"My asylum is in your arms, when the world gives heavy burdens, I can bear a thousand times. On your shoulder, I can reach an endless sky, feels like paradise. We could build a universe right here, all the world could disappear, wouldn't notice, wouldn't care. We can build a universe right here, the world could disappear, I just need you near."—Zara Larsson.

••

"...and do you know that he tends to smile with his eyes? And when he laughs? Oh Lord, I recall that one night we were talking until 2am and he said..."

While my mom goes on and on about what she adores the most about Mr. Blake, I am wallowing in a sea of never-ending guilt.

The way her face shines with happiness while she speaks about the man, makes me feel as though I am snatching her happiness right from the palm of her hands.

I wish this car ride to Blaze's house would end soon. But I know that once we arrive there, it will be far worse. Blaze and I found each other first, but I cannot help feeling like I am taking her happiness away.

"Are you listening to me, Harmony?"

Her voice drags me from my pensive thoughts, and I turn my face to her, offering a tight-lipped smile. "Uh yeah...I was just um-I got distracted when you mentioned his laugh."

She chuckles. "Harmony, I mentioned that so many minutes ago. So you didn't hear about that time we met at the town's cafe then?"

Lord, they met at a town's cafe? Where was I when all of this was going on? At school, apparently.

"Well, we met there and drank coffee and he told me about this very embarrassing moment when he fell off the slides in pre-school, and when he first learned to ride a bike." She giggles. "He fell off twice."

I smile a little. "You seem to like him a lot."

Honestly, I don't know why I am doing this to myself. Her response will only eat me alive.

"Yes..." She smiles like a schoolgirl. "I do, honey, is it that obvious?"

Yes. I notice that ever since she started talking about Mr. Blake, she appears ten years younger. I can tell that he does in fact makes her feel alive.

"Okay okay enough about me, did you get to send your song choice to that girl at your school?" She unwillingly changes the topic.

"Who Justine? Yeah I did. We have rehearsals this Tuesday."

"Nice." She beams. "I love that you are active at school and getting around with different activities and clubs; it saves you from fooling around with those boys."

She swings into Blaze's yard, and my heart leaps in my chest.

"When is this concert musical again?" She usnaps her seatbelt.

"Uh, in about three weeks. Justine was thinking of extending the time since we haven't done much practicing yet."

"Oh nice. I won't miss it, baby."

I smile. "Thanks, Mom."

We get out of the car and make our way up to the doorsteps. We ring the door bell, and after a few seconds, Mr. Blake answers with a bright smile. I can tell he feels a bit awkward when his eyes land on me, though. He must be recalling our little talk.

"Come on in ladies." He steps aside to grant us entry, and it's hard not to notice how my mom is tucking her hair behind her ear and acting overly feminine.

"Food is almost finished. Good timing, huh?" He leads us to his spacious dining room, and we each grab a seat.

My smitten parent keeps unnecessarily smiling and giggling for the most trivial of things, and it is a tad unnerving.

"Where's Blaze?" I ask upon reflex, but immediately cringe at the question. I hope that didn't sound too weird, though judging from the strange look on my mom's face, maybe it did. I sink in my seat.

"He's coming down soon." Mr. Blake answers, maybe a bit awkward himself.

And as though I had summoned the boy, he comes strolling into the dining room.

Instantly, our eyes connect, and it feels as if it's just us two in the world now and everything and everyone else have disappeared.

He's clad in a white tank top, his arms looking fitter than the last time I saw him, and a pair of black shorts.

He looks so flawless, and I feel that familiar tingly feeling in my stomach as a sensation rises between my legs.

God, Harmony. I clamp my thighs together. "I was just asking for you."

"Well, I was just thinking about you." He smirks, and my mom tilts her head to the side at his response.

Yeah, that didn't sound right at all.

Blaze clarifies the statement quickly. "You both, I meant I was just thinking about you both and how long it took you guys to get here."

Mr. Blake looks terribly awkward as he watches his son, and my mom smiles at Blaze, flipping her black curls over her shoulders.

"Oh well, there was a little traffic at the intersection between Vilston and Juton road so yeah, that kept us up a bit." And she giggles again—a girly giggle that I would find a bit annoying if she weren't my mother.

