Ash POV

"Oh, no," Sere gasped, swishing her hands up to her gaped mouth. She stood shocked in the middle of her room, shivering. The fear on her face made my heart thump. What would Alain do to her when he found me in her room?

"Oh no," May whispered behind me as footsteps came down the hall to Sere's room getting louder by the second with each step it took. There was nowhere to go, no place to hide. It was time to be a man and defend the girls if I had to.

Then the door to Sere's room swung opened revealing a shadowy figure which I couldn't see who it was. So I clenched my fists as tight as I can getting ready to fight, not sure what was going to happen. Would Alain come in swinging or-

"Mom?" Sere's voice cracked with relief and she put a hand over her heart, almost sagging as a lady with a tired face poked her head around the door.

"Hi sweetie, how are you feeling?" Sere's mom asked, walking in to the room. She didn't seem to find it weird that May was fanning herself with one of Sere's binders, or that a stranger was standing almost directly in front of the door in a boxing stance. Then again, she hadn't noticed the fact that her daughter had bruises all over her body. I stared at her for a moment. She looked so normal. How could she be so blind?

"I'm better. My friends from school came to visit me. May bought me some Neosporin."

Sere's mom smiled at May, who smiled back. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" she asked warmly.

"I'm good, Miss. Yvonne." May responded cheerfully.

"And this is my friend Ash," Sere continued without any stutters, pointing directly to me. "Ash, this is my mom." She smiled. "Or miss. Yvonne."

I stuck my hand out automatically by offering a handshake, fingers sticking out. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Yvonne."

Shaking my hand, Sere's mom gave me an evaluating look. "You too, Ash. I've heard quite a bit about you. I hope you're being a better friend to my daughter now?"

I shot Sere a quick glance but she had suddenly become very interested in staring at the threadbare carpet, looking away from my view. I slid my gaze away and continued. "Yes, miss. Yvonne. And she's a very good friend to me too." I said to her, but something was telling me inside my own head that she is more than just a friend.

When I said that. Sere's mom smiled and departs from the handshake, placing her hand on hip. "That's good. Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?"

"Oh, we were just leaving. Homework and- stuff to do," May suddenly put in. And people to avoid, namely Alain.

"Thanks for visiting Serena. I'll be in the kitchen." Sere's mom said and left the room as she steps out of sight leaving all three of us heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack," May admitted, still fanning herself.

"You guys should really go. If Alain finds you here..." Sere's voice trailed off as she bit her lip nervously.

"We're leaving. Stop biting your lip, though. It looks like it already hurts." May slung her bag over her shoulder and hugged Sere for a brief second then departs. "Call me and Dawn later?"

"Okay, I will. Thanks, May." She turned to me and wrapped her arms around me as well, her soft hands placed on my back pulling me closer with her head rested on my chest as if it were a pillow. "And you too, Ash. Thanks for following May. I really appreciate it." She said near to my ear as a smile formed on my lips and I closed my eyes, not wanting to let her go as I rubbed her back through her top. But I had to.

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As May and I walked down the stairs once we had left Sere's apartment, I fished my phone out of my pocket and called Cilan to pick us up. I was still boiling over everything. Sere's bruises, her cousin's douchebagness, her Mom blindness- it was all making my head spin.

"I hate that he does that to her!" May burst out in anger, stamping her foot. "Serena's the sweetest person ever! Why does Alain hate her like that?"

I knew why, but I couldn't betray Sere's trust. No way was I going to tell May that the reason Alain hated his own cousin is because he blamed her for the death of his daughter. Then again, May probably wouldn't believe me.

So I just shrugged. "How are you getting home?" I asked her, as two young boys ran past us up the staircase.

"I'll call a cab." She answered.

Running a hand through my raven hair, I shook my head. "I'll give you a ride, drop you off."

"Really?" May smiled at me. I smiled back. "Thanks."

"No problem."

We walked in silence for a while and later excited out of the building after we reached ground floor. It was almost midnight as we walk to the Range Rover and even it was past my bedtime, but I didn't care about that. What really matters was to keep Sere in safe hands from any harm, knowing the full reason for my question. I would of stayed with Sere at this time a round, but I guess it would be better off with her mother.

"I've never seen Serena like that before," May mused, almost to herself. "So down, so ready to give up." She said which almost caught me off guard.

I should of thought of that for a second. Usually, I always see Sere so determined and ready to fight for anything, however, this was complete opposite from before when I first met her.

It took guts and emotions after I used her for my plan against my dad. I didn't want that to happen until then Sere forgave me for my actions. And now I need to repay that back.

