"And I'm right here." he said softly as he kissed the top of my head.

What the hell Mia? Get your shit together, you're supposed to hate him. "So are you taking a break from hating me or what?" he chuckled. "I was. Break is over, now back to hating." I took a deep breath and pulled away. "It's a switch you just turn off like that?" he raised an eyebrow at me. "More like a mask I put on like that." I offered him a small smile as I got up and gathered my things, my water bottle and my phone. "Are you ready to go to the tent, I'm kind of tired." I asked as I looked down and saw him getting his things and getting up. "Yeah, let's go." he said as he lead the way to our, which for some reason, was at the furthest left side of the beach, far away from everyone else's. "How come our tent is so... Isolated?" I asked as I paused for dramatic effect. "I usually put up the tent in this area of the beach, it's the most peaceful part of it, where no one ever comes, where the rays of the sun hit first." he said dramatically, making me burst out laughing. He can make my mood change so quick and so drastically in a second.

"You're crazy." I shook my head while laughing as we walked into the tent and set our phones and water bottles down. "Crazy for you." he said as he made playful kissy faces. I swear he is so freaking corny. "Oh shut up." I laughed as I grabbed his sleeping bag and opened it up. "So what exactly is our current sleeping situation?" I asked as I lied out the sleeping bag, so when we actually want to sleep, we can sleep in it. "Well, we're going to have to share a sleeping bag." he shrugged as he sat down in the sleeping bag and patted the spot in front of him, telling me to sit opposite to him. I listened and sat facing him, not before I threw my hair up in a high but loose ponytail and pulled some baby hairs out since it doesn't feel right to me having all my hair slicked back. "No other option?" I asked as I pulled my bag to me and grabbed my shorts and hoodie out of it. "Nope." he said as he turned his back towards me so I could change. He knew me too well. I quickly slipped my clothes on and knocked on his back, which he took as a signal to turn back around. He just sat there, I could feel his gaze on me as I put my clothes into my bag, wait, how the hell did a hoodie get here? I remember bringing pyjama shorts but not a hoodie.

"Did you?" I asked as I pointed to the hoodie I had on. He stayed silent and looked me in the eyes, giving me my answer. "Can I please ask you to do something I know you don't want to?" he asked with hope in his voice. "Well you'll demand it I'm sure." I lightly laughed as I spoke the truth. "Give me a kiss?" he asked hesitantly, while I sat frozen in my spot in the sleeping bag.

"Give me a kiss." he said a little more demandingly but he softly chuckled this time.

"I'd rather die." I laughed and joked, making him crack up and laugh too. He's asking the girl who 'hates him' to kiss him. "Give. Me. A. Kiss." he said as he grabbed my ankles and pulled me closer to him. "I'd. Rather. Die." I said in a mocking tone, making fun of him. "Plus it's not like I have to listen to you, I 'hate you' now remember? I-" I said but he cut me off by crashing his lips on mine, he does that a lot. I didn't kiss him back, well- I tried... But I failed miserably. I kissed him back for a few short seconds but quickly then pushed him away and gasped as I acted exasperated and shocked. "What was that?" I asked as I curled my knees up against my chest and hid my face in my hands which rested on my knees.

"That was the kiss that you were refusing to give to me." he smirked and cocked his head to the side. I stayed silent while he tried to get me to look at him and I hid my face and my blush. "I have a deal for you Ms Mia Rose Stewart." he sighed as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me even closer. "And what deal would that be, Mr Ryder Rodriguez Parker?" I addressed him the same way he addressed me. "How about, every single day, from tomorrow onwards, you're allowed to hate me, do whatever it is that you want to do, behave however you want to with me, only until the sun sets, after it's dark out, I can take you out, we can hang out, have the relationship we both secretly, or well, not so secretly want to have." he explained as he held both my hands in his. "Where's the loyalty in that? And that just makes it so much easier for you. So I am politely or, not so politely, declining your deal." I said teasingly. I want to make this harder for him, because the harder it is, the more he has to work for it.

"Mhmm, I bet you are." he said as he placed his arms around my waist and started tickling me. I began squealing and screaming from what he was doing, and before I knew it, I was lying in the sleeping bag, with Ryder straddling me. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them on either side of my head. "You were saying..." he said challengingly as he urged me to go on.

"Well, I was saying, that me agreeing, would make it too easy for you, so I'm not agreeing to your deal. However-" I blurted out before he could start tickling me again, "I can't promise the same for when we're alone. I mean look at us right now." I scoffed as he took in our current position. "What about us right now?" he said as he hovered over me, somehow, not squishing my body under his in the process. "Ryder." I warned him.

"Yes, Mia?" he asked flirtatiously as he hovered next to my ear, his lips brushing against it, "What is it that you want to say?" he whispered, giving me chills.

"I-I um- I want to ask you to get- get off of me?" I said as I stuttered with my heart racing, my legs weak, my stomach erupting with butterflies and my running out of breath. "Or what?" he whispered again, only making my heart pick up it's pace even more. "O-or I..." I trailed off, never finishing that sentence as he planted soft kisses along my jaw, down to my collar bone.

I didn't other trying to stop him, it's not like I wanted to anyway. But he stopped himself and plopped down next to me, and lied down to face me while I turned over to face him.

"I really did love you, you know. I still do. I dare to say I loved you more than anyone else ever has or ever will. It's a frightening thought isn't it? That you can love someone to the moon and back but it still isn't enough?" he breathed out as he cupped my cheek and looked me in my eyes. But it was enough. "Ryder, how am I supposed to let you know that I miss you quite terribly without sounding desperate, needy or weak?" I huffed out as I took his hand that was holding my face and I held it in my hand.

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out myself. But Mia, you know that I still have feelings for you right? And no matter how many times I tell myself, that you're better off without me, or I'm better off without you, a part of me just won't let go." he sighed as he kissed my hand, slowly bringing it to his lips.

"Ryder, the strongest thing I have ever felt, was feelings for you. So I would hope not a single part of me or you, ever lets go." I whispered as we slowly closed our eyes and drifted off.