but his foot had been healing well so he was walking well again.

"Hi again... I'm a friend of Hazel's," he sat beside Rae. I held my head in disbelief.

"How did you two meet? What was your secret meeting about?"

"Having a few secrets between friends is healthy..." Rae looked shocked. I'm done for.

"It's nothing... he's really just overly friendly," Rae raised her eyebrow at me. I reached over and grabbed his wrist and pulled him back again. I brought him near the front of the cafe.

"Please leave..." he then pouted.

"You're no fun... fine... but why are you keeping your friend out of the dark? It's not like you're doing anything wrong." He was making some sense. But at the end of the day... we lived in two different worlds.

Mine and the Ravenwolf name aren't compatible. We were too different. One undeniably rich and then there was me... poor and struggling to reach as many people as possible with my art. I sighed. I told Jackson he was probably right... but for now it was too complicated. He left and I walked over to Rae.

"Another mysterious one night stand?"

"No... we live across from one another..." that wasn't technically a lie either. "I met him one morning when I was coming out of my apartment. We've hung out a few times..."

"Hmm... okay, I'll contend with that answer for now..." it felt like I was about to lose my mind. I nodded while sipping onto my drink. "I think he's attractive... but he gives off a wild vibe," I laughed at her answer and she smiled at me.

Well, he was quite un-tamable...

*

When I got home I realized I had forgotten one of my portfolio's at the swimming pool earlier.

When I arrived Jackson was there. He was doing some intense butterfly strokes. I tried sneaking by him but he must have seen me. After grabbing my portfolio he got out of the pool. He approached me while gently taking off his goggles.

I watched him closely as water started cascading off of his body. While he slicked his hair back I saw tiny pearls of water fall to the ground. When he walked towards me I noticed his perfectly toned body again... this time in a more 'complete' mode. His legs were long and he had solid ab muscles that were now moving ever so slightly...

It looked like he was stepping out of a music video in high definition...

"Do you like what you see?" suddenly embarrassed I turned around trying to avoid this awkward situation. When I dropped my portfolio he continued talking:

"I want to apologize to you... for making things difficult... Hazel..."

I could feel his body right behind me now.

There were some stray droplets of water from his body that were falling onto my bare neck. It felt like he was purposely trying to close the distance between us...

"It's alright... she knows we're friends..."

"Good..." I couldn't help but turn around. What me did he want from me? I was now face to face with him so his exposed flesh was now inches away from my gaze. Smooth, flawless skin... he stared at me a little more seriously. I couldn't help but feel my heart pound in and out. I could hear it. It was caught in my ear.

"Then... I'll see you later..." I said while avoiding his gaze. I proceeded to walk past him.

"Forgetting what you came for?" I looked at Jackson who was holding onto my portfolio. He carefully walked over to me. Just as he was about to pass it over to me he pulled it back jokingly.

"Jackson... come on..." I tried grabbing it again and of course to no avail. He kept pulling it away. Laughing while moving it to the side and then right up into the air where I couldn't reach it. I knew he liked teasing the people around him but this was frustrating.

I sighed in anger and when I reached to tickle his neck he dropped the portfolio. I smiled but we both didn't realize we were by the pool side edge. I wobbled a little and lost my balance. Jackson tried to break my fall but he fell into the water with me... luckily we were in the shallow end.

When I stood up I exhaled. He also popped out while staring at me in concern.

"You alright?!" I glared at him. He then helped me up and out of the pool.

Jackson was already behind me when I tried walking away. However, in a matter of seconds I slipped.

Jackson was there to grab a hold of me. He pressed me against his wet, naked body. When I tried moving away from his grasp he held me tightly to his body...