You guys are the best! Thank you so much for your AWESOME comments and votes!

Please don't forget to Vote, Comment, Share, and Follow! Thanks Guys!

Chapter Track: "Shape of You"~ Ed Sheeran
~~~

~Jude Pov~

'Buzzt'

'Buzzt'

'Buzzt'

"Oh my fuck! Mr. Popular would you please deactivate the bomb that is your phone!"

Toothbrush in mouth, I glared at Kallahan's back as he tied on his boots, getting ready for our trek to the outskirts of town where an abandoned campsite lay desolate and forgotten, and grabbed my phone to see the forty-second message left by Payton. I rolled my eyes and spat out the toothpaste into the nearest trashcan before reading the latest text.

'Jude, c'mon man, please answer. I'm worried about you. You were right, I went entirely too far, I'm sorry. Please, let's talk about this. Love ya Jude.'

"Is that the boyfriend?"

I screamed and fumbled my phone in my hands, catching it just before it fell to the ground. Lying down my phone and toothbrush, I blushed and shook my head quickly at Kallahan's somewhat prying question.

"N-no! He's my friend," I mumbled and he nodded, grabbing my phone to scroll through the mass of messages sent by Payton. He chuckled, "Could've fooled me," I rolled my eyes as he breathed a laugh.

"Oh please, oh please forgive me Jude! I'm begging you, take me back! I'm a shell of a man without you my darling," He said, mocking Payton in a high-pitched voice, and I sighed, snatching the phone from him before jamming it into my back pocket.

"He doesn't sound like that," I murmured and he arched a brow with a cocky smile playing on his lips,"Oh yeah? Check message twenty-four."

Seeing the horror-filled expression on my face as I quickly grabbed for my phone, he guffawed, holding his sides before swinging a tattooed arm around my shoulders.

"Your face was priceless. He didn't send anything like that but seriously, the dude seems just the slightest bit needy," He said, shrugging and I ducked out from under his arm. He grinned and bent down to grab his, well technically my, duffle bag filled with necessities: first aid kit, canned goods, can opener, batteries, flashlight, blankets, pillows, an inflatable mattress with air pump.

"And you aren't? You leapt through my window and begged me to help you, sounds pretty needy to me."

"Oh so the mousy Cupcake has a fiery side, I like it. And touché," He chuckled, opening the sliding door, and we walked outside into the backyard. I locked the door behind us and inserted my hands into the warmness of my hoodie's pockets.

"I still can't believe you're wearing that fucking thing. It's like seventy degrees fahrenheit out here! You're gonna get a damn heat stroke."

I looked up to see concern-filled emeralds beaming down at me and I shrugged, shaking my head. He sighed but didn't push it and we began walking through the woods behind the house, heading towards the mysterious campground that was at least three miles away.

"Hey uh, so this is really nice of you man. Most people would've called the cops on my ass by now but you, you're cool about this whole thing," He mumbled and I nodded numbly, feeling it unnecessary to comment. A breeze blew through the leaves, casting small shadows on the ground to shift as the soft crinkling of leaves filled the silence.

"I've always loved fall."

I glanced up as Kallahan started to talk once again,"It's always so beautiful. It's a time of change and who doesn't love a little change? Ha."

I looked around at all of the different leaves, some green but most were a variety of color's from scarlet red to golden yellow to dull brown. I smiled, watching as a leaf fell from a tree, blowing in the breeze before landing on the ground with the rest of its warmly colored companions. Nature is truly a beautiful thing.

"I remember when I was younger, always thinking that the trees were dying in the fall but it was all really just a part of-"

"-Photosynthesis," we said at the same time and he smiled, nodding his head. I felt as my face started to heat up but I choose to blame the reaction on the chill the breeze brought with it. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he tensed before nudging my hip with his hand, pointing further into the woods.

"Look, it's a fawn," he whispered into my ear and I gasped, watching as the small, spotted deer playfully chased after a monarch butterfly before tripping and falling into a pile of leaves. I giggled at its clumsiness and it's ears perked, turning towards us before dashing away in a flurry of erratically maneuvered limbs.

"He was so cute!"

I covered my mouth, blushing from the base of my neck to the tips of my ears in embarrassment at my outburst.

'Did I just-'

"You squealed? You fucking squealed! Damn Cupcake, just when I think you can't get anymore adorable, you go and prove me wrong," He chuckled, reaching over and removing my hands from face with gentle fingers.

"You don't have to hide, I don't bite. That is, unless you want me to," He whispered slyly, biting the air for dramatic effect, and I hastily dropped my gaze to my beaten up converse before he could see the reaction his statement had on me as we continued marching our way through the leaf-covered ground.

"So what's the deal with your parents?"

