The last ray of sunlight swaying across my right shoulder blade gradually began disappearing as another big fluff of cloud moved ahead of it. The sky was a cool shade of baby blue, with blotches of white clouds hovering only centimeters apart; just my type of day. I found myself often distracted with where I stepped foot as I kept sneaking glances at the sky every now and then; and Xavier had to regularly repeat the words "watch out."

Our lunch had gone amazingly, my mushroom ravioli tasted so heavenly I had to resist the urge to moan with every bite. Xavier kept the conversation going, and I found him to be more interested in me than I was in his personal interests - which says a lot because I was madly absorbed in all that he is.

However, to our disappointment, we finished our lunch early; so Xavier suggested dessert. But the place was too vacant that sitting there too long slowly turned displeasing, and I suggested we go on a walk to have some ice-cream instead. He answered back with a wide, pleased grin.

And so we wandered around in the streets of an unknown town, our arms regularly brushing and magnifying the sparks flying in the space between. We stopped at a pastel green ice-cream stand; Xavier got two scoops of Mint-Chocolate and I got two of Caramel-Swirl; our favorites.

"Tell me more about your job," Xavier said.

"It's incredible." I smiled, remembering all the chaotic fun we had at the company. "It's like this small place packed with some of the most creative, and crazy people that I have ever met. We have a lot of fun working on our projects."

Xavier nodded. "And when did you decide you wanted to become an artist?"

"Ever since I was born," I replied. "One of the very first things I learned to do was grab a pencil and draw, on literally anything," I chuckled, remembering all the mess I'd made back at my childhood home, drawing swirls across walls and tables. "My parents always told me I was a natural, so I decided to persue a career in Arts."

I looked up to witness Xavier's response, and in that moment a flicker of black distracted me from the warm smile playing on his lips. I peeked over his broad shoulder to see a black car with dark-tinted windows pass by, driving uncommonly slow. My eyebrows furrowed; this was their third trip around.

"Nora?" My eyes snapped to Xavier's questioning eyes. "Is everything alright?"

I contemplated telling him about the car. A small part of me worried he might think I'm an over thinker, which isn't exactly a charming trait, but another part of me wondered if perhaps it would matter to him to know if we were being followed.

But then again, why would we be followed?

"Nora?" He pushed, now stopping in his tracks and turning to face me.

I glanced over Xavier's shoulder at the car to see that it also stopped a few feet behind, mimicking our action. Now, that was really suspicious.

"Uhh, I think there's a car following us?" The intended statement came out more like a question.

"Where?" He was suddenly alert, his back involuntarily straightening and his shoulders pushing back.

I raised my eyebrows in motion to the car behind him, and he caught on. Xavier casually reached out for my upper arms, his hold firm enough that I could feel the warmth of his hands creeping over my blouse, and he slowly circled us around so that we switched positions without making it obvious. His long fingers brushed a strand of hair away from my cheek, tucking it gently behind my ear in a loving motion. For a second, I almost forgot it was all for show. His eyes suddenly turned cold as he looked over my head, but a minute later, they softened as he broke into a relieved smile.

I stared at him in confusion.

"No worries. That's just Levi." He assured me.

"Levi?" The name sounded familiar but I couldn't put a face to it.

"Yeah. He was with us at the lake."

The memories clicked into place and I remembered the third person that hovered behind Xavier and Vincent during our trip, too quiet to gain the attention of the group. However, he did get along with Seth pretty fine.

"Oh, I remember." I nodded. But that still didn't answer my question. "Why is he following us, though?"

"Just precaution." Xavier started walking the same way we were headed to before I spotted the car.

"What for?" I prodded, following behind his steps.

"Nothing in particular. Just making sure we're safe." He glanced down at me and smiled.

That was awfully weird. I laughed lightly, nervously. "Do you often have men following you around for safety measure?"

Xavier must have sensed my unease, because he looked down at me and his stare lingered on my facial expression, searching behind my eyes for an answer to his unspoken question.

"No, not that often. But it has seemed like the right thing to do." He answered, to which only increased my confusion. Xavier's eyes moved to the small black purse that fell by my left hip, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Someone's been texting you. You might want to get that."

I stared at my purse with a dumbfound expression. Had I grown that oblivious to the outside world? The vibration feature of my receiving text messages usually annoys me so much that I immediately reply to them to stop the buzzing, but I hadn't even felt it this time.

I tried to balance the medium-sized ice-cream cup in my uncommonly small palm, as I fished for my phone with my unoccupied hand. Xavier immediately noticed my struggle, he smiled and reached out for my cup. "Here, let me have that," he said.

