This chapter is for Maya who is helping to make this story better. I can't thank you enough.

.........................

"Where are we exactly going?" I asked again as I leaned against the side door, staring out the window.

"Why so impatient Eva?" Said Carter his eyes glued on the road.

I watched him as he drived, he was wearing a light blue jacket, his gesture calm. Suddenly he looked towards me, I blushed being caught staring at him.

"Are you tired?" He asked concern on his face.

"No I'm just hungry" I replied pouting.

He turned back to the road smiling.

"Who said I was taking you to a resturant? It could be a haunted house"

Suddenly my nightmare from last night came back, the dark house, dead Abel, Carter being shot.

"Eva?"

Carter's voice broke in my mind and I realised he had stopped the car.

"Are you okay? If your not feeling well we can go back" he said reaching out for my hand.

"I am fine Carter, I'm really happy" I replied with a smile, trying to convince him.

He didn't seem entirely convinced but anyhow started the car. It took us another fifteen minutes to reach the place and it wasn't an expensive resturant or movie theater as I had expected it was a forest.

Carter parked the car on the side of the road and smiled at me wickedly.

"We're here" he said.

I opened the door and steppes out, walking across the car to where the tress were. Carter held out his hand as I took it and started walking. O

I wasn't scared cause I was with Carter. This sense of protection that Carter gave was very calming and he has been giving it even before we started dating. I feel safe when I'm with him.

We got deeper inside the forest, the sun setting as the dark spread.

"Almost there" said Carter in a low voice.

He placed his hands around my eyes and moved me forward.

"I really hope you like it" he whispered in my ear.

After a few more steps we stopped, he moved his hands away from my eyes. I gasped when I opened them, amazed at what I saw in front.

"Carter" I whispered my eyes gleaming.

The tress were decorated with tiny fairy lights, all around giving a cosy and fairytale like feeling. There was a round table with two chairs in the center under a tree that had small chits of paper hanging from them. The table and chairs were white and pink and so pleasing to look at. There were petals of my favourite flower covering the ground.

It looked like a dream.

"Carter this...this is beautiful" I said.

My eyes couldn't move, taking in every tiny detail. I felt Carter stand behind me, his hands wrapped around my body lightly. His chin resting on my shoulder.

"Glad you liked it" he whispered in my ear.

I could feel his smile. I walked forward to the tree and got hold of a piece of paper. There was something written on it. It was Carter's handwriting, I recognised it.

'The first time I saw you was in the singing class ten years ago and I swear I still remember my heart skip a beat.'

I smiled and held another one.

'The second time I saw you was in english class and I found myself not able to look away'

'That english project was the best thing that happened to me'

'That day when I came to your house for the first time and your father invited me for lunch was the first time I realised you were so much more than just another high school girl'

'The night of the storm was the first time I noticed how beautiful your eyes are'

'When I saw you with Kaiden I felt protective over you and I felt jealous seeing you with someone'

'The night we ate ice-cream in my car was when I fell for your soothing voice'

'The time when you came to my house to finish the project was when I got addicted to you laugh'

'When I came to your house bleeding I realised who kind you are as a human'

'The time we went to the concert that never happened is my favourite time that I spent with you, my favourite memory of you'

'That hug made me see that you mattered to me in a way no one else did'

'When you told me you liked me I swear I skipped a beat'

'When you stopped talking to me I felt empty'

'When you got kidnapped I realised I loved you'

'When I saw you in that bed, motionless I realised I couldn't go on without'

'When I look at you now I know you are made just for me. Only me'

I felt Carter's hand slid into mine bit I couldn't look away. This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me, the kind of thing I used to read in fairytales when I was little, the kind of thing everyone said never happened in reality. I felt happy, lucky and blessed.

I faced Carter as he traced my face with his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"This is....I....Carter....." I paused and looked away not wanting him to see me cry.

He stepped forward and hugged me, telling me that I don't have to say anything, that he gets it.

"Thankyou" I whispered.

"Now, lets eat shall we? I remember you were starving" he said and lwad me towards the table.

