Ever since Zurich, my identity kind of blew up on the internet.

Well, it started before Zurich, when the two girls I posed with at Sainthill uploaded the photo in social media, gushing about meeting me. I couldn't fault them for that. I permitted it. And that wouldn't have been so bad on its own.

Then Max's very public acknowledgement and our appearance at the Zurich event made society headlines. Apparently, Max usually attended these things solo, something he didn't mention. The fact that he showed up with me would've been enough to rouse speculation. Thankfully, his reaction to Yolan Bossard getting too happy to see me was kept quiet. All that Max told me was that Yolan was recovering privately and no legal action was forthcoming from either party.

So when the media and the public assembled all the evidence—that fan post, the Zurich event and the few sightings of Max and I both at home and overseas that were starting to emerge—I got an overly generous share of coverage.

It would seem no one could quite get their heads wrapped around a reclusive and elusive, nerdy mixed-race twenty-something author snagging the wild and worldly, All-American billionaire playboy.

Yeah, I didn't make those words up.

They literally summarized the headlines of over a dozen articles about us. It was creative writing at its most sensationalized format.

I had to spend time explaining all that excitement to a few people such as my agent, my father (who'd been succinct but unimpressed on the phone), and now my mother who'd been away on a literary retreat in the Rocky Mountains. I didn't send her that picture of me and Max after all. I couldn't figure out how to explain it then.

And frankly, I'm not doing better now.

"You've been living with this boy and you didn't even mention him to me?" she asked, barely looking at me as she reached for something outside of the camera frame. She was on her computer in her home office, looking through some papers, distracted as ever. "What did I say to you about sneaking around with boys, Aiko?"

Almost twenty-four and just having this conversation now with my mother.

I sighed and sat back on my chair, trying not to nudge the dining table where my cellphone precariously balanced against salt and pepper shakers. "Mom, I know what you said but—"

"Hey, honey," Max said as he strode into the room, probably straight from the garage since he'd been at work most of the day. He was loosening his tie and didn't notice I had my mother on a video call. He stopped behind my chair and dropped a kiss on the top of my head. "I missed you."

"That's the boy? He's not a boy."

Max reared up at my mother's voice and found himself staring at my phone screen. My mother had a funky pink and purple headband on, red cat-eye glasses and her signature red lip. One could say she was a colorful personality.

"He doesn't look anything like I imagined," she said bluntly. "I honestly thought you were all over some lanky boy fresh out of college who cashed in on some popular video game he built in his mother's basement."

"You never looked at his picture or read a version or two of his bio?" I asked, half-amused, half-embarrassed. "They're all over the internet."

"You know I hate going online," my mother said with a dismissive wave of her hand. My mother was an old-school academic who also happened to be incredibly suspicious of the internet. "Hiro was the one who kept yapping on and on about you and your boyfriend. Either that or he was complaining about why you didn't tell him you wrote those books. He thought you wrote some kind of artsy teen stuff. He's been bragging nonstop to his friends and actually started to read the series. And he's also been telling them your boyfriend's got his own plane."

I glanced at Max, impressed to find him looking very composed while listening to this very awkward and scattered conversation about my family and himself.

"Hiro's the eldest of my two younger brothers. Kaz is the youngest," I told him with a sigh. "Max, meet my mother. Mom, this is Max Croft."

"Hello, Mrs. Wilson," Max said with a polite smile, pulling a seat out next to me and settling in it. "I'm very glad to finally meet you."

I looked at him with mild shock that was probably unwarranted at this point. "You know my mother's married name?"

He just gave me a warning glance before my mother replied.

"Ah, call me Meg, short for Megumi," she told him, completely unaffected by Max's undeniable appeal. My mother wasn't too concerned about appearances or wealth. "So. You're the one her Dad insists I warn her about. It's not hard to see why."

"Mom!"

"You do look like a man who could run over a weaker woman," she persisted without pause.

I almost grabbed the phone but Max stayed me with a hand on my leg. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I've never deliberately tried it but that's probably true. However, Aiko is both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. I suspect I'll bend or break long before she does."

My mother smirked—proudly, I might add. "You're treating my daughter well then?"

"Of course," Max answered with such seriousness you'd think he was answering a court prosecution. "And I'm sure that if she believes otherwise, she'll let me know without delay."

I grinned, the last of my mortification fading away.

