"This is my mom and dad's vacation home," he said as we entered the cottage. "They are rarely home but when they are, they often spend time up here."

"That must get very lonely for you," I replied.

"Sometimes," he shrugged, "but then again, I can do whatever I want." I looked at him as his reality came into focus.

"You date girls that are shallow, have some real jerks for friends and your parents are rarely ever around."

"What are you getting at Sky?" he questioned.

"Just that you don't seem to have one person in your life who is always there for you and loves you unconditionally."

"That used to be true," he said while shooting me an adorable wink.

I just couldn't help myself so I blurted out, "What has changed?"

He looked at me with a sweet smile, "I found you."

My heart melted. He considered me not only part of his life but the most important part. Just when I thought I couldn't fall any harder. He disappeared for a few minutes, and I had a moment to take in my surroundings.

There was a cozy fireplace, and calming, dusty blue walls that reminded me we are by the ocean. A huge, overstuffed sectional wrapped itself around me perfectly, and pictures of Jake adorned the walls.

As I heard his footsteps coming back into the living room, I turned to see him holding a very large first aid kit. I stared at him with a questioning expression as he sat down beside me, revealing its contents. "Can I see your back again?" he asked with a bit of anxiety in his voice. "Some of those cuts look like they are getting infected." I slowly took my shirt off, being careful not to irritate my back and turned around so he could see it once again.

"You don't have to do this, I know it's disgusting to look at."

"Have you ever shown anyone before?" he asked in a low tone, not sure if he was prying too deeply.

"No, never, I always hide it. The only one who knows is my dad because he is there when it happens. I think Jenny also suspects, but she has never dared to ask me about it."

He froze for a moment and his body tensed.

"Wait, your dad watches this happen and does nothing to stop it?" He asked, disdain dripping with every word.

"You don't understand what it's like, Jake," I bit back. His accusation ignited some primal instinct to protect my dad. He was the only one who knew what it was like to live with her. We survived together. How dare he attack him?

He sat silently for a moment, not sure how to respond. "I am sorry I upset you, I am trying to understand," he finally managed. I turned around and looked at him, green lighting him to continue his line of questioning.

"How long has this been going on?" was his next question.

"I am not sure, I don't remember a time when it didn't, probably since birth."

"Is this the worst it's ever been?" I don't think he was certain he wanted to hear the answer to that question.

"No, last fall I had to be absent for three days. My mom sent a note saying I had the flu, but I was recovering," I responded and a long silence followed.

I could not see his face but I knew he was processing everything I had said, probably trying to imagine how it could get worse. The alcohol stung as he wiped it, and I flinched a bit but didn't protest. I was just glad to have someone who would help me. It was hard to see how bad it was in that area. When he finished cleaning my back, he applied a cool ointment that relieved the stinging.

"One of these needs a bandage," he said coupled with a long sigh. While he was applying the bandage, he continued with his questions.

"How does it make you feel?" he asked, and it surprised me. That was a question that I did not expect. I took a moment to respond, trying to find the words. He could hear a slight cracking in my voice as I answered as honestly as possible.

"Like a broken toy that is useless. Like it's all I deserve." Before I even completed the sentence, he turned me around, so I was facing him.

"Listen to me Sky, you are a beautiful, caring and amazing human being. You are worth more than I can ever explain. Never think like that. Do you hear me?" Not knowing how to respond, I just nodded my head in agreement. Perhaps he had convinced himself of that truth, but I hadn't.

He was looking right into my eyes, and I couldn't look away, he cared for me and I could finally see just how much. He closed the distance between us and cradled my face in his hand. I closed my eyes, finding comfort in his touch.

His lips found mine, and he gently kissed me. It was so soft. I think he feared breaking me. I responded to his kiss with a passionate one of my own, and it seemed to take him by surprise. He wrapped his arms around me, but I felt him hesitate as he pulled away.

"Jake, you won't break me."

"I know but I don't want to hurt you any more than you already are."

"So what are we going to do? Are we just going to sit here and stare at each other because you're scared you will damage me? I am already broken."

He placed his hands on my shoulders and with forcefulness in his voice, he said, "I don't want to hear that from you, you're not damaged." I couldn't respond, I wished that I could have believed him, but everything in my life made me think otherwise. He looked at me with such empathy. Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb went off in his head.

"I have an idea," he said as he headed toward the bedroom. I could see him running back and forth between the bedroom and the kitchen. An overwhelming aroma of popcorn filled the air and caught me by surprise. After a few moments, I heard him call out.

