I dreamt of songs sung by heavenly masculine voice, echoing through my head. Certain lyrics got stuck and floated around my mind.

I've been spending all my time just thinking 'bout you...

I don't know what to do, I think I'm falling for you...

I saw Lexi and Zach embracing through the blur of my vision but mostly, I dreamt of Mason. A swirl of black ink on strong, safe arms. Wet hair dripping rain down onto his thick eyelashes. Sea blue eyes blazing straight into my soul.

"... I've gotten so used to not getting stuck on one person for too long for fear of losing them... but I just can't seem to let you go." I hear Mason's voice as I float back into consciousness. My eyes flutter open, fighting against the light of the room. I wiggle my fingers trying to get my bearings and I feel his warm hand squeezing mine. I turn my head and look at him with slightly open eyes.

"Hey you." I strained. My gloves! My arms! I took a sharp intake of breath and looked down at our hands entwined with one another. I had on a dry pair of gloves and long sleeved top underneath my hospital gown.

"Lexi made sure you were dressed once the doctors sent you to recovery." Mason said, reading my mind. I smiled slightly and relaxed back into the hard pillows.

"Thank you for staying with me Mase. You didn't have to." I squeeze his hand to try and show him how grateful I was. Having Mason holding my hand didn't feel weird at all. Although I usually despised being touched, the feeling of his skin on mine felt soothing, even if it was just our fingers touching.

"I couldn't leave you. " He set his guitar down on the seat beside him. So it was him singing the songs I dreamed about.

"How did you find me?" I slowly turned onto my side, my head pounding with every heart beat.

"When Zach finished at the keg stand I noticed you were nowhere in sight. Zach and Lex went back to the car to check if you were there and I searched the house." He cracked his neck from left to right and pulled the blue plastic seat closer to the bed.

"I tried calling you but there was no service so I walked the perimeter of the property calling out for you." He closed his eyes and his fists clenched making his knuckles go white.

"...then I found a phone on the ground and realised it was yours when I turned it over and read the message." He shook his head and cleared his throat. I reached out to him and squirted fictional oil with my fingers into his arm pit. It was too hard keeping up my walls up at this point, especially with Mason.

"Loosey goosey remember?" I laughed quietly, feeling lethargic. He smiled tiredly, but it still made my stomach leap. I want to be strong for him... for myself.

"I've taught you well." He said. He ran his hand through his hair which was now dry and rubbed the back of his neck. I watched him expectantly, knowing he wanted to say something.

"Quinn... do you remember anything from last night?" His eyes were searching mine with a minor frown set on his face.

"Well I remember falling over because my knees are aching." I recalled trying to search for more memories looking up at the ceiling as if they would be there.

"Anything else?" He asked quietly.

"I don't remember writing a message... or the keg stand... but I remember being upside down for some reason. Chris game me a weird tasting drink... everything's sort of hazy." I looked down at the floor and paused, almost hearing my lost memory.

"Tape... blood... You." I looked at him wide eyed in realisation. I swallowed the lump in my throat before I continued.

"You saved me." My voice cracked, threatening to let it all go and open the flood gates. I swallowed again as I looked into his eyes which were a swirling tsunami of emotion.

"Did you see?" I looked down at my hands, not wanting to cry like a weakling. My father always said tears are for the weak and downtrodden.

"When we arrived you told Lexi 'Don't let him see.' What don't you want me to see?" He whispered close to my ear, both hands clasping mine. I couldn't look up at him, I felt so ashamed. He brushed my blonde bangs out of my eyes and held his hand on my neck.

"What don't you want me to see?" He whispered again, pressing his forehead to mine as if to connect our thoughts.

"Me." I said quietly, bringing my hands to my face.

"I don't want you to find out about my past and leave because of it." I tried to explain but my voice was on the verge of letting it all bubble over so I stopped. He sat on my bed and lifted my chin for me to look at him.

"Nothing you can say or do will make me want to cut you out of my life. Nothing you have said or done will make me disappear. I'm physically incapable of living my life without you in it now." There was a long pause while he trailed his thumb across my jaw. The look in his eyes I'd never seen in anyone's before.

There was a knock at the door and I sighed, part irritated that the moment was interrupted but also relieved we weren't given a chance to say anything else to mess it up. Lexi and Zach stood in the doorway with a bouquet of lilys and roses, by two favourite kinds of flowers.

Back at home on the summer days I was permitted outside I would sprint down to the lake at the edge of the housing estate. The grass was a lush green and as soft as feathers to lay on. White roses and lillies lined the edge of the bank trailing all the way along the lake. The best times in my childhood were sitting underneath the willow tree a few meters from the edge of the bank day dreaming about how I was going to change the world and what exciting things I'd experience when I grew older. My favourite times were when wind-borne seeds would fly through the air just before a storm. Whenever i saw them i'd close my eyes and made a wish.

