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I secretly trailed Devon to find out where he was heading to. It was a cold wintry night. I followed him closely but made sure I didn't get any nearer to arise suspicion in him. Whenever I felt he would turn around, I was quick to hide myself in the shadows of the night. My heart pounded in uncertainty and turmoil thinking about what he had in mind. As I rounded the corner of the street, my mouth fell open in shock.

Devon was nowhere to be seen.

The road ahead of me was dark and deserted. I looked here, there, everywhere but no sign of Devon.

It looked like he had suddenly disappeared in thin air.

My palms felt cold, my heart racing. I'd lost track of Devon. Where did he go?

Then, as though like a response to my inner thought, I felt firm hands suddenly grab my waist from behind and a split second later, my feet lost ground as I was pushed backwards and pinned to the wall in a manner that made a loud gasp escape my throat.

I was panting for air as I looked into the fiery blue eyes of my sexy captor.

Devon.

"Sanchez is stalking again, isn't she?" I heard his deep baritone voice against my ear.

It took me a while to register his taunting words into my conscience 'cause I was yet to recover from the sudden turn of events.

"How did you even come to know I was following you?" I managed to splutter out, my rigorous breaths intertwining with his rugged ones.

"I fantasise about you so much sweetheart that I just happen to know when you're around," he said desirously while his long seductive fingers leisurely tucked my lose strands behind my ears making me squirm at his touch....

Holding on tightly to my senses, I asked looking sharp in his eye, "Where are you going at this hour of the night?"

The edges of his lips curled into a crooked smile. "Think that I'm cheating on you with someone else?" he snickered. "You tempt me in so many ways baby that I can't think of any other girl, " he softly nipped my lower lip causing my flesh to burn in arousal....

"I know for a fact that you will never cheat on me. There's something entirely different that's going on here, "I said, looking him square in the eye.

"You're wasting time. Your friend is waiting for you," he said with expressions difficult to decipher.

"If you're sure you're not hiding, why don't you let me see where you're going?" I asked him in a challenging tone.

Our gazes clashed. He tried to intimidate me but I was stubborn too. My eyes burned as I continued staring into his heated irises but I won't give up.

"You should leave, Eleanor," he said, his voice bearing a firm edge.

"I won't, Devon," I refused flatly. "There is something going on. I can feel it. I don't know for how long I've been unaware of what you've been doing but I need to know now."

I looked at him gravely making it clear to him that he couldn't seduce me into forgetting everything as he thinks.

"Fine," he admitted quietly as he stepped back from me.

Devon walked alongside me with steeled expressions. He was making it absolutely evident that he just didn't wanted to show me what he was about to show me.

I was left at a loss for words when we were stood outside a Mr. Miller's garage who was also a resident of Crawford Lane. He lives four lanes away from ours. But why were we there? I couldn't understand.

"There's nothing much in there. Seriously," said Devon.

"I believe you know the password for the lock. So I'm waiting for you to lift the shutters," I said sternly.

Finally, the shutters of the garage were lifted. Devon pressed a switch on the barren stone wall and a small light bulb flickered to life dimly illuminating the dark interiors of the garage. I adjusted my vision in the pale yellow light and was left numb with shock by what I was seeing....

"What is your car doing in Mr. Miller's garage?? Why aren't you using your own bigger garage?" I spluttered in confusion.

It was then I realized it was not only his car. There was a sleeping bag on the rough and cold stone floor, next to his car. Then empty bottles, cans and paper plates piled up in one corner. In another corner, there was a bag containing his clothes, then there was a broom....

In a flash, everything was clear to me.

"You have been living in this suffocating and cramped garage since god knows how long," I gulped.

Devon didn't say anything. He just stood there glancing sideways with an emotionless face.

Sensing that my assumption was true, I felt a surge of pain rise from the depths of my chest. Devon had left his house and had been living in this garage with his car and I didn't have the slightest clue about anything. I felt like....I didn't know what I felt. It was similar to a nasty disease that had got into my body and I wished it left me soon.

I didn't have any right to be mad at him that he hid such a huge thing about his life from me. Maybe, I only had the right to feel hurt....

"Why, Devon?" I asked in anxiety.

"I didn't feel like using my garage for my car," he responded matter-of-factly. "And this place feels so much better that that house I used to live in. As simple as that," he added in the same tone.

I still wasn't able to digest the reality. It was sucking all the strength off my bones. I didn't have it in me to deal with Devon.

"I-I don't understand why you're doing all this. What's going on with you and---wait!" I stopped suddenly as something else hit me.

"How did you even convince Mr. Miller to lend you his garage?" I asked slowly. Mr. Miller was again one of those people who strongly disapproved of Devon.

The glint that passed through Devon's dark orbs gave me the chills. Dealing with Devon was indeed so dangerous sometimes. You just didn't know how his mind worked....

"What did you do, Devon?" I asked suspiciously, my voice carrying a sharp edge.

"Nothing much..." he shrugged, leaning casually against the wall. "I just told him that if he doesn't lend me his garage, I'd spill the thing he has been hiding since quite sometime now."

"What?" I narrowed my eyes further at him.

"I don't know," he shrugged again. "I only pretended like I knew something about him and, well, considering the recent events, he didn't think it wise to refuse me. So there you go."