Max knew just what to say and between the two of us, he'd been better at handling the general nosiness of the inquiring public. Probably because he was used to it in terms of his overall life. Publicized relationships probably not so much but the frenzied speculation didn't seem to perturb him.

Regardless of his skill and experience at it though, I didn't think he was bull-shitting my mother. Besides, she would know and make him eat it.

"Well, you strike me as a sensible man at least, which is reassuring because there's nothing like a real sign of trouble than finding my daughter infatuated with a vapid and narcissistic infantile. At least this way, I know she still has her usual wits about her," she said with a cheeky smile before looking at me. "We'll talk more later, sweetie. I have more questions about him that I don't really want to ask while he's right there."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "What's the difference when you just said that while he's still right here?"

"It's a mother-daughter talk. He understands," my mother said. "Right, Max?"

He was trying to keep a straight face but I could see the amusement in his eyes. "Right."

"You going to Paige's engagement party?" my mother asked. "Is this her third or fourth one now?"

"Third," I said. "And yes, we're going. She told me she has a really good feeling about this one actually ending up at the altar."

Mom rolled her eyes. "That girl needs to practice a better ratio of feelings and logic. Well, tell her I said hi and congratulations and that I hope it's not an asshole this time. Call me whenever you can."

"I will. Say to Hiro and Kaz for me. And Dan as well!" I said, smiling at her and blowing her a kiss. "Love you! I'll see you all in October!"

"I will," she said before turning to Max with a broad smile. "And Max—I do have a katana and I know how to use it. So take care of my baby."

My mother mic-dropped just like that.

I sighed and took my phone down. "I had no idea just how bad my mother would be when I finally introduce a guy to her so I hope you can overlook that."

Max chuckled and sat back in his chair, his shoulders relaxing. "Now I can see where you got your bluntness. And your badassery."

"Badassery is not a word," I said, relieved to see that he hadn't been scarred by that episode. "But I'll take that as a compliment."

"Did I stir up too much trouble with your family?" he asked, pulling my chair closer to his and pressing his forehead against mine. "If it'll help, we can fly out and see them so I can personally meet them all. Maybe that'll put your mother's fears to rest that you're not dating some vapid, narcissistic infantile."

"She's a Lit professor. She can get really creative," I explained with a laugh. "But seriously, they'll be fine. I'll see them in October and I can catch up with them then."

"October," Max echoed, his eyes inscrutable.

"Yes," I said. "It's Canadian Thanksgiving. I'll spend a month there and then come home to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad. And then I'm back in Canada just before Christmas and then back to Baltimore again for the New Year so Dad's not all by himself. He tends to work during the holidays but he usually doesn't argue if I make a nice dinner for the two of us."

When Max didn't say anything, I added, "That's been my life for many years. It comes with having split families but I'm used to the travel. I actually like it. Keeps my year interesting anyway."

"And when do you travel back here?" Max finally asked.

I watched his face but it was completely impassive. "I don't. I only came here for the spring and summer. I was going to leave in the beginning of October. Maybe a quick visit again at some point in the future but I hadn't planned it out that far."

Nothing was said for what seemed like a moment trapped in time.

I figured we would have to have this conversation sooner rather than later. It was the second week of September, after all.

But neither of us ever said it out loud.

Maybe because we didn't know what to say about it.

It was either going to be a swift, bloodless goodbye-and-good-luck or something else entirely that we weren't prepared for.

Then Max surprised me by suddenly pulling me into his arms until I was straddled on his lap, his arms circling tightly around my waist.

He pressed a kiss on the curve where my neck met my shoulder, his breath warm and soft against my skin.

"We have to talk about this," he said. "Tomorrow—when we're done this party and and we both have clear heads."

"Okay," I said slowly, a smile on my lips as my fingers reached up to gently run through the hair on the nape of his neck. "That sounds like a plan."

He lifted his head, scowling at me a little. "I mean it, Aiko."

"I didn't say you didn't," I said, smiling full-blown now. "You just sounded so serious, that's all."

"I'm pretty fucking serious about this," he grumbled before snatching my mouth with his for a rough, hurried kiss.

Suffice to say, we were late to the party and everyone noticed because Max wasn't someone you missed when he strode into a room—or the private garden of a local bed and breakfast tricked out with firefly lights hanging low from the branches of massive oak trees, wispy lace tablecloths and the soft pastels of hydrangeas and roses.

