Through thick and thin, rain or shine, my friends were always there for me as I was there for them. The past couple of years had been rough for us all what with Ian on our backs, and each of us had supported one another like a crutch. This year was proving to be the most difficult, especially with the return of Jason Ashford. Not to mention my feelings for Flora getting caught up in our seemingly endless list of problems. Even the guys had grown fond of her (with the exception of Hayden, of course) which I guessed was why they weren't as mad as they should have been when they found out she knew who Ian was. We'd promised one another long ago that nobody was to know of our problem but us in case we tangled more people into our web of mess. That mess was probably one of the reasons we'd stuck so closely together, carrying the heavy burden on our shoulders that we could find no way of relieving or sharing with anyone else.

Someone, however, had told Flora who Ian was and the role he played in my life. It had left me no choice but to defend myself, to confess that we were playing Ian and secretly hiding our supposedly purchased drugs in Topher's basement after Axel donated the cash. The bastard had clearly omitted the important details like my severe opposition toward the entire thing. In fact, the sole purpose of the text had looked as though it was just to rat me out to her. To stir things. The stranger hadn't even bothered to include the rest of the guys, just photographic evidence of a huge mistake only I was involved in. Evidence that could put me, and only me, behind bars.

After I'd told them this, they seemed just as rattled as I felt about the identity of the stranger. So rattled in fact, that Topher, Axel and Matthew all felt it necessary to get Hayden around (much to my distaste) and inform him of the news. He did have a right to know seeing as the matter involved him, but he'd been spending an alarming amount of time with Jason rather than with us and we still had no idea whether we could trust him. After all, he was yet to apologise for drugging both Flora and Matthew. That wasn't cool.

"So why am I here and why is Jason forbidden?" Hayden inquired as he sat down on Topher's living room sofa. "Aren't you all supposed to hate me now?"

"We don't hate you. We just think you're a dick who still hasn't apologised." Axel stated bluntly.

Hayden leaned forward, his face flooding red with barely contained rage. "I told you. I. Didn't. Drug. Anyone. But. Myself. Is that clear?"

Axel was about to retaliate something but Topher cut him off. "If that's what he's saying for now, that's what he's saying. We didn't bring you here for this discussion, mate. We're here to ask if you know anybody else that knows we all work for Ian."

Hayden frowned, finally leaning back into the cushions. "Nah, can't think of anyone. Why'd you ask?"

"We were just wondering if you'd told anybody because Flora got sent this weird text from someone who knew Parker was involved with him. It puts us all at risk f-"

Hayden let out an exasperated groan. "Flora, Flora, Flora! Everything is about fucking Flora. What happened to it being just us? She's come along and messed everything up!"

"Take a chill pill, Flora's nice!" Matthew exclaimed, face puzzled as he tried to tug an enraged Hayden back down next to him.

Hayden shook off Matthew before looking me straight in the eye with an expression I could only describe as betrayal. He took a step forward, prodding my chest with his index finger. "You did this. This is your fault."

"Wait, what? What the fuck did I do?" I pushed him away but he took another step forward, a bizarre mixture of hurt and anger flashing behind his eyes as he grabbed a fistful of my shirt.

"It's your fault Flora knows about Ian. It's your fault Jason's so insistent on staying. It's your fault that I'm involved with any of this shit in the first place. It's your fault that I-"

"Back the fuck off, man!" I yelled as I yanked his hand away from my shirt and shoved him backward. He was breathing hard, his hands curled into tight fists and I didn't doubt I now mirrored that look. Anger never usually got the best of him. Hayden was normally a master at concealing every emotion he was feeling and channeling it into a bored expression. It was something I'd envied. Currently, he was the exact opposite of his cool, collected self. "How on Earth is it my fault that Jason wants to live here again? I wasn't the one that let him out of that stupid teenage rehabilitation centre and I'm sure as hell not the sole cause of you being involved with Ian. Don't you dare try to blame everything on me. We all thought he was a decent guy at the time and we all chose to help him using our own free will. We got ourselves stuck in this mess, not at any point did I force you into it."