I flashed him an appreciative smile and went to grab my phone. To my complete horror, I had over three missed calls and up to nineteen text messages. But to no surprise, they were all from Ariel.

I clicked on the text messages first to see her ranting in all caps lock about how she was so close to throwing punches around because Elliot and Noah were pushing at her buttons. Eventually, the texts began turning more frantic as she demanded I return home immediately.

I exhaled deeply in annoyance, not really wanting to end Xavier and I's date just yet. But Ariel was freaking out and I had to make it back before she'd lose her patience and cause an even bigger fuss.

"Is everything alright?" Xavier asked.

I shook my head, forcing on a tight smile - which must have come out as a grimace. "I should go back." I refrained from giving any further detail, not wanting to ruin our date by explaining the whole ordeal, which - as a matter of fact - might take over hours to cover.

Thankfully, Xavier didn't question it any further and simply nodded in understanding, switching directions as we headed back to the restaurant where he parked his car. I retrieved my ice-cream cup when he offered, but I found myself in no mood to finish the delicious dessert, so I carried it numbly all the way back.

"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" Xavier spoke suddenly. I was so lost in my thoughts wondering what was the deal with my friends was that for a second I forgot he was walking right beside me. My eyes snapped up to his and it took a couple seconds too long for his words to register in my brain.

"Yes, of course." I admitted.

Truthfully, I didn't know why, but I would have told him if something were to go wrong. There was a whole part of me that felt so safe and secure in his presence - fully aware that we barely even knew him - that it would blindly trust and follow him around with no question or hesitation. And to be completely honest, that feeling scared me beyond the norm. I didn't want to be just another dumb girl in love, but sometimes, I guess you can't control who your soul wants to attach itself to.

Xavier stopped walking, and like the dumb-girl-in-love that I was fighting so hard not to become, I followed his action. His captivating silver eyes gazed deep into my plain brown ones, and I was so staggered by their striking brilliance, my mind went blank for a fair minute, wondering whether there were other lucky ones born into this world with eyes so enchanting they could melt the most inanimate.

"Nora," his lips spoke my name, and it broke me out of the spell his eyes held me under. "You can trust me to keep you safe." He promised.

I nodded subconsciously, mindlessly agreeing to his words even before they fully register in my brain.

My phone buzzed again. Xavier's eyes moved down to the palm of my hand, sweaty and difficultly grasping onto my phone, "we should probably move if you want to make it back soon, the traffic is unbearable at this time of day." He turned around and started towards his car.

I looked at the screen on my mobile, and Elliot's name flashed in wide letters. I clicked open his text message; it asked me where I was.

I rolled my eyes infuriatingly. They need to seriously stop treating me as if I'm a child; I'm twenty-three for God's sake - perfectly capable of living independently.

Shoving my phone back into my purse, I marched angrily the rest of the way to the car, eyebrows furrowed and a clear annoyance showing through my facial expression. Xavier was already in the car with its engine running. I hopped into the passenger seat and offered him a smile, to which he reciprocated before preparing for our return back to the main city.

"I really regret ending the day so soon. I was having a lot of fun," I commented.

He hummed in agreement. "Me, too. But there's always next time." He glanced at me and gave a small grin, which accelerated my heartbeat up a notch or two. "What would you like to do next time?" His smile widened.

Only then did I notice I was still holding onto my ice-cream cup, as its exterior began to dampen and cool the palm of my hand, and what little was left within gradually melted completely.

"Oh," I groaned, noticing small droplets of water falling onto my pants and leaving dark stains behind. With my other hand, I fumbled with my purse as I tried to extract the small pocket-tissue I always brought with me for this exact form of clumsiness. Growing frustrated by the minute, I roughly yanked out a tissue and instantly tapped it against my palm then the slightly dampened spots on my jeans.

"All good?" Xavier suddenly chuckled, and I rolled my eyes - covering my embarrassment with feigned annoyance.

"It's good," I announced, resisting a smile.

A couple seconds later, he questioned, "so?". I looked at him in confusion. He read my expression and repeated his earlier question, "where would you like to go to next time?"

My heart gave a little flutter thinking there was going to be a next time, and that even if our day was about to end, that didn't mean it was the last I'll see of him. I smiled subconsciously, idiotically, and a warm blush started creeping up my cheeks as I suddenly realized how crazy attached I was getting to him.

Dumb-girl-in-love, a fierce inner voice hissed at me. I told her to shut up.

"Anywhere you'd like," I finally answered.