Even the bride and groom to-be were riveted.

"Congratulations, Paige," I said, giving my cousin a hug. "I'm sorry I missed the big proposal but I'm very, very happy for you and Nigel."

Paige sniffed while still beaming a smile. "Thank you, Aiko. I told you this was different."

I glanced at Nigel who was all-eyes on my cousin and I inwardly relented that Paige might actually be right this time around.

Nigel popped the question while they were out with some friends on a day at the beach just as Max and I were heading back from Zurich.

Paige had been engaged before, both times concluding in a dramatic break-up. But good, old Nigel was smitten with my cousin and his gentle, steady nature seemed to have a calming effect on her often vivacious personality.

And while Nigel might not appear financially stable, living with his mother and driving an old car, he was actually doing well for himself working as a freelance programmer. He didn't spend too much on himself but he pulled all the stops with Paige, from the looks of it, from doing an immediate engagement party a week later to a full wedding six months from now.

"I hope you never stop making Paige happy because she deserves it," I said, smiling at Nigel. "And I hope she does the same for you."

"We'll be alright, Aiko. Thank you," Nigel said shyly, slipping an arm around my cousin's shoulders. "I know it's a little fast but you and Max would know a thing about that yourselves. Some things you just can't rationalize. You just go for it and follow where it takes you."

I didn't dare glance at Max because it would be incredibly awkward to catch him rolling his eyes at that tender proclamation but he surprised me for the nth time tonight when I felt him take my hand and give it a squeeze.

"We wish you all the best," Max said politely but with warmth. "And let us know if there's anything we can do for the wedding."

I almost blurted out that he probably shouldn't be volunteering our combined services since the wedding was six months away. I wouldn't be living here and he probably wouldn't remember Paige and Nigel all that well.

But I kept my mouth shut because Max said we had to talk.

I didn't want my imagination to take leaps but I didn't want to pound the impossibilities into my head either because anything was still possible at this point.

The party had about thirty people in attendance—Nigel's family and friends but mostly Paige's friends. Her family was in North Carolina but instead of having them fly out here, she and Nigel were going to visit them next month so she could properly introduce him.

I mingled with the people I knew, most of them those I hung out with all those nights we spent out in bars and events. Max stayed by my side, polite and politic even as some of them openly stared and hung on to his every word.

"So Paige and all of the internet weren't lying when they said this is the guy that's been keeping you busy for a while," Brayden said when he settled into the chair next to mine, his eyes following my gaze to Max who stood a few feet away, talking to Paige's boss, Rowena. She was a tall leggy blonde with a camera-ready smile—one she currently had on full wattage for Max's benefit.

"Max Croft is the last guy I ever thought you'd mess around with," he said in a tone brittle with bitterness. "Is he actually keeping you busy or just keeping you busy guarding him because he's got pussy being offered to him left and right? The man's a fucking joke of a boyfriend."

Brayden's words grated but there was some truth to them. I knew of Max's reputation—I'd labeled him harshly myself many times before I got to know him properly.

And my eyes weren't deceiving me. Rowena was blatantly flirting with Max. But I remained perfectly calm in my seat because that wasn't the only fact I knew in that moment. My eyes couldn't deny either that Max kept glancing at me restlessly, his body shifting back each time Rowena leaned in. I wasn't sure if he was consciously doing it but there hadn't been less than a foot of space between them in the last five minutes Rowena had been trying to unsuccessfully occupy the entirety of Max's attention.

"I don't think Max can do much about the fact that he's drop-dead gorgeous and compelling. He'll always have women drooling over him no matter what," I said lightly, turning a sweet but tight smile at Brayden. "The only thing I can hold him accountable for is what he does with that attention. I would ask you for advice but based on your jealous and unkind comment—both to the man and the women you deride him for using—I'm going to assume you have zero experience in being in his shoes and you resent him for that, don't you?"

Brayden's eyes narrowed and for a second his face resembled that of a petulant child. "You probably think he's serious about you. I know you're a smart girl, Aiko, and you can figure this out if you just pull your head out of the sand for a second. Men like Max Croft live for the chase, the prize. But it doesn't take long until they're on to the next challenge. And by the sound of it, you're not that much of a challenge to him anymore."

"If you so much as breathe again in her presence, I will pound you into the ground, party guests be damned."

Brayden and I both jumped at the low, angry hiss and found Max glaring down at him.

