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stood in front of the gigantic mirror propped up against a wall in Tiana's room.

She was in awe of her surroundings. Although she herself came from a wealthy family, it's not as if her parents had spoiled her even a little. The beauty of Tiana's room was something it'd take forever for her to get used to.

"Wow."

A laugh resonated from Tiana as she aimlessly flipped through a book she loved a little too much.

Salt to the Sea.

"It's nothing major," Tiana smiled with a shrug. She took a once-over of her room before furrowing her eyebrows, "I don't know maybe it is? I've always grown up around and in luxury so it's probably selfish to think it's not much even if it is. But it's all I've ever experienced so it's something I've always been used to."

Evelyn had to agree with Tiana. No truer words could be spoken.

She had grown up around the outskirts of luxury and so she's used to only having little to go by. It's all she's ever experienced after all.

"Let's find you something to wear!" Tiana bolted towards her massive closet while clapping her hands excitedly.

Meanwhile, Evelyn was as nervous as ever.

Maddox apparently wanted to take her to some diner he was obsessed with and he swore they made the best cinnamon rolls. He never explicitly stated it was a date and knowing him, Evelyn knew he was really just planning on making her eat a cinnamon roll.

Sadly she made the mistake of mentioning it to Tiana and she was dragged to get ready for a date that's never going to happen.

When Tiana squealed in excitement saying that Evelyn needed to have the best first date ever, Evelyn stilled. Now that the idea that Maddox might be taking her out on a date was engraved in her brain, she felt like kicking herself for the hope she had momentarily felt. As if Maddox would take her on a date. It didn't matter that the status of their friendship had changed to something more, no matter the fact that it was now public knowledge that Maddox and Evelyn were indeed something.

Evelyn saw the hesitancy in Maddox's eyes. When she pulled away from him, breathless and confused, when he told her he wasn't scared anymore.

If the flash of doubt didn't become clear in his eyes, maybe she would've believed him whole-heartedly. But the look in his eyes was unmistakably there and Evelyn had to refrain from cowering away, cowering away from his blatant lie.

It hurt a little, admitting that to herself was easy enough. Maybe it hurt a lot. Maybe the pain consumed her completely. She wasn't sure though. All she really felt was numb. Maybe she was used to the pain. Maybe that's why it didn't make her flinch.

She didn't want to be angry with Maddox, she enjoyed the attention she received. She enjoyed his smiles that appeared and disappeared like ghosts. She enjoyed when he brushed her hair away from her face or when he unconsciously intertwined their hands together randomly. She enjoyed it all. She indulged too much in something she knew would walk away sooner or later.

She was just praying that he'd walk away before she ended up falling so in love with him that he'd probably end up crushing her heart in the process.

It was difficult, not asking Maddox to just fall. If only he would just fall and not hold back. Maybe then he'd be more content. He was so hellbent and focused on making sure he didn't let himself indulge in love, that he doesn't realize who's he might be hurting. That's what she was trying to believe. That maybe he wasn't aware. And if he wasn't then she would make him so.

But what if he knew that he hurt her?

That didn't settle well with her. Quite the opposite in fact. She felt like a rag doll waiting to be picked up and comforted before being thrown off to the side once he had enough fun.

Shaking her head and looking back in the mirror at her downtrodden expression, she sighed before straightening her posture and throwing a fake smile at herself.

She would make herself believe it would all be good and well.

"That smile is faker than Malia's face."

Head snapping towards Tiana's even tone, Evelyn quirked an eyebrow up in defense. Tiana rolled her eyes before gesturing for Evelyn to come on the bed. Once close enough, Tiana's hand shot out to pull Evelyn to lay beside her.

"You know he loves you right?"

Evelyn stiffened.

Love? What the hell does Maddox know about love? Does he even know what it feels like to love? Or does he just shield his heart so much?

"Cut the bullshit."

Tiana sighed before rolling over to face Evelyn, "I know it sounds next to impossible, but he's letting himself go. Little by little, he's taking his time and maybe it makes it seem as if he's not actually giving in, but he is. Evelyn I promise he is. Just don't give up on him so soon. He needs to know you're there and once that's clear in his mind, he'll fall fast."

Evelyn knew it wouldn't be so easy.

She had always known and she always reminded herself it would take heaven and hell to make a relationship work. Yet the first one she's even been in and all the sudden she had the thought that it would be smooth sailing.

Did she not learn from the relationship between her parents?

She knew it would take time to coax Maddox to come to the surface of the water. To breathe for once and relax, to simply float in the water rather than drown. It would take time.

But time was something she knew she had less of. She herself felt better than ever, but Maddox? He was still the stubborn boy who scratched a suicide pact with Loneliness in a dingy warehouse.

He was still the same boy.

And he had not yet changed his mindset. He may not vocalize his thoughts, but his eyes were the most haunting thing she had ever come across. His eyes spoke volumes of pain and suffering.