"Yeah. Me too." Sighing, I stuck my hands in my jeans pockets. Seeing Sere so miserable wasn't something I wanted to repeat. And it was all because of me. Guilt niggled at my insides.

"She's always the one who cheers me up when I'm sad, but I couldn't even do the same for her." May threw me a sideways glance. "But you did, Ash. Thanks for following me. I'm glad you were there."

I grinned and chuckled. "You're welcome. Even though you're being there cheered her up too."

"Okay, fine, it was a good thing we were both there," May conceded, smirking at me.

We got in the backseat of the car and Cilan started the engine to drive to May's house through empty roads.

I was humming along to 'counting stars' on the radio while in my seat, enjoying the comfortable silence, when May suddenly spoke, and her question made the whole world stop.

"How long have you known you're in love with her?"

My head snapped around to look at May so quickly I knew I'd definitely pulled a muscle. I stared wide eyed at her as she fixed me with an even look, her brown eyes turned serious.

"What?" I asked, my voice almost a rasp.

May smiled knowingly. "You heard me. But if you want to pretend that you went temporarily deaf, I'll repeat myself. How long have you known that you're in love with Serena?" She repeated the question.

I opened my mouth to say something along the lines of 'I have no idea what you're talking about' but closed it just as quickly. The smug look on May's face was grating, but not as grating as the tiny inkling I was getting that once again, she was spot on.

Finally, I shook my head, forcing a laugh. "I'm not in love with anyone. What-," I started.

But May interrupted me. "I saw the look on your face when she opened the door and you got a look at her bruises. I saw how happy you looked when she started smiling. I saw how tight you hugged her when we were leaving, like you never wanted to let her go." May smiled confidently while I completely stared at her dumbstruck. "I saw the look in your eyes right before you kissed her." She finished.

"May," I groaned, leaning my head back against the cool leather seats. This was way too much to deal with right now. Way too much.

"Okay. Maybe I took it a little too far with the love thing," May said, a teasing grin on her face. "I'll pull it back. Seriously though, do you like Serena? As in, like her like her, not like her just as a friend?"

I opened my mouth to speak out, but May waved a finger in the air halting me from speaking out. "Honest truth, now. I'll know when you're lying."

So I bit my lip and decided to tell her the honest truth about the feelings that had been building up in me ever since I asked Sere to the gala. "Maybe," I muttered quietly, avoiding May's eyes. "Maybe I do 'like her like her.' Happy now?"

"Don't put this on me," May protested, a smile on her face as she clapped her hands together in glee. "I knew that you loved Serena, I've been trying to tell her for the longest time and now I have proof!"

"I said maybe, May!" I looked at her with unease. "positively don't tell Sere anything about this conversation. It never happened."

"But it did happen," May said primly as the car rolled up to her place and stopped in its tracks. She opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Thanks," to Cilan, and skipped up the sidewalk, me in hot pursuit. I speedily step out and caught up with her as she walked into the foyer of her expensive building.

"May, don't tell her," I begged, not sure why I was begging. I knew I liked Sere a lot. Maybe I even liked her more than a friend, but I didn't want her to know yet. Not until I had sorted out all my mixed up and confused feelings towards her. And once I did, I wanted to be the one to tell her.

"She should know, don't you think?" May asked me, stopping her tracks with her hand placed above on her hip. I nodded.

"Yeah. I agree. And I'll tell her, don't get me wrong. I'll tell her soon, but for now- can this just be between you and me?"

Pursing up her lips, May gave me a calculating look. "You don't like to rush into things, don't you?"

"Not without knowing its right."

She smiled at me. "Trust me on this one, Ash. This is as right as it gets."

I was starting to think the same way too, but I still didn't want to mess things up before things even started.

"Can you promise me not to tell Sere anything?"

"Only if you promise me that as soon as you get your act together, you'll tell her. She deserves to know. With everything that's going on in her life, this would make my girl so happy."

"I'll tell her. I swear." Putting a hand over my heart, I quipped, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Okay." May smiled, then soon her expression changed into serious. "But if you don't, then I will." She told.

I chuckled at May's earnest face. "Ok, well, Goodnight May." I waved. Turned around and begin to head back to my car.

"Goodnight," she responded back and walks up to her house front door.

I jogged back to the car, stepped in after closing the door. Taking a seat and closed my eyes as my heavy head rested on the leather seat, my head pounding like crazy. Too many thoughts to process. The main one was admitting to myself that what May had said was true. I didn't just 'like like' Sere.

I was in love with her. And it scared the hell out of me.

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Anyone know the anime?