I could feel Brayden tense beside me but he coolly met Max's murderous gaze. "Aiko's a friend. I was just giving her advice."

"She doesn't need bullshit from a guy who's just trying to get into her pants and is mad that he can't," Max gritted out. His voice was still low in volume but there was no mistaking the alertness of his stance. People were noticing.

"Weren't you that guy as well?" Brayden sneered, rising to his feet. He was nowhere near Max's build but he wasn't a small man either. "The only difference is that she spread her legs for you. That makes you successful, not a saint—"

Brayden was able to dodge Max's first swing at the word 'legs' but it was just a distraction because Max caught him on a sneaky left uppercut which sent him hurling down on the ground.

"Max, stop!"

It was stupid and reckless but I had no choice but to throw myself at Max to keep him from jumping on a groaning Brayden.

Paige had already started wailing and for all her faults, I didn't want to ruin my cousin's engagement party.

Max grabbed me by the arms as if to set me aside but I stepped on his toes forcefully. "Max, no! Stop it. I know what he said but they're just stupid words I can't even take seriously because they're that stupid."

Max struggled with himself but he finally tore his eyes away from Brayden who was being helped on his feet by a couple of guys and gazed down at me.

"It's not true," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.

I let him steer us away from the slack-jawed audience, my brows furrowed. "What's not true?"

"About the chase and the prize," he said as we slipped through the narrow hedged gate, out of sight and earshot.

He stopped walking and ran both hands through his messy hair. I didn't make a sound because it felt like Max was at the brink of saying something important.

"You're not the chase or the prize or the ultimate challenge," he said, cupping my cheeks and lifting my face to his.

I put my hands over his, looking straight into his stormy eyes. "Then what am I, Max?"

"You're the one thing I thought I could never have," he said, pressing his forehead against mine, his breath slightly fogging up my glasses. He smiled tenderly and pulled back a little until I could see him clearly again.

He kissed me softly, his arms sliding down to circle my waist and draw me close against him.

"And what's that?"

"A different purpose," he murmured. "The kind that makes it easy to leave the past behind."

***

After a late night of what seemed like endless sex, Max and I woke up late.

Our bodies did all the talking last night. Our emotions were running high and all we could do was surrender to them.

And because we woke up late this morning, we couldn't chat over breakfast either because we had to dash out the door to make the small Sunday tea that Cassandra had arranged in Sainthill for me and a small handful of my readers.

It wasn't a proper book-signing or anything like that although I would sign the books people might bring. It was just tea and pastries and conversation at the bookstore's orchard.

It was an idea I brought up to Cassandra just before Max and I left for Zurich. It was just a small start to help me get a handle on it. All we did was put up a few posters within the bookstore and whoever was interested could come. She promised to sit with me and help me navigate the crowd after I told her of my struggles with anxiety in a setting like this.

I'd told my agent, Ingrid, who encouraged the idea. She was flying out this morning to be there and just gauge the situation in case it was something I wanted to do again in the future in a bigger capacity.

I was a nervous wreck but Max held my hand during the entire drive over there. I was pretty sure I was sweating in my casual coral tunic dress but Max just smiled at me, kissed me on the forehead and told me I was beautiful.

"Um, Max, I think we're at the wrong place," I said just as Matthews rolled the town car into a stop by the sidewalk. There was absolutely no parking along the entire street and there was a line of people that wrapped itself around the block.

"I assure you this is Sainthill, Ms. Bradley," Matthews said with a faint hint of amusement in his voice. "Good luck."

I turned to Max in horror, my stomach clenching in dread. "I think Cassandra mixed up the dates. I think she—"

"I'm pretty sure she did exactly as you asked, babe," Max said. "But news gets around fast when it's kind of a big deal. The fact that this is your first official public appearance might have something to do with the crowd size."

"I was thinking more like ten people, not a hundred!" I groaned.

"My estimate is probably more like three hundred but it might be off a couple here or there," Matthews said conversationally.

"That's not helping!" I glowered at him and the man just raised a hand in surrender. Then I started rummaging into my purse to find my phone. "Call Cassandra. Tell her that we'll have to send these people home. It's probably against the fire code or something. We'll tell them the building capacity's maxed out. We'll—"

"Honey, look at all those people standing out there," Max said gently, grasping my shoulder and directing my attention to the crowd waiting for us outside. "Can you honestly bear to send them home?"

