Hello there!!! Here's another chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy and lemme know your thoughts.

God bless you guys and have a great day ahead.

Stay safe.

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Rylen's POV

My eyes widened in shock. Not only because she chose to tell me her name but also, it was a beautiful name. The whole revelation of it only made her glow. It suited her perfectly.

"But you are never ever ever allowed to call me that." She pointed a finger at my face. I quickly nodded and crossed my heart. She grinned at me seemingly pleased with my gesture.

"Come one then." I gently carried her and walked towards the stairs. "Lead the way Amelia."

"Hey!"

"At least let me call you that when we're alone. You have two beautiful names."

"If you ever blurt it out elsewhere-"

"You'll kill me. I know. Now lead the way."

"Upstairs second room on the left."

"Got it."

I carried her all the way to her bed. Did I mention her house was freaking huge?

"Who cleans this place?"

"A few people. They come every now and then. Then and now. They enter and then their gone. Like magic." AJ babbled on. I stopped listening. She really needed to sleep.

"Okay here you go." Once her head was on the pillow, I pulled the covers up to her shoulders and wished her good night.

"Rylen."

"Amelia." I smirked at her. She replied by rolling her eyes.

"Where are you going to sleep?" She asked while she at up on the bed.

"The couch is more than fine. I'll be gone in the morning. Don't worry about me."

"I'm not worrying about you. Why would anyone ever worry about you? It's not like you're involved in underground fights and you recently got shot twice." She scoffed.

"And the nerd is back."

"I am?"

"You're not yelling at me yet so not completely. You'll get there soon."

"Stay here." She said softly. It was a silent question.

"I am staying here." Let's play dumb and make her ask.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch and I don't want you to leave yet. I don't know why but I just don't want you to leave. Maybe I've spent too much time with you." She mumbled as she shrugged her shoulders. AJ then stared at her fingers that were gripping the covers. Her dark hair covered the side of her face as she looked downwards.

She didn't understand why she wanted someone to be with her.

Even if the answer was so damn obvious.

She has been living alone for too long. On top of that, she had just spent more than three weeks in this big empty house with no human connection. I don't even know if she spoke to anyone over the phone.

This only proves that AJ was only ever close to one person.

"I don't really know why I want you to be here. I've never actually felt anything like this before." She added after some time.

That's when I really looked at her. That's when I noticed every tiny detail about her. Her ever calculating gaze. Her attitude to strike first before someone striked her. Her confusion and hesitation when it came to hugs and or any physical contact.

But despite all of this, she had a soft gentle soul inside her. Caring, protective, funny and playful. Her personality was layered. Each layer contradicting with one another. Hard and soft. Loud and silent. Tough and vulnerable. Seemingly sociable yet lonely.

That's what I saw as I gazed upon her. Under all that toughness, she was a simple girl who needed warmth and love. I have come to realise that she never really had any of it. She was the loneliest person I have ever met.

Loneliness is deadly. I know this because I have felt the worst of it. It eats you up from the inside and tears you apart. And sometimes when you manage to get back up, it pulls you back into a deep black hole. A place where you think it's impossible to get out of.

Maybe I can understand and relate to her because I've felt what she was feeling now.

Maybe this was how she always felt and I'm able to notice it now because she wasn't able to mask it anymore. Her pillar was gone. The one pillar that always prevented her from falling into that black hole was gone.

Cora.

"I take your silence as a no." She quietly said. I shook my thoughts away, realizing how I was just standing there completely zoned out.

"No, I can stay. I just want you to be sure."

"You won't hurt me right?" She let out a nervous laugh.

"Never. At least not intentionally." I removed my wallet and my car keys from my jeans pocket and walked towards her bed.

"Wait you can wear my dad's clothes." She suddenly got up to leave.

"Now you're completely awake." I grumbled at her. She waved me off and disappeared somewhere.

Minutes later she came in with a t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts.

"Here. They'll fit you."

"Thanks. Now can you please go to sleep?"

"Okay."

I went into the bathroom to change. The clothes she gave me were a little lose but they were really comfortable.