Hayden pressed his palms on either side of his head and began pacing with his eyes scrunched shut. It looked as though he was trying to hold himself together - literally. If he used any more force when pushing his hands against his temples then I didn't doubt he'd crush his skull. I don't think anybody saw it coming when he lashed out, his fist striking my mouth with an audible thwack. If they did, they hadn't acted quick enough. Nonetheless, I know that I definitely hadn't expected it. I'd like to say I went down graciously, but in all honesty I dropped to that carpeted flooring like a sack of potatoes. To make matters worse, my mouth was gaping open and I got a mouthful of Topher's fluffy rug.

Everyone was shouting as I pulled myself upright, spitting out fluff. They were probably well aware that I was now seeing nothing but red. All three of them were holding back Hayden who looked intent on bloodshed. Initially, that had been my thought too. As I hit the floor, all I could think of was smashing his face in as payback. Yet when I looked at Hayden, my supposed friend, the feeling left me. I didn't want it. You weren't supposed to beat up friends. You were supposed to bicker and fallout but never question loyalties or beat the living day lights out of one another. I thought of Flora, of what she'd say to try and convince me otherwise, and knew she'd have agreed. Fighting Hayden wasn't worth it. Not when I didn't even understand why he was so furious.

For the first time in as long as I could remember, I took a deep and held back the overwhelming urge to retaliate with a violent act of my own. I stayed rooted to the ground as the boys held Hayden back until he finally gave up. When he sagged against the counter they eventually let go of him, faces pink with exertion.

"What the actual fuck was that?" Axel spat.

Hayden closed his eyes, defeated. "I don't know. I just..."

"If you want to be angry with me for no reason, fine," I said. "But don't go bringing Flora into this. There isn't a single bad bone in her body and she isn't going to have anything to do with Ian."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you... I- you don't understand. I just got carried awa-"

"You should lock your door!" An extremely familiar voice called from down the hallway. Perfect timing. "I could be a thirsty predator looking for little kiddies to snatch up and you'd have no way of keeping me out without a lock. Actually, I take that back. Your house is too difficult for anybody to find which is why I'm so-"

Flora hovered at the doorway. Her eyes jumped from face to face, clearly sensing something wrong, before finally landing on me. My appearance seemed to cause her sudden panic as she rushed over and began inspecting my face, tilting it from side to side with her tiny little fingers. "Which is why I'm so late." She finished, distracted. "What happened?"

Her green-brown eyes were so wide and worried. I hated myself for being the cause of it. It was the reason I'd avoided her, something I had yet to explain. I wanted to distance myself from her not only so she had the opportunity to find someone who could cause her less stress than I did, but so I could leave before my feelings became more intense than they already were. I didn't know if I even could feel anything deeper for her than I already did, but if that was possible- if that happened then there was absolutely no way for me to back out on us. It would make it worse when she realised that there were better people out there for her. Better people than me who weren't mixed up in illegal situations every week or so. Call it self-preservation, but I wanted to lessen the inevitable pain she'd bring me when she left. Anyway, I wasn't exactly good for her.

God knows, I really did try my best to distance myself from Flora but it made me miserable. When she had shown up uninvited in my room, my resolve completely crumbled. I was in way too deep. If I hadn't known that already, I sure as hell knew it now as I realised a much larger part of me was pleased to know she cared so much for my wellbeing as she inspected my face rather than being worried she was getting caught up in yet more of my messy life.

"You're touching my face and you didn't even realise it. Talk about improvement." I smiled and my entire face felt it. My lips felt like they'd been whacked with a baseball bat followed by being kicked by a horse's hind legs. A metallic taste filled my mouth and something warm began to trickle down my chin moments after moving them. I had to hand it to Hayden, the boy really could throw a punch.

