"If you throw that at me I'll have to kill you." I say with a huge smile on my face. Nik stands on the other side of the kitchen counter filling up a huge bowl of freezing cold water.

"It's only fair." He turns the tap off and I run for it. Out the patio door and into bright sunlight. I had shoved an ice cube in his shirt, and this was his attempt at revenge.

The sound of the water splashing out of the bowl as he runs behind me urges me forward. I really do not want to get wet.

"Please don't Nik." I beg as we dart around the yard, doing a frantic dance of catch me if you can. With every sharp movement he makes towards me, a little more water sloshes out of the bowl. I run around to the side of the pool, grab a floaty and hold it up defensively.

Nik grins and tosses the bowl of water over his shoulder and charges at me. His arms wrap around my waist and drag me down, down, until the cool water of the pool consumes my body. I thrash out of his grip and propel myself to the surface.

"Nik!" I shriek and wipe the water from my eyes. "I don't have a change of clothes here!"

"I had to!" He is choking with laughter as he watches the mascara run down my face. I stare at him in disbelief but can't help breaking into a smile.

"You are such a pain in my ass!" I send a splash of water in his direction before hauling myself up and out of the pool. My jean shorts and t-shirt cling to my body as water pools at my feet. I wring out my shirt the best I can, revealing my tanned stomach.

Nik climbs out of the pool and approaches me, still laughing his head off. He holds his arms open for me and for a moment I consider trying to be angry, but I cave and allow him to wrap his arms around me.

He whispers apologies in my ear, sending chills over my body. Or maybe that's just the wind blowing on my wet skin. "You look hot dripping wet." He finishes before planting a soft kiss on my lips. I kiss him back and savour every second of his lips on mine. When the kiss ends, Nik pulls his soaking wet shirt over his head and wrings it out. "Well, aren't you lucky?" I complain, "You can just take your shirt off."

"You can take yours off too, if you like." He grins wickedly and my body reacts instantly. Heat floods through me, settling in my lower abdomen. The image of both of us topless teases the edges of my mind, but I have to push the image away if I want to maintain any self control. "Or," Nik continues in a slightly defeated voice, "you can borrow something of mine and I will dry your clothes."

When my eyes meet his, I know he is hoping for me to rip my shirt off right there in the backyard. I know what he wants from me, and I want it too, but there is something holding me back. How would I survive leaving him if we made that connection together?

"I would love to borrow a shirt." I fake a smile and try to hide the fact that I know how badly he wishes I would deny the offer.

We wrap ourselves in towels from the pool house and then he takes my hand, leading me up to his bedroom. With every step I feel my breathing constrict tighter and tighter. I know we aren't going to do anything, but just being in his personal space makes me feel so incredibly nervous.

I step into the bedroom and try not to take in every single detail. My eyes dart from the Xbox, to the posters of fancy cars on the walls, to the water glass on his bedside table and then to the bed. I can feel myself blush just by looking at it. What is wrong with me?

"Shirts are in the top drawer and if you want some gym shorts or something there are some in the bottom." he turns to leave but my hand flies out to grasp his wrist. When his eyes meet mine, I can see the desire in them. How could he not feel that way when I am standing in his bedroom, my wet t-shirt clinging to my body leaving little to the imagination?

"You don't need to leave." My voice rings in a seductive tone. Clearly, my hormones have taken over and shut out my protesting brain. I can hear my subconscious screaming at me. 'Don't tease him like this Haven! It's what the old Haven would have done.'

It's true, the old me probably would have done this; if she had been brave enough to be topless in front of a guy. Present day Haven has only been completely topless in front of one guy, and he didn't mean nearly as much to me as Nik does. If I was that comfortable with him, I should be more than comfortable simply changing in front of Nik. Before I can change my mind, I turn my back to him and pull my shirt over my head.