I walked back into the room and crawled into bed with her. She was already half asleep so turned off the table lamp and laid down.

"Good night Rylen." She whispered before I heard soft snores.

"Good night Amelia."

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning I woke up feeling completely rested. I felt warm and comfortable too. The reason was the person beside me who had her head resting on my chest. She had one arm around my torso and her leg was was tangled between mine and the covers.

I smiled down at her and ran my fingers through her soft hair. Once I did that she snuggled up against me.

If only I could take a picture. I would use it against her forever. Amelia the koala.

When I was about to reach for my phone, it started vibrating.

Shit!!

I slowly freed myself from Amelia and grabbed the phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

AJ's POV

I felt a rush of cold go through by body. Feeling annoyed I slowly forced myself to wake up. Where the hell did my comforter go?!

I turned and laid on my back staring at the ceiling of my room.

"Calm down." I heard a far away voice.

Well, it wasn't really far away. I just heard it like that because I wasn't completely awake. Turning towards the sound, I found someone sitting on the side of the bed.

Rylen.

I half expected it all to be a some weird dream. But no. He was here.

He was having some serious conversation with the person on call. His body was tensed while he spoke. He would occasionally run his hands through his hair and look up in annoyance.

He could only only be talking to one person.

"Calm down. This is the fourth time I'm telling you this, mom." He gritted out.

I could hear the woman yelling on the phone. She was loud. That made me chuckle. Witnessing Rylen being scolded was amusing.

"Oh God I'll be there soon okay. I'm with a friend."

............

" Maybe. Bye."

.........

"Okay."

...........

"I said okay!"

.............

"What do you mean I got to say it back?"

..............

"I love you too." He grumbled and ended the call. By the time he did that, I was covering my mouth and giggling.

"We are not going to ever speak about this. You heard nothing." He said in monotone.

"Okay." I snorted. When there was no reply, I looked up at him.

"This is actually the first time I've ever heard you giggle." I stopped myself and stared at him. He was just looking at me with a soft gaze.

It made me squirm. No one has ever looked at me the way he did. I didn't know how to react.

"I have to go shower now." I muttered and looked at my lap.

"Okay Amelia."

"That wasn't a dream huh?"

"Nope. From now on. You're Amelia to me."

From now on?

"There's  another bathroom two rooms away from this one. Just turn left and go straight." I pointed to my left. He gave me a nod.

"I'll see you downstairs." I informed him as I walked towards my wardrobe.

"Hey are you doing anything today?" He suddenly asked.

"It's Christmas."

"You're going to visit anyone?"

His question reminded me of Cora again and I started having that empty feeling.

"Um, no. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come home with me. You can have dinner with my family. They're crazy but not completely out of their minds. Plus, my mom is a great cook."

I simply stared back at him. He took me by surprise. I've never been to anyone else's house besides Cora's. I've never visited anyone for Christmas either. I've known Cora's family since I was six. So I was only ever comfortable there. Plus, Cora was an only child too. So it was never too crowded for me.

Will I be okay in Rylen's house? What if they ask too many questions? What if said the wrong things?

"Hey it will be fine. You might enjoy yourself." Rylen shrugged. He seemed casual but there was something in the way he looked at me. He wanted me to say yes. I was happy but I was afraid to go out. I didn't know how to be with strangers.

"Amelia." He said softly and walked towards me. I guess he could sense how nervous I had become in a matter of seconds.

"Just try....... something new. If you really hate it there I'll drive you back."

I thought about it for a moment. I've locked myself in my cacoon for too long. If I stayed by myself any longer, I'm only going to get worse. Maybe this would be good.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I'll come with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~

After completing my morning routine and taking a nice warm shower, I changed into a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Once I tied my hair up in a ponytail, I thought about breakfast.

What should I make?

I should ask him as well. With that thought, I walked towards the room Rylen was in. When I got close enough, I heard him inside. Without thinking much I opened the door and casually walked in.

Big mistake. I wanted to walk out but I couldn't help but stare. He was only wearing a towel and was drying his hair with another. With very motion he made, I saw his back muscles flex. Plus the tattoo that crawled up his back made him even more captivating. He was really fit and muscular too.