She froze - as though shocked by the realisation of touching me without a second thought - before shaking her head and finding a tissue from the depths of her satchel. After taking it out, she carefully dabbed my chin and gently swiped away the blood from my lip. I probably looked a state but I was too busy watching the way she sucked her lower lip into her mouth in concentration to care.

"I'm still mad at you for ignoring me," She replied. "But tell me what happened."

When I didn't immediately reply, she looked to the others for help. She must have worked things out for herself when she eventually caught sight of Hayden and turned rigid. It was clearly the first time she'd seen him after finding out he'd been the culprit of our drugged up camping trip. Unable to help it, I placed my hands on either side of her small waist and lightly tugged her behind me to shield most of her from view. She didn't protest. If anything, she moved closer to my side.

"Minor blip in the King household is all," Topher sent her a charming smile. "All is fine and dandy now, gorgeous."

Flora tensed by my side. "Parker is bleeding. I don't know what minor means in your dictionary but Parker being hurt isn't minor in mine. It's pretty damn huge."

"I'm fine." I said, glancing down at her. Her cheeks were rosy as she sidestepped around me with clenched fists. For a fleeting moment I genuinely thought that five foot Flora was going to attempt to tackle Hayden - Hayden in all his near six foot glory - to the ground. She'd punched me in the face before so wrestling Hayden didn't sound unrealistic. It did, however, sound suicidal. Not that I didn't think she was feisty enough to land a good few hits, but it would end disastrously for her. That I was sure of. The guy hated her.

I saw the flash of panic in Axel's eyes and we both simultaneously stepped forward as though to intervene. We didn't need to. Flora just let out an irritated noise that sounded something like a huff combined with a growl, and pointed a shaking finger at him. "You. Shame on you."

There was a few beats of silence before Topher sighed, "Well that was anticlimactic."

It was a barely audible whisper that I don't think anybody save myself caught, but Matthew, smirking, murmured, "That's what she said."

Only Matthew.

"Was this about Ian?" Flora demanded. She whirled back to face me when nobody else replied. Some of her irritation seemed to fade as she stared at my busted lip, grimacing as though it was hurting her own mouth. "Because I'm not going to tell anybody. I know how much that could mess things up. I've watched crime-drama TV shows. I'm in the know."

Despite the terrible goings on, I couldn't help but smile at her. I cupped her face in one of my hands, brushing her cheek with my thumb. Whenever I touched her, I could always see the moment of hesitation on her face. The seconds that it took for her to adjust herself and understand what was happening wasn't going to harm her. She was getting used to me, now, I could tell. She registered my touch in barely a single second, leaning her cheek into me.

Her eyes were half-lidded, her uneven breath steadying as she asked, "You're really fine? This isn't just that guy thing where they think they can't show their real feelings because that wouldn't be masculine? You don't need me to help you clean that up?"

"Are you asking if I'd like you to nurse me back to health?" I smirked and sent her a wink. "Well if you're offering, I think you'd look pretty hot in a nurse uniform. I can't say I'd protest."

Her eyes widened and she smacked my hand away. "Parker."

Hayden made a disgusted sound and he stalked out of the room. I didn't spare him a second glance. Why would I look at the guy acting like a dick when I had Flora standing before me, a flustered red tinting her face? I could look at her all day. God, I was turning into a pansy. The front door slammed shut behind Hayden as he left the house.

"This would normally be the point where I ranted about what the fuck just happened but I think I'll give you guys some privacy. You're looking at each other like you're going to start tearing clothes off and honestly, dude, I don't want to see you in the nude. And please don't do the nasty on my couch. That thing is comfy and I'd really like to sit on it again." Topher snorted and left the living room, Axel and Matthew in agreement leaving soon after.

I didn't bother replying and neither did Flora but her face had burned even brighter. We hadn't broken eye contact yet but I didn't know if that meant the same thing to her as it did to me. It meant that I sure as hell wanted to kiss her, but didn't I always? I couldn't read her expression. I could read her like a book with virtually everything else but it had to be this that I was unsure about. Go figure. I'd ignored her for so long and she'd been so serious when she'd yelled at me the other day not to touch her. But then she'd held my hand as we fell asleep... What did that mean?

