Magnus winds his way out of the city, humming idly to some random song on the radio. His fingers tap rhythmically on the steering wheel as we make our way into the suburbs. He takes an exit and guides us further away from New York.

"Where are we going?" I look toward him, catching the way the corner of his mouth quirks up into a smirk.

"Shh, patience, we're almost there." He replies quickly. Soon after, Magnus pulls off onto a little side road, driving on the bumpy pathway for a few minutes before pulling to the side and cutting the engine.

"So this is the part of the movie where you off me in the woods and no one ever finds me, right?" I joke, yet fear bubbles up in my chest despite myself. Magnus lets out a laugh, exiting the car and running a hand through his hair.

"Sure, you can see it that way." He smirks and I roll my eyes, unbuckling and getting out to follow him. Magnus locks the car, a quick beep, before pushing past a couple of branches and revealing a small footpath.

"We're...hiking?" I raise an eyebrow in disbelief. Magnus chuckles.

"Just a short walk. Come on." I follow obediently, glad to have left my jacket in the car. The hot sun filters through the trees, casting warmth across my skin where it touches. Magnus looks unbothered, humming tunelessly to himself as he guides us further into the woods. I'm sure, at this point, I'm going to die. After only about 10 minutes, Magnus breaks through the trees, the bright sun blinding. I can hear the rush of water, see the glitter shine in Magnus' hair as he turns to me.

"This is one of my favourite places to be. Isn't it peaceful?" His eyes shine with something I can't quite place, yet the look is pleasant. I find myself smiling at him before stepping forward to take a look. To our left and right are trees, encasing us in this small clearing. The grass dances gracefully in the warm breeze, flowers dotting the land. In front of us, a small waterfall cascades from a cliff face, filling up a small lake. The water is crystal blue, reflecting the vibrant sunlight. Magnus waits patiently while I soak it all in, saying nothing.

"Wow," I whisper, feeling a warm rush of calm wash over me. It feels as if we're the only ones on earth, caught up in this magical place where my family, my wealth, my pride, where none of that can touch us. "I feel invincible out here," I confess. Magnus stands beside me, bending down to pass his fingers through the grass.

"How would you describe this place?" He murmurs, standing back up. I run a hand through my hair, shaking my head.

"Uh, peaceful, warm, nice, it's really pretty." Magnus' face lights up like he's hit the jackpot.

"Would you say...it's beautiful?" I roll my eyes.

"That's why you brought me here?" I question, walking towards the lake, kneeling beside it to dip my fingers in.

"It's one of the reasons," he confesses, sitting cross-legged beside me.

"What other reasons do you have?" Magnus shrugs and grins at me.

"One, I wanted to spend time with you. Two, I wanted to show Lydia that you're spoken for-" I widen my eyes, splashing Magnus with a little bit of water off of my fingers.

"I am most certainly not 'spoken for', why would you even say that? What makes you think-" Magnus cuts my nervous ramblings off with a laugh.

"What? Do you not swing that way?" He challenges, picking up a rock and tossing it into the water. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. And for some reason, I trust him enough to say this.

"Not...not outwardly." My voice is soft, nearly drowned out by the rushing water. Magnus quirks a brow, smirking triumphantly.

"So what you're saying is I'm just not your type then?" His tone is teasing, never lacking confidence. I huff, throwing a rock of my own into the water.

"I didn't say that either." I reply without meeting his gaze.

"So what you're saying is my confidence makes you nervous." Bingo.

"I guess, yeah. I've just never met anyone like you before." I confess to him, casting him a quick sideways glance. His face is angled towards the water, but I catch his nervous smile.

"Is that a good thing?"

"I think so."

After a few moments of comfortable silence- both of us wrapped up in our own thoughts- Magnus hops up. Startled, I jump up beside him. He grins widely at me, moving to slide his shirt over his head.

"Come on, Alec. Lets go for a swim." I blush, looking away.

"We didn't bring anything to swim in." Magnus rolls his eyes.