"Okay you ladies chat. Blaze? Help me in the kitchen?" Mr. Blake walks away to the designated area, and Blaze emits a sigh before following him.

••

"When are you going to tell her, Blake?" I frown, pushing a peice of carrot into my mouth.

He's delaying the freaking rejection, and it is pissing me off. Why didn't he tell her as soon as she arrived?

I watch as the old man rolls his eyes to the back of his head, and I get a deep urge to stab him in one of them. Why is he getting irritated? Is it that hard to tell the lady that he doesn't want her? The least she'd do is cry and get over it.

"Can you be patient, Blaze? The woman just got here. Furthermore, you should worry about yourself. She will find out before I even get the chance to tell her if you keep looking at her daughter that way."

I make a face. "What way?"

"Like a damn horny teenager who's stripping the poor girl."

I shrug, reaching for another carrot from the bowl while his eyes follow the action. "I 'was' stripping her, with my eyes actually. Hence, why you should tell her mother soon. Tell her it can't work Blake, I am not sure how much longer I can withstand it."

He sighs. "Whatever, they are literally next door so keep quiet."

I sigh while he shoves the jug of juice in my hands. "Get some cups, be productive, and stop eating all the damn carrots."

I roll my eyes and get to work unwillingly.

••

My mom's laughter and Mr. Blake's deep chuckles fill the dining area. I have to admit that they do fit perfectly. If Mr. Blake and Blaze were two different men with no correlation, then my mom and I would be equally happy without one of us having to give up the one we love.

I shouldn't be doing this to her. She had been so depressed after my father's death, and is finally becoming happy again. I am getting in the way.

Blaze looks up from his plate and glares at me from across the table, then his foot nudges mine beneath, forcing me to bring my eyes to him.

"What's wrong?" He mouths.

I shake my head before lowering my gaze and proceeding to eat. However, the food tastes insipid. Mr. Blake is a great cook, but I can't consume anything when my mind is this unsettled.

My mother is now laughing so much that she begins coughing, chocking on her dinner.

"Oh, be careful." Mr. Xander chuckles.

"So sorry." She thumps her chest while reaching for her glass only to discover that it is empty.

"I'll get you some more juice." I offer with a half-smile.

"Thank you, Harmony." She readily hands me the glass, and I can tell she is relieved; she didn't want to leave her conversation to get a glass of beverage.

I get up to make my way to the kitchen, glancing at Blaze whose eyes are watching me as I leave the table.

Admittedly, I only offered because I needed to get away from there for a while. My Mom looked way too happy. I know that should make me happy too, considering that I prayed for her regained contentment for so many years but instead, it makes me feel really awful.

I am pouring orange juice into her glass when suddenly, I feel two strong hands on my waists. I jolt, some of the liquid splashing onto the counter and my fingers. A soft chuckle comes from behind me, followed by Blaze's hushed voice. "You are so messy...."

The seduction of his tone and his close proximity generate a chill down my spine.

He takes my hand in his and brings one of my fingers up to his lips, enclosing his mouth around it and sucking the orange juice off it. I look up, arousal rounding my eyes. The action sends a heat to my cheeks, and I can feel my heart speeding up.

I watch him slowly remove my finger from his mouth, a half-smirk forming his lips. "Tastes alot better than drinking it from my glass."

He is still holding my hand while his lustful eyes meet mine. I know what he wants, and if I should be honest, I want that too.

But we can't right now, the timing isn't right.

"Blaze..."

"Shh, turn your back to me," he orders softly.

I change my mind, I want this now. Probably more than he does.

I turn around, doing as he tells me despite the fact that I know this is dangerous. My back is pressing against his chest, and I can feel the bulge in his shorts, prodding against my lower back.

My knees weaken in anxiety while his hand releases mine to trail a slow, torturous pathway from my arms to my legs.

His lips brushes against my earlobe, and I am now breathing so heavily I fear that my mom and Mr. Blake will hear it.

His hand roams beneath my summer dress, and I pull in a sharp breath.

"Blaze...I want this too...but what if...what if my mother hears—ah." A whimper leaves my lips when his index finger suddenly slips inside of me.

