The hug was warm and he smelled good like always. Before I became comfortable in his arm, I pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" I glared at him.

"I am telling you how I feel about you by showing you."

"You don't even mean it, so don't try to waver my heart." I said looking away.

He pulled me closer and looked me in the eyes, "Does your heart flutter looking at me?"

"What kind of a stupid question is that?" I asked.

"It's not stupid, it's an important question to me."

"What will you do if I said it does?" I looked at him.

"Let's go out, be my girlfriend." He said and I pulled my arm away from him and glared at him.

"You think it's funny? We were strangers for a month and now you want me to be your girlfriend?"

"Is it too difficult to be my girlfriend?" He smiled.

"You don't want to communicate, how is this suppose to work."

"Communicate about what?" He asked, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

"You don't share your feelings with me."

"I just did." He stated.

"That is something else, like when you meet certain people and you get upset, you don't share how you feel that time and then ignore me until you are ready to talk, and when you talk it is nothing related to that situation."

"What has happened, happened,so why should I bring it up again?"

"because I can't handle mood swings." I pointed out. "You ignore me for quite a long time and you start roaming with some other people." I said- using the word, people instead of girls.

"Okay, you want to be part of the side, that I am protecting you from? Then can you guarantee me your safety?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"You of course cannot guarantee your safety because you don't know what people around me is capable of."

"But if you share with me things about the situations and the people, maybe that can help me."

"If I tell you the things, it will lead you to the place that you are most scared of."

"What am I most scared of?" I whispered. He knows nothing about me to know what I am scared of.

"Scared that people will leave you." He said and I looked away.

"I am scared that I will lose you if you enter my world, I entered the world during the worse time of my life and I still cannot get out of it, I have lots of regrets, but along with regrets come responsibility. I have to face all the consequences as a responsible person.

"Have you tried harder to come out of the situation?"

"I did." He said.

"Why can't I decide for myself if I want to be part of the side, that you want to hide me from?"

"because I don't want to lose you, I don't want you to regret anything with me and most importantly I want to keep you safe."

"I am capable of keeping myself safe."

He smiled for the first time in our serious conversation. "I never said you cannot, it's just you don't know the line you are stepping and the monsters you will be facing."

"I am strong enough and capable enough to fight what I think is right."

"This is not about justice. The world is unfair, Everly. It is never fair to the people, so are the people- for them if they are wrong, they try every possible way to make themselves feel right or twist the situation to make from wrong to right."

"You can't be in that world all alone, it's dark and lonely."

"But rather than having someone close to me come near that dark and lonely hole." He give me a small smile.

"What is so dangerous about the situation?" I asked.

"I don't fight with regular people, Everly. I fight with bad people. I am part of some sh^t gang that I cannot come out of because they are holding me down."

My mouth dropped open. "You are working with gangster, why are you working with those people? for money?"

He give me a funny look and said, "I had issues." He said and before I can question what his issue means. He said , "more specifically anger issue problems when I came over here. I roamed in the wrong side of the city and ended up with the wrong group of people. They want money and I want to relieve my anger."

"Why didn't you try something else for your issue?"

"I was stupid, okay?"

"Now what is going on?"

"I cannot leave them because I am already deep into them. There is illegal things involve."

"What do you mean?"

"For every fight there is some sort of agreement, the losing party either provides money or some illegal substances or things." He pursed his lip.

My eyes widened. "Do you have any of the illegal items?"

"No, I just fight to take out my anger, it was a win-win situation for both of us. I fight to take out problems and they get the things they want."

"This is crazy." I said.

"And he saw you." Elliot muttered annoyed.

"Who?" I asked.

"That guy, Hunter who we saw last time outside the restaurant, he saw you and he had to tell that a^shole about you."

"I am so lost."

"Just so you know, you better watch your back." He warned me. "I am worried that a^shole will come looking for you."

"Who are you talking about?"

"With sharing secrets come consequences." He said as he pulled me for another tight hug, his minty breath breathing near my neck as I shiver at his touch.

"Then let's face the consequences together." I said to him.

"Don't give me that look." He pleaded.

"What look?"

"That look of hope and excitement. This situation is not adventurous at all."

"I know, but together we can make it better." I promised him, he shake his head and said.

"Your safety is my number one priority."

"But isn't being your girlfriend risky too." I pointed out.

"I was planning to date you, secretly." He said and I almost thought he was joking, but with his serious look I realized he was not.

"Why? Because I am different than the normal people you hang out with?" I said, suddenly remembering what that girl said a long time ago.

"Yes and no, you are different, everyone is different in their own way; you are special and I can't lose the special in you because of my stupid move." He muttered. "I like you and your weird ways of enjoying weird things. You make me happy and I want to be happy again. Will you help me to be who I want to be?" He asked, hopeful.

"Who you want to be?"

"I-I want to be a better Elliot, who you can trust and rely on."

❤️