and on the verge of tears is how I've been waking up everyday for the past week. It's gotten worse ever since I had talked to Keldan.

My head hurt so fucking much and all I wanted was for everything to go quiet.

I was sharing a room with Julia when we had fallen asleep, but now, she wasn't here. The bed she was sleeping on was unmade and her thin frame wasn't between the sheets. Shaking away the worry that was creeping into my brain, I threw aside my covers, slipping out of my bed.

Slipping on a pair of sweats that were laying on the side of my bed, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and quietly made my way out the door. The hallway leading to the staircase was dark, but a small light coming from the kitchen piqued my curiosity. When I finally made it to the landing, I was surprised to see Julia sitting on the counter, her shoulders hunched and her face in her hands.

She didn't hear me as I made my way to her. When I was a few feet away from her, I heard the small sobs leaving her lips. Sadness tore into my chest and the hold it hand around my heart tightened and tightened with each tear I watched slip down her hands.

"Jules?" I asked, getting closer to her.

When she picked her head up, I felt the grip around my heart tighten so much that I thought my heart was close to bursting. At the sight of me, Julia started to cry harder.

Tears were ready to slip down my cheeks as I climbed up onto the counter next to her and wrapped my arms around her shaking body. I let her cry into my chest for as long as she would need.

I brushed her hair back as she held onto me. As her tears soaked the shirt I was wearing, all I wanted was to get rid of her sadness that was wetting my skin.

When her tears started to slow and her sniffles started to quiet, she slowly lifted her head off my chest, finally meeting my eyes. I entwined my hand with her.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, her voice cracking halfway through her sentence. She swallowed and wiped her tears away with her free hand.

"Don't be sorry, baby." I said, brushing her cheek softly with the back of my hand. "Why are you crying, Jules? What happened?"

She gently dropped her head on my shoulder and sniffled softly. "I— Um..."

After those two incomplete words, she decided against saying anything, softly shaking her head. "I can't do this right now."

I brushed her hair back and softly planted a kiss on her head, "It's okay, Jules. Get some sleep and we can talk when you're ready, okay?"

She picked her head up off my shoulder and offered me a weak smile. She nodded, softly placing a small kiss on my cheek, "Thank you, Ede. I love you so much."

I smiled and watched as she hopped off the counter and brushed her hair from her face and the tears right after. With one last shuddering sigh, she padded her way back to our room.

I sat there for a while and as minutes passed and the time moved from two to three to four, I wrapped my arms around my body. Seeing Julia cry was making my head and heart hurt. My body was aching like I could feel every bit of her pain in my bones. I loved her and seeing her broken like this was hurting me. I only wanted the best for her and Leah.

They were my family.

I don't know when Atlas walked in or how long he was standing there, but I finally realized it when he softly cleared his throat. Slightly startled, I looked behind me to see him leaning against the wall furthest from me and ner the hall.

I let out a breath and I watched his slow movements as he made his way towards me. He was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a random tee. His hair was a mess atop his head and he looked like he finally got a goodnight's sleep. At that, I smiled.

"You slept," I said, an uncontrollable smile making its way to my face as he stepped in front of me, fitting perfectly between my legs.

I don't know exactly why I had woken up from the first sleep I've gotten in a week, but the first thought I had was Eden.

Not knowing why exactly, I didn't mind. I laid there on the bed listening to the soft breaths leaving Jude's lips and thinking of what it would be like to wake up every morning to watch her sleep and be there for her when she wakes.

I slipped out of bed and stretched my arms over my head. I slipped on a shirt that was strewn on a chair and quietly made my way out the door. I walked down the stairs and down the hall, surprised to see that the lights in the kitchen were on.

I emerged from the hall and saw her.

She was sitting down on the counter, her head hanging between her shoulders. She had tucked her hair behind her ears and was fiddling with her fingers in her lap. Her legs swung almost imperceptibly from the counter, the thin chain she wore around her ankle shimmering under the warm kitchen lights.

I softly cleared my throat to get her attention and she turned around, slightly alarmed. She let out a soft breath when she realized it was me. I don't know why that little action made me so happy on the inside, but it did. I think it told me she felt safe around me.

God, I hope she did.

I walked towards her as a small smile started to pull at the corners of her mouth, her eyes taking me in. When I was finally in front of her and standing between her legs, the stupid smile on her face grew. Her legs closed around me and I was sure nothing fit more than the two of us.

Is she aware of how well her hand fits in mine? The way her lips fit against mine? Is she aware of the way her perfume matches my cologne? The way her legs fit around my waist?

"You slept," She said as she softly ran her fingers up my arm causing every hair on my body to stand on edge.

I smiled down at her, letting my hands rest on her waist and loving the way she still tenses up when I touch her. When she finally eased into my touch, I responded to her statement.

"And you didn't." I said, noticing the way her brown eyes would blink back the sleep and force on a pretty smile.

She gently dropped her head on my chest and I felt her body relax against mine. "I want to sleep so bad, but I can't." She said, her words slipping into a small yawn.