Of course he is!! He's a fighter! Get over it AJ!

When he turned around I saw his perfectly shaped torso. My whole body felt warm after seeing him like that. It was too late to run now. My face heated up as he stared back at me.

"How long were you standing there and looking at me like a creep?" He dared to smirk at my embarrassment.

"Pffft, I wasn't staring. I was just looking, with my eyes open and you were in my line of vision."

What was I blabbering about?! Shut up AJ!

"Yeah you were. And you can continue to stare." He stepped towards me. I instantly took a step back and crossed my arms. He smirked again when I did that.

"I just came here to ask you about breakfast. What would you like to eat?"

"Bread or cereal would be fine."

"I'll just make bacon and eggs to go with the bread then." I said.

"Okay. Now get out and let me change. And no peeking." He flicked my forehead.

"Wh...what?! I'm not a creep!" I huffed and stomped out of the room.

"Yes you are!" I heard him yell while I ran down the stairs.

While preparing breakfast and a pot of hot tea, I thought of what was happening. I was going to celebrate Christmas with alpha queen bee and his family.

What the fuck just happened? When and how did this happen?

"Everything smells amazing." Rylen walked into the kitchen like a princess.

"You sure take a long time getting ready."

"It's Christmas. I need to look extra good. Merry Christmas again."

"M..merry Christmas Rylen." I said softly.

"You guys usually don't decorate?"

"Not really." I shrugged. I always decorated Cora's house and her Christmas tree.

"Enough with the questions already. Eat your breakfast."

"Yes ma'am."

"Why are you not with your group of friends?" I looked at him curiously.

"Not on Christmas day. Christmas day is strictly family time. Well, if they come over to my house then it's okay but my mom makes sure the five of us are together during Christmas. I think that rule will stay till we're dead." He explained.

"I never imagined you to be like this. I never thought we would ever have normal conversations like this."

"Me too. I actually miss all our fights and arguments. Shall we go back to that once Christmas is over?" He looked at me and took a big bite out of his bacon sandwich.

"Sure." I smiled at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third Person's POV

"Will they like the presents?"

"Hmm."

"Will they like me?"

"Maybe."

"Am I dressed okay?"

"Hmm."

"Should I-"

"Amelia one more question and I swear I'll push you out of the car."

"You wouldn't."

"I would but sadly we're almost there."

"Shit."

Rylen looked at her from the driver's seat. She was a nervous wreck. Another side of her that was brought to light. Rylen had never seen her like this. She was always so confident and strong. Now, she looked as if she was about to cry. It was funny at first but then she started asking way too many questions.

"You're such a mess." He said to her.

"Gee thanks. That's exactly what I needed to hear!"

"You look beautiful. You get along with older people and you match the energy of my younger siblings so you are going to be okay."

"Thank you."

"I'm glad you feel better. We're here."

"Oh no."

"Don't start."

Walking to her side, Rylen grabbed AJ's hand and they both walked up to the front door.

"You have the presents right?"

"They're all here." She carried up a big red bag with all the presents. AJ wanted to show up like Santa. She was going to dress up like him too but Rylen stopped her.

When the door opened a pleasent older lady appeared. She had light brown hair and beautiful green eyes. The woman's eyes lit up when she saw a girl next to her son.

"Merry Christmas!" The woman pulled AJ for a hug. Rylen gave her a warning signal but his mother brushed it away.

AJ on the other hand was too surprised to react. She didn't hug the woman back because she had no time to process what was happening. So, she awkwardly pulled away and dropped the big red bag on the woman's hands.

Rylen's mother almost fell backwards but she caught herself.

"Um....thank you dear." She said from behind the bag. AJ smiled at her while Rylen just rolled his eyes and dragged her inside the house.

"Wait till you meet my da-"

"Aloha! Merry Christmas!! Ho ho ho!!"

