Strolling my way into the boy's locker room, I quickly glanced around at my teammates before finally spotting Lucas tucked up on a bench tying his shoelaces. I quickly made my way over to him. 

"Sup," I greeted as I dumped my stuff down beside him.

Lifting his head, Lucas's lips immediately curved up into a knowing smile. "Wow, someone's still perky after their little closet session with Mia yesterday, aren't they? You're welcome for making your entire life, by the way," he bragged.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't resist a little smile at the mention of Mia and that closet. As much as it annoyed me, he was right. Playing seven minutes with Mia was single-handedly the hottest thing I'd ever been a part of in my life.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I mumbled as I pulled out my gear.

 Unusually for a Thursday after school, Coach had scheduled us an extra practice out on the field. It was a little bit irritating because I wanted to get some work done, but what could I do.

Just as I was about to pull off my shirt, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Quickly pulling it out, I saw my grandma's name flash out on the screen.

"Oh crap," I cursed, realizing I had forgotten to call her. I was supposed to visit her over the weekend, but I'd completely forgot to call her back and arrange the details.

Doing a quick glance around, I dipped to the corner of the room before pressing answer and lifting the phone to my ear.

"Hello," I called out.

"Aww, Ethan honey, it's so good to hear your voice, how are you?" I heard my grandma call in through the phone. Her voice was bright with cheerfulness just like it always was.

I let out a light laugh. "Yeah, I'm great, grandma, how are you?"

"Amazing, considering I know you're coming to visit me on Saturday. I still can't believe you drive down here all by yourself like a big boy. It still feels like just the other day, when you were this little thing, dancing around with all your little teddies," she giggled.

"Grandma," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks flush hot.

She let out a laugh, clearly reveling in my embarrassment. "Anyway, speaking of your big grown-up life. How is that beautiful girlfriend of yours, Mia?"

I froze uncomfortably and swallowed. About three years ago, I had kind of told my grandma a teeny tiny lie that I had started dating a girl in my school to get her off my back. And when she started asking for details, I kept accidentally giving details that happened to describe Mia in every way. It wasn't my fault really – she was always the first girl that popped into my head, and I was bad at making stuff up.

"Erm...yeah, she's good," I mumbled, not wanting to linger on the conversation for too long.

 It was honestly a miracle my grandma still bought into the lie considering I couldn't produce a single picture of the two of us together. I'd just made do with stalking through Mia's Instagram and showing pictures of her to my grandma that way.

"Is she doing anything over the weekend? I've always wanted to meet her. Why don't you bring her here with you?"

My heart nearly leaped through my chest in panic. Over the years I'd made excuse after excuse for why Mia could never visit her, but with each year she just seemed to grow more persistent.

 I shook my head rapidly. "No, no, I don't think that's necessary, grandma. Mia's going to-"

"Do you not want me to meet her or something?" Grandma interrupted; her voice sharpened with upset.

My eyes widened in panic. "Of course, I want you to meet her grandma. I swear I do. It's just-"

"So, you're bringing her! Oh, that's wonderful," my grandma called out with excitement.

Feeling like I was about to pass out, I shook my head once more. Grandma I-"

"I assume you two want to share a bed together, right?" she interrupted again.

This time I paused. Any memory of what I was about to say, vanished clear from my mind. Did she just give me permission to share a bed with her? As in with Mia?

Holy...

"Definitely," I said, the words jumping out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Mia gets scared sleeping in new places by herself, so she'd definitely prefer that. It's near to essential we stay in the same bed," I stammered out quickly, spitting out the lie without seeking a second opinion from my brain.

Was I going to hell? Yes. Did I care if it meant I got to lie with Mia for one whole night? Not particularly.

"Oh yes, of course, Ethan, honey, I wouldn't want to upset her. I'll put you guys in one room," she answered smoothly.

A smile lit my face. "Thanks, grandma you're the best," I said, meaning the words way more than she could ever know.

"No problem. Just don't tell your mum, okay. She's awfully prudish," Grandma muttered on.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed," I laughed.

