When I awake my attention immediately locks onto the strong arms wrapped protectively around my small frame. Without opening my eyes, I carefully roll to face him before burying my nose against his neck to breathe in his scent. It's odd really, how comfortable and safe I feel in his arms. I swallow hard though when my fears begin to rear their ugly head. It won't last, my subconscious reminds me, all men are the same. Men take want they want and leave you with nothing.

"Adelaide?" Oliver's voice is soft.

"Hmm?" I respond as I breathe in deeply again. I know this sense of comfort won't last but I want to remember what it feels like. I want to remember what it feels like to be unafraid of someone's touch.

"How did you sleep?" His hand slips around my jaw line softly before he forces my eyes to meet his.

"Okay." I lie, I slept amazing.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" His teddy brown eyes fill with concern as they scan my face.

"No," I say simply. "Thank you for staying with me and for not trying anything."

His eyes widen. "Fuck, Adelaide. Do you honestly think that lowly of me?" his accent is thick, he's clearly offended.

"I think that lowly of all men don't be offended," I confess coolly before removing myself from his arms and standing from the bed. "Close your eyes," I demand.

He does as told by pulling the pillow out from under his head and coving his face with it. "I would never try anything with you."

His words sting, but I can't decipher why. In one swift movement I remove my leggings and pull on a pair of jeggings. My eyes scan the room for my bra and I quickly locate it under Oliver's pants. Without taking off Oliver's shirt I put it on underneath.

"I want to take you somewhere," Oliver speaks up.

"Where?" My curiosity is peaked, but am I even comfortable with going somewhere with him, especially alone? I locate my navy-blue shoreline converse and pull them on.

"The one place I go when I need to scream at the world." He peeks an eye out from under the pillow. "Please let me take you."

"Why do you want to take me so bad?"

"Because I think you have earned the right to scream at the world." He stands from the bed and swiftly removes his sweatpants.

I quickly turn my back, so I am no longer facing him.

"Adelaide, I want you to know something." He swallows loudly. "I can't be," he stops. "If I ever see that guy, I'll kill him."

I laugh; not because I doubt his words, I hardly know him, but because he doesn't even know David's name much less what he looks like.

Oliver lightly touches my shoulder, so I turn to face him. "I mean it. I won't ever let someone touch you like that again."

"Why are you so protective? You don't even know me." I search his face for a sign, but none are given.

"No one should have to go through what you did, especially not twice," he says simply before grabbing my purse and walking to the door. "You comin', love?"

"What did I say about calling me love?" I roll my eyes as I walk pass him, grapping my purse from him as I do.

He smirks to himself, but I saw it and I can't help but smile to myself as I walk down the hallway and out into the morning air. When I realize I have no idea where I am supposed to go, I slow down to allow Oliver to lead the way. He pulls out his keys as he approaches a large black Chevy Tahoe with a lift kit. He reaches for the passenger door and opens it for me.

As I climb in, I fight the urge to say, "Your charm won't work on me," but I decide against it. I can't figure him out yet. We don't know each other really but from the small amount of encounter we have had he always seems calm and gentle with me. Almost to calm and gentle.

We drive in silence for nearly two hours. Luckily, he handed me the AUX cord, so I had complete control over the music and to my surprise he didn't protest very many songs. Oliver drives through downtown Newport and down Route 101 until we hit a beautiful coastal range. He pulls off and without a word kills the engine and climbs out.

My eyes lock on the horizon just passed the breath-taking bluffs that Oregon is known to possess.

"You comin love?"

I grit my teeth before climbing out. "Don't call me love!"

"Why do you hate it so much?" He smirks.

I roll my eyes. "I'm sure most girls swoon over it. Problem is I am not most girls—"

"You most certainly are not," he mumbles to himself.

"So, stop trying to use it on me." My tone is harsher than I intend it to be, but I can't help the fear of being baited in. There is still so much I don't understand about him. Primarily, why the hell am I so comfortable around him? I don't even know him!

"You know just because one man did an absolutely terrible thing to you doesn't mean all of us are the same."

"That's exactly what it means!" Out of frustration I throw my hands into the air. "Men see something they want, and they take it without any regards to who they hurt. That's what they do."

Anger flashes in his eyes, and he quickly looks away. "I'm a man, does that mean I take what I want?"

"I don't know you well enough to answer that, but if you haven't yet one day you will. Some poor girl will give you her entire heart along with every ounce of trust she has, and you will crush her beneath your boot without a single thought." I try to keep my tone calm. "You may not force yourself on a woman the way David did to me, but you will take everything and leave her with nothing all the same."

"David?"

Shit, I slipped his name didn't I. Why am I not crying? I always cry at the thought of him. "That's his name, the man who took everything from me." I remain oddly calm before continuing to walk down the path to the cliffs. "Is this where you come to scream at the world?" I change the subject.

"May I?" He holds his hand out towards me once we stand only a few feet back from the edge.

My eyes dart from the waves crashing on the rocks below to looking at his hand questionably. "May you what?"

"Never mind." He drops his hand back to his side, just when I start to note the disappointment in his features his lips pull into a smirk. "Scream."

My heart begins to race. "Scream? Why?"

"That's what I brought you here to do so scream." He faces the open ocean and screams at the tops of his lungs with very little regard to how ridiculous he looks.

I breathe in deeply before letting out I little scream.

"I said scream." He laughs before screaming loudly again, he looks like a complete maniac.

I try again but yet again he looks at me with disappointment. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I laugh nervously.

"You aren't giving it your all. You have to completely let go, channel every ounce of pain you have ever felt out." He walks behind me, and I freeze anxious for what he will do. "You need to push it out from here-" his hand wraps around me to touch my stomach "-not here." His other hand reaches up so his warm finger tips can gesture towards my neck. "Now try again."

When he takes a step back, I allow my mind to remember that day.

"Look at me beautiful," David commands. "I want you to remember my face every time another man touches you." He grips my face tight, so my face is directly in front of his, but I hold them shut. He lets go briefly to allow his palm to connect firmly with my cheek. "I said look at me!"

My eyes flash open and in that moment, I knew anytime someone touched me it would be his face I see. Even if I wanted to love someone, truly and completely, he would always be there.

Without warning the largest scream ripped through me, and Oliver quickly joined in. Now we both looked like a couple of maniacs screaming at the world. I don't know what he has to scream about but I am glad I am not alone. Our screams slowly turn into laughter and without a single thought Oliver pulls me against him to brush my wind whipped hair behind my ear.

His eyes glance down at my lips just briefly before he makes the bold move of leaning in. However, I don't pull away. He captures my lips in his and my heart is sent racing. My mind remains silent until David's words ring loud in my head, I want you to remember my face every time another man touches you.

"Stop!" I shove Oliver back hard before wiping away his kiss, his eyes immediately fill with hurt. "I have a line that I don't cross, and we just crossed it. Don't ever kiss me again. We can't be friends, how many times must I tell you that? I want to go home, please take us back." Without another word I hurry off towards his Tahoe.

He quickly follows and climbs into the driver's seat without looking my way. I don't blame him though, what is there to say. We were having a nice time; any normal girl would have loved today but I am not normal. That much is clear.

The air hangs heavy during the ride so I turn the radio down. The silence is killing me, someone needs to say something and obviously it is going to be me. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" he asks through clenched teeth.

"What do you have to scream about? You told me to channel all my pain into it, I guess it just makes me curious what pain you have been through." I watch as his hands grip the steering wheel tighter causing his knuckles to whiten.

"That information is reserved for friends, which I think you made pretty fucking clear we are not." He's angry that much is obvious, but I didn't expect it to sting this bad having that rage directed at me.