Looking up at the tall gates, Harley gulped at the ominous atmosphere that drifted throughout the place. She shivered when she felt the wind crept up at the back of her exposed neck. There was uncertainty in her step, debating whether she should go through with it or not. A heavy hand sat on her shoulder, making her jump from the contact. Remembering that Gray was with her made Harley sigh in relief. He gave her the comfort she needed and that was all that mattered.

"You don't have to do it if you're not comfortable yet," he murmured quietly.

She shook her head, "No. I have to."

Harley grabbed his hand, intertwining it together as she gave it a light squeeze for reassurance. Gray returned the gesture to let her know that he was there for her. She then let go and proceeded to go beyond the gates. It was something she had to do alone so she asked Gray to stay behind. The place was eerily quiet but somehow Harley could feel the serenity of it. It may be the place for the dead but it was also for people who grieved with longing for their loved ones. It symbolizes their presence which made people remember the life they lived whilst their heart beat strongly.

There was only one objective and that was to finally face Nate Erikson. After his funeral almost three years ago, Harley never visited his grave. It was too much for her to handle. The pain she felt only made it tougher to see him buried six feet under the ground.

"Nate," she whispered sadly when she finally saw his abandoned tombstone. Her heart twisted in pain when the weeds had grown around it. There were no signs of any visitation from his family or friends and that broke her. She fell on her knees, crying as she tried to take them all out.

When the weeds were all cleared out, Harley tried to catch her breath from the frustration and anger she felt. "I'm so sorry, Nate. I should have been there for you," she cried harder.

She cried for his pain, the loneliness he must have kept bottled up and for the life, he had to take away on his own. He was so young to even realize that there was still a good life that awaited him; if he only believed that everything was going to be okay. It always would. Eventually.

Nate, wherever you are, I hope you're in a better place now. I may not have found my purpose in this life yet but I hoped that you found some purpose with what we had together. If you found a bit of happiness in my company then I'm glad I took away some of that ache away. I lost you but you're never forgotten.

The visit had drained her immensely but it felt good in a way that she finally made her peace with Nate. She promised herself that she would visit him more often, might even bring him some flowers, she thoughtfully reminded herself. When she exited the cemetery, face dried from tears, Gray straightaway went in to hug her. He witnessed how she broke down in there as she cried her heart out. His mother always told him that crying was okay. It helped to discharge some of the unwanted feelings that had been suppressed for far too long.

Gray led Harley back into his car so they could drive back to her apartment. It had been a long day for the both of them. She needed to be pampered, pronto.

The first thing that Harley did when she stepped into her apartment was faceplanting on her bed. All this crying exhausted her, snuggling into her comforter to finally get some needed sleep. She felt her bed dip, recognizing that Gray hadn't left yet.

"Don't sleep yet, sunshine. I'll make you a warm dinner."

"When did you even learn how to cook?" She mumbled sleepily.

He chuckled, "Been living with the guys for so long. We can't live off pizza and Indian take-out forever. I'm not great at it but somehow they look forward to it every night."

She felt him shudder from the mere mention of pizza, making her smile at his thoughtfulness. "I look forward to a hearty meal, then."

He kissed her forehead, "Rest for a little while. I'll be back."

The show of affection stunned Harley while Gray didn't seem affected by his action. It felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He left leaving Harley to calculate every move he made since he got here. The sleepiness she felt already left her. No matter how much she tried to resist it, she knew that having Gray around would eventually reopen a portal that once upon a time made her heart beat wildly.

Gray's head peeked from the door moments later, expecting her to still be asleep.

"Harley?" he called out softly.

She was already sitting at the edge of her bed, lost in thought. When she heard the door creak, she turned her head to see Gray with a bowl of something very hot.

"I made you some chicken noodle soup." He grinned as he sauntered into the room, placing the hot soup on her bedside table. "Careful, it's still hot."

"Thank you, Gray." It wasn't just for the soup so she quickly added, "for everything."

"You know I'd do anything for you," he murmured.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" she blurted out the question which was a little too much to ask but she needed his warmth, needed to feel him. It was probably out of desperation because she'd been lonely for so long. But deep down, she just missed him a lot. The visit she made with Nate finally gave her the closure she badly needed – to finally move on.

Without hesitation, he easily responded, "Of course."

♪ ♫ ♬

"Here." Gray tossed a small paper bag towards Harley which she caught with ease. He just came from his parents' house and decided to do a quick stop at a shopping center.

She looked puzzled, "What the hell is this?" It wasn't even her birthday yet.

"Just open it," he commanded.

Harley was quick to open the bag, digging inside only to grab a box of some sort. She read the label and her eyes widened in surprise. "Okay, woah, I can't accept this."

"Why not?" Gray knew it was a little too much to give her a cellphone but everyone has been using one lately. It was easier to reach her with this handy device. He could call her any time during the day, even leave a text message whenever he wanted.

"This is an expensive gift, Gray. You can't just go around and give people random presents." she sighed.

He knelt down by the couch where she was comfortably seated, scooting in between her legs. "You're not just some 'random people', sunshine. I want you to have it so I could reach you anytime, anywhere. You don't even own a house phone."

"I don't have enough budget for calls." She mumbled.

"It's already been paid for. Don't worry about it. As long as I'm able to reach you and for you to just keep charging it." Harley's head snapped up to look into his piercing eyes. Disbelief was evident in her features. She was about to retort something, probably an excuse not to accept it, but Gray was quick to add, "If you won't accept it, I'm going to kiss you right now, not even going to hold back," smirking triumphantly when she made a sharp intake of breath.