"Okay, everything is ready. This way, my lady," he said, motioning toward the bedroom. I shot him a curious look and then followed his request, curious to see what he had been up to.

Entering the bedroom, it shocked me when I saw the bed. It was so big and looked so comfy. It was all white with a fluffy down comforter and not one but two rows of pillows. In the center was a strategically placed tray filled with popcorn and soda. He beat me to the bed, pulling the covers back and patting the bed, "Jump in."

I followed his instructions and snuggled into bed, being careful to lie on my side so I could avoid putting pressure on my back. He settled on the other side and clicked the TV on, flashing me a smile, "Movie night baby!"

Could he get any sweeter? Somehow he just knew that what I needed most was a little rest and TLC and it was just what he gave me. He even had a lineup of eighties movies, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller's Day off.

This was a man after my heart, I thought Jenny and I were the only ones who enjoyed those classics. After the last movie, I got comfortable and snuggled right up to him. My head was on his chest, and my hand wrapped around his waist. It seemed so perfect. I felt safe with him.

"Sky," he whispered just before I drifted off. I groaned at him in a half-asleep state. "I wish we could stay just like this, forever." He kissed me so sweetly on my cheek and while I wanted more, at that moment, it was exactly what I needed.

When I woke, I could smell breakfast cooking. I stretched my body and dragged myself out of bed. It was so comfortable, I could have slept there for days. Entering the kitchen, the smell of blueberry pancakes and a warm smile greeted me, "Did you sleep well?"

"Well, yes I did sir, but that's because I had you wrapped around me." With that response, he walked over, grabbed me around my waist and rested his hands on the small of my back. I was certain everything that he saw the night before was still fresh in his mind. But there in his arms, all I could think of was how he was looking into my eyes.

He smiled down at me, "Well, mam, I look forward to the next time I can wrap myself around you." The thought of that suggestion made me smile, and he seemed to read my mind as he leaned down and kissed the side of my neck. The sensation of his lips against my skin made my entire body hot to the touch.

His lips trailed down my neck, a little firmer with each kiss. It was then that I discovered he had found my weak spot. That spot that made my knees go weak and standing seem nearly impossible.

After breakfast, we took a quick walk on the beach so we could soak in some sunshine and salt air. We strolled down the beach hand in hand, not in any hurry. The sun was shining brilliantly on the ocean, and it seemed to dance across the water.

"What I saw last night scared the shit out of me," he said, breaking the silence. "Seeing those marks on your back, watching as you tried to find any spot that was comfortable, being scared to touch you, it messed me up," he admitted. I could hear the heaviness in his words.

"Jake, please don't worry about me, I am fine, I promise," I tried to reassure him.

"The thought of dropping you back off at that house sickens me," he confessed, looking down at the ground. He was deep in thought. I stopped in my tracks and turned to him, taking his face in my hands. I looked directly into his eyes.

"Listen to me, I am a big girl, I have lived with this my whole life and I can take care of myself. What you need to be worried about is whether you can stop me from throwing your ass into this ocean," I said, trying to distract him from his thoughts.

Before I even completed my sentence, I put both of my hands on his chest and pushed as hard as I could, trying to topple him into the ocean. I didn't even realize that I had lost control when he grabbed both of my wrists, shouting as he fell backward. "Not without you sweetheart!" He hit the water first, and I fell right on top of him, both of us laughing hysterically.

Luckily, Jake kept clothes at the cottage and lent me a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt to wear home. That time the hour-long drive was not quiet. Our conversation flowed so easily as if I had known him my whole life.

Pulling into my driveway, I could see that my dad's truck wasn't there and he must have noticed too. He pulled me over to his side of the truck, "Come here, girl." I happily obliged, closing the distance to him.

He grasped one side of my face, tilting my head a little. His hands were so warm and welcoming. I felt his fingers brush my hair out of the way with his other hand, revealing my bare skin. He started with one sweet kiss on my neck and then passionately canvased my skin with one intense kiss after another.

His breath was heavy as he whispered, "I don't want to let you go."

"Then don't," I whispered back. He found my lips next, kissing me softly and gently until he transported to a place where only we existed. My skin tingled from the heat between us. After a few minutes, he suddenly pulled away, trying to control himself.

"I'll never get enough of you," he said, still trying to calm his breathing. I slowly placed my hand on his neck, tracing his jawline every so lightly.