"And he's here." Rylen said in a bored tone.

~~~~~~~

AJ's POV

Seconds later, a big tough guy walked into the living room. He was all smiles which was contagious. He was wearing a fitted Hawaiian shirt and a pair of black pants. Well, he was Hawaiian too.

"You must be the friend. I'm Mr. Cameron." He sounded way too excited.

"Yes, I'm AJ." I spoke and stretched out my hand. He stared at my hand and raised a brow. The he looked at me as if I insulted him.

What the?

This is exactly why I wanted to chicken out.

Before I could pull my hand back he came forward and gave me a bear hug. Lifted me off the ground too. I couldn't breathe and wanted to do a kung Fu move to push him away but then that would be rude.

I think.

"Dad. Enough." Rylen scolded the man.

"What? Everyone needs a hug on Christmas." He said nonchalantly.

"Errr, thanks." I said awkwardly. Rylen came to my side and whispered that it was only going to get worse from here on out.

"Come on, help me set the table." Mrs Cameron called us. I was just glad I'll have something to do besides talking.

Before I moved towards the kitchen, a younger girl stood in front of me.

"Meet my sister Alani. She must have a lot of questions but you don't have to answer any of them." Rylen informed me.

"I'm 13 and I can introduce myself. So shoo." She chased Rylen away like he was a bad aura.

"Soooooo, AJ. How old are you?"

"18 this year."

"You mean you're still 17?"

"Yeap. Why?"

"But you're in a university." She inspected me even closer.

"I skipped a couple of grades on the way. It can happen."

"Wow so you're smart! How the hell are you with my brother then?"

"Watch your language Alani!" Her father called from the kitchen.

I chuckled at what she said. She went on talking about her school and so I just listened to her while we helped Mrs.Cameron.

I was in the middle of arranging the plates when a small boy walked in. He was still half asleep. His dark hair was a mess and he had red lines going down his chubby cheeks.

Okay, I'll admit he was adorable.

"Hey who's that?" He asked as he pointed right at me.

"Good morning Kai. So nice of you to join us." Mrs.Cameron said sarcastically.

"It's late evening mom." He corrected her obviously not getting the sarcasm.

She just sighed to herself and carried him upstairs. "You need a long bath."

"My little brother Kai is 8 and a pain in the ass."

"Alani!" Mr. Cameron scolded her again.

That night we all had an amazing dinner. Mrs.Cameron cooked a whole turkey. We had rice, fried chicken, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake for dessert.

The hardest part during dinner was that I had to endure Kai shooting me with questions. First it was the easy questions like what was my favourite colour and who was my favourite super hero.

Then he asked me if I was going to join the family.

He actually asked if his mother was going to adopt me.

"I think I need another older sister." He blurted out. "Alani always picks on me."

"Your mother is not going to adopt me." I whispered harshly. What was he thinking?

"Mom! Why don't you adopt her?! She likes superhero movies too!" He yelled at his mother. I turned bright red and looked at my plate. Why the hell was he attracting so much attention? Kai was super loud as well.

"Kai can you please just eat your dinner and stop bothering AJ? She has a family too you know." Kai grumpily stuffed the potato salad in his mouth. Then he glared at me as if everything was my fault.

I blinked at him not knowing how to react.

"Don't mind him AJ. He's a hyper weirdo." Alani whispered from beside me. Apparently she didn't whisper soft enough because the next thing I knew, Kai was standing on the chair glaring at his older sister.

"Here we go." Rylen sighed from beside me. He wasn't fazed at all. I on the other hand froze in my seat, with my eyes fixed on Kai.

What the hell?

"What did you say Alani?!! What did you just say?!"

"That you're a weirdo. Accept it." She smirked at him.

He squinted his eyes at her before he saw the mashed potatoes.

No!!!

Obviously he didn't care about anyone. He scooped a spoon of salad and flung it at Alani. A blob of potato salad landed right in the middle of her face.

She screeched so loud that I had to cover my ears.

I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home so badly.

My fingers started to slightly tremble. I didn't know what to do with these two hyper kids. Should I stop them? Am I allowed to say anything? What if they break something? Why isn't anyone doing anything?!

Mrs.Cameron was actually very calm but when she saw me something flashed in her eyes.

"Alani! Kai! Sit down. Now!" Mrs. Cameron yelled. Alani stopped chasing her little brother. Kai was laughing but a single look from his mother made him stop too. He then stuck his tongue out at Alani. She smacked his head and ran back to her seat.

"Mom! She-"

"Enough!" Mrs.Cameron pointed at his chair. "Sit."

"Fine. I'll get you next time sister."

"Whatever." She snorted and wiped her face with the napkin.

"And here I thought everything was going smoothly." Rylen commented before taking a bite out of his chicken.

I looked at him in disbelief and wonder. I could only stare at everything and everyone around me.

Was this normal?

"You look like you're going to throw up. Are you alright?" Rylen casually asked me. I turned and stared at him in disbelief. Again.

"Am I okay?" I whispered while gritting my teeth.

"I guess not." He muttered. "So how's the food?" He asked in a lighter tone.

"Really good actually."

"Thank you so much!!"

Mrs. Cameron exclaimed from one end of the table. I almost jumped out of my seat. Was she listening to everything I said? She gave me a wide smile while she winked at her husband.

