We withdrew then as he stroked a hand against my hair. I could only lean into him as he sat beside me now on the bed.

"So I heard you went to pick Raven up? How did that go?" I made the small talk and he nodded, pulling the blanket further onto me.

"It went fine." He said not surprising me with his clipped answers, but the following thing did. It was only for a second yet I noticed the change, making my eyes widen.

Justin had just smiled.

________________________

"Movie night!" Danny sung out mindlessly as he peered through the window from the passenger seat. It was the seventh time he had said it during the journey and Justin was growing impatient.

In other circumstances, he'd have reached over already and slapped Danny upside the head but, right now, he was much to preoccupied with looking at the text that lit up his phone. He let out a sigh of resignation at the message before pulling up at sidewalk near the house.

"Get out." Was all he said to Danny who merely eyed the house in front of him with a contorted face. Justin knew him well enough now to know that this was his look of thought.

"That's Aaron's house.... right?" Danny spoke uncertainly and Justin only gave him a side glare, not even bothering to address Danny's lack in navigational skills.

"You've got 5 seconds before I drive." He deadpanned, making Danny squeal in panic before he hurriedly fiddled with the door, trying to open it. When he had finally succeeded with that, he almost but leaped onto the lawn in front of him before swivelling on his feet with a triumphant smile.

"I bet I did it in 3!" He said smugly, folding his arms to which Justin merely offered him a dry look.

It had been a total of 9 seconds but that was besides the point.

"Tell Aaron and Alexis that I'll be back soon. Raven messaged because she needs a ride." Was the only explanation he gave and- without waiting for confirmation- he began to drive away, veering left in the 5 minute journey to her house.

Raven's house.

He had never been there, but she had sent the address and- unlike Danny- Justin knew these roads like the back of his hand. So, he placed his focus on that, observing every turn; every traffic light, anything but think about that moment.

Without thought, he grabbed the back of her head gently, pressing his lips softly against her own. She tensed for a split second before her shoulders relaxed and she moved her lips against his own. He buried his hand deep into her soft hair, his other hand rested against her cheek, tilting her face so he could have more of her- her heat and the sound of her breathing. He kissed her until all thought was forgotten, until her eyes had dried up and all she could smell was his icy scent.

Stop.

He reminded himself again that even the thought, even recalling the memory was wrong. He had done wrong to Mason and he hated it. Lying was a disdainful act; he despised it with every fibre of his being. Therein, he despised himself for what he had done.

He despised himself even now as he drove to her house for the slight jump in his pulse, so subtle that he could blame it on a speed bump. He despised himself for remembering the way she looked when he had first seen her: the light of the moon touching against her obsidian-coloured hair, creating a halo around her or the way green eyes glistened like wet leaves as she cried. But, most of all, he despised himself for wanting to know what she thought of him. This disgusted him most of all.

It had been 7 whole years since the incidence of their first meeting; they were now 24 years old. That was the same amount of years wherein she had been in a relationship with Mason, one of his best friends. A long-term relationship like that, which had sustained over the turbulent test of time, meant only one thing: they loved one another.

The car jerked to a halt then as he stopped right outside her house. He dismissed the inner turmoil with ease then, getting back to reality without another thought. He was smart enough to know that thinking of the dark thoughts would only allow them a ceremonious entrance. He was content with the cards he had been dealt, for life was not always as one intended. It hadn't been since he had lost his mother, but at least he had his father; his friends to fill the gap. Likewise, he was content now, despite the dark thoughts. Life would always oddly find a way to mend itself.

His grey eyes looked back to the right when he heard the sound of footsteps and he automatically unlocked the door, just as it opened, sending a waft of sweet perfume into the car.

"Took you long enough, my stomach is growling like I'm housing a monster inside me." Raven groaned, clamouring in with a huff. Justin only tapped his index finger against the steering wheel, giving her a single side glance.

"It'll only take longer if you don't shut the door." Was his response and it was only then that Raven seemed to notice the door, huffing loudly again as she reached to shut it.

"There, now let's drive." She muttered, pulling her sundress up, so she could put her legs on the seat in a more casual manner. Justin didn't dare look at her legs as she did and nor did he respond. A few moments passed before Raven turned to him with a frown.

"You gonna drive or what?" She asked and Justin shook his head, letting his cool gaze turn to her.

"Seatbelt." He said pointedly and Raven let out a laugh, eyeing him incredulously.

"Come on, Justin, it's literally a 5 minute journey!" She reasoned to which Justin merely sat back in his seat, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm not going to drive until you're a wearing a seatbelt." He finalised dryly, leaving no room for negotiation, particularly when safety was involved. No matter how quick the journey was, no human was safe from the afflictions of tragedy.

There was a small silence as Raven let out another incredulous laugh, looking to see if Justin was serious. Indeed, she finally realised that he wasn't one to make such jokes, so she let out a relenting sigh, reaching for her seatbelt.