"Me either," I whispered, kissing him quickly on the end of his nose and jumping out of the truck before he could protest. If I had stayed a minute longer, I would not have been able to control myself and I was not ready to take that step yet. I looked back as I hurried inside and saw him comically grabbing his chest as if I had just ripped it out.

As soon as I changed into a comfy t-shirt of my own and turned up the radio, my phone buzzed. "Last night was amazing, I miss you already"

"Oh, do you now? And which part of me do you miss the most?" I replied.

"You wrapped perfectly around me until we both fell asleep," he flirted back. How did he know just what to say to drive me crazy?

"And here I thought it was watching all those eighties movies."

"Well, obviously I miss those. But mostly I just miss your eyes, your lips, your smile, your kiss, you know, every single part of you," he sweetly responded. I was melting.

Thankfully mom wasn't due home for a few days. After my flirt session with Jake, I settled into a nice warm bath and listened to some soft music. Afterward, I called Jenny and filled her in on every detail. To my surprise, she had a bit of information to share.

"Sky, last night I ran into that guy Trip from our Math class last year. He was with Jonathon at the bowling alley. I know, I know, I am a cheese ball for even being at the bowling alley. But, you were with that jerk Jake and the boredom was overtaking me. Anyway, Trip is so different from last year, he is a cutie. We were bowling all night," she explained.

"Wow, you have hit bottom if you were hanging at the bowling alley," I replied.

"Oh I know, but there were lots of kids from our school there. Who knew people hang out there? The best part is Jonathon asked about you several times. Have you seen him lately? He has gone from boy to man in one year. I know he isn't exactly Mr. Popular, but he is super smart and interested in you," she continued to explain.

"Jenny, I just left Jake like an hour ago and you're already talking to me about some other guy."

"Just think about it, PLEASE," she begged. "They want a rematch on Saturday and I told them I would try to bring you so we could play doubles."

"For you, I will think about it. The answer will still be 'no' but I love you, anyway. Bye bestie," I honestly replied.

"But Sky, wa..." I hung up before she could continue her campaign to steal me away from Jake. After my bath, I just laid in bed and thought about everything that happened. He was really into me, and it blew my mind. Everyone thought he was just this popular jerk who mowed through girls but he had a heart. He cared about me. Just as I drifted off into an afternoon nap my phone buzzed again.

"Hey Sky, listen we never really talked about this little problem we have. I hope I proved how much I care last night," he started. As I read his message, I tried to comprehend what he is implying.

"Where are you going with this Jake?" I finally just asked, flat out.

After a few minutes, I guess he was thinking about his response, I read "I will figure all of this out, I promise, but for right now please be patient with me until I can tell everyone." I stared at his message in disbelief. Had I just read what I thought I had? How could he say that after the night we had? He was so kind, so caring, so amazing and we were back to square one.

Anger boiled inside of me as I responded, "Trying to make sure I stay your dirty little secret? How big of you, Jake."

"You know it's not like that, please try to understand the position I am in, don't give up on me Sky," he pleaded.

"Don't worry Jake, when I see you I will be sure not to speak or make eye contact. No need to worry, your reputation will remain firmly intact. I will stay your secret and you will be mine, but I will not give myself completely to you when I only have half of you," I snapped at him. He tried to respond over and over but I would not reply, I couldn't.

My next thought was of my conversation with Jenny earlier so shot her a quick message, "Hey, count me in for Saturday!"

Morning came and Jenny and I headed off to school. On the way, I explained to Jenny everything that happened with Jake and his horrible text. As I passed him in the hall I glanced over, I couldn't help myself. He was staring dead at me with a look of remorse in his eyes. To my surprise, he was even ignoring whatever his friends Tag and Jimmy was saying. I quickly looked away and kept talking to Jenny as if he didn't exist.

After our last class, I ran to my locker before meeting Jenny at her car and found a note barely sticking out of it. I knew it was from him. I just tucked it in my bag and kept going, trying to pretend like it didn't exist. No matter how much I tried to ignore it though, it called to me the rest of the day.

I resisted the urge as long as I could but finally gave in and opened it just before bed. It hadn't been easy with him texting me all day, begging me to understand.

Sky,

Spending the night with you was the best night of my life. I am surrounded by fake, superficial people who only care about how popular they are. You are the only thing I have that is real. I am not embarrassed for someone to see me with you. I know it feels that way, but it's not. It's just that if I don't keep up with what everyone expects of me, my life will be over and not just here, at home too. I care so much for you, please forgive me and try to understand that school will be over soon and it will all be different.