"Excellent, well, I'll see you on Saturday, honey. I can't wait to see you and Mia. Bye, I love you," she called out.

"Love you too, grandma," I said before finally hanging up.

Smiling down at my phone, I could hardly believe my luck. I had basically organized a private slumber party with Mia. Now the only problem was trying to convince her to come.

Once I'd returned to my space in the locker room, I quickly changed into my kit before jogging to catch up with the rest of the guys who were halfway down the field.

Finding Lucas, I jogged to a stop by his side before finally catching my breath. Lucas turned my way curiously. "I wondered what was keeping you. Who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, my grandma, I'm supposed to visit her this weekend," I explained. "But guess what?" I smirked.

"What?" Lucas laughed.

"She said if I bring my girlfriend, Mia, then I get to share a bed with her," I said, waggling my eyebrows.

Lucas looked at me, then the space in front of him, then back at me, clearly struggling to process my words. "Holy shit...," he finally said. "How the fuck did you pull that around? I swear to god, I always thought that little girlfriend lie of yours that you told your grandma would eventually blow up in your face, but I think it's done the opposite," he said, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

"Wait a second," Lucas said, slowing his pace down to really look at me. "How on earth did you convince Mia to come and pretend to be your girlfriend?"

Losing some of my confidence, I looked down to the floor. "Oh, that simple – I haven't," I mumbled as I awkwardly rubbed my neck.

Lucas let out an ugly snort. "Well, good luck with that."

Rolling my eyes at the unhelpful remark, I focused back on the direction we were walking, making out the bleachers in the distance.

As I did a loose scan of them, my eyes stopped landing on a figure near one of the very top of the seats. Lifting a hand above my eyes to block off the blinding sun, I narrowed my eyes and was able to make out a girl lying across the seats. I stared for a second longer before my heart jumped as I realized it was Mia. 

Her darkened locks of curly hair, half dropped off the end of the seat as she held up her reading book above her head, clearly engrossed in it.

"I think I've got an audience today," I mumbled as I slyly tapped Lucas' shoulder before nodding my head up to the stand.

As he spotted her, Lucas smiled before returning his eyes to me. "Well, then you better give her something to watch," he mumbled, his eyes sparkling pointedly.

As we made our way closer, I stealthily pulled my eyes from her when I saw she was starting to sit up. As I dropped my bag at the side, I could feel the weight of a pair of gentle eyes watching the side of my face with intent. I immediately had to bite back the urge to smile. It was evident she hadn't realized I'd seen her from how boldly she was staring. 

Wanting to come off as cool and nonchalant, I ran a hand through the curls of my hair while stretching tall, still pretending I couldn't see her. The action seemed to have the effect I wanted it to as her eyes stayed right on mine, not breaking from me for a second.

Coach, who, I'd barely even remembered existed till now, blew the whistle sharply and called out for us to do laps around the field. A couple guys on the team let out a series of reluctant groans of protest, and I rolled my eyes, equally annoyed. 

Couldn't this man see I was busy trying to show myself off to my woman? It's like the fucker, wanted me to die alone or something.

As the coach blew the whistle for a second time, I begrudgingly pushed myself off and started to jog my first lap. Highly aware that Mia was watching, I couldn't help but give it a little more speed than I normally would. Feeling sweat start to soak my brow, and my muscles start to ache, I just ignored it and kept pressing on. Sensing her eyes on me for every lap, I smiled foolishly as I jogged, wondering what she was thinking.

As I jogged by the bleacher's side for my fourth lap, I decided to take this to the next level and have more than a bit of fun with this.

Jogging down to a temporary halt, I reached for my t-shirt and tugged it up and over my head in one clean motion before chucking it carelessly to the side.

Now shirtless, I started jogging again, still pretending I had absolutely no idea she was watching. Somehow, the weight of her eyes felt even heavier than before, to the point where I could practically feel it dancing over my skin. Once I was a safe enough distance away, I spared a quick glance over to the bleachers wanting to get a proper look at her reaction.