He wasn't invincible. He wasn't perfect. But he was exactly who she needed. He came into her life at the perfect time and even though he was still annoyed easily and a little impulsive, he treated her with respect most people lacked.

Just thinking about how he treated her had her blushing a little.

"I want him to open up to me," she whispered hoarsely as she fumbled with her entwined hands. She glanced over at Tiana who gave her a tired smile.

"I know Evelyn," she started before laughing slightly at the irony of the conversation, "opening up is hard with Maddox. It takes time and sometimes he just won't do it. I know it hurts that he won't let you all the way in, that it feels like he doesn't trust you. It's the opposite though. Sometimes the people you trust most are the people you're most afraid to open up to."

"But why?" Evelyn exclaimed before squeezing her eyes shut to stop from shedding a few tears, "Why is it so hard? If he trusts me so damn much, he should know I would never judge him, never think lesser of him."

Tiana bit her lip as a small sigh escaped her, "I don't know Evelyn," she shrugged, "A clouded judgement maybe? Maybe he's not scared of telling you. Have you thought about that? It's not you who he's scared to open up to. He's just terrified that if he opens up about how he feels then he'll be admitting it to himself, that he's sad beyond repair almost. He doesn't want to make that feeling anymore real by saying it out loud."

Evelyn brought her forearm up to cover her eyes, to block the light from her features. She hated not having Maddox in her embrace. He held her at arms length and his strength overpowered hers. She couldn't pull him any closer. She hated being on the edge.

"Fix him Evelyn."

Slowly, she pulled her arm away from her face before looking over at Tiana once again. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Before she could protest, Tiana had grabbed her arm and pulled her from the bed and thrust her into the vanity chair that rested in front of the dresser a little away from the plush comfort of Tiana's mattress.

Evelyn looked at Tiana through the mirror as Tiana sent her an encouraging smile whilst squeezing her shoulders in a comforting manner, "Make him happy again Evelyn. That's it."

Although her words were simple, Evelyn felt the weight of them. She understood what Tiana was trying to convey to her and she nodded with a newfound sense of determination flowing through her. She was grateful for the girl behind her. If there was someone who she could trust when it came to Maddox, it'd have to be Tiana because she knew Tiana only meant good. She wasn't corruptible.

"Okay so now," Tiana drawled out before clapping her hands excitedly, "time to make you date ready!"

Her squeal had Evelyn wincing slightly before laughing with amusement.

"We're gonna make you so beautiful he won't know what hit him. Well then again, he's blown away every time he sees you no matter how you look," Tiana giggled, "that boy is whipped!"

That boy is whipped.

She hoped Tiana spoke the truth.

~•~

The date was nice.

Her heart was exhausted from how many times it skipped a beat when Maddox's skin touched her, when his lips graced hers, when his hands gripped her waist, when he kissed her hair. She felt everything for him and more.

Was it possible to fall in love with someone so quickly? They'd known each other a good while now, her feelings had developed around three months ago, but they had just started to become something.

Could she be in love already?

"What are you thinking about?" Maddox asked beside her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as he caressed her cheek softly. Gently. His hand had a powerless grip on her hip and she leaned into his embrace. It brought a sense of comfort to her. The kind she had been looking for since forever.

She hummed in response, "I like being with you."

He brought her closer to him, as close as they could get without layers of clothes being shed, before interlinking his fingers with her own. His thumb brushed over the back of her hand, calming her to relax against his body. Bringing his mouth down to her ear, he spoke with a soft by alluring tone.

"Well I like being with you."

She had to stop herself from squealing. Even though their feelings for each other were established a while ago, i.e when he kissed her on the couch the night she went to see his match, she still got butterflies thinking about the fact that he actually liked her back.

"Is that so hard to hear," Maddox sarcastic stated noticing Evelyn's stiff form.

She glanced up at his emotionless face and turned around in his arms before placing a featherlight kiss on his lips, "No but it is hard to believe."

His jaw clenched as he watched her smile dim as the nerves took over. She looked down at her feet suddenly finding the ground more interesting than anything else. Frowning, he titled her chin upwards so their eyes could make contact.

"Believe me, liking you isn't hard at all," he softly mumbled whilst kissing her forehead. "It might have been the easiest thing actually."

He kissed both her cheeks, "You make it easy." Another kiss on her nose.

"You make me happy."

He laid a gentle kiss on her lips, but before he could move, she wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer. Her heartbeat sped up as his hands found a way to sneakily caress the soft skin under he shirt. She sighed at the feel of his warm hands during the cold night.

He pulled away before pecking her once more before dragging them both from the park bench.

"Let's go home," he said with a smile sitting contently on his face. She nodded as he pulled her closer to him and they made their way to his car.

Let's go home.

To be honest, he was her home.

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