//Dedicated to everyone//

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Nate

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I held the steering wheel with both my hands. Held it with intensity and strength that would soon fallback onto me with how my knuckles had whitened along with how the paths of my veins uncovered. No sense of ease seems to past through me, with the fear of not being able to fix my biggest mistake ever. I felt relentless; far too preoccupied with the need to get to her before it was too late.

I wasn't sure with what I was going to say, or do, to show her I was going anywhere ever again. And no stabbing truths from her father will knock me back.

 I knew I was a fool for getting stuck with Ellie in the first place, well aware of all the complications and the hard walls we would ever have to face. I was a fool for even thinking we could fight, thinking we could survive any hurdle in our path. I'm a fool right this minute for even running back to her.

But I would be a bigger fool to ever let her go.

My foot itched to drop down on the gas and accelerate through the alleyways to get to the hotel quicker. The sudden traffic I found myself in made my jaw clench and I gritted my teeth in aggravation. When the traffic was close to testing my patience, it finally started to get a move on until I could turn the corner to the hotel we were currently staying at. I left Ellie right there, at the front steps and as the Jeep came closer and closer to the hotel, my heart sank.

I parked the Jeep at the side and jumped out just as Riley and Elliot came out the door.

"Where is she?" I said quickly, looking past both their shoulders hoping to see my girl walking out behind them.

Wishful thinking.

"She's gone." Elliot replied, his eyes trained on my face on a calculated measure.

"Where did she go?"

With the way Elliot stood, his hands pushed inside his pockets and with his straight face, I fought the urge to grab him by the front and throttle him. He knew exactly where Ellie went but with the fading smirk on his face - he wasn't going to say anything.

But to my relief, and to his rescue, Riley pushed in front of him. "Cole took her home. She was crying too much to even speak properly."

The sudden stab that pricked at my heart was overwhelming and I stumbled back on my feet. I made her cry. I gulped down the sickening guilt and collected myself quickly. Without uttering a single word of gratitude to Riley, I turned on my heel and raced back to my Jeep.

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I was parked outside her house, my eyes zoomed into the front door and waiting patiently for Cole to step out. It was past nine in the evening and Cole, her cousin, was still with her ever since I saw him come back from the store around three in the afternoon.

Six hours I've been waiting in my car for Cole to leave. Six hours. When it was pushing ten, I unbuckled my seatbelt and decided I had enough. I wasn't going to be waiting around, giving her more time to cry and waste all those tears. Just as my hand landed on the latch of the door, I saw the front door of her house open.

Cole stepped out.

Marla was right behind him and they were engrossed in a small conversation. Both looked concerned but Cole looked slightly more angered. He nodded his head at his last word, dipped his head to kiss Marla on the forehead and turned around and walked back  down the steps.

I waited until he was fully gone, fully out of sight before I stepped out the car. I walked to Ellie's front door and knocked without hesitation. I half expected Marla to open the door, but I was surprised to find Wendy, Ellie's mom, instead.

"Hello Nate, I was wondering when you'd come in considering you were outside for nearly seven hours."

Shocked would be an understatement with how I was feeling right now. "It w-w-wasn't seven hours." I tried to lie but my stutter, and the fact that my tongue was cleaved on the roof of my mouth did not help.

"No, it wasn't, was it?" Wendy said back softly and stepped back in her house. She stretched out one hand and invited me in. I hesitated for a split second, thinking about Ellie and what she'd think if I was in her house right now.

"Ellie is having a shower right now. It should give me a few minutes to tell you something."

I snapped my head back to face Wendy. "Tell me something?"

Wendy nodded casually and pointed at the set of double doors in front of me "Lead the way."

Nervously, and feeling completely bewildered, I started walking to towards the doors, passing the dining room that once had Ellie's father sitting on; waiting for her to come back home after our first night.

I walked in through the doors and found a room, with two massive French chairs pushed against a royal wall. In front was a circular table with a massive golden rimmed vase on top.

"Sit." Wendy pointed at one of the chairs and I slowly walked it to, carefully to not trip over anything even though the floor was spotless.

She sat in the other chair quietly and my eyes looked past her, to the long windows that gave me an overlook of their garden. I haven't had the chance to fully explore Ellie's house and regardless with how many encounters I had with Wendy, she still made me feel some type way.

"What did you want to tell me?" I asked slowly.

"About my family and myself."

"I'm sorry but-"

"You'll listen Nate. At least you'll stay here until I'm done because you'll want to hear this." I didn't realise I was slightly pushed off the chair, close to escaping  until Wendy's last words pushed me back into my seat.

Wendy smiled at me brightly but I could well see past it all. And then she spilt it all out and to say I was prepared for everything would be a lie. I let her finish and I stayed silent throughout it all, not knowing what to say- or even do. I wasn't sure what could be done after all she revealed but who she is now, after everything, became crystal clear.

She was hurting. Because her daughter was hurting upstairs. Because her daughter's father would never be the man she wanted him to be. Because she failed her daughter.

"I may be pushed along and I may be walking along but I know where I am. I'm aware of everything that goes on in the lives of the people I love. I knew what was going on between Lily and Jack. I knew what my ex-husband was doing to Lily. I knew. But I stayed quiet. I never interfered until now, when my baby daughter's heart was in play." She swallowed down what I assumed to be a lump in her throat and carried on talking. Her eyes were glistering under the massive light above her and she was trying to keep it all together.

"I could never fight him, with the unseen hold he had over me. I could never imagine to fight him. Some saw me as weak but Lily knew I wasn't. Because even if I carried my own dark secrets, so did your mom Nate."

I gulped down audibly. "What secrets?"

"Your mom died with her secrets. Let them stay dead."

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I crept up the stairs, my head still spinning after what Wendy told me. It should chase me away; from everything to do with the Dawsons. But it only made me want to cradle Ellie closer to me and keep her safe. Safe from the lies surrounding everything she loves.

When I came to her room, I didn't bother to knock and just walked in.

"Oh my-"

I didn't give her a chance to finish of her usual line as I grabbed her roughly by the waist and glued my lips on her. She gasped in my mouth and her hands shot up to my arms to support herself. I felt something drop on my feet but paid it no attention as I physically tried to get as close to Ellie as possible. Her whole front was pressed against me and I could hear her heart hammer wildly within her chest.

I slammed my head back to her lips, taking in the feel of how cold they were as the latched onto me. My fingers dug into her small soft waist as I fought to keep my self-control in check.

With one last breathless kiss, I pulled my head back. Ellie stared up at me with wrecked and confused eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice coming out broken in all ways possible. I closed my eyes briefly, not sure if I could take it anymore, knowing all the hurt I already bestowed on her.

"Meet me at the bench." I told her, taking a step back.

I wasn't sure if I could ever fix it but it was worth a try and I will try everything to get her back again. I had to keep her safe. From everything.

"Meet me at the bench, one minute after midnight."

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NOT EDITED.

Hey guys! Here's the bonus chapter (first part of it) hopefully you enjoyed it. 

I just want to say that I entered both Jeans Jacket and Satin Shirts in the Watty's and all your support would mean sososos soooooo much to me. <333 Tell your friends, family and all the other peeps about about it (if you think these stories are worth it that is aha) Thank you guys so much <33333

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N e x t      i n      l i n e:

J e a n s   J a c k e t: 00:14 [bonus chapter part.2]

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