Her head was completely angled my way as she watched me, her book laying abandoned in her lap. I had to fight back a smile as I noticed her lips were slightly parted, in a dazed sort of way. A hot way, to be honest.

Quickly taking my eyes off of her before she noticed I was staring back, I focused back on jogging.

"Take a break guys, go get some water," Coach yelled out.

Jogging back down to a stop, I made my way back over to the bleacher side to grab my water bottle from the side.

Feeling thirsty, I was about to lift it to my lips for a drink, but then stopped myself as I once again felt Mia's gaze on me. Without any hesitation, I internally smirked before raising the bottle higher and dousing the contents over my head so the beads of water soaked through my hair, and down my chest.

 Then for added effect, I ran another hand through my hair while subtly flexing my arms in her direction. I was well aware I was acting like a horny bitch in heat from how desperately I was displaying myself to her, but hey, if it got the job done, I was okay with it.

Sensing movement on the stands, I lifted my head her way and saw she had climbed to her feet as though about to go. What the fuck? I wasn't done yet. Where was she going?

Our eyes locked a second later, and Mia's eyes widened. Looking incredibly flushed, she stared at me like she'd been caught doing something wrong. I hope that wrong was staring at my ass or some shit, otherwise, I'd clearly wasted the past ten minutes of my life. 

I raised my brows in the pretense of surprise as though I'd only just spotted her. Then finally releasing my smile, I cupped a hand over my mouth. "Wait, there, I'm coming up," I shouted up at her. 

I saw Mia's chest heave with a sigh before she flopped back down in her seat.

Purposefully choosing not to put my top back on, I quickly jogged my way up the bleacher stairs. Once, I'd reached her level, I came to a stop before scanning her up and down with a smile. She worked hard to keep her eyes on me, but they kept rather unsubtly darting down to stare at my naked chest. 

Letting out a light chuckle, I stepped a little closer. "So, what brings you here? Did you come here for a show or something?" I teased.

Scoffing, she made a show of rolling her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, I just came up here to read my book. I didn't even notice you were here." Her voice could have sounded confident if not for the slight waver at the end of her tone.

I plucked up an amused eyebrow, knowing full well she was lying. It was undeniable that she had been staring at me on my laps. I mean, I wouldn't have done a mini strip show out there for nothing. 

Giving her figure another slow scan, my eyes landed on the book in her lap. Noticing a specific detail about its presentation, I smirked. "That's funny. I didn't know you could read books upside down," I snorted as I nodded my head down to her book.

Mia glanced down to her lap and muttered a low curse out under her breath as she realized how she was holding it. Watching her cheeks burn cutely red, I couldn't resist a laugh. Mia, not near to amused lifted her middle finger up to my face.

As I scanned her over for a third time, my eyes subconsciously drifted to her neck, where I expected to find my hickey. But it was gone. 

"Hold on," I frowned, furrowing my brows in confusion. "What the hell happened to your hickey?" I said, bending over her a little, so I could get a better look. I tried hard to keep the frustration out of my tone, but I couldn't help it. It was the mark of the hottest thing I'd ever done to her, and now it was just fucking gone.

Mia kicked her legs back and forth, all innocently. "Must have disappeared already, I suppose," she drawled smoothly with the innocent shrug of her shoulders. Immediately sensing something was up, I slid into the seat beside her before staring carefully at the space near her collarbone where it used to be.

"You covered it up with make-up, didn't you?" I smoothly proposed.

 Mia immediately froze as still as a board, and her further silence only confirmed my assumption.

Staring back down at it, I smiled. "I would say makeup was smart thinking, but it's not that durable, you know. All it would take is for someone to accidentally-" I stopped and quickly swiped my finger across her neck. "-brush it off," I finished.

 Staring back at her neck, I smiled proudly, finally seeing the hot red mark. The mark I'd given her.

Mia turned towards me with accusatory eyes before slapping her hand over the mark.