"Shh, babe." He purrs against my ear, and that adds to the thrill traveling down my spine. "Don't talk...unless you want them to hear us." He adds another finger, and it earns a throaty gasp from me.

While he is pumping in a steady, demanding rhythm, sweat is trickling down my forehead like someone just threw a bucket of water on me.

I claw my nails into the tiles of the table. Breathing softly and biting my lips to stifle the noises caused by his tending.

"I missed you so much this morning, Harmony...I couldn't stop thinking about you..." His speed increases. "About us...and how crazy you drive me..."

"Mmm." A low moan escapes my mouth, and I hang my head. "Oh God..."

"Shh."

"I can't...I cant—" I feel my climax approaching, and I am panting for air as I feel his strokes becoming stern and hard. I almost fall headway against the counter, but keep on my feet so as to not create a mess and draw attention to us.

"Cum for me, babe; can you do that for me?"

I nod my head excessively, feeling my muscles tightening.

I am so close, so close to falling off the freefall.

"Harmony?!"

I jerk away from Blaze at the sound of my mom's voice, coming from the dining room. Oh God. Quickly tugging my dress down, I whirl around to see the desire in Blaze's eyes. He isn't the least bit agitated.

"Harmony, what is taking you this long?" My mother appears at the doorway, and Blaze turns his back to her, pretending to be busy with something when he's really just hiding the large bulge in his shorts.

"I was...um." I nervously point to the fridge. "Trying to find the orange juice. Blaze helped me so I am great now actually. Turned out it was right in the...um, at the bottom section..."

She narrows her eyes, looking from me to Blaze, then back to me again. "Oh. I was wondering what caused the delay."

"Oh. Sorry, mom." I quickly grab her glass from the counter, and follow her back to the dining room.

I anxiously find my seat around the table again, and Mr. Blake looks up at me from his food. His face tells me he knows that something happened in there. I am not sure if it was my red face or my heavy breathing that gave it away. But something did.

I am sexually frustrated because I didn't reach my climax, but I jerk my legs to shake the feelings off while I eat.

The older people carry on with their chatter, and Blaze returns to the table after awhile. At the sight of the boy who almost gave me an orgasm whilst our parents were sitting in the next room, my cheeks heat up again, but I keep my eyes on my plate to avoid being obvious.

I notice how Mr. Xander glances at his guilty-looking son during his talk with my mother but as usual, Blaze pays him no mind.

"So Harmony, your mom told me you were in a musical?" Mr. Blake suddenly says, turning his focus to me.

I look up at him and smile shyly. "Yeah, I am."

"Awesome, I should come and support you."

"Yes, you should," my mom promptly chimes in. "I would love for you to be there, Blake."

I inwardly sigh.

"Okay." Mr. Blake smiles at her. "I will be there, Haylee."

She beams. "Okay."

They are staring at each other with admiration in their eyes, almost the same eye-locking that Blaze and I had shared earlier when he came into the dining room and saw me.

It makes me awkward, and I can tell Blaze feels the same because he rolls his eyes before pulling his cell from his pocket.

Not long after, my cell dings from the table while he gets up from his chair. "I am tired. Going to get some rest."

He turns away to leave, and I frown. Where is he going? It's going to be far worse with him not being here, and I really wanted to spend more time in his presence before I leave.

Mr. Xander opens his mouth to address Blaze's departure, but just closes it back and swings a smile in my mom's direction instead.

I recall that I had received a notification so I grab my cell with a sigh. I slide it open and notice it's a text from Blaze. I glance up at my mother who is eating her dinner, before reading the message he sent.

My cheeks flush, and a lump forms in my throat at the simple but erotic sentences written on the screen.

"Harmony?"

I jolt a little, clutching the cell in my palms like a guilty child. "Yes...mom?"

"Um, could you give Mr. Blake and I some time?" She is hinting with her eyes that she is ready to talk to him about her feelings. Mr. Xander catches on as well, and I see how his gaze morphs into a worried one.

I nod. "Oh..alright. Well, I am going to watch a movie with Blaze until you're ready." I say, and she smiles.

"Thank you, Harmony."

I smile a little as I stand up from the table. My eyes drift to Mr. Blake, who just nods as if to tell me not to worry.

