Lox's POV...

Arguing with Liam is like trying to convince a cat to go swimming. It's a losing battle, but I need to get my point across so I don't explode from all this stress.

"No Lox, I have no intentions to ever go back to that house again. Plus, what if one of my old friends notices me there? How would I explain that? And look at you, I knew you should never have gone there. Having nightmares now! You don't need that added to your plate." Liam's voicing his point of view.

I'm unsure what's happening. All I did was ask him if he'd ever thought about going back to our old house and maybe bring back some of his old belongings or anything, and he went off on me. I know he's tired, my abrupt screaming woke him up before the sun came out. That coupled with the fact that he's still upset I went back to our old house in the first place, has him in a rare mood.

Now I've gotten myself worked up too and every word that comes out of my mouth is a stutter, so my speech app is doing most of the arguing for me.

"I needed to know what happened to me, what you and everyone else went through. I wanted to know who I really am." I continue whatever we're bickering about.

He's trying to help me stretch my leg out, which proves to be inflexible at the moment. My fist is also clenched so tight, my forearm muscle hurts.

"And how's that working out for you now?" Liam's frustrated and angry.

"I don't have my memories back. I have no memory of us growing up. What I recall are only small pieces of a memory, not even the whole scenario," My phone reads aloud.

"What about the night terror you woke up from a few hours ago? When you went inside our old house you remembered what Jack did to you didn't you?"

He gives up stretching my leg for me. He's upset and irritated. I need to remember he's barely nineteen and he's seen and experienced things most adults can't even imagine. This is why arguing about our past is a war neither of us could win. We're both right and we're both wrong about things.

I type into my phone, "I saw pieces of what he did, not why they happened or what happened afterwards, like it wasn't real but deep down I felt it was."

"Have you talked to Greya about any of it?"

"N...not y...yet."

"Why not? If you want to be with her, then be with her. Be honest with each other. Let her know what's going on so she's not wondering what's causing your muscle spasms or wondering why you're suddenly having more seizures."

"I'm n...not h...having m...more s...seizures."

One of his eyebrows rises, like what I said amuses him.

"You're stuttering every word. You're obviously over stressed and you will definitely have a seizure. Stop trying to dig up the past, it'll only cause you grief. You know the details. You were an athletic guy whom every teenage girl gawked over, but you only ever had eyes for Greya. Our parents sucked but they didn't rub off on us. You're stupidly smart and gifted. What more do you need?"

He may be winning this battle. I can't honestly answer myself, never mind anyone else. I'm not sure what I'm searching for. I went back to that house for answers and instead I have Jack haunting me in my sleep.

"And you've got the girl, so don't mess it up."

"Th...that's w..what I'm a...afraid of h...happening."

"Try being more open with her and maybe you'll realize you have everything you need right in front of you. You're not going to progress with her or anything else by dwelling on the past."

I lay back onto my bed and watch my rigid leg shake when I attempt to move it. Ah, this sucks!

"I need to get to class, don't skip your PT," he says, clearly annoyed with me.

The front door opens and he yells," Greya's here!" Then I hear him tell her, "Good luck, he's all yours."

Nice, thanks Liam.

I try to scoot up against the headboard but my leg and arm aren't having it. Liam thinks I should be more open, well here I am, I literally can't get myself out of bed. What's more open than her seeing me like this?

She walks towards my bed and I haven't the courage to look up at her fearing I'll see disappointment etched on her pretty face.

I feel the mattress dip as she sits onto it beside me. Her hand reaches up towards me and she runs her fingers through my hair before brushing them down the side of my face. "Hi handsome," she softly greets me.

"H...hi L...love." Ugh, listen to me. I look and sound ridiculous. Perfect way to begin our official relationship.

"Do you want me to try helping you stretch?"

"L...Liam al...already t...tried."

Her hand glides down the side of my face again. Her skin is so soft and her sweet gesture comforts me.

"I h...had a d...dream of J...Jack t...trying to s...stab m...me." I place my hand over the area where he once stabbed me with a fire poker.

"And th...then h...he went a...after y...you and th...there wasn't a...anything I...I c...could d...do about i...it."

"That part of your dream wasn't real. Jack never hurt me."

"I...I d...don't know w...what's r...real and w...what's not and th...that s...scares m...me."

She then lifts up my T-shirt, revealing the scar I have from him. Her fingers gently trace over the raised flesh and I inhale a sharp breath.

"You came to my house after this happened. I had just buried my grandmother and you and the gang came over afterwards. I noticed you bleeding through your shirt." She glides her fingers over it again and this time I exhale the breath I was holding.