"Oh whoops, I'm a little bit clumsy," I teased as I held up my make-up smeared fingers.

Her eyes narrowed. "Why the hell would you do that? You're a dick!" she cried.

"Because I wanted to see it, reminds me of our hot little session in the closet," I said as I playfully winked at her.

"Hot?" she scoffed. "It was disgusting."

"Really? So, when I heard you moan, was I imagining it?" I threw back, letting my lips tease up into a smile.

Mia immediately grew bright red and looked away from me, clearly embarrassed. "Well, whatever, Ethan," she mumbled before quickly shouldering her bag and getting up to leave.

"Wait," I said in a panic, quickly grabbing her by the elbow and standing up beside her. As she turned my way, my eyes softened. "I was just messing around, you know. You made it clear you didn't like it when you kicked me," I joked with a light laugh. Though I meant my words light-heartedly, there was a sting that went with them, knowing the likely truth to them.

She cracked a slight smile, and something seemed to dance behind her eyes as though there was more she wanted to say.

Clearing my throat to fill up the silence, I suddenly remembered what I needed to ask of her. Knowing this was likely going to go down bad, I started nervously fidgeting with my pinkie finger as I worked up the courage to ask her.

 "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something," I mumbled, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"And that is?" she laughed, after a second of me still saying nothing.

"Well, you see," I stuttered. "I was wondering...only if you want to, of course. That maybe you might come with me on a trip out of town?" I mumbled, finishing off my word with a cheesy smile.

Luckily for me, Mia didn't reject my proposal straight away and gave me an odd look, her eyes narrowing slightly. "A trip? What kind of trip?"

"A sweet innocent trip to visit my dear old grandma," I murmured. "As you see, she's kind of been asking about you, and I'm starting to run out of excuses for why you can't come an-"

She raised a hand, silencing me from my embarrassing ramble.

She shook her head, confused. "But why? Why on earth has she been asking about me, Ethan? How does she even know who I am?" she fired out in confusion.

As she landed on the dreaded question, I knew I was in for a storm. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I started rocking back and forth on my heels. "I might have maybe told her that you were my girlfriend a while back," I finally mumbled out.

"Wait, what!" Mia cried, her eye springing wide "Why would you say that?"

"W-well well, every time I go over there, she's always setting me up on these dates with her friends' weird-looking grandkids. So one day, I got sick of it and said I had a girlfriend. And your name was just the first name to come to mind," I shrugged.

As I finished my last sentence, I shifted uncomfortably realizing how suspicious it looked that her name was the first to come to mind when someone had mentioned a girlfriend.

Mia's brows knotted together. "So, just suck it up and tell her the truth," she bit back.

"But I can't; it'll break her heart if she found out I've been lying to her for the past three years," I justified quickly.

 I hoped it wasn't obvious I was scrambling for excuses, but I couldn't help it; I had a lot on the line. If I got her to come with me, not only would she have to pretend to be my girlfriend, but we'd get to share a bed as well. It was basically my dream, and I sure as hell wasn't giving it up without a fight.

"Nope, no, no way," Mia said, shaking her head defiantly. "I am not lying to your grandma. Get some other girl to pretend to be me," she snapped, a level of finality to her tone.

"Yeah about that...," I said, letting out a light nervous laugh. "I might have also already shown her what you look like," I mumbled out.

Mia let out a growl of frustration. "Then tell her, I'm sick," she threw out stubbornly.

Feeling desperate, I widened my eyes and gave her my best pleading face. "Please, Mia, you'd make my grandma's year," I said, blinking softly at her.

She opened her lips then hesitated as she met my eyes.

Come on Mia, buy into it. Please, please buy into it. Say yes. Say yes. Say yes.

"I..erm," she stuttered. "Well, I suppose I could-"

My brows shot up. "Great, I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon," I rushed out with a smile. Mia looking more than caught off guard, stared at me blankly seeming to struggle to process what she'd just agreed to. Before she got a chance to reject me, I quickly turned to go. 