I truly didn't understand girls.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you. I was giving you time to, you know-" I waved my hand about in a gesture that could have meant absolutely anything and then felt ridiculous afterward. I let my arm fall back to my side before I could make a bigger fool of myself. Talking about feelings wasn't exactly my forté. "See if you wanted to date other guys or something. See if there's anybody better out there for you instead of just settling for me."

She looked genuinely stunned. "Settling for you? I like you. I've already told you that I like you. Why would I look for someone else?" She fidgeted with her fingers in clear discomfort.

"Well, I like you too." Christ, this wasn't going as planned. Not at all. Not that I'd envisaged it... much. In my head I'd said it smoother, surely. It came out sounding more like a nervous pubescent girl talking to her first crush. I tried to brush away my ridiculously unessecary nerves and get my balls back. "So you're going out with me. Friday night."

There was a pause, and for a dreadful moment I was sure that she was about to shout at me for being so demanding and admit that she'd been kidding. Was asking the person you liked usually this... Stressful? Her lips opened and closed in surprise before she finally asked, "Like a date?"

I shrugged in the attempt to act nonchalant, but feeling ready to burst from all of the waiting and hesitation it ended up as something between a jerk and a spasm. If the guys could see me now... I didn't even want to think about the amount of mocking that'd ensue.

"If you want it to be one." I said eventually. An over-stuffed cushion that lay on the sofa behind her suddenly seemed fascinating.

Another pause. After about a minute of waiting I could take no more of it. I let out a heavy breath and closed my eyes. So this is what rejection felt like.

Ouch.

Just as I was about to open my eyes and think of an excuse on the spot to take all of my words back, to swallow them up again and gloss over the entire thing, there was the slightest pressure of something against my lips. Soft and warm - Flora in a nutshell. She was a little awkward as she brushed her lips against mine and it was nothing more than a peck, but it answered my question well enough. More than enough. Flora barely initiated anything on her own when it came to touching, so as timid as the gesture was, it spoke volumes. She wanted this. She wanted us.

Barely feeling the pain from my busted lip and unable to control myself, I backed her up against the closed door of the living room until she hit it with a soft thud. She was still a little hesitant, but after a few moments her small hands slid up my back and found their way to the nape of my neck, finally ending their journey by tangling in my hair. I couldn't suppress the groan that escaped my throat as she tugged at it. The girl had no idea what affect she had on me.

"I don't know if I'm-" She tried to apologise for what I assumed to be her inexperience but I quickly shushed her. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to tell if she wasn't so shy about things. It was adorable. Adorable... I was constantly calling her that. I had to chill out.

I broke apart from her. With any other girl I wouldn't have been breathing as hard, I wouldn't have been short of breath at all come to think of it. Not that I knew back then what I was missing out on. This was what it was meant to be like. It had to be. The stuff people talked about where they sounded insanely, embarrassingly, terribly sappy and spoke of insects fluttering in stomachs. I leant my forehead against hers, savouring the last of our contact. She seemed just as flustered as I felt, her eyes like saucers. Somewhat reluctantly, I took a full step back. It took everything in me not to propell myself back into her arms again. Christ, I didn't even trust myself to look at her in case I actually did.

"I'll pick you up on Friday at eight." I said instead.

"Okay."

Three rasps- no, that word wasn't violent enough. Three bangs on the door sounded. Flora, her back still resting against it, jumped a foot in the air in startled surprise. From behind the wooden board a chorus of animalistic noises began followed by wolf whistling. "Oh Parky!" Axel moaned, followed by Matthew giggling. "Don't stop!"

"Guys don't distract them or they'll mess up my sofa! I don't want stains on it, there's already enough there!" Topher cried from somewhere farther away.