*****

*Corey*

I gripped the guitar under my arm as I ran my fingers along the strings tapping my foot impatiently. What could possibly be the reason they were taking so long? I had been in the hallway for a solid twenty minutes already.

"About fucking time," I muttered as the door opened.

"Don't be rude!" Izabella punched my arm, I said nothing and instead just grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the doorway before I did the same to Rita, Hayley and Alexis even though they were following her out. It pissed all of them off, maybe that had been my intention because I was already annoyed and wanted them to be too because my annoyance was their fault.

"Took you girls long enough. Were you giving Jay a makeover or something?" Before they could answer I shut the door in their faces earning shouts from all four of them.

"You really shouldn't do that." Jayden chuckled. He was probably right. I was digging quite a deep grave for myself and those four were going to kill me and bury me in it sooner or later.

"I brought your guitar!" I lifted it in the air as if to showcase it.

"Don't do that! You'll drop it." He attempted to get up to grab his guitar from me but I pushed him back against the pillow gently and put the guitar on the bed beside him.

"In the state you're in, there's a much bigger chance you'll drop it," I said. He was still quite bruised, had to have a few stitches so he was bandaged up as well. Marcus and the doctor both said he wasn't healing because of the trauma, luckily the only major wound was a deep rip into his chest and that seemed to be doing fine. Once his healing was back to normal, it would disappear fairly quickly. Right now Jayden was too pumped with drugs to even care about what happened. Surprisingly, he didn't take pain very well at all.

"I'm fine." He told me as he reached for the box beside him.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"What? This? The others brought me a Happy –" I snatched the box from him.

"Dr Michelson said you're not allowed to eat this junk, it doesn't help with your recovery," I said.

"Neither do you." He muttered. "Give my Happy Meal back!" He yelled.

I laughed as I opened the box and pulled out the toy. "Seriously?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"I didn't order it, they just brought it." He mumbled before he snatched everything from my hands, "Haha!" He yelled out before attempting to get up but I placed my hands on his shoulders to keep him in bed.

"Fine. Keep it, just stay in bed." I said. He was like a child.

He smiled and I frowned realising that was what he wanted me to say.

I sat down beside his legs on the bed instead of using the seat and watched him take a bite of cholesterol. He really needed to eat healthier... Did he? No, not really. Werewolves' bodies mended themselves very quickly, but then again, this was Jayden.

"So... Are you alright?" I wanted to ask more but I didn't want to say anything that would freak him out, which was why I was surprised at his answer.

"Of course I'm alright, Corey. Mike's dead. I'm more alright than I've been in years, still messed up but alright... I'll be fine. Are you alright, though?" He asked looking concerned.

"Why... would you ask? Why would I not be alright?" I gave a weird chuckle and he shook his head.

"The others told me you lost it, and that you didn't remember who they were... Are you really okay?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"Lie." He threw a chip at me and I glared at him as it bounced off my shoulder and onto the floor.

"Nice," I muttered looking at my shoulder to see if it had left an oil stain on my white shirt, I looked back at Jayden in time to see him roll his eyes at me.

"Since you won't admit it; I'm fine, Corey. You have no need to go crazy." He smiled. I tried to frown at him but chuckled instead.

"Who said my going 'crazy' had anything to do with you?" I asked.

"No one has to say it, I know it. You couldn't stand the thought of losing me." It was meant to be a joke but I just smiled at him. He was right. Realising I wasn't laughing, he quickly averted his eyes down to the box of junk on his lap shyly, "I-I mean, you couldn't stand the thought of looking less powerful than –" he was saying.

"You scared me. So much, Jayden." I cut him off, he was saying a load of bull anyway. He looked up and I leaned closer to him, the movement causing his eyes to widen slightly as he stared back into mine, "The next time I ask for a name and information about someone that hurt you, you better give me fucking answers, Jayden." I hissed. He frowned glancing away from me again and I bit my lip before kissing his cheek, just beside his lips gently. "I couldn't stand the thought of uh... losing you... It sounds so weird. The last time we were here I was threatening you and calling you names and now..." I gave a dry chuckle. It confused me how quickly things had changed.

He smiled as he looked at me. "If you like me so much you'll eat it." He held out the half of his cholesterol to me that had yet to be eaten.

"What?" I asked. Was he being serious?

"One burger isn't going to kill you." He laughed.

"It's going to clog my arteries," I said.

"Are you serious? Fine. You don't like me, liar. I'm calling Finn."

I narrowed my eyes at him but instantly grabbed the burger and took a bite. I grimaced as I chewed and for some reason, Jayden found that hilarious.

"Please, no." I held it back to him. He laughed as he took it and ate it in literally one bite. "You're disgusting," I muttered. He just gave me a wide smile and I chuckled leaning close to him again I could give him a soft peck. I planned to leave it at that, but his lips felt so good and he just leaned into me so it led to a longer kiss than I had planned before I remembered something that had made me incredibly excited. "Oh wait, guess what?" I grinned pulling away from him. He gave a little protestant groan that made me chuckle.

"Guess? With you? No." I laughed.

"Come on, Babe." The name made him give an adorable, shy little smile.

"Uh... You wrote a poem?" I snorted at his answer. Really?

"No, but I got you a birthday present."

"My birthday isn't for another seven months – my birthday is next year!" He frowned before adding, "I refuse to accept presents this early."

"It's a belated birthday present for this year," I smirked. He scrunched his nose like that did not make any sense to him before glancing around, looking for the gift.

"So... what is it?" He asked. I reached into my pocket to pull out an envelope before I handed it to him. "What's in here? Money? Show tickets? Bus tickets? Paper?" He asked.

"Maybe you should open it instead of asking it questions, Jay," I said.

"I was asking you, you know that." He frowned at me and I smirked making him glare at me before he ripped the envelope open and pulled the contents out.

I watched unable to stop smiling as he read over it, his face slowly dropping until he looked back at me straight-faced.

"No. No. Go to hell, Corey." He said. I laughed.

"Joe says it's fine since everyone else is also coming. Besides, you can't say no to me, Jay, I'll drag you to the tower if I have to." He knew I would, so he didn't answer and just stared at me burning gaze in his narrowed eyes.

"Look at the bright side, Son, at least now there will be safety harnesses and not just a rope," Joe said from the door only making Jayden's glare deeper as I laughed.

*****

THE END.

*****

Thank you so much for reading all the way here :D

Keeping Him (book 2) will be added in October.