The dolphins eventually swim away and even though I want to follow them so they'll adopt me and I can live like this every day, I swim back to the jet ski. It was getting darker and therefore, harder to see what was underneath me.

Aiden climbs onto the jetski and all but lifts me up. He asks if I want to drive but I decline, wanting to see the last of the reef before the darkness blocks my view.

We go around on the jetski for as long as we can, but eventually the pitch dark makes it hard to see where we were going so we have to go back to shore.

We pull up to the beach and I climb off the jetski. I do my best to help Aiden put the jetski back into the shed but eventually give up when I see I was probably making it harder for him rather than easier.

Once he locks the door again we decide to sit on the shore and watch the waves.

We talk about anything and everything and a terrible evening turns into one that I'll never forget.

I was so lucky to have Aiden in my life, he was adventurous and rebellious and everything that I needed. There was absolutely no doubt that I was in love with him and I couldn't hide it for much longer, maybe Dale was right, maybe I should let him know how I feel about him.

"Aiden," I mumble.

"Yeah," he replies.

"I'm not mad at the fact that you hurt Justin but can you please promise me something?" I ask, vulnerability lacing my every word.

"Anything Collins," Aiden replies quietly, I smile at his words, falling just a little bit harder.

"Before you beat someone up, please let me try and deal with it. I'm stronger than you give me credit for and as much as I appreciate it, you're not going to always be around when something happens and I can fend for myself, I hate the violence and would love it if we could figure out a non-violent way to deal with situations" I beg quietly.

Even though it was pitch black, I can feel his stare on me. He finally replies; "I'm sorry Collins, I swear I'll let you deal with situations your own way and try to figure out a non-violent way to solve issues," Aiden promises. I smile, his promise sounded so sincere.

We suddenly fall silent, was now a good time to tell him how I felt? I glance over to Aiden and see he was already staring at me, I want to say butterflies erupt in my stomach but that would be a lie, whatever was in my stomach was more than butterflies, it was a whole damn zoo.

Ever so slowly I see him leaning in, the zoo in my stomach multiplies as I lean in with him. Even though the encounter can't have been longer than a couple of seconds, it feels like hours.

Is this it? Is this when we finally kiss, does this means he feels the same way? Am I dreaming?

Our lips are centimeters from touching when suddenly we hear a familiar voice. We jump away from each other so fast I'm pretty sure we put the dolphins to shame.

"There you guys are," Toby sighs.

My face erupts in flames and I'm grateful the darkness covers it.

We almost kissed.

We would have kissed if Toby didn't come.

Could he not have come a few seconds later? Just long enough for me to feel his lips against mine.

"Everyone else is sound asleep, I was waiting up for you guys then I thought you's may have drowned or something," Toby enthuses.

"Sorry Tobes," I reply, the blush finally fading from the almost encounter.

Toby notices the tense atmosphere; "did I interrupt something?"

"No," I quickly reply, probably too quickly.

I can just make out a frown on Aiden's face and I instantly regret denying everything.

We walk back to the site in silence, Toby not giving us a chance to speak even if we wanted to. He was too busy explaining everywhere he looked for us.

As soon as get to the site I open the tent as quietly as possible only to see Charlie taking up all the room in the tiny tent.

Sighing, I grab my stuff and walk somewhere dark to get changed into sweatpants, a tight crop top, and a jumper considering it had gotten very cold. I put my stuff back in the tent after hanging anything that needed to be and stare at Charlie, how would I work around this? Charlie was not someone you wanted to wake up.

Toby calls goodnight to me and goes into his tent, Aiden, who he was speaking to begins walking towards me and my heart automatically begins racing. I continue to stare at Charlie, trying to figure out a way to move her and trying to look unbothered by the fact that Aiden and I almost kissed.

Aiden comes to stand behind me, obviously wondering what I was doing, and chuckles when he sees Charlie.

"Come and sleep with me," he offers.

"In the swag?" I ask, very unsure. Usually, I would jump at the chance to sleep with him but that's in a bed where I can escape if needed. In the swag, there was nowhere to go but practically on top of each other.

I consider my options. Wake up Charlie and feel the wrath or sleep in a one-man swag with the bad boy I was hopelessly in love with and almost kissed.