I brushed her hair back and let her loosely wrap her arms around my waist. She fit-- all of her just fit so perfectly.

"Those nightmares again?" I asked to which she nodded, softly.

I hated Kelan for doing this to her and I hated Ethan almost as much. Sure, who was I to even have the right to hate her brother like this, but I do? Did he not know that when he left, he'd basically be blaming Eden for everything? Did he not know that she needed someone too?

My heart twisted every time I would imagine her sitting in his blood as she yearned to connect with him through his pain. Sure, depression fucked with your head in more ways than it was fair, but this felt wrong-- the way he failed to notice was wrong.

I unconsciously pulled her closer to me.

She sighed softly, "Do you know what you wanna do when you get older?"

She pulled back a fraction and her eyes met mine, leaving me breathless all over again. I shrugged, "No,"

"Still?" She asked, her lips pulling into a small frown.

Hating the tinge of disappointment obvious on her face, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I might want to start a bakery."

It was embarrassing to say the least, but it brought a smile to her face. Her eyes lit up and she sat up straighter, hanging on to my every word, "Really? You can bake, too?"

I shrugged, "Kinda,"

Kinda was an understatement. I don't mean to be boastful or anything, really, but I was known back home for my aptitude in baking. For birthday parties, events, multiple bar mitzvahs, and a wedding once, I was asked to make cakes and virtually anything you put into an oven to bake.

My parents pushed me to open up a business to keep myself busy, but I didn't want to take on a responsibility like that when I was barely making it through high school.

"Do you like doing it?" She asked and I tilted my head to the left and right in thought. I did enjoy it. I got lost in it a little.

"Yeah," I breathed, a soft smile on my lips, "Very much,"

The smile on Eden's face that I didn't think could grow any wider, grew. Her hands moved up my arms, "Bake something for me,"

My eyebrows rose softly in question, "Right now?"

She nodded eagerly and I looked around in confusion, "I don't have anything to bake with,"

She proved me wrong by slipping off the counter top and walking over to the pantry. She pointed at a shelf that held a bag of flour, baking powder, salts and sugars, and other bags of finely grained products. "See?" She smiled.

Completely unable to say anything but yes to the epitome of beauty that stood in front of me, I got to working.

Giddily, she got out of my way and sat on the chair by the island, watching me open bags and measure things as I placed them in a bowl. She dropped her chin in her hands and watched me work.

Not having a tangible recipe in front of me, I was going by a recipe that my grandmother showed me when I was 13. It was a Genoise cake which was just a fancy, french sponge cake.

She asked me what type of cake I was making when I grabbed the two trays of eggs and sugar. I simply smiled and kept working. She pouted softly, but kept quiet as she watched.

After beating the eggs and sugar together, I folded in the flour. It was fairly simple and as I tucked the greased pan and batter into the oven, I got started on the frosting.

French buttercream was so much simpler than regular buttercream to me. I liked making it and enjoyed experimenting around with the flavors; tea, lemon, strawberry extract.

I kept it simple and when the buttercream started to come together nicely, I checked the time. Half an hour had passed, signalling that the cake should have been ready by then. When I turned around and pulled open the door, the sweet butter smell of the cake wafted around the room. As I picked it up with an oven mitt and placed it on the cooling rack, Eden let out a small laugh.

She had swiped a lick of frosting and was waving her finger around triumphantly. I gave her a bored look and watched as she licked the frosting off the tip of her finger. As I was silently hoping she would like it, her eyebrows rose as her eyes met mine.

"Fuck, you're good at this." She beamed, "It tastes amazing."

I smiled and watched as she swiped at the frosting again and offered me her finger, "Taste it,"

I shook my head, "I know what it tastes like. I've made it almost a hundred times."

She pouted slightly and I felt my body warm as I stared at her. I stepped forward and took her hand in mine, lifting her finger to my lips. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I watched her cheeks redden. I parted my lips and gently licked the frosting off her finger causing her lips to part.

The frosting tastes good like she said, but watching her breathing go shallow and her cheeks burn red made it taste even better. When I had finished licking the frosting off the tip of her finger, she pulled her hand back, flustered and unable to say much.

"Tastes good," I said, winking at her afterward. And like her cheeks couldn't burn much redder, they did, making me laugh softly.

I returned back to building the cake. When the first layer was done, I walked over to the fridge, hoping there was something else to layer onto the cake. I smiled when my eyes landed on a container of raspberries. I grabbed it and washed them before returning to my cake-building.

After layering on some more frosting and tucking the raspberries into the soft cream, I applied the last layer and decorated the outside of the cake. Since I didn't have any of the proper tools to professionally decorate the cake, I left it as it is.

Quickly cleaning up my mess and wiping down the tables, I watched as Eden looked from me to the cake and then to me again, her lips parted in awe.

I finished throwing the things away and washing my hands as Eden stared at me. When I turned back around, she had a giddy smile on her lips. I watched, open-mouthed as the sun softly rising over the horizon and shining through the window, caught the edges of her hair and shone over her face.