I swallowed hard and dragged my eyes to every hopeful face that stood in the crowd as most of them waited and chatted excitedly, their arms wrapped around a stack of hardbounds.

I honestly had no idea this many people read my work.

I mean, of course I knew it was a respectable number since I'd seen the impressive checks come in from the book sales but it was something else entirely to be this up close and personal and put a face to each of those numbers. I started to tremble, blood rushing to my ears.

Don't fuck it up now by throwing up in front of three hundred fans.

The visual stopped me cold, washing me over with some much needed logic.

Of course, I couldn't throw up.

Of course, I couldn't send these people home.

"I'll stay with you," Max murmured, gripping my hand. "I won't leave, I promise."

I stared at him. "This is probably going to take all day."

He beamed. "Then that's how long I'll be there. Speaking of it taking all day, we should probably go so you can get started."

The people in line must've had some idea it was us in the waiting town car because the moment Max got out to go around and open the door for me, cheers rang out.

I slipped my arm around Max's own to steady myself as I raised my eyes to meet the countless pairs watching us as we approached the front steps.

Suddenly there was a surge of press people sticking their cameras and microphones out at us, startling me into a taking a step back. Luckily, I was latched in place by Max's hold and he curved his body toward me in a protective stance.

Security (probably Cassandra's) stepped in to give us some space from the press even as the questions continued to rain on us.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Max murmured in a voice low enough for just me to hear.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and took in a deep breath. "I should though. And I can. I can do this."

I didn't dally answering. I told myself I could handle five and that was exactly how many questions I addressed before continuing our way into the mansion.

I shyly smiled back at all the people calling my name and beaming at me as Max guided me past them.

"Aiko, there you are!"

Cassandra came flying at me with a hug and an apology for the epic turnout.

"I messaged you and tried to call you but you didn't pick up," she said as we followed her out to the orchard which was going to be closed off for the event. "Ingrid is already here and she's thrilled but I wasn't sure how you would feel. We didn't set a max limit so I couldn't technically send all these people away."

"We won't send them away," I told Cassandra just as I spotted my agent sipping a cold drink by the patio. "I can handle it."

"I'm so happy to hear it," Cassandra said with a squeaky giggle. "Now, I gotta go line up the rest of the crew so we can open the doors. We've got more food and staff coming so don't you worry about a thing. I got this, okay?"

"Okay," I said with a loud exhale before Cassandra turned on her heel and marched out to her mission.

"Are you sure about this, Aiko?" Ingrid said as she came over to give me a quick hug. She was in her early forties with that no-nonsense New York street fashion. She was a straight-shooter kind of person but she had such a good ear for stories and a lot of heart for her writers. "We can turn this around if you don't think you're ready but I will say that this is something some writers can only dream of. But I think you know that already."

I sighed and gave Ingrid a smile. "I do. And I can do this. Just supply me with something to eat and drink and give me a bathroom pass every hour. I'll keep smiling and talking until my face falls off."

"We can always call a break and just have people mingle for a little bit," Max suggested. "I know you didn't want it to be formal."

"Great idea!" Ingrid said with a big grin. "You're the boyfriend, right? Mr. Croft? I'm Ingrid Williams, her agent."

"Call me Max and yes, I'm the boyfriend and Aiko's official cheerleader for the day," he said, smiling at me. "Whatever you need me to do, just let me know. I'll be happy to help."

I smacked him playfully on the arm. "You better because this is all your fault. You planted the seed in my head."

Max shrugged without remorse. "I did but this was all you, babe. I knew you could do it."

"Boy, am I ever glad that Aiko met you," Ingrid said with a laugh. "I've waited years for her to come around about this. What was your secret?"

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just say Max has certain charms you just don't have, Ingrid, and let's leave it at that."

Ingrid burst into chuckles and I grinned when I saw that Max had turned red. Yup. I could still make him blush.

And with that realization, my nerves relaxed, my breathing evened out.

Bring it on.

It was chaos at first when it began, with so many people suddenly filling the old mansion as the doors were opened. And to be honest, it probably helped that it was so crazy, I couldn't spare the time to think about what I was doing.

There were so many people to meet and so many books to sign. But the little sweet treats, the clear blue skies and the serene beauty of the lush apple orchard seemed to put everyone at ease that it got easier to talk to so many of my readers. They had so many incredibly kind things to say that I was pretty sure my heart would burst before the first hour was over.