After sighing I make my way to the swag, Aiden smirks, following me. I get in the swag first, trying to leave as much space for Aiden as I could. Even then, our bodies were still constantly touching.

After a minute I sigh, shuffling closer to Aiden so I was more comfortable, Aiden laughs but doesn't object.

Aidens arm rests on my shoulder considering it didn't have anywhere to go but around my waist and even though we always woke up like that, we never started like it. It always made me wonder, if he felt the same way he would hug me, wouldn't he? When you're asleep you can't control your actions so I can't hold them against him, but when you're awake you have full control, if he didn't choose to hug me, there no way he could possibly like me.

Even though his arm wasn't wrapped around my waist the way I wished it was, I couldn't help but feel comfortable with him pushed against me and before I know it, I fall into a peaceful sleep.

We had just organized our second date for next week on Friday and I couldn't wait, I wanted to do it this Saturday but the guy couldn't, maybe he had plans or something. There was just something about him that left me desperate for his presence. I liked him way too much.

I just wish I could tell Em and Charlie but I had to respect his wishes, he didn't want them to know, actually, he didn't want anyone to know. It sucked but I liked him too much to ruin anything by telling people something he wasn't ready for them to know.

I was staying at Em's house on Friday, unfortunately, Charlie couldn't come. She had told Em that she had a cheer thing but the truth was she was planning a surprise party for her 18th birthday. I offered to help but Charlie thought it would be suspicious if neither of us could spend the weekend with her considering we had spent every weekend together since we became friends. Luke had also offered to help and I figure that the more time they spend together, the better. Charlie's parents had even let her use their house for the party which was more like a mansion. I guess there were pros about having a rich auntie.

Charlie had been trying very hard to convince Justin to go to her surprise party but he hated Aiden so much he seriously didn't want to. After yesterday's events, I'm sure the tiny possibility of him agreeing lessened so much it was practically non-existent.

On Saturday, I had promised Ma I would help her in the diner from the lunchtime rush to the dinner rush and even though that meant I couldn't spend it with Em, I was happy that I could help Ma.

I had tried to convince Charlie to spend Saturday with Em because I felt guilty that I had joined their friendship but for some reason, she declined instantly.

Obviously, I would have to keep next Friday night for my date but I would just say Ma made plans or something for a couple of hours and probably go back to hers after considering we literally spent every weekend together. Not telling Em would be so hard, but for him, I would do it.

Charlie had called me earlier last night while Aiden and Em had gone off to tell me everything that happened. It was so obvious to everyone but them that they shared the same feelings for each other but every time I tried to explain that to Em, it seemed I just upset her. She was sure he didn't feel the same way and I think she had engraved it into her head.

I was excited for my best friends to get home but I was even more excited about my date next Friday. Even though I had over a week to wait, I was just so fucking happy. He wanted to surprise me with a date because obviously it had to be very private and whilst the anticipation was killing me, I was so excited I could hardly wait. What would I wear? How should I act? Where are we going?

We almost kissed. Would she have kissed me back? I'm so fucking pissed at Toby, if he literally came 10 seconds later then my life could be completely different right now. That might sound dramatic but it was a fact.

My feelings for Em had only grown. Actually no, they had multiplied. I had recently told Carter and Blake about my feelings for her. Well, actually I showed them, not really meaning to. Blake commented about her body and how she was one of the only girls he would actually date and I accidentally punched him.

There were no hard feelings or anything because apparently, Blake had planned the whole encounter trying to get me to admit my feelings. Unfortunately, it worked. Neither of my friends were surprised though.

Tonight had hands down been the best night of my life. Seeing her so happy and carefree. We didn't even argue about the fight which I was so thankful her, she had obviously forgiven me. Justin was an asshole, he dropped her!! I honestly cannot fathom how he dropped her, she weighed barely anything.

It doesn't matter though, I was just happy I had the chance to fuck Justin up. She was my girl, not his, not anymore. He was so obviously still in love with her, even the thought of the fact forced jealously to erupt in my stomach. Even though I was probably in the wrong, I literally couldn't force myself to feel guilty about the fact that I had beat him up.

"Fuck you man," I whisper to Toby as Em gets changed.

"I'm so sorry dude, I swear I would have left it if I had known," Toby apologizes for the millionth time. I had told him about the almost kiss, trying to decipher if it actually meant there was a chance she felt the same way about me.