"Yeah you're really sweet." Mr.Cameron said. "But I made the mashed potatoes. Just saying." He shrugged.

"Oh, it was delicious too." I said after a moment.

"This is my family. Charming aren't they?" Rylen continued to stuff his mouth.

A few minutes later, he stood up and left the table to help his mother in the kitchen. I stayed in my seat and continued to finish up whatever was left on my plate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rylen's POV

"She's lovely Rylen. How come I've never met this young lady? It's always the rest of them." My mother made a face while she mentioned my group of friends.

"Rest of them?" I raised a brow at her. "They're cool too."

"Yes yes. But who is this?" She began to whisper. So as to let the whole word know that we were having a mysterious conversation.

"A friend. Stop whispering." I said blankly.

"Why don't you leave this to me and join her? I don't think you should just leave her out there by herself."

"Yeah you're right. Alani and Kai already freaked her out enough."

"She needs to get used to this kind of environment. Bring her again some time soon."

"How are you so....?"

"You came in exactly like that. You behaved the same way AJ is behaving now." My mother said softly. "But look how much you've grown." She smile at me and hugged me tightly.

"You're emotional today."

"I'm allowed to be emotional on Christmas. I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too mum."

When I walked out AJ quickly looked away from the kitchen and pretended like she wasn't looking at me and my mother earlier. I walked closer to her and noticed that her cheeks were pink.

"Was little AJ being a creep again?"

"Was not!! Go away! I want to finish my food."

"You're eating like a sloth. I know it's just a way for you to escape any form of conversation."

Oh yeah. I caught you again nerd.

"No. This is how I usually eat."

"Bullshit. You stuff your food in your mouth. Always."

"How would you know?!"

"I have eyes you know."

"Who's the creep now?" She smirked at me.

"Whatever. Eat up already."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AJ's POV

After I forced myself to eat quickly, Mrs. Cameron took my plate away and told me to hang out in the living room with the rest of the family.

"I'll make you some hot chocolate dear." She said kindly.

Kai halted and looked at his mom.

"Hot chocolaaaateee!!!!"

Damn this child. His mouth was a microphone.

"AJ." Rylen called me to the living room and patted an empty space beside him on the couch.

"AJ do you want to watch a super hero movie with me?" Kai asked with a small pout.

Cute but no.

"I would love to but I'm afraid I'll be leaving soon Kai."

"What?! Why?!"

Um I don't live here.

"It's already getting late. I'll have to leave soon." I tried to be nice as possible.

I heard Rylen scoff but I let it slide.

Kai groaned as if I just punched him. I wouldn't normally care and he was overwhelming me but there was something about him. He was so....so... innocent. He really wanted me to stay and I didn't know how to feel about it. Before long I found myself in my own world.

"AJ?"

"Yes." I looked up at Mrs.Cameron and gratefully accepted her hot chocolate. She was very generous with the marshmallows as well.

While sipping our drinks. Mr and Mrs Cameron spoke about the whole year. Everything they had to be grateful for. The sweet moments they had together, all their fights, how Kai broke his teeth, how Alani broke up with three guys that year, and all the times they shared their family moments. Alani took the opportunity to share some of Rylen's most embarrassing moments too. By the end of it. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes and I couldn't stand the stomach ache that came with all the laughing.

The whole thing was sweet and touching. It was a whole new experience for me.

I never knew that I could connect with strangers just by sharing a meal with them, being in their presence and listening to their stories. It was a precious night. I don't think I'll ever forget it.

"It's time." Rylen said softly once all the laughter died down.

I looked at him and wiped my eyes. I still couldn't get over the fact that Rylen and Kai almost died while taking the trash out.

"Very funny nerd." He glared at me playfully. I couldn't help but giggle some more. Rylen looked at me the same way he looked at me last night and this morning. The same funny feeling crept all over me.

He gave me his rare soft smile and looked deep into my eyes. "You look beautiful when you laugh Amelia." He whispered.

I felt my face heat up at once. I couldn't help but tighten my grip on the mug.

What do I reply to that? Why was he affecting me like this?

"T...thank you."

"You're welcome. Are you ready?" He asked me. I have him a curt nod.

Before leaving we said goodbye to the whole family. Kai gripped my leg and told me to come back as soon as possible. I didn't want to upset him so I said okay. For some reason, Rylen seemed pleased with my reply.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"I hope that wasn't too crazy." Rylen said from the driver's seat.

"No. Not at all." I couldn't stop thinking about dinner. It was so lively. Apart from Rylen, everyone was so full of vim and vigor. I never thought I would actually miss the noise.

"What are you going to do?"

"Once I get back? Sleep of course." I stifled a yawn as I said that.

"Do you have any other plans?"

"No. How about you?"

"I'm taking a few days off before I resume my training."

"Hmm." We didn't talk the rest of the way. We just enjoyed each others company for the rest of our journey.