I try and focus on her. Her long hair im waves flowing down her back.The pale green fitted shirt she's wearing make her emerald eyes glow. She's the beauty that makes up for my ugly.

"It was the first time you trusted me. You held my hand as I led you to my upstairs bathroom. You allowed me to clean your would and stitch you up. When I hugged you after, you froze. Then slowly you wrapped your arms around me. That was the moment I knew I never wanted to let you go."

She leans towards me and places her soft lips over my scar and gently kisses it, then places smaller kisses around it. I wasn't prepared for the rush of goosebumps that now cover all my skin or for the nervous excitement surging through my insides.

"This wound is a bitter sweet memory. Tinged with sadness yet turned into something beautiful. It brought us closer together."

Being with her, having her lips pepper my skin is an agonizing bliss.

If my body wasn't having such a difficult morning, I'd gladly pull her on top of me and explore the next level with her.

I attempt to bring my breathing back to a normal rhythm while I think about what she previously said. As much as Jack has ruined me, somehow I've managed to gain this beautiful human's love. She's telling me to focus on that instead of the evil that plagues my past. Easier said than done, though I'm ready to try.

"Do you have any massage oil or lotion?" She suddenly asks.

"Wh...what?"

"I'm thinking a nice massage will help you relax."

A massage? Oh thank goodness. I mean, I'm ready for more intimacy but not when my leg is spazzing  out and my distorted arm will get in the way. When we decide to be more intimate, I want her to know I'm capable. But I know my body, and today it's anything but capable; it's frustrating and slightly humiliating me.

"In th...the b...bathroom under th...the s...sink."

Yup, I definitely need to relax.

"Ok turn onto your stomach so I can start with your back and neck. Do you need my help?"

I shake my head. "N...no, I g...got it."

While she's in the bathroom, I remove my shirt and roll myself over. My arm's pinned underneath me so she'll need to help me with it as I can't physically get it to move in the right direction. Like I said, humiliating at exactly the right moments.

She comes back with the oil and places the bottle onto the mattress beside me. I know she's observing the position I'm in so I lift up my torso so she can slide my arm out. My elbow remains bent so hopefully it will straighten out as she massages it.

She's quiet about it, but I feel her climb up onto the bed and over me, straddling her knees on either side of my hips without resting any of her weight onto me. Breathe Lox.

I hear her pour some oil onto her palms and then rub them together before feeling her soft hands brush smooth strokes up and down my back.

The pressure is light and gentle at first as she blankets my skin with a thin layer of oil. It's when her fingers press firmly into the muscles of my neck, her thumbs rubbing small circles into the knots, that I feel some relief. God, that feels good.

Her hands continue pressing along the muscles that connect my neck to my shoulders, then she presses harder into the areas around my shoulder blades. I wince slightly when she digs into the left of my spine.

"I'm sorry, is this too much? I can go softer . You just have so many knots. How are you not constantly in pain?"

"Th...the p...pressures p..p..perfect. K...keep g...going."

I am constantly in pain, though I'm mostly immune to it now.

Her body hovers closer to me and my breath hitches. Warm air tickles my skin as she whispers, "Breathe Lox and try to relax," her lips peck the sensitive skin beneath my ear. Good lord, what is she doing to me.

You try and relax when you have a gorgeous girl kissing your neck.

If she's trying to distract me from my horrible thoughts, it's working.

My sweet Greya continues the massage. She rubs and stretches out my right arm first. I didn't realize how much that arm needed the attention also.

Much care is focused on the muscles in my back and around my left shoulder before she attempts to straighten my arm. What ever she did does the trick. By the time she works on my lower back and hips, my leg finally stops shaking. I'm completely relaxed when she digs her fingers into my leg muscles; I could easily fall asleep right now.

My energy quickly returns when she climbs off the bed and goes into the bathroom to wash her hands. I'm sure that was the best massage I've ever had even if I can't remember ever having one.

I roll myself back over and sit up so I can put my shirt back on. I'm so thankful my arm is in a limp state, no contractions, no pain. I don't mind it hanging down by my side at the moment. I can move my wrist and fingers too. My leg isn't shaking either and I can bend my knee slightly. Such a relief.

"How are you feeling now?" My angel asks as she walks back into my room and sits on the edge of the bed, her body turned towards me.

"So m...much better. Thank y...you."

"See, you're more relaxed too," she smiles.

I am, like she rubbed all my worries from earlier away.

I reach for her hand and hold it in mine. This is real. She's real and good and right in front of me. Her eyes never leave mine and I can see all the hope she has for me, for us.

That's what I need to do. Focus more on the here and now and try harder not to let my past ruin the good that's staring back at me.