"And oh, you've turned this black heart, made it into gold." —Jess Glynne.

••

I haven't seen Blaze since they took him for their so-called 'investigation.' April was asking for him at lunch, but I figured it would be best if he tells her what happened, so I just told her that I had no idea where he was.

I miss him though and I hope he's alright.

I lie onto my side on my dorm bed, staring at the bathroom door in silence. April left for the night, as usual, leaving just me and the spider that is currently hovering above her bed, but I am much too scared to remove it.

I hope Blaze is not doing anything that he really shouldn't be doing right now. I can't trust his intentions, not when that look that he gave to Mr. Jones was so spine-chilling. I tried texting him, but I haven't gotten a response and I won't send another one. I don't want to seem too needy.

My mind goes back to the knife he hid earlier, and I get down from my bed and kneel on all fours, peering underneath in search of it.

As I thought, the knife is gone.

I push my hair back as I stand to my feet again, twisting my lips worriedly. I know Blaze is about to cause some trouble, and I can't allow that to happen.

I hastily grab a sweater from my suitcase, deciding to go find him before he ruins his life.

As soon as I open the door, I still in my tracks as my eyes come in contact with his sapphire ones, much to my pleasant surprise.

"Going somewhere, green eyes? I was just coming to see you." He beams at me, and my body exhales in utmost relief.

"Blaze."

"Why do you look so worried?" He gently pushes past me and plods over to my bed, crashing his butt against the mattress with a tired exhale.

Intrusion into my dorm room should be rude, but strangely, his invasion feels rather comforting instead.

I close my door and walk over to him, trying to suppress the smile that threatens to mold my lips. Thank God he's okay.

"Where were you all day? How did it go?"

"Fairly good. Everything is alright now." He grabs my pillow off the bed and begins to play with it, juggling it from one hand to the next. "My uncle is the chairman, so you know what that means."

"Your uncle is the chairman?" My mouth falls open at the information, and he nods casually as if it's not that big of a deal.

"Yeah, why do you look so shocked? It's nothing great."

Well, I have now discovered something else about him. I should write this down.

I sit beside him. I want to know more but I can't push too hard.

"So... he's April's dad then?"

"Yep." He pops the 'p' simply before putting the headrest back into its place.

"The same one you punched in the nose whilst he was trying to break up your little fight?"

He looks at me with wide eyes, appalled. "April told you that, didn't she?"

"Yep." I pop the 'p', mimicking his previous actions with a wide smile.

He laughs and shakes his head. "April talks too much."

I giggle. "I think everyone knows that you're hard work, Blaze Xander."

"Well." He smiles. "Can't argue with that." He lifts his brows, and I chuckle.

"Thanks though. For defending me today." I tell him.

He bobs his head. "It's no big deal. You don't have to thank me."

I smile. Well, it is a big deal for me.

"Everything is alright now, so don't worry about that, alright?" He says, and I nod my head, a little curious about what happened while he was away. Why is everything suddenly okay?

A silence falls upon us now, but it isn't uncomfortable at all. It's relaxing and peaceful, and I feel like our spirits are connecting even through our wordlessness.

"The day my dad came here..." He begins.

I look over at him, offering my undivided attention. If Blaze is about to talk about himself, I am all ears.

"He-uh...wanted me to visit my mom's grave with him next week."

Wow, okay. I am currently gawking at him in disbelief. I can't believe Blaze is discussing such a private matter with me right now. It's a first, and I am not even sure how to react.

He's looking at me as if he's awaiting a response and I snap out of the astonishment and blink my eyes rapidly. "Um yeah... uh, so are you planning on going?"

He sighs. "Hell no. I don't want to." He shakes his head as he looks down. "I don't even know why it's even bothering me, it usually doesn't."

"Why would you not want to go? I mean she's your mom."

He peels his feet out of his sneakers, and I watch him as he tucks his legs underneath him on the bed. I smile softly at the clean look of his toes.

Well. He's getting comfy, will he be staying the night again? My mind traverses to how we slept together last night, and I feel my cheeks warm up instantly. But it's not the time to be reminiscing and blushing because Blaze is actually talking about himself for once. I don't want to miss a thing.