How can I not? My life is complicated; all of this is dangerously chaotic and confusing.

I make my way up to Blaze's room and knock on his door.

"Come in." He says, and I take a deep breath before turning the knob and pushing the door open.

He's now shirtless, only wearing his boxers while he sits on his bed, his head perched against his headboard.

He smiles. "That was quick. Close the door and come here."

I swallow and oblige. I climb up on his bed and he guides me by the waists until I am straddling his lap.

His eyes looks a unique shade of blue because of the dim lighting in his room, and his hair is messy, landing over his eyes in the most attractive way.

"You feel good." He mutters. "I love when you're on top of me."

I blush and smile. "You're brave. Our parents are right downstairs..."

He half-shrugs. "So what? I don't care at all, and you shouldn't either."

He straightens up, his face is now close to mine, and he smirks. "Do you know what would have happened if your mother hadn't interrupted us earlier?"

I gulp, shaking my head and feigning ignorance. "No...have no idea..."

He chuckles, cupping my jaw in his palm and bringing his lips close to mine. But he doesn't kiss me, he just smiles against my lips before whispering, low and huskily.

"I would take you on that kitchen counter and give you the craziest orgasm ever, with your back against me and your chest pressed up against the tiles of my table. I would make love to you until your feet weakens."

A volcano erupts in my cheeks. His words are naughty, and should make me cringe but they make me feel so turned on, and I can't help it.

"Is it too late to give you that?" He asks against my lips.

I shake my head. "No...it is never too late. I always want you."

He smiles, and his dimples heightens the sensation between my legs.

Bringing his head in, our lips collide as if they were made for each other. I kiss him back with everything within me. Passion. Lust. Both elements are flowing between us.

He trails kisses down to my chest while his hand travels under my dress to grab one of my breasts in his palms. He kisses the valley between them, and I rotate my hips against him in desire. He hardens at the action, squeezing my waists in his hands while he sucks and nips at the skin on my chest.

I throw my head back as his lips roams back up to find my lips. He wants to take this slow, and the anxiety of what is to come is making the moment even more thrilling.

He's kneeding and massaging my aroused nipple in his palm while the other comes up to cup my cheek. He slips his hot tongue between my lips, kissing the life out of me.

I moan inside his mouth, and he groans back in response.

This feels way too good that all thoughts of my mother slowly begins to disappear from my mind.

Until...

"Harmony, we are ready to—" The door opens, and I jerk my head in its direction. Didn't I close it?!

My breathing stops for a millisecond when I discover that my mother is standing there with wide eyes while she absorbs the scene infront of her.

"Oh...fuck." Blaze mutters, and it is evident he hardly cares while my eyes are equally as wide as hers. I climb off him quickly, fixing my dress down. "Mom..."

Her astonished eyes trek between Blaze and I. Then when her brain finally comprehends what is happening, she rakes me over, looking me up and down with a nasty glare. Far worse than how those girls at school looked at me, and I feel my heart break.

Her mouth drops open and she finally speaks, but her voice is way too calm that it scares me. "Harmony...what-what is this?"

"Mom..." I feel my eyes gathering moisture. "I-I can explain."

"Harmony, what is this?!" Her voice raises, and her face is red with rage. "Explain to me. Explain to me why you are here acting like a whore on top of Mr. Blake's son! WHAT IS THIS HARMONY SKYE?!"

Tears roll down my cheeks, and I shake my head. I try to speak, but no words emerge.

Blaze gets up and stands beside me. His shirtless torso and boxers is making the situation even more disastrous.

He sighs. "It's exactly what you see, Mrs. Skye. With all due respect. Your daughter and I were about to have sex and you walked in. It is what it is..."

"Blaze." I look at him, pleading with my eyes for him not to say anything else because he is just adding gasoline to a clearly blazing fire.

I bring my eyes back to my mom. I feel so guilty. "Mom, I am sorry. I really am. Let me explain."

Her eyes darken, and I watch how her face hardens as she leers at me. She storms over to me with anger in her every step, and I take a leap backwards. "Mom, please listen, I can—"

SLAP!

Her palm collides against my cheek so hard that my face tilts away, a burning mark forming instantly.