Xavier shook his head in disapproval. "This time, I chose a restaurant that held a special place in my life. Next time, we'll go to a place that holds the same meaning to you. This way we can explore more of one another," he peered over to capture my reaction, which I bet was in complete awe.

"Fair enough," I agreed. "But I'll have to think about it, there's too many to choose from."

He nodded once in understanding. "And we'll make time for all of them," he promised; I beamed.

Xavier began to slow the car to a stop, and when I glanced outside the window, I noticed - to my utter disappointment - that we were parked across my apartment building. I guess good times always come to an end.

I turned in my seat to thank Xavier for the lovely lunch date, only to witness the same look of disappointment and longing swirling in his striking silvers. It warmed my heart but also pulled at its chords, seeing him so unready to let go. I gave him a genuine smile, and watched the blur behind his eyes vanish as they immediately turned soft, and he offered me his own breathtaking smile.

"It was a true pleasure, Nora. I'm looking forward to our next date," he confessed. My cheeks grew warm as I imagined the flow of blood rushing upwards, dispersing across my face to clearly reveal just how flustered his words made me feel.

"See you next time, Xavier. Thank you for the lovely day out." I reached for the handle and pushed the car door open, stepping down and waving goodbye. I crossed the street towards my apartment building, but before passing through the front doors, I turned to give one last smile to Xavier, to which he replied to with a faint nod.

I stalked into the building and immediately threw the already melted ice-cream away, pushing on the elevator button and waiting for it to reach the lobby. As I got in and waited for it to take me to my floor, my thoughts returned to Ariel's text messages from earlier. I wondered what she told them about my sudden and unannounced date. Checking my watch, I calculated the hours I'd spent on the date; nearly three.

The elevator doors dinged and I stepped out, stalking towards my apartment door. I stopped for a second to inhale deeply, mentally preparing myself for the complaints that were sure to come my way. I tried the door before reaching for my keys - knowing my friends never lock the doors behind them - and truly, found it to be unlocked; so I pushed it and walked in. Noah and Elliot were seated on one of my living room couches, scowling as they stared at the TV; Ariel was nowhere in sight.

I slammed the door a little too harshly to gain their attention. "I'm home!" I announced to the party.

Elliot and Noah spared no second of hesitation as they jumped off their seats and instantly bombarded me with questions.

"Why didn't you reply to my text?"

"What sort of date takes four hours?"

"Three," I interjected.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier that you had a date? And who was it with, anyway?"

I groaned in annoyance, so loudly and obnoxiously, it ended up sounding like an animal howling in despair. "Would you ease off?"

"Hey, back off!" Ariel's shriek came from the hallway leading to the rooms as she came stalking out, her hair ruffled up into a messy bun and her pointy index finger directed at Elliot and Noah. Feisty.

"Ariel, you stay the Hell out of it!" Elliot warned, his face turning a light shade of pink.

I gulped, that rarely ever happened.

"If you didn't want me to be involved in this then you shouldn't have been all up my ass for the past three goddamned hours! My head is still pounding from all that interrogation." Her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

Elliot pinched the area between his eyes, a sign that a bad migraine was on its way, which resulted - more often than not - from arguing with Ariel. I could only imagine how bad it must've been if Ariel was telling the truth about it going on for three hours.

"Nora, may I just know something?" Elliot finally asked, his voice lowering an octave as a sign of weariness. I nodded, not trusting my voice. "Who is he?"

"You don't know him," I answered curtly. Which was somewhat true, they didn't know the real Xavier.

"You don't know that. Just give me a name," he pushed.

I huffed and threw my arms up in frustration. "I went on one date, just one! I don't need to inform you guys of every single thing that I do."

"Yes, you do!" Elliot's voice raised, which was an evident surprise to all as they instantly stopped whatever they were doing and just stared. "You will tell me everything you do and whoever you meet with, because now all our lives are at risk, not just your own!"

"Oh, please. Nobody wants shit to do with you, Elliot." Ariel spat harshly.

"I would never put you guys in harm's way." I seethed through clenched teeth, more angry than hurt that he'd think so low of me.

"Of course we know that, Nora." Noah spoke. He glared at Elliot angrily, "he didn't mean that."

Elliot rubbed his forehead, pacing around the living room with a clenched jaw.

"History would never repeat itself, Elliot," I snapped. "And even if it does, rest assured you will be kept as far away from danger as possible." Elliot stopped his pacing and turned around in disbelief.

"Nor-" He began speaking but I spared him no more second, feeling an inner wall crumbling in my chest as it got heavier by the minute. I turned around abruptly and yanked the front door open, racing straight out and heading to nowhere.