He didn't sign it, just drew a crooked little heart at the end, probably scared it might fall into the wrong hands. If he thought that would make things right, he had lost his mind.

The rest of the week passed with what seemed like a thousand more texts from him and having to see his desperate face every day as I passed him in the hall. By the time Saturday came, I was excited to have a distraction, any distraction to keep me from losing my mind.

I had fallen for him and being without him was tearing me apart. Despite how I felt, I had to be strong. I could not let him treat me like that. He made me feel like I truly was a dirty little secret.

I got dressed and tried to pull myself together. By the time Jenny picked me up, I had pushed him out of my mind as much as possible.

When we arrived at the bowling alley, Jonathon and Tripp were there waiting for us. They were leaning against Tripp's car. Jenny ran up to Tripp and gave him a big hug. I just smiled and nodded at Jonathon, not knowing what to do.

We headed inside, putting on our ugly bowling shoes. Bowl after bowl passed, and it became glowingly obvious that they spent a great deal of time bowling. They were mercilessly smoking us. In between bowls, the conversation with Jonathon was light but comfortable.

Jenny was right, he had gotten so much cuter. He had dark skin, dark hair, and gorgeous green eyes. His smile was infectious, and he had a great laugh. He filled me in on how he was doing at school and how he had applied to several ivy league schools. He was just waiting for their decision. He was the whole package and I could not believe some girl hadn't claimed him yet.

Halfway through the evening, he finally got up the nerve to help me try to improve my bowling skills. He was right behind me, guiding my hand, and I bowled a strike. I jumped up and down in excitement as we high-fived in celebration.

Returning to my seat, I glanced over to the counter and my mouth fell open. It was Jake, Jimmy, Toby, and Tag. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Jake was staring right at me, he had just seen Jonathon with his arm around me.

I quickly turned around with a look of shock on my face. Jonathon must have noticed because he gave me a curious look and asked, "Is everything ok Sky?"

"Oh yeah, no worries, I am just shocked that I bowled that strike," I replied. I glanced over at Jenny and motioned toward Jake with my eyes. She shot me a sympathetic look.

Suddenly, their loud banter got closer and closer. They were taking their seats directly behind us. Holy crap! I sat for a moment and pondered the situation, and then the anger boiled up again. I told myself, "You know what, who cares, he throws me away every time his friends are around, he deserves this!"

With this newfound confidence, I continued the night acting as if he wasn't even around. I was a little more friendly with Jonathon than I normally would have been just to make him jealous.

"Hey Jonathon, can you show me how to bowl a strike again?" I shouted a little louder than was necessary, and he was happy to oblige. We played and laughed and somehow had a good time despite the tense situation.

I caught myself stealing a glance over to the other side and saw Jake sitting in the chair, staring directly at me. He was watching my every move, but his friends were oblivious since they had been drinking.

A time or two they even shouted over, "Hey Sky, looking good!" That particularly agitated Jake. They were still there when we put our shoes on and got ready to leave. Walking to the car, I made sure I was facing the building and Jonathon was facing me. Jenny and Tripp were on the other side of the car, saying their goodbyes.

"I had a great time tonight Sky, thanks for coming out," Jonathon said.

"No problem, I had a great time too," I replied.

"Jenny said you were only hesitant because you were having trouble getting over some guy, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, it hasn't been easy but I am doing my best."

"Well, his loss is my gain. Do you mind if I get your number?" he asked nervously. With that question, I grabbed his phone and typed in my number. As I was snatching it out of his pocket, I couldn't help but notice Jake through the glass.

He was pretending to order something at the snack bar, but I knew he was just spying on me. His expression was one of anger. I had hurt him, maybe now he would understand what he had been putting me through.

I hugged Jonathon, and he held on for a few seconds as he whispered in my ear, "Goodnight Sky."

"Goodnight," I whispered back and jumped into the passenger seat of Jenny's car. She took her time saying goodbye to Trip. Before I even got comfortable, my phone buzzed, and I braced myself. I knew what was coming.

"Sky, what the hell? Do you know how hard it was to sit and watch you with him? When you hugged him I wanted to walk outside and deck him. What are you trying to do to me? I would think you were just making me jealous, but you didn't even know I would be here."

Ok, I deserved that, and he deserved to hear the truth.

"I am not trying to do anything to you, Jake. I am just trying to live my life and find someone who doesn't hide me away, behind lock and key. He is a nice guy and if you ever hurt him, I will NEVER speak to you again as long as I live. This is not his fault, it is yours!" I snapped back.

******

A/N

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