I hear the mattress squeak and I know Nik must have sat down. My heart is racing in my chest and my hands tremble as I dig through the top drawer for a t-shirt. I don't want to appear nervous, but I am sure he can sense the tension rolling off of me.

As I ruffle through the drawer, I try to think about what I should do next. Should I turn around and give him a full view while I pull the shirt over my head? What if my armpits are a little hairy? What if my deodorant is showing? 'Calm down.' I urge myself.

"What about this?" I turn around, holding a black t-shirt with white lettering up to my chest. With one look, I know that he is just as nervous as I am. His leg is bouncing wildly, his fingers are up to his mouth and his eyes are shifting from me to the window.

"What's wrong?" I question with mock innocence and lower the t-shirt, revealing my pink lace bra. The thought that I am playing a game with him crosses my mind, and I tell myself to stop, but I can't.

His eyes no longer shift between me and the window. They are glued to me, his eyes raking over my topless body. I revel in the way he stares, as if nothing could take his attention from me. As his leg continues to bounce out of control, I gently place my hand on his knee and he stops immediately.

I look up at him through my lashes. "Nik, what's wrong?" He answers by crashing his lips to mine.

I don't think I just react by leaning into the kiss and bracing my hands on his thighs. It's an awkward angle, me standing bent over him; him sitting on the bed. He senses this and stands up, stepping into me while never breaking our kiss.

When he presses his body against mine and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, my entire body erupts in flames. Ever so smoothly, Nik maneuvers us so that my back is towards the bed. He lowers us gracefully onto the mattress all the while moving his lips against mine in a delicious rhythm.

This was not supposed to happen but now that it has I don't know if I can stop it. The both of us are topless, our warm skin pressing against each other in a way it never has before. My body feels alive and wild as he presses his body against mine. When he breaks the kiss I gasp in protest, but his lips find my jaw and work their way down my neck and I lose myself in the sensations exploding under the skin he touches.

Nik props himself up on his hands, braced on the bed on either side of me. Our eyes meet, and I don't think I will ever look away. The hypnotising brown of his eyes reaches inside me, calling out the most intimate memories of our past. I can remember our first kiss, the second, and many others after that. I remember the first time he touched me and goosebumps rise on my skin.

"What do you want?" Nik whispers in a rough, pleading voice as he trails his fingertips inside the waistband of my wet jean shorts.

I bite my lip, knowing that I can't give him the answer he wants me to give. If I could be honest with him, my answer would be simple: I want all of you. But I can't be honest, because one of us has to be reasonable here. I take a deep breath and get myself under control.

"Something I can't have." I whisper back, "I don't think it's a good idea if we..." I trail off, annoyed at myself for killing the mood.

"That's fine." Nik whispers and lowers his head back to my neck, kissing a slow trail back up to my mouth. His lips tease me, barely grazing my own and it brings a smile to my face. "It doesn't mean we have to stop." He whispers against my lips and offers me a wicked grin.

Now that the line is clearly drawn in the sand, and I know that he is okay with it, I allow myself to let go again. Our mouths find each other's and we fall into a place where only the two of us exist. My hands explore his exposed skin as his do the same to me. I'm impressed by his restraint as his wandering hands never come to the button of my shorts or the clasp of my bra.

I attempt to memorize every bump and ripple across his back and over his arms. His skin is hot and soft, rising with goosebumps as I trail my fingers along the side of his rib cage. My hands find his hair, and I run my fingers through his blonde locks, savoring the feel of it sliding through my fingertips. We have never been together this way, and I am desperate to remember every moment.

When my lips feel swollen from kissing, and my body can't take the tension anymore, I don't even need to ask Nik to stop. We silently come to the agreement together and I lay next to him, our legs intertwined together and my hands trailing patterns on his bare chest. As we stare into each other's eyes, the only thing running through my mind is, I love him. I love him. Oh dear god, I fucking love him.