"See you later, Chubs," I called out over my shoulder before quickly jogging back down the stairs with a victorious smile on my face.

Now that my friends is how you successfully trick a girl into a weekend get-away with you.

--------------------------

Picking up a folded pair of joggers from my bed, I tucked it neatly into the corner of my overnight bag before straightening myself up. Surveying my room, I checked to make sure there was nothing else I forgot to pack. Knowing I was going away with Mia had me feeling extra anxious, and like a fool, I'd spent a whole solid ten minutes debating which scent of deodorant I should bring.

  Pathetic, I know.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a light knock against the door. "Yeah?" I called out, turning to the door. The door slid open to reveal my mum, who gave me a soft smile before stepping out from behind the door.

"You all packed, Ethan?" she asked as she strolled over to the bed and vaguely scanned over my half-opened bag.

"Hmm, think so," I mumbled as I flopped down to a seat on my bed.

Turning to face me, her lips twitched upward slightly. "So, a weekend away with Mia, huh?" my mum probed.

I nodded my head stiffly, cautious of where the conversation may be heading. She'd given me a funny look over breakfast this morning when I told her Mia was coming to grandmas with me but she strangely hadn't interrogated me much on the topic till now. In her defense, she didn't get much of a chance to interrogate me since I was quickly out the door after delivering that information.

I watched in confusion as my mum strolled her way across the room before stopping over at my dresser. Pulling open a drawer, she swiftly pulled something out before turning around and chucking it onto the bed. 

 "You need to pack this," she said bluntly.

Glancing down, my eyes widened as I saw the box she had thrown me was one of my unopened packs of condoms.

Striking my head up, my cheeks immediately burned hot with shame. "Mum! What the hell?" I cried.

My mum let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Ethan, I'm not stupid. You've fancied her for way too long, you play horny little judo games up in your room with her all the time, and now there's a nighty percent chance you're going to share a bed with her. So, for that reason, you're taking them," she said flatly.

"Mum, this is literally ridiculous. Yeah, I like her, but she certainly doesn't like me. She'd rather stab herself than sleep with me. Like literally ask her, she'll tell you?" I cried with a light laugh.

My mum rolled her eyes. "Just pack them, Ethan," she sighed. Then, with one final pointed look towards the pack of condoms, she strolled back out of the room. "Make sure to say goodbye before you go," she called out over her shoulder.

Once she'd left the room, I shook my head and let out a disbelieving laugh. She was absolutely fucking nuts if she thought there was a chance in hell of Mia having sex with me. Standing up, I picked up the packet of condoms with a laugh and started walking back over to my cupboard to return them. However, when I was only halfway there, I paused, suddenly having doubting thoughts.

I mean, was there any harm in being too prepared? After all, in the off, off, off, and I mean really off fucking chance she did initiate sex with me, I didn't exactly want to have a reason to say no...

I internally wrestled with myself for about a second before finally ripping open the box and plucking out three packets.

  Better safe than sorry...

-----------------------

Fifteen minutes later, I found myself pulling up neatly by the curb across from Mia's house. Once I'd parked up the car, I hopped out of the car before making a beeline for her familiar home. The whole time I walked, I couldn't seem to wipe the stupid smile from my face, still hardly able to believe she was actually coming.

Sliding smoothly up to the door, I rang the doorbell and waited. Surveying the house, I checked up to Mia's bedroom to see if I could spot any movement, but there was none.

Suddenly, catching me by surprise the door cracked open by a small amount. Before I could wonder what was going on, Mia's head swung out from the tiny space between the door. Her eyes widened with panic as she saw me, further driving home my confusion.

"Er....what's going on, Chubs?" I asked with a confused chuckle, wondering why she was lingering so weirdly by the door.

"My dad is home, you idiot! Why didn't you text?" she whisper shouted back at me. 

They were the only words she had to say for my blood to run cold as I realized just how badly I'd just fucked up. This was now a leave-or-die situation. Feeling my heart start to leap up in a panic, I looked over her anxiously.

 "Hurry up and go get your stuff then," I rushed out in a panic.