~~~~~~~

"Thanks for the ride Rylen. It's quite far. Are you sure you want to drive back tonight?"

"I like this side of you." He smiled at me while I raised a brow at him. "I like how you worry about me."

"Whatever alpha queen bee." I rolled my eyes but I couldn't help but smile as well.

"How was today?"

"It was........it was warm." I said after a long pause. He looked at me for a moment and slowly nodded in understanding.

"I have to see them." I said quietly.

"Who?"

"Cora's parents. I need to see them."

"Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"It's alright. I think I can handle it now. I think I'm ready."

"That's good to hear."

"Good night Rylen. Thank you for today." I looked up at him. He nodded again while we looked at each other.

I smiled to myself and opened the door. Before I got out of his car, felt a hand on my shoulder. I barely had the chance to turn around myself when Rylen pulled me close and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. His lips lingered there for a moment. Then he pulled away and looked at me.

"Good night Amelia Jewel." He said tenderly and caressed my cheek, where he had kissed me.

My eyes widened in shock while my heart began to beat in my head. Sudden warmth spread all over my body as I just sat there staring back at him. He seemed to be waiting for a reply but that was not going to happen. I was frozen.

After slowly processing what had happened, I brought my hand up to my face and touched my cheek. I bet my face was red and so thank goodness it was night time.

Not wanting to prolong our staring contest I quickly got out of the car and ran inside my house. I slammed the door shut and rested my back on it. My breathing was still heavy. My hands were ten times colder and I felt like smacking alpha queen bee.

Why the kiss?! More importantly, why did that simple kiss make me feel all giddy?!

Breaking out of my weird thoughts, I wondered what he might think of me. I'm sure he was still sitting in his car stunned by the way I reacted. Well, too bad I was more stunned about him kissing me out of the blue.

I slowly moved away from the front door and peeped out through the sliding door.

His car was still parked in front of my house. But he didn't stay for long. A few seconds later, I heard the engine come to life and then he was gone.

I let out a heavy breath. Although I was relieved, I knew I wasn't going to sleep tonight.

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That's all for now. Till next time my lovely readers. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