"Hey Quinn Bee, How are you feeling?" Lexi brought the flowers over and put them on the bedside table. Mason gave me a quick wink and walked over to talk to Zach.

"I'm feeling okay. Worst freaking hangover ever but I'll survive." I patted the bed for her to sit. I looked over to the guys making sure they weren't listening and then back to Lex.

"I didn't say anything embarrassing last night did I?" Trying to keep my voice low. Lexi's mouth fell open and she gasped.

"You totally like him!" She said a little louder than I had hoped for. I covered her mouth and gritted my teeth together.

"Shut up woman! I do not! I just want to know whether I made a royal ass of myself last night or not." Peering over her shoulder while I whispered. She pinched her lips together in a tight smile with her eyebrows raised.

"Well you didn't declare your love for him if that's what you're getting at." She said teasingly.

"There is no love to declare, okay?" Staring her straight in the eyes trying to convince her.

"Nothing to declare here." I said loudly waving my hands trying to convince myself. The boys turned to look at Lexi and I. I grinned and ducked behind her out of their sight. I scrunched up my face shaking my head at myself.

"Quinn Eden?" A nurse asked clip clopping her shoes in from the hallway.

"Right here." Lexi moved from the bed so the nurse could check my chart and speak to me. She was an older lady with auburn hair tied tightly in a bun. Her eyes looked tired as she scanned the papers marking off things with her sleek silver pen.

"Okay Ms Eden, you've been under observation for 24 hours. The doctors are happy with your progress. Dr Dirk has mentioned here once you wake up to check your vitals and if all is well you're free to go." I sighed a breath of relief. Hospitals weren't my favourite place to be with the smell of over used detergent, the cardboard feeling mattresses and the constant sound of machines beeping and whirring every second. I was ready cartwheel out of that hospital despite my aching body.

The nurse pulled out her watch and took my pulse. She then moved onto checking my eyes, shining her handheld light straight at them.

"Very good." She said writing down more notes.

"Now, make sure you drink plenty of water, your body will be recovering for the next few days after the Flunitrazepam abuse. You're very lucky your friend here took note of your symptoms." She patted Mason on the shoulder.

"You're free to go when you're ready, dear." She rushed a smile and continued down the hallway.

"Thank you Mase." I said fiddling with my dog tag. Mason scratched his head and smiled as he looked down at his shoes bashfully. Lexi cleared her throat and began packing my things into a bag I never even realised was hanging on the end of my bed.

"We'll go get the car and pull around out front." Zach said jingling his few keys. Mason put his hands in his pockets and looked from Zach to me and back to Zach again.

"It's okay Mase, you can go. Lex will help me pack my stuff and I'll be out." I said getting up from the bed slowly gaining my balance. He nodded once and followed Zach out.

"Nothing to declare my ass! He's sweet on you! You know, he didn't leave the hospital at all while you were here? He slept in that chair and wouldn't leave your side. Quinn, he wouldn't even go and get a coffee because he was scared you'd wake up and no one would be here." Lexi kept packing.

"Firstly, calm your tits lady, I'm not ready to get hitched or anything like that. Second, he deserves a medal for looking after my stupid ass. I feel even worse now." I ripped off the hospital gown and pulled on some jeans.

"Come on, let's get out of here. The smell is bringing back some nasty nostalgia." I shuddered and followed Lexi to the front desk to sign out.

As i scribbled down my details as best i could a reception Lexi began rattling off information to my jumbled brain.

"So the police didn't arrest Chris. Apparently that house isn't owned by a 'Chris' at all. They've put a warrant out for his arrest and are trying to have paper served to him for court but he's still out there so... we've all agreed to make sure you have someone with you at all times to escort you wherever you need to go. You know, just in case he tries anything, that ass hole!" Lexi scrunched her cosmopolitan magazine in her hand which mimicked her scrunched up face.

"Thanks Lex," I rest my hand on her shoulder to try and assure her.

"I know I'm in safe hands."

"Oh! Miss Eden?" The nurse from before tapped lightly on my arm. I turned to face her and tucked my bangs behind my ear.

"Remember what the doctor told you? Look after yourself, okay?" A concerned smile warmed her entire features.

"I will, don't worry Doris." I said patting her hand slightly. She looked down at her clipboard once more and was off again in a different direction.

"What was all that about?" Lexi asked, struggling with the bags. I pulled one from her shoulder and slung it over mine.

"Nothing, just have to take it easy, like they said before." I pressed my lips tightly together and rushed out the door.

Keeping secrets is hard but keeping them from your friends felt like an acid slowly wearing away at my insides.