Pulling out the chair he helped me in and disppeared behind the tress.

"You did all of this yourself?" I asked.

"Of course" he said bringing a huge platter and setting it down.

"Liar"

He looked at me and raised his eyebrow.

"You didn't hire someone? And didn't Drake help you?"

"No Eva I did all of this myself"

"I'm impressed" I said as he served me my plate.

"I also made this myself" he said and then walked over to his side.

He had made something that I didn't quite understand, there was two huge pieces of chicken accompanied by a red sauce that had vegetables in it. I took the first bite and it tasted delicious.

"This is good" I said closing my eyes, tasting every ingredient.

He nodded and took his bite. I wasn't able to finish all of it, it was more than enough for me.

"I did try to make dessert but I burned it" said Carter with guilt.

"Its fine, I'm full anyways. This was perfect" I replied.

He took his last bite and then a sip of his drink. I watched him, amazed at how he had made me feel so much today. He looked up at me with a serious look on his face.

"Now, the truth that you deserve to know" he said.

I sat up and nodded. He took a deep breath and looked away.

"Three years ago Drake got in a fight with his parents, he wanted to buy this really expensive car but his father refused. He didn't give up the idea and to get money he did something really stupid. He started gambling"

Carter looked directly at me now.

"But except of winning anything he lost, a huge amount and if he didn't pay back to those people from whom he lost they would have killed him. He came to me of course after ruining everything. After a lot of thinking we went to this guy at our school who had told us if we had any problem relating money we should contact him."

"He took us to this guy named Paul who was a drug dealer and handler. He had a whole group under him that worked solely for this purpose. Believe it or not there is a huge underground mafia relating drugs in our city. He promised that he would pay us the desired money if we shipped his drugs to another city. We agreed and delievered, didn't got caught and got the money."

He took a deep breath and looked away again.

"But we didn't stop there, when you get money so easily you don't want ro give it up. And so for three years we have been doing this"

He stopped talking and I didn't say anything, I didn't know what to say. He had told me a big secret about his life. I wanted to say something that was right but didn't know what.

After a few minutes he looked at me, when my silence became noticable.

"Do you hate me now?" He asked fear visible on his face.

"N..No" I said quickly. I don't want him to think like this.

"Um...what...what about Kaiden" I asked.

"Kaiden was part of our rival group, the one Rick used to work for, the one who kidnapped you. He was the best they had. When a new drug comes to the city there are fights and deaths between groups about who will get their hands on them. A year ago Kaiden realised that he was so good he didn't need to work under someone, he could make a living for himself. So he stole a huge amount, left the group and disappeared with Caroline."

"Caroline was also part of the rival group, that's how she knew Kaiden. What you told me about Caroline and Kaiden I already had known. I started dating her so I could keep an eye on the other group, she was doing the same. I didn't know when feelings got caught up"

"I won't lie to you Eva, there was a time I felt something for Caroline but not anymore and it was never as strong as this" he said and reached out for my hand.

I nodded and squeezed his hand, trying to ensure him that its okay.

"But I am going to stop this, I won't be doing this anymore, I have other beautiful reasons to live" he said smiling.

I felt relief wash over me after hearing that. He was going to leave everything, we don't have to go through what happened again.

"Won't this Paul mind?"

"He's going to be really angry, after all I am the best he has but he'll have to agree" he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

I smiled and looked behind me at the tree.

"I am going to take these notes with me" I said.

"You don't really have to, you have me to say those words to you everyday" said Carter.

"Lets leave them, so if another idiot like me passes by from here he could read these and do the right thing"

We got back to the car soon after, it was dark outside, the moon visible behind clouds. My curfew was nine and the time was past ten now. So when we Carter stopped the car in front of the house I wasn't surprised to see mom standing in the doorway waiting, glaring at us.

"Bye" I said and opened the door to leave.

"Eva" Carter called as I stepped out.

"I love you" he said when I looked at him.

"I love you too"

The night sure is beautiful.

...............................

Here you have it the truth finally. How do you feel about it???
COMMENT AND VOTE