I went pale in the face hearing that. "I can't fucking believe you, Devon!" I spat, clenching my fists tight. "If you going behind bars thrice wasn't disturbing enough, you go about taking undue advantage of it and terrorize people? You think it's pretty cool to do so? Disgusting!" I was appalled. "You know what, I'm done. I'm leaving."

"NO!"

Devon rushed forward and blocked my path. "You're not leaving me, Eleanor!" his eyes flashed the darkest shade of blue.

Though his voice sounded like a coarse command but his intense eyes, filled with pain, were literally begging me to stay. I stood there transfixed, wondering how he even does that....

Either Devon sucks at using words to express himself or he does it purposely....

"I won't," I said quietly and watched him calming down. "I-I don't want anyone to think bad of you. I want people to see the good you..."

I held on to my trembling breaths as he stepped closer to me, his orbs darkening with a blazing passion. I gasped when he wound his hands around my waist and pinned me to his chest. I was breathless as his eyes probed deeper into my dazed ones....

"I want to be good just for you, Eleanor. I don't care about anyone else," he whispered hoarsely, intertwining his long seductive fingers with mine, "Trust me, I regret what I did but I was left with no other choice but to blackmail either Mr. Miller or someone else around here....because I...I..."

Devon couldn't bring himself to speak. He looked sideways but the fury of frustration in his orbs didn't escape my notice. It was like he was fighting a tough war with himself...

"It's true. I haven't been entirely honest with you in our relationship," he admitted, looking solemnly at me.

Devon let go his hold of me before speaking further, "Been living in this garage ever since Jackson got hospitalized. Cheryl can't stand me just like I can't stand her. She has been trying to kick me out of the house since long. Everyday there are fights in the house over me. And now Cheryl is hell bent in making Mr. Parker believe that I was the one who pushed Jackson down the stairs; that I tried to kill him."

I was horrified hearing that.

"Eleanor." He held my by the shoulders and looked at me intensely. "I know I was the only one in the house when Jackson slipped down the stairs. I know I lose my temper many a times and he-he becomes my punching bag. But do you honestly think that I....I pushed him down the stairs?"

Devon stared hard at me with fear and desperation clouding his eyes. There was a huge lump in his throat. It was like my answer could make or break his existence. I was overwhelmed realizing the extent to which he cared about what I thought of him.

"Devon, I know you didn't do it," I told him with conviction. "I know you love Jackson a lot and that you can never ever hurt him. It was an accident."

I meant each and every word I said. There wasn't even a tinge of doubt in my mind. I watched relief spread over his face as though a heavy boulder had been lifted off his soul.

"I moved out of the house 'cause I don't want Jackson to witness his parents fighting anymore," said Devon grimly. "He doesn't deserve the pain. That's why I'm also not reaching out to Jackson in Cheryl's presence."

I completely got Devon's point of view now. I too had witnessed Mr. Parker and Cheryl fighting and arguing and I'd never want Jackson to go through that on a daily basis. Devon was hoping that his moving out would solve every issue.

"But you can't be staying here for long!" I told him.

"Ofcourse not. In fact, I'm shifting right now to the house that is across the woods on the outskirts of Crawford Lane."

"The penthouse belonging to Mrs. Silver," I asked startled.

"Yes."

I helped him move his stuff to his new house in his car. Devon told me that as soon as he got to know from the estate agent that Mrs. Silver was looking for a tenant for her property, he immediately contacted her. But since she moved to Texas just this evening, Devon had to live in Mr. Miller's garage these last couple of days. Devon would be paying the rent using the money left to him by his late grandfather, his mother's father.

"I planned to tell you about my moving into this house. I didn't want to let you know about living in the garage," said Devon frankly. "Anyways, you got to be at Stef's now. It's already very late. I'll drop you."

"Jackson is getting discharged tomorrow," I spoke while he was driving. "How will you explain your moving out to him?"

"I'll come up with something less scandalous to tell him," chuckled Devon.

I looked out through the window. The more I thought about tonight's events, I more gloomy I felt. The fact that Devon had been living in a stingy garage didn't sit well with me.

"Hey, I know you're upset that I hid stuff from you. I'm really sorry," said Devon. "It's just that I didn't want you to be affected by my fucked up life. Because you've got amazing parents, you've got a great happy family, you've had wonderful years growing up with your mum and dad being by your side. I didn't want to taint your life in any way..."

I felt a sharp discomfort rising from the pit of my stomach and spreading through each of my veins making me feverish.

I could tell that Devon was holding back a lot of things too. Where were we heading? What were we doing? Would our relationship even survive 'cause it wasn't built on trust and honesty but on secrets and lies....

***

"Now I know why you're so late. You'd rather be with your boyfriend than your best friend, right?" said Stef grudgingly when we appeared at her doorstep.

"Don't be mad at Eleanor please," said Devon at once. "It's me who is at fault. I got her entangled in some crap. Anyway, shouldn't take any more time of yours. Have a great sleepover, you two."

Devon kissed my cheek before getting back in his car and zooming out of sight.

"Guess I should take back my words I'd said against him," muttered Stef.

"Devon's good. Sometimes he just forgets to hide it," I smiled.