Several hours later, Nik's backyard is alive with the sounds of music, laughter and splashing in the pool. Today is the last day before Nik's parents return home from their vacation; Therefore, we are making the most of it. Our usual group of friends is in attendance, along with some others I recognize from the first party I went to.

This party differs from the last. The most obvious reason, Nik and I are together now. We are essentially attached at the hip and I enjoy every dirty look I receive from the unfamiliar females in attendance. I guess it really is a shocker for Nik to be like this with a girl, and I am glad it's me who gets the honor. I ignore the fact that it is most likely me who made him weary of girls in the first place.

I can't help but notice the distance between Nik and Hayden as the day goes on. The two of them haven't been right since our camping trip. I know this rift between them is because of me;This is something I can't ignore. When Chase proposes a game of beer pong, I immediately suggest that Nik should team up with Hayden.

"There is still some tension there." Jennie comments as she carelessly flops her legs over mine. We watch the game of beer pong from the plush patio furniture, from here I have the perfect view of Nik and Hayden's facial expressions.

"I know," I sigh in frustration. "They need to get over it."

"What is it, exactly?" Jennie raises her brow at me and twirls her dark hair around her fingers. "You never really told me what started all this tension between them."

"Me, I guess. Nik saw us talking and I guess we looked too intimate. I get it though, of course his mind will go there after everything I put him through in the past." I explain while my eyes remain glued on the tense set of Nik's shoulders.

"He has to know you're not interested in Hayden. I mean, I see the way you look at him and there is no doubt in my mind that you are completely in love with him."

My head snaps to face Jennie and my eyes are wide with concern. Love. Is it that clear on my face? I have always had feelings for Nik but it was only earlier today that the thought crossed my mind; I am in love with him.

"Oh, come on baby, you haven't admitted it to yourself yet?" Jennie continues.

"Yes," I whisper, "but that doesn't mean you need to go shouting it from the rooftops!" I complain. "Besides, it's not like I can tell him how I feel. How fair would that be when I have less than a month left here?"

"If telling him... that helps him to move past this thing with Hayden, don't you think it's worth it to tell him the truth?"

I consider this and conclude that yes, it would be worth it. The last thing I want is to leave a path of destruction behind me when I leave. Sure, it might hurt us both a hundred times more to leave each other, knowing that I am completely in love with him. But at least it will leave his friendship intact.

The air fills with whoops and laughter as Chase and Cal each land a ping-pong ball in Hayden and Nik's cups on the opposite side of the table. I watch as Nik and Hayden fish out the balls from their cups and as Nik brings his cup to his lips, Hayden murmurs something under his breath. As Nik lowers his cup, the tension between his shoulders coils tightly, his back stiffens and he turns to face Hayden completely.

A brief exchange of whispers occurs between them and when Hayden's gaze flashes over to me, I know this isn't good. The second I see Nik's right hand clench into a fist I push Jennie's legs off of me and jump to my feet. But it's too late. With a loud crack Nik's fist collides with Hayden's jaw.

"Nik!" I screech in protest as I watch Hayden take the hit with ease, only stumbling back a few steps before lunging at Nik and tackling him to the ground. I push past Clare and Bev trying to reach the rolling mass that is Nik and Hayden but Jordan's arms wrap around my waist holding me back. Chase and Cal are on them in an instant, taking hits as they struggle to detangle the two of them.

"Let go!" I scream. By now, the entire party is at a standstill. Everyone has their eyes trained on the spectacle before them. Do they know that this is all my fault?

Somehow, I wrestle out of Jordan's tight grip and rush towards the fight, my heart racing in my chest. The sight of blood pulls me up short and my stomach twists. I can't let them do this to each other. "Nik, stop it!" I yell in a choked voice.

His eyes instantly find mine and I am terrified by the wild rage in them. It appears I have gotten his attention though, because he drops the fist he was about to send flying into Hayden's ribs. As we stare at each other, the rage fades from his eyes and I see regret there now.

"Get the hell out of here." Chase hollers and everyone that isn't our usual group of friends disperses.