"Too late, I'm already here," a male voice called out from behind the door. Nearly shitting myself at the sound of her dad's voice, I froze up, completely at a loss for what I was supposed to do next.

Mia, swung around to face her dad, and swallowed nervously. Great, even she thought I was going to die. I guess that's what I get for too optimistically packing condoms...

"I would like to see who's at the door, Mia?" her dad asked firmly. As Mia looked back at me nervously, I shook my head vigorously and mouthed 'don't.' I had plans for my future, and I knew as soon as she opened that door, I was dead.

Mia flashed me an apologetic smile and mouthed 'sorry' before slowly swinging the door back.

Mr collins's eyes locked on me the second I opened the door. The bored look of irritation that lay previously on his face soon morphed into something a lot darker as he scanned me from head to toe.

Feeling my heart hammer faster, I brushed the imaginary dust off my clothes and stood up straighter. "Good evening, Mr. Collins. It's good to see you again," I stammered as politely as I could.

Mr collins raised a single brow, clearly not buying all too well into my act.

Mia let out a snort of laughter as she watched me, which she soon disguised into a cough. I'm not sure why she was fucking laughing when I was out here, trying to fight for my life.

"Why don't you come in, Ethan?" Mr. Collins asked, his eyes never leaving mine once.

Before I had the chance to talk, Mia immediately started shaking her head. "No, no, that's not a good idea and-"

"Mia, why don't you go get your bag from upstairs," her dad interrupted, still maintaining his eerily calm tone.

I froze up, not at all liking where things were heading. Everybody knows it's not a good sign when a girl's dad wants to talk to you alone.

Mia shot a nervous look towards me, then back at her dad. "Erm...yeah sure," she mumbled with slight hesitation. Sending me one final look of worry, Mia quickly jogged up the stairs, leaving the two of us alone.

The thought of running brushed briefly through my mind, but not wanting to leave without her, I reluctantly closed the door behind me.

"Follow me, then, Ethan," her dad said stiffly.

Swallowing nervously, I followed him into the living room. "Sit," he demanded, pointing at the sofa with a knife. Not even realizing he had a knife in his hands till now, my eyes widened. 

"Why do you have a knife?" I asked slowly, trying hard to keep the tremor out of my voice. I didn't think he was truly capable of murder, but if the crazed look behind his eyes were anything to go by, I wouldn't put money on it.

"Never mind that just sit," he demanded, still pointing with his knife. Not really wanting to make him mad while he still had a knife in his hands, I slowly took a seat at the edge of the sofa.

Then looking me straight in the eye, Mia's dad stared me silently to the point where the quiet felt almost deafening. He didn't smile, blink or even frown at me; he just stared while scanning slowly over my face.

Shifting uncomfortably on the sofa, I kept alternating between awkwardly looking at him, then back at the knife that still lay within his hands.

"So, Ethan," he finally said, his eyes piercing through mine like knives. "Why do you want to go away with my daughter?"

His question seemed simple enough, but there was a sinister edge to his tone that scared me. Feeling my palms start to sweat, I swallowed nervously. It was obvious he knew I liked his daughter. I knew it, and he knew it. I wouldn't be surprised if his instincts were so strong that he could sniff out the condoms all the way in my car.

"Well...erm, we've started to be friends, and my grandma asked to meet her," I mumbled, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Hmm," her dad mumbled unconvincingly as he started to twirl the knife around in his hand.

Then starting to pace the room, he let out a light bitter laugh. "You know, Ethan, I spend a lot of time talking to criminals who have a lot to hide. Yet, never have I seen one giving off as many nervous signals as you. So, tell me, Ethan," he smiled, returning his eyes back to me. "Why are you so nervous?"

Shuffling uncomfortably once more, I stared at him, then the knife in his hand. Maybe, because I'm worried, you'll stab me.

"Look, Ethan, I'm just going to cut to the chase," her dad said bluntly. "If you're lying about where you're taking my daughter. You're dead. If you touch my daughter, you're dead. And if you even so much as make a joke about sleeping in the same bed as her on this little trip, I will kill you."