Her eyes were calculating and narrowed as she held her gaze with Gray's. "You're not serious," she deadpanned.

"Do you want to bet?" He looked serious but in reality, he was fighting off a smile he was trying to control.

"Ugh! Fine!" She lightly pushed his face away from hers and was fighting a smile when Gray gave off a melodious laugh. She fiddled with the box, opening it to see its content. It was a flip phone, the newest trend on the market. "This is... Thank you, Gray." Harley smiled thoughtfully. She knew that Gray would only bite her head off is she insisted not to accept it.

"I'm on speed dial #1. Call me anytime, okay?"

She only nodded in response. Uncontrollable feelings of affection surged through her body, feeling hot all over. It was new that someone else was taking up all his time to care for her. The pity party that she had been throwing herself every single day had to stop. And for the first time in a long while, her heart bloomed once again.

♪ ♫ ♬

Another week went by, Gray mostly stayed with Harley. While she went to her ballet classes, he went home during the day to stay at his parents' house. Harley finally had opened up to the fact that there was this special bond that tied them both together. It may not have a label yet but it was something they valued. They fell into a comfortable routine, taking turns in preparing a meal while the other was in charge of dishwashing duty. They spent most of their time cuddling on the couch, basking in each other's warmth.

Gray observed that she had been smiling more which was the most breathtaking sight to see. She may not have noticed it but he would gaze at her affectionately whenever she started talking about her day. Captivated by her innocent beauty, he hadn't noticed that his lips were inching closer to hers.

She stopped talking midway, noticing that their gazes had locked with a compelling trance.

"What are you up to?" She whispered breathlessly.

He had a small smile on his face, "Your lips are very tempting."

Laughing lightly at his bold attempt, she replied with, "It's cherry flavored." The lip balm she used was indeed fruity.

"Interesting," he hummed in delight.

"Are you trying to kiss me?"

"Yes... but I need you to tell me that you want it too. I can wait for a little more longer. It's just that I'm done hiding my feelings for you."

Of course, she wanted it. Was it too soon though? Everything was happening abruptly that she couldn't keep up. She finally felt good about herself and Gray's company had been uplifting as well. Although, being in a relationship wasn't something she wanted as of the moment. Her heart had been broken enough. Harley didn't need to question everything that was going to happen. She was tired of expecting the worse after what she went through with Nate.

But whatever her future held, she strongly wished that Gray was still in it.

She carefully nodded, confirming that she wanted it. Without wasting any second, Gray softly placed his lips on hers. The jolt of their connection burst into the room like a confetti popper, leaving tiny glitters floating around. That was how Harley had described it. It was so strong that she was unsure how to control it. But, Gray held her in place, guiding her into his arms as they left the ground together. This was raw and primal that Harley didn't expect the intensity of it all. Gray couldn't hide his surprise as well. He had waited for this moment to happen and it was simply beyond the dreams he had imagined it to be.

Their kiss deepened, making Gray crave for more. As she was being carried to the bedroom, Harley was out of it. There was no turning back. What she felt for Gray was so powerful that she felt her crashing world being steadied again.

Gray laid her carefully on the bed. Their eyes met and smiled at each other, seeing as they both knew what was the other one was feeling at that moment. Pure bliss. Harley wounded her arms around Gray's neck, bringing him down for another kiss. This time, they both felt the need to get closer. His hand wandered under her shirt, feeling her hot smooth skin. Harley gasped, emitting a small laugh when his hand slightly tickled her. As Gray explored her body without any inhibitions, his lips were now busy traveling across the side of her face, sliding down to her neck. She involuntary moaned which made Gray growl in approval.

The temperature inside the bedroom began to rise as their bodies heated from their arousal. All logical thoughts came out the window when their clothes finally came off one by one. Their bodies connected, dancing to a perfect rhythm as their eyes never left one another. The experience in itself was so emotional that at one point Harley froze when she got frightened with all that was happening. It was too much for her to handle.

Harley's heart rate accelerated when she felt the panic rise. Her eyes watered unknowingly in which she felt something pulling her back to the dark place where she believed she truly belonged. The emotions rushed through, letting her think of how her life should always be: pathetic and alone.

He noticed that her eyes were no longer connected with him. It was a far-off look that he instantly recognized where he knew Harley's mind had wandered into the deep end. As he kept calling her name softly, she whimpered like a bruised animal. However, Gray whispered reassuring things to slightly calm her nerves.

"Don't let go of me now. I'm here, sunshine," he cooed. "It's alright, follow my voice and come back to me."

She snapped back to reality, seeing Gray's ash-colored eyes. It soothed her inner struggle, knowing that she wasn't alone in this anymore. He gave her a reassuring smile then showered her with kisses, urging her to connect with him again.

The rest of the night went by smoothly, cuddled in each other's arms. Harley was breathing steadily as she snuggled into his arms with a small smile on her face. Her dream must have been nice as Gray watched her sleep. He never thought that he would want this kind of life with her. But then, he was reminded that his life as a musician would not allow him the normalcy he had hoped. The morning after was something he didn't think through. 

    ♡ ♡ ♡  

Hello! 

Ermmm.. still not the end lol. I still have a few more chapters left. I hope you enjoyed the update! :) I'm trying to write offline so I could concentrate more and it is kind of working for me. 

Tell me what you think about this chapter. Comment! xxx

x Jovi