I raised my head slightly, looking up at Kallahan through my eyelashes and he stared back at me intently.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't seem all that close to 'em. It's like, they reach out, but you pull away. Why," He questioned, ducking under a tree branch that I had no problem walking under, and I shrugged, walking a bit faster as if to run away from the impending conversation.

"Hold up, I won't bug you about it. If it's anyone that understands parental trouble, it's me. Just, look, if you ever feel the need to vent, my door's always open."

"You don't have a door, you don't even have a house yet," I joked and he snickered, catching up to me and rubbing my shoulders.

"Ha! Well shit, you got me there! Now we should prolly hurry up, don't want you having to go back home through this forest at night," He murmured, quickening our pace once again and I nodded,  somewhat in a daze from the clean smell that Kallahan radiated.

"Did you use the body wash in the shower?"

Kallahan paused and flashed a charming smile, giving a nod, "Yeah, your folks have good taste. What, was I not supposed to?"

"No, no, it just smells really good," I whispered embarrassedly and he slightly tilted his head to the sky, laughing before looking back down at me. "Thanks Cupcake. I like that hazelnut body wash you use, reminds me of my time working at a café."

"You worked at a café," I asked with wide eyes and he smirked, nodding. It wasn't the fact that it was a café that shocked me, it was that fact that someone had hired him with such a reputation.

"Yeah, it was pretty chill. I loved the environment, you know? So quiet and serene. Well, it was, until girls started to recognize me from the club two blocks away. I loved flirting with them in that crowd of moving bodies and blasting music but that's what the atmosphere called for at the time, inside that café, I was different," He left off, seemingly staring at nothing as we continued our journey and I nudged him with my elbow for him to continue. He snapped out of his reverie and peered down at me with a small grin.

"Fine, fine, I get your hint. Well, I didn't feel the need to get their numbers or even get their names to be honest. All I wanted was to serve them their coffee as fast as possible just to get them out of my face quicker," He laughed and I giggled along with him before snorting accidentally. He threw his hands up in the air, letting them flop to his sides as he groaned.

"You're getting cuter by the minute! I swear, my heart can't take all of this, try to dial it back a bit will ya."

I tried to withhold my amusement but failed miserably as the giggles and snorts leaked their way through my covered face. Once again, he groaned but this time it was more endearing as he uncovered my face, holding my hands in his.

"God, you're just too much," he husked, pushing a lock of my hair out of my face before moving away from me, walking towards the camp once again. I stared after him, shock written clearly on my face.

"C'mon, don't fall too far behind. We still have a bit more ground to cover before we reach camp," he shouted over his shoulder and I quickly snapped out of my stupor, rushing to catch up to his rapid pace.

"So, tell me about yourself."

Looking up at him, I raised a brow before shaking my head and lowering my gaze to the ground once again.

"C'mon, I told you my whole life story-"

"I didn't ask you to."

"Cold. But still, it's only fair I get a little info on you."

I sighed, "I have blue eyes."

He narrowed his eyes playfully before stating in a mocking dopey voice, "Really? I had no idea."

I cracked a smile and he laughed along side me before bumping me with his hip, causing me to stumble a bit before righting myself.

"But seriously, tell me something, I don't know, deep about yourself. Like, something you haven't told anyone else. I told you about my batshit crazy mother, my sex-loving father, and my being on the run from the Seattle police; I think I deserve to know something about you," He said and I shrugged, causing him to sigh disappointedly.

"Well, can you at least promise me that when you're more comfortable with me, that maybe you'll share a secret or two?"

I stopped walking all together, looking at him with an incredulous look as he stared back with a hopeful smile, and I tucked a lose strand of hair behind my ear before saying,
"Why does it matter so much to you?"

"Because, you're so mysterious that it's confusing. I never know what to expect so I'm on edge all the time. You're like a rubix cube, or maybe a game of chess," He mused, ending his thoughts with a gentle hum before pausing in his tracks as we came upon clearing.

"Is this it?"

I peeked out from behind the tree limbs that were obscuring my vision and took in the abandoned site. Dry, cracked ground with weeds summed up the camp's rugged terrain. Six wooden cabins aligned in a half circle surrounded a rusting flag pole that towered over the camp like a beacon.

"Well, let's check it out. Shall we?"

I felt a hand brush my own and I peered down to see Kallahan's hand out-stretched towards me invitingly. I bit my lip to contain my smile and slid my hand into his, unbeknownst to the angry vibrating of my phone.

"We shall. And I promise."
~~~

Aww! I'm loving this story, hahahaha! I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I and I hope to see you soon! Bye bye!

Question of the Chapter-
What'd you think of it?

Please don't forget to:

VOTE!

COMMENT!

SHARE!

And FOLLOW!

THANKS GUYS! LOVE YA!