The last one made my heart stop as I thought back to the conversation on the phone with my grandma. You know the one where I agreed that Mia and I only needed one bed...

I watched with a hammering heart as he turned his knife over in his hand. "Now, does that all make sense," he said, staring down at me with an unsettling smile.

"Dad, what the fuck are you doing!" A voice yelled out. Turning towards the voice, I nearly bowed down with relief as I saw Mia standing in the doorway. She surveyed the situation before her, with deeply furrowed brows, her eyes drawn to her dad's knife in particular.

"Excellent, you've returned," her dad smiled. "I have something to say to both of you. Sit," he said, beckoning her to sit in the spot beside with the point of his knife.

Clearly not too eager to fight with the man with a knife, Mia complied and took the seat beside me.

Her dad looked slowly back and forth between the two of us before speaking. "I'm not going to beat around the bush guys. You can go. But only under the following conditions. They'll be no touching, no hugging, no kissing, no funny eyes, no nothing," he snapped.

Still sitting rigid in my seat, I nodded along to every word.

"No funny eyes?" Mia snorted.

Her dad continued on, ignoring her. "And I swear to god, if a single fucking grandchild is made on this trip, I will kill you," he said, pausing to gesture the tip of his knife over to Mia. "And I most definitely will kill you," he sneered as he directed the knife back over to me. 

Despite the fact, the chance of knocking Mia up on this trip was minimal to none, a genuine shiver ran right down the length of my spine at the thought of having to deliver home that news.

"You're so dramatic. I'm not going to get knocked up," Mia laughed as she rolled her eyes frustratedly at her dad.

"Do we have a deal?" her dad asked calmly.

Yes, sir, Absolutely," I rushed out quickly, my voice wavering slightly.

"Wonderful, and Mia?" he said, turning to his daughter.

"Yes, whatever, fine," she mumbled.

Her dad smiled. "Excellent, have fun," he said, finally turning to leave. Just as I thought I could breathe again, he stopped and turned back our way. "But not too much fucking fun," he snapped, sending a pointed look my way.

Fifteen minutes later, I stared silently ahead at the road, with my fingers gripping painfully into the steering wheel before me. It had been around ten minutes into the drive, and I'd barely said a word to Mia, still playing the nightmare that was Mr Collins's conversation over and over in my mind.

For the third time in that minute, Mia shot a nervous look my way. Finally interrupting the silence in the air, she cleared her throat. "I'm so, so sorry about what happened in there," she mumbled with a nervous laugh.

Her voice, oddly calming, made the most of nerves slip away. Deciding to look on the bright side, I shrugged.

"It's fine, I get it. He doesn't want me to hurt you because you're special to him. Can't argue with that," I mumbled honestly, as I turned to her with a soft smile.

Then as she smiled that beautiful smile of hers, my heart fluttered and, I suddenly remembered just how lucky I was to even have her coming with me. She didn't have to come, but she did.

Staring off at the road, I cleared my throat.

"Also, I forgot to tell you, but thanks," I mumbled.

"What for?" she asked, confused.

Turning briefly back to look at her, I briefly searched through her eyes. "You know, for helping me out. It means a lot," I mumbled.

"You're a really great friend, Mia. Don't you ever forget that," I told her, smiling softly.

Mia rapidly whipped her head away from me to face the window the moment I spoke my words, and though she pushed out a smile, there was something odd about it.

"Trust me, Ethan, I don't think I'll ever forget," she muttered.  

--------------------

Author's note:

Now, that's chapter twenty-three done, I hope you enjoyed! It was a super, super, long one but I guess that's a good thing because I haven't posted in a while. 

Anyway, what did we think of Ethan's purposeful mini strip show on the grass?

Can't wait to share the next chapter with you xx

In the meantime, if you're looking for a book to read be sure to check out my completed book, 'How to Destroy a Rich Boy' if you haven't already. It can be found on my profile.