"Swim in your boxers, then. It's not that hard." I blush and turn to look at him, regretting it instantly as I catch Magnus tugging his tight pants off of his legs. I gulp, turning away and slowly slide my shirt off, feeling vulnerable and exposed- in more ways than physically- around Magnus. When I hear a 'splash', I know he's in the water. Quickly, I shed my pants and shoes before sliding into the warm water. It laps up at my hips, soothing my nerves. Magnus pokes his head out of the water, thick strands plastered down to his forehead now. I grin at him- surprising myself at how easy it comes- and wade over to him.

"Nice, huh?" He asks, bobbing peacefully.

"So nice," I dip down to his level, leaning my head back into the water and letting my eyes shut. The soft sounds of the water and the lively forest around us further soothe me until I feel like I'm just floating, all my troubles pushed to the back of my mind.

Before I can get too familiar with the peace, my phone is ringing from the bank. With a sigh, I roll onto my stomach and paddle over to the bank, hoisting myself up onto the grass. I know this ringtone- my mother's, my most dreaded phone call.

"Hello? Alexander speaking," I answer formally, as I was always taught. Magnus raises a brow at me, to which I just roll my eyes.

"Alexander, where are you?" Her voice is sharp, clear and angry. I swallow thickly and close my eyes, free hand balling tightly at my side. And for the first time in my life, I lie, outright to her.

"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. I'm working late with Magnus, the guy whose training me? He's teaching me some extra stuff." To my surprise, my voice doesn't waver. I don't sound afraid or unsure because Magnus makes me feel like I don't have to be afraid anymore. After a beat of silence, she responds.

"Will you be home for dinner?" I glance at Magnus, unsure when we'll be leaving.

"Possibly, I'm not entirely sure how long we'll be." With a sigh, she concedes.

"Fine." And hangs up. I let out the breath that was stuck in my throat, body relaxing.

"Who was that?" Magnus asks, body rising out of the water as he pushes his palms onto the slick grass.

"My mom, I told her I was working late."

"Aren't you allowed to go out?" He furrows his brows together as he pulls himself fully out of the water, ruffling his hair as he makes his way over to me.

"Not really. I mean, yeah, but I'm supposed to call ahead, ask, and my parents have to approve of the person."

"Would they approve of me?" Magnus asks, a smirk playing at his lips. I grin.

"Not at all." We share a laugh, grinning at each other before Magnus sighs.

"I guess we should head back then," he concedes, disappointment colouring his tone and expression. I find myself moving towards him before I can think better of it. I wind my hand through his, more confident than I've ever felt, and smile.

"One more swim, first." Magnus' face breaks out into a heart aching smile, effortlessly, simply...beautiful. I swallows the strange feelings bubbling inside me and smile back wider as I tug him back towards the pristine lake, jumping right in.

We splash and play around for about an hour before the water gets a slight chill to it.

"Okay, okay. Lets go before I get you in trouble." Magnus smiles playfully, pushing his hair back out of his eyes as he climbs out of the water. I follow behind him, lighthearted and relaxed, completely content. Slowly, I gather my things, taking one last look around me as I tug my shoes on, drinking it all in.

"You think you could bring me back here sometime?" I ask, turning to look at Magnus as he slides his shirt on. Smiling softly, he nods. "Good. This place is really beautiful."

In our dampened clothes with smiles on our faces, Magnus leads us back down our secret trail to my car.

"How'd you find this place?" I look up from where I've been watching my feet to glance at Magnus' back as he pulls another branch out of our way.

"When I first got my licence I'd just go. I'd get in my car, fill up the tank, and drive. As far and as long as I could. I found it when I was wandering one day, and I've been coming back ever since. It's so stunning. But...it's also a place to just get away. It's easy to forget who you are out here. Sometimes, that's all you need." There's something soft and vulnerable in Magnus' normal booming voice. Something that tells me that even people like Magnus have hurt. Even Magnus, with his bright, whiskey eyes and his stunning smile, his self-assured attitude, his contagious, wind chime laugh, even he, feels low sometimes. We don't say anything as we get into my car, our thoughts too empowering to let us converse. I don't know what's on his mind, his attentive gaze facing forward as he watches the road, but I know for sure, he's on mine.