As promised, Max didn't leave my side. The only time he did was to briefly greet his friends who came to support me. Sebastian brought Rylan and Vivienne and Oliver had Noelle. Jack showed up as well with a bunch of copies that he'd promised to get autographs for on behalf of a handful of his closest staff. Stellan was there too, along with Lexi and Marcus, Charlie, Emma and Ty. I've only had two brunches with these people yet here they were.

I was just sending my mother a picture on my cell as I walked back to the orchard at the end of our third break when I rammed into a large, hard body.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking," I said as the man steadied me back up to my feet.

"It's alright, miss," he said. I looked up at the slightly gravelly voice and found a tall man with a heavy beard and dark eyes smiling at me. It wasn't a warm smile but the man didn't seem prone to warmth. Still, he just saved me from face-planting on the floor.

"Thank you," I said before reaching down to pick up the books I'd dropped. On my way back from the private restroom Cassandra told me to use upstairs, I stopped by the staff lounge to thank a handful of employees for helping out today since I knew some of them had come in on their day off. They had a stack of copies for me to sign and since I couldn't finish them all before the break wrapped up, I brought them downstairs with me.

"Here you are," the man said, placing the last couple of books on top of the pile I was cradling back in my arms. "Do you need help or are you going to make it?"

I smiled. "I think I'll be fine. Thanks, again."

"Aiko?"

I looked up and found Max standing by the hallway, frowning at the man next to me.

I inwardly sighed. Max didn't like any male attention on me. He usually kept a lid on it but it didn't mean you couldn't read it on his face.

I glanced at the man next to me and was puzzled to find him almost out the side door.

"Are you okay?" Max asked as he strode up to me, his hands patting me methodically as if checking for injuries. "Did he say something to you? Did he hurt you?"

"No. I ran into him and he helped me pick up my stuff," I said in confusion, my eyes widening when Max marched past me and headed for the same side door. "Max, where are you going?"

I watched him peer out for a moment, muttering something on his cellphone. Then with a granite face, he walked back over to me, took my arm and escorted me back to the orchard.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to appear normal as we joined the rest of the group.

"Nothing for you to worry about," he bit out before he positioned himself behind my chair like a sentinel.

My mind was racing but I couldn't really bombard him with questions while we had an audience. I forced a smile on and set aside the stack of books I'd been carrying on the floor so I could sign them later.

Then I saw the corner of a note on a white piece of paper sticking out from under the cover of the book on top of the pile.

I pulled it out and sucked in a silent gasp.

Tell Max Croft to be careful or else...

I didn't even look up at him. I just held the note up to him over my shoulder before turning on my full smiling face at a group of young girls who came in to sit on the couch across from me.

Dread was roiling inside me and no, it wasn't my usual anxiety.

It was something else entirely different.

It had to be because the Max who brought me to Sainthill that morning wasn't the same Max who came home with me later that day.

***

So, what do you think?

You guys knew the perfect peace wasn't going to last long. But I hope I've given you enough insight into their relationship to know how they're going to manage the coming difficulties. 

Don't forget to vote and comment!

P.S. I love Aiko's mom. I realized writing this chapter that I tend to have a lot of father figures in my books and very little of mothers. I'm not sure why that is but I'm so glad that Aiko has a mom she adores. I think her more normal-ish family setting helps her to have less hang ups as a character. A lot of my past characters have so much family baggage so I think it makes sense why Aiko's a little bit different. 

XOXO,

Ninya

♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy ♪♪♪

I was only walking through your neighborhood
Saw you out loud honey in the cold I stood
Anywhere I go there you are
Anywhere I go there you are

I been getting used to waking up with you
I been getting used to waking up here
Anywhere I go there you are
Anywhere I go there you are

There you are
There you are

You're the fire and the flood
And I'll always feel you in my blood
Everything is fine
When your hand is resting next to mine
Next to mine
You're the fire and the flood

Since we met I feel a lightness in my step
You're miles away but I still feel you
Anywhere I go there you are (anywhere)
Anywhere I go there you are
Late at night when you can't fall asleep
I'll be lying right beside you counting sheep
Anywhere I go there you are (anywhere)
Anywhere I go there you are (anywhere)

There you are
There you are

You're the fire and the flood
And I'll always feel you in my blood
Everything is fine
When your hand is resting next to mine
Next to mine
You're the fire and the flood