"I'm just trying to help you." Hayden yells from around Jordan, who is attempting to push him towards the gate. He swats Jordan's hands away from him, spits a mouthful of blood on the ground and walks away, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Nik doesn't acknowledge Hayden at all; his attention is fully on me now. He wipes the blood from his busted lip on his forearm and approaches me slowly. My heart races in my chest at the sight of him like this. Cut open lip, red sweaty face, ripped shirt, and bloody knuckles. When he holds out one of his bloodied hands towards me, I take it without hesitation.

"Are you okay?" He asks me as if I am the one who just got into a fight. Our other friends disperse, leaving the two of us alone.

"I caused this, didn't I?" I whisper.

"No." He shakes his head firmly. "This had nothing to do with you."

I don't believe him. How can I when before our camping trip everything was fine, and now it's not? I know it was my perceived closeness to Hayden that caused this fight. Why can't I stop ruining his life? He can see it on my face that I don't believe his words, the tears building in my eyes must give me away.

"Haven, don't." Nik complains as he blots at his bloody lip with his torn shirt. I do my best to prevent the tears from falling, the last thing Nik needs is to comfort me when he just got into a fistfight with one of his best friends. "Don't worry," Nik pulls me into him with one arm, his skin is hot to the touch, his chest still rising and falling rapidly from the adrenaline. "Hayden and I will talk this shit out soon."

"If it's not me," I question curiously. "Then why are you two fighting?"

Nik hesitates, bites his lip as he tries to find the words and then cringes from the pain. "Fuck," he mumbles and puts his shirt back to his lip. "He just thinks he knows what's best for me. I don't wanna talk about it." He spits out quickly and so firmly that I don't push the matter, at least not right now.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No," he responds with a loud sigh. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

He doesn't sound overly apologetic, almost as if it is an inconvenience to him that I was there to witness his aggression. I raise my eyebrows at him, watch as he twists his torso from side to side, working out the kinks and tenderness the many shots to the ribs probably caused him. Why isn't he meeting my eyes? Is he embarrassed of his behaviour or angry at me?

"It's not a big deal." I try to sound cheerful, but my words come out too high-pitched. An instant red flag.

"You used to be better at lying." Nik scoffs and his words sting but he doesn't even notice me physically flinch away from them. I guess I can't blame him. I am sure his mind is running in a million different directions right now.

"I'm not lying. It's honestly no big deal, as if I haven't seen a fight before?" While Nik continues the assessment of his body, I try to push us back into normalcy. "Besides, it's kind of hot."

"Really." Finally, he meets my eyes and a wicked grin is resting on his face.

I have to admit, in the moment it was not 'hot' at all. Actually, it was slightly terrifying watching Nik's face flash with such intense rage and then seeing the brute force of his fists flying into Hayden's body. But now, seeing him standing here in front of me with that busted lip and that ridiculously attractive grin on his face, it really is hot.

"I shouldn't say things like that, you will start getting into fights all over the place." I joke and take his hand in mine. I am vaguely aware of the others watching us. What do they think of me now? Do they see me as the person tearing their group apart?

"Don't be silly. I would never do that." Nik reassures me. "Come on, let's attempt to enjoy the rest of our night."

"You will talk to Hayden, right?" I question before allowing him to pull me towards the others.

"Yes Haven, I will." He reassures me again and I decide to believe him.

"So," Jennie begins seriously. "Note to self, do not play beer pong with Nik, he will attack if you lose." I know she is joking, and everyone else laughs with her including Nik, but I wish she wouldn't make light of the situation.

"Let's just forget it." Cal says clapping a hand down on Nik's shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze.

I catch a look flash between them, and I wonder what Cal knows that I don't. My eyes wander to each of Nik's friends standing before me, do they all know something I don't? Do they know the real reason Nik and Hayden are fighting? And if they do, why doesn't he trust me enough to tell me?