"The thing is my mom..." He pauses for a moment as if battling whether to tell me or not, and I sit here wishing I could pull the words from his mouth before he swallows them back.

"Your mom what?" I press.

Talk, please. I won't judge you.

He scratches his forehead, an unsure look edged on his face.

"I don't open up to people," he mumbles.

I sigh. "I am not people." I remind him. "I am not everyone else... I won't judge you."

"Yeah..." He nods. "I think I know that. Look, I don't really care what anyone else thinks of me. But...I kind of care what you think of me."

Wow. Did he just say that?

He meets my eyes and the flushes on my face are so obvious that I have to look away from him.

"Well...if you think that highly of me then...maybe you could open up to me?"

He bites his lower lip and pushes his bouncy hair away from his forehead. In no time, it lands back in a messy tuft and he whips it from his eyes in a quick motion.

"I think if you come to know the truth about me Harmony you may not want to be friends with me or hang around me anymore."

What does he mean? What truth? What is so bad that I would avoid him?

"I don't think anything could scare me away from you," I answer truthfully. "Nothing at all."

He raises a brow cynically. "Really?"

"Yes, really Blaze. You almost stabbed your lecturer; I don't think it could get any worse than that."

The corner of his lips quirks up in a smirk, showcasing only one of his beautiful dimples.

"It probably could get worse," he whispers.

I tilt my head. "Like what?"

He shrugs. "I don't know... do you trust me, Harmony?"

He has asked me that several times before, and my answer was always doubtful, but not tonight.

I nod. "Yeah... I do."

"Why?"

I push my curly hair back from my forehead. "I don't know."

He sighs. "Maybe you shouldn't. I don't even trust my own self sometimes."

The statement is so deep that I am pushed into a state of speechlessness, unable to summon a response.

What on earth does he mean?

"What...what do you mean by those words?"

His eyes lock with mine. "I don't know...I may emotionally destroy you. Isn't that what everyone says?"

"Well." I take a deep breath; this conversation is just too intense. "I don't believe everyone."

His ocean eyes soften a bit then he lowers them. I think he realizes that he's showing too many emotions in them and probably just doesn't want me to see him that vulnerable.

"I think you are a great person," I say. "You are not a bad guy; the way you stuck up for me today tells me that."

He finally meets my eyes again and his stay locked with mine for a while. Then I see how they fall to my lips, and I swallow at the fervent look whirling within them. He shifts closer to me on the mattress, causing my heart to leap as I nervously grip onto the edges of the bed.

Is he going to kiss me?

His head moves in toward mine when instantly the lights go out, leaving the room in pitch darkness.

Talk about bad timing.

"What's that?"

I can hardly see Blaze's silhouette in the dark, but I make out his shoulders as they raise in a shrug. "Got no idea."

By the tone of his voice, I can tell he is equally as disappointed as I am. The intercom comes on almost immediately with an announcement.

"Everyone, please remain calm the school is under a temporary power outage. We apologize for the inconvenience. The matter is currently being dealt with, so please remain in your dorms."

"They are so frigging annoying!" Blaze hisses and lays back on the bed, resting his head in his palm.

Homewood could not get any more disorganized than this.

"I should go find a candle." I get up from my spot and walk over to an old cabinet stationed at the corner of the room. It holds a few house-keeping supplies, like flashlights and extra light bulbs, hence a candle has to be among the stocks.

Blaze props up onto his elbows to watch me as I bend down to search through the wooden safe.

"I don't think Homewood stores candles, green eyes."

"Really? Are you sure because... aha! Found one!" I grab the candle with a victorious smile then stand up as I raise it to him.

He smiles and shakes his head. "You know the dark is so much better."

"Not after that 'Saw' movie we watched the other day."

He laughs.

"I just need something to light it," I say more to myself than to him.

He gets up and walks over to where I am standing. "I can help with that."

He pulls out a lighter from his back pocket and fires up the candlestick in a blink. The yellow gleam shines on his features and he smiles at me, his white teeth even more captivating in the gold light. "Let there be light and there is."

I want to ask why he has a lighter in his pocket, but I decide against it, smiling and shaking my head instead.

I set the candle down steadily onto the table, and the moonlight emitting through the dorm window aids in lighting up the room the best it can.