"What do you think it means though?" I ask again.

"Fuck you're dumb Aiden. If she reacted then chances are she feels the same," Toby rolls his eyes. When did I become this guy?! The guy who talks to his best friend about a girl for reassurance?!

"But when you asked if you interrupted something she denied it," I remind, my heart slowly dropping at the probable reality that she didn't feel the same.

"Yeah but it was so obvious I had, the sexual tension made me want to drown myself. Why do you think I didn't stop talking?!" Toby states, once again rolling his eyes.

I go to reply but Toby looks over to Em curiously and I instinctively follow his gaze. She was staring inside the tent for some reason.

"I'm going to pretend to go to sleep but go and talk to her," Toby demands. He ignores my look and calls a goodnight before retreating back into his tent.

I decide to listen to my asshole best friend for once and walk over to her. I guess tonight was when I tell her.

Wait, if she rejected me what the fuck would happen?! Would we stay friends? I definitely didn't want to lose her, that's for sure. Would it be awkward?

Wait what the fuck.

Who the fuck was I turning into, since when did I care about a situation being awkward?! Why the fuck was I so fucking nervous?!

I'm Aiden Black, I can get any girl I want. One look and panties drop wherever I go.

I look up at her confidently, planning on telling her exactly how I felt because like I said, I'm the fucking Aiden Black.

As soon as my head rises I see the back of her head, her light brown hair still damp and messy, her oversized sweats and jumper and I make a decision. I may have been Aiden Black but Em was not just any girl, I didn't want her to be. I liked her so much for all the ways she was so unlike other girls. I was definitely going to tell her how I felt but not here, not like this.

She deserved something better than what we had right now. When we got home I would take her to the cliffs and tell her there, I couldn't pussy out. If she didn't feel the same way then it could quite possibly break me, but if she did, it would make me. She was my hope, everytime I saw the tattoo I was reminded of just how much she meant to me.

Taking a breath to regain my confidence, I look at what she was looking at and can't hold back my chuckle. Charlie had somehow taken up all the room in the tiny tent. Charlie was tiny so how she managed that astounded me but she did it.

"Come sleep with me," I offer, before I get the chance to think about my words. To be honest, I wanted her to agree so much but a part of me hoped she declined. I had always had trouble sleeping in the same bed as her because parts of me found it very HARD to control itself.

Sleeping in a tiny swag with our bodies pushed together like that, I was almost certain that I would have no hope of controlling myself.

"In the swag?" She questions. I don't reply, not knowing what half of my mind I should listen to, I wanted her to sleep with me because I craved her presence more than I want to admit, but it was also a huge risk. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, especially not our almost kiss and my plans to finally reveal my feelings to her at the cliffs.

She considers her options and then finally sighs, obviously having made her mind up. I can't help the way my heart beats in excitement, I was so glad she said yes. Fuck that other part of my mind. Smirking, I follow her and allow her to climb in, she scoots over as far as she can and I climb in after her.

I probably should have told her to wear shorts and a shirt because it surprisingly got really hot in here, my body heat alone made this swag hot enough that I hadn't woken up with my blanket covering my body to warm it up yet. I decide to just leave it because like I said, I didn't want to make her uncomfortable and also because if she had on full layers of clothing it may make it easier to control myself.

She had stayed right on the far end of the swag which really wasn't that far because our arms were still touching, but for some reason, it still felt awkward. Maybe because every time we had slept together, we had never really started off touching but always woken up entangled.

Eventually, she sighs again before shuffling closer to me, obviously to make herself more comfortable. My heart begins pounding embarrassingly again but I can't help but laugh at her adorableness.

I rest my arm on her shoulder considering I really didn't have any other option considering we were sleeping in a one-person swag, and I was bigger than the average person anyway. I wanted so badly to pull her closer to me but decide against it, she obviously didn't want me to considering she had only just scooted closer to me for comfort.

Very soon after, I hear her breathing even out meaning she had fallen asleep. I try not to, but can't help my actions when I put my arm around her waist and then pull her closer to me, thankfully she stays sleeping. She pushes herself into me further in her sleep and I smile to myself and fall very fast and very hard...

...asleep obviously.