"Sorry, for a minute, I forgot your typical stick in the mud nature whenever you talk to anyone." She muttered sourly, her seatbelt shutting in with a small clink. Justin didn't say anything, lips quirking up slightly as he looked to to his side and rear view mirror before pulling out with ease, driving smoothly across the road.

"Well, you're probably not like that with everyone. You probably were sweeter to Savannah when you were with her." Raven teased, elbowing him slightly and Justin merely raised a dark eyebrow, taking a left onto another side road.

"Why would I need to be more sweet with her? There's no point of putting up false pretenses or manners. I spoke to her as I did with everyone else." Justin answered, confused as to why any relationship would warrant a different treatment. Surely, the person he got with had wanted him for how he was, not for something else. He briefly wondered if Raven was different in her relationship; did she treat her partner more sweetly? He thought about it for a moment before he stopped. There was no use in being curious about things that did not concern him.

"Oh, so it was your probably your blunt attitude that broke up the relationship." Raven joked with a smirk and Justin's lips quirked up as he changed the gear.

"I didn't know my blunt attitude was that much of a deal breaker." He mused dryly and Raven let out a laugh in response before looking to him. A few hesitant beats of silence passed before Raven spoke again, this time more tepidly than her typical self.

"So.. why did you both split up?" She asked and a small silence passed yet again, the sound of the indicator being the only sound. Justin raised an eyebrow then, not even looking her way.

"Is it a habit of yours to pry in personal affairs?" Was all he asked bluntly and Raven frowned at his words, turning away from abruptly to look straight at the road.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that your matters were so personal to you. I'll butt out because who am I to ask you about your personal matters." She seethed, looking to her window with folded arms and Justin's eyebrows drew together softly as he looked to her.

"Why do I get the feeling you're angry with me?" He asked, not knowing where the turn had happened; it often did with him and Raven, but mostly when they were alone. It would leave him confused, not knowing what he had done.

"I'm not angry! When did I say that?!" Raven snapped turning to her and Justin looked to her with his curious gaze.

"Then why are you raising your voice?" He asked calmly; he was never one to raise his voice. Anything he wanted to say could be said without an increase in volume. Still, it agitated him when others did not clearly communicate their feelings. It had to leave him to second guess what they felt and he was terrible at that.

In response, Raven glared at him. She was the only one who didn't avoid eye contact with him when he looked at them. The only one who didn't find his gaze too intense.

"I raised my voice because it's so frustrating to talk to you! You're so frustrating!" She grit out and it was then that Justin's agitation increased, hands tightening on the steering wheel. He pulled over to the side, parking quickly before turning his gaze to glistening green.

"What did I do? Just tell me what the issue is." He spoke gently, face blank as he looked at her, hand still on the wheel and she let out a choked laugh, running a hand through her hair.

"You did nothing, Justin. You do nothing and that's exactly the issue." She responded with vigor and Justin shook his head.

"I don't understand." He murmured softly, feeling the confusion fill him and it was then that Raven turned to him, a tight smile on her face. He felt his something tug in his chest slightly then when her eyes glittered with unshed tears, like emeralds in the moonlight. He could only look to her blankly, jaw clenching as a silence waded. He could only look to her as she gestured a hand to him.

"Of course you don't understand. I look in those stunning grey eyes of yours everyday and you wanna know what I see?" She murmured coarsely and he didn't respond, only looked to her with that very gaze she was describing. She pursed her lips for a moment before speaking again.

"In those eyes, I see nothing: no emotion, no want and definitely no fight. It's true when you said you would act no different for anyone because there's nothing else you can give." She breathed out, watching him with heated eyes and he tried to process her words with all he could. He tried to recall the previous conversation; to recall where he had gone but he couldn't think of anything. Surely, if he had done nothing then there would be no reason for her to be angry. He wished he understood; he wished that he could be told what he had done to make her so upset, but other people were too complex for that.

"So, my mistake was to do nothing?" He asked again, wishing that this time she'd concede and let him know but, instead, she sighed, turning away from him.

"Forget it, just drive. The sooner I get out this car, the better." She scorned out and Justin felt a small prick in his chest at her words. Still, he didn't wish to anger her, so he put the car into first gear. He would have begun driving if his phone hadn't pinged. Looking over, he let out a sigh.

'

She wanted to be away from him, but it was clear that God had something else planned. Despite the agitation in him, he couldn't help but feel a slight essence of relief fill him for the prolonged journey. It was wrong for him to feel such a way.

But, why did it feel right?

__________________________

We withdrew then as he stroked a hand against my hair. I could only lean into him as he sat beside me now on the bed.

"So I heard you went to pick Raven up? How did that go?" I made the small talk and he nodded, pulling the blanket further onto me.

"It went fine." He said not surprising me with his clipped answers, but the following thing did. It was only for a second yet I noticed the change, making my eyes widen.

Justin had just smiled.