Blaze walks over to my bed with a tired exhalation, tucking himself comfortably in against my pillows. Why does he feel the need to sleep at my dorm whenever April isn't around?

Shut up Harmony, you know you like it, my subconscious says. She's right but I won't admit that to her.

I am still in my position at the table even though the candle is now standing on its own. Something about a dark room with Blaze screams dangerous. I should probably keep my distance, right?

"Harmony." His voice breaks through the air. The lighting where he lies is relatively faint so I can hardly see him from where I am standing.

"Yes?"

"Come lay with me."

My whole body is suddenly numb because of that simple statement. Okay, maybe that statement isn't so simple.

Lay with him? In the dark?

"Um... I don't think..."

"Please?" His voice sounds almost desperate and considering we hadn't finished the conversation we were having earlier, I slowly trod over to him.

It's just lying beside him, right? What worse could happen? We slept next to each other last night and nothing sexual occurred.

He shifts over as I get in next to him, the bed slumping as it takes both our weights. Quickly, I shift onto my side so that my back is facing him just like the last time, but he frowns in disapproval, not liking that tonight.

"No... I want to see your eyes. Turn around."

I take a deep breath then oblige his command because, to be honest, I want to see his eyes too.

I am now on my side facing him and he's smiling in sheer satisfaction.

"That's much better, green eyes."

He has been calling me that nickname ever since he met me, but I can never get used to it. I still blush like a fourteen-year-old. We are so close that I can feel his minty breath touching my lips as he breathes.

"You have small ears and a really tiny nose." He comments as if he had been admiring my face for quite a while. "You're really pretty, Harmony." He utters it so softly as if it's a secret and he doesn't want the world to know.

I am currently flushing, not sure what to say to the compliment. I want to say thank you, but I am scared that my nervousness will be evident in my voice or I get tongue-tied or something.

"It's kind of dark in here but I can still see how much you're blushing." Blaze chuckles.

Wow. Am I that obvious?

"I am not." I defend quickly, but the uneasiness in my voice is a total give away.

He laughs. "You're such a liar. Are you telling me your heart is not racing right now, lying here, in the dark with me?"

I shake my head. "No... It's not."

No one in their right mind would admit that to anyone at all. Especially to an undeniably handsome boy who's smiling his face off in a shadowy room with you.

"I don't believe you, Harmony, you're lying."

"My heart is not racing, Blaze."

I notice a glint of mischief flashes in his eyes and he brings his face closer to mine that our foreheads are now pressed up against each other.

What is he doing?

My breath hitches in my throat but I try not to make it obvious. My reactions need to match my lies.

"Well... is it racing now?" He asks softly.

I shake my head once again. I am not sure where all this stubbornness came from but maybe it's just me wanting to save my pride.

He smirks slightly, and before I can even comprehend what is happening, his face is nearer to mine, so near that his lips lightly graze my mouth.

The feel of our flesh touching sends a shiver down my spine and I firmly squeeze the linen we are lying on out of pure anxiety.

"Is it still not racing, Harmony?"

I swallow and pray my voice comes out anchored enough as I submit the same response. "No."

"Oh... then why are you gripping the sheet so hard?"

My gaze sinks to the action and I loosen my hold quickly. When I look back up, Blaze's eyes hold nothing but authentic lust, and he moves in even closer to brush his lips lightly against mine once again.

"I won't kiss you if you don't want me to," he whispers. "Only if you want me to..."

I close my eyes. The need to feel his lips pressed against mine is extremely unbearable. He knows exactly what he is doing. Saying that statement with our mouths just inches apart, he knows I don't really have a choice.

He raises his hand and pushes my hair back from my face then grips my cheek with the same hand, circling his thumb on my skin comfortingly.

"Do you want me to?" He is barely gliding his lips against mine again and this time, he's pressing firmer than he had the first few times.

My senses have all left and I nod my head.

"Are you sure?" He is repeating the action as he asks this.

"Yes..."

And then his lips latch onto mine in a hot kiss, his tongue making its grand entrance and claiming my mouth as if it's his territory. In no time, I begin to move my lips against his, kissing him back with the same need.

~

"Control is such an open-ended word for me, something that I used to think I owned. I'm standing here with none, I'm feeling so complete. You helped me understand to let it go." —Jess Glynne.