The pink of her lips that I've grown accustomed to changed to an even lighter pink like the color of the old garden roses. Her eyes that left me wanting to drown in the color for the rest of my life shone billions of different shades. Goldenrod, maroon, burgundy, taupe, tan, bronze, copper, sienna...

She smiled at me, "I'd like to watch you bake a cake for the rest of my life."

My cheeks burned at the half-confession she just said. All my life, I thought I was too hard to love for a whole lifetime. I thought I was too much to deal with for a whole lifetime, but here, right now... Eden wanted to watch me for the rest of her life.

And in this moment, I wanted nothing, but the same thing.

Pulling on a small smirk, I leaned back on the counter, "I thought you told me that you didn't want to get old,"

She smiled and stepped towards me, making me stand up straighter. I hated the way my body reacted to her, but fuck, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I towered over her, but she didn't see a problem with that. She smiled up at me and I let my hand gently wrap around her neck, pulling her closer to me. Her smirking lips softly brushed against mine.

"Maybe I'm changing my mind, Foreman." She said , causing a smile to tug at my lips. Letting my eyes flutter closed after hers, I pressed my lips against the ones I've been dreaming of since the last time we kissed.

I tasted the sweetness of the frosting on her tongue as she probably did from mine. As her lips moved against mine, her hand clung to the arm that was wrapped around her neck. I smiled softly when she pulled away a fraction.

I opened my eyes and smiled at her pouting lips and her closed eyes. "Feed me cake, Atlas." SHe whispered and at that I let out a small laugh. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me, not removing her hands off me.

"I like it when you laugh," She smiled.

"I love it when you smile," I breathed and at that her smile widened.

She pulled back and dragged me back to the cake. I watched a she slid open the drawer and pulled out a knife and handed it to me. I moved to take it from her hand, but I faltered at the jagged edge of the knife. My body curled in pain as I remembered the feeling of the knife sliding into my abdomen.

Eden's hand lowered and she stared at the knife in her hand, a saddened look on her face. Her eyes met mine and the sadness that washed over her features made the pain pooling in my stomach double. I guided her hand and let her place the knife back into the drawer.

I watched her take a deep breath and instead, pulled out two forks. She forced on a smile on her lips, laughing softly, "Fuck knives. We'll eat like savages."

A laugh bubbled out of me and she smiled, laughing with me too. I grabbed a fork from her hand and watched as she climbed back onto the counter, ready to dive into the cake; but she was waiting for me.

I gestured to the cake, "Try it,"

She shook her head, "You made it. You have to have the first bite."

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head softly at her. I buried my fork into the cake and managed to get a good even bite from it. Smiling up at Eden, I lifted the fork to her lips.

She glared at me playfully before she took the bite into her mouth. I watched her eyes fall close and her jaw move up and down as she savored the cake. She let out a small moan at the taste of the cake in her mouth to which I laughed. "You like it, huh?" I asked, smiling at her.

She opened her eyes, giving me a confused look and laughing softly. "Why do you even have to ask?" I smiled and watched as she buried her fork into the cake.

The sun streamed in through the windows illuminating her like she was the only thing that mattered in the room. The smile that stretched her pretty lips and the laugh that was ready to tumble from her lips at any given moment was all I wanted for the rest of my life. To have our late night and early mornings together, to press my lips to hers and love the way she smiles into it, and to feel her legs wrapped around my waist and her smile soft against my neck.

She lifted her fork to my lips and I took a bite, smiling at the giddy smile on her lips. Even though I've made this cake dozens of times, it tasted different. It tasted new and it tasted so much better than I've ever made it before.

When we ate our fill of cake and moved to the balcony by the living room, I couldn't wipe the stupid shit-eating smile on my face. Eden could tell too which made her laugh even more, pressing her lips to mine as an apology for her amusement. She threaded her hand through mine and leaned her head against my shoulder as the Netherland morning breeze shrouded us from the bad in the world.

Her phone rang in her pocket, but she ignored it, looking up at me. I smiled at her as she parted her lips to speak.

She let her lips fall close, but opened them again, "Thank you,"

I smiled, "For what?"

She shrugged as her cheeks tinted pink. She looked out at the horizon as she laid her head back down on my head, "For showing me what being in love is like,"

My stomach burned and melted falling into the pit of my stomach. The hair on my body stood on edge and my skin was feverish to the touch. All I could do at the moment was press my lips to her forehead and pull her closer to me.

"You're welcome, Ede."

UH SO YEAH WOAH!! I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THIS CHAPTER!

Hey guys, I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm sorry, but shit has been going on in my life BUT LIKE VERY GOOD SHIT HAHAthis guy might wanna convert for me haha and said he'll marry me in 2 years!! HE'S SO SWEET and cute.

But then there's this other guy, my friend's brother who's hott-ish who was looking me all up and down yesterday. So im in a little pinch haha.

ALSO THANK YOU FOR 56K I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH IT HURTS GAH DAYUM THANK YOU. HAVE THE ABSOLUTE BEST DAY MY BABES