Chapter song "Happening" by Olivia Broadfield.

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"AREN'T YOU LIKE, super grateful right now?" I asks turning my neck backwards to smile at Ian who's following behind me, his hand in mine.

"Super grateful that you pulled me out of German class? Yea, I am." He answers sarcastically.

I laugh, stepping on a twig of leaves. "Come on. We're going over to our spot, that ought to be exciting."

Ian lazily smiles. "I thought its 'your spot'?"

"I'm done being stingy. Its ours now. I'm being generous." I say and wink at him. Clench. I hope that didn't look as cringe as it did in my head.

Ian laughs, "and how many other people do you plan on being generous to?"

"Just you and that's saying a lot."

He nods, placing a hand over his chest. "I'm so grateful." Pause. "And yeah, its exciting but I kinda have a test tomorrow and skipping does me no good in that aspect."

"I'm sure you've read enough." I grin as I finally see the running water. "We barely see each other and with your nerdy science Olympiad, I'm sure its been hectic for you. Time to cool off."

Ian nods, placing his hands into his pocket and closing his eyes as he takes a whiff of the environment. I do the same and the fall water scent and woods, is enough to calm anyone's nerves. "I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones who come here. Heck, I'm very sure this place is about a hundred people spot."

I shake my head, "don't be a kill joy. We never meet anyone here. So for as long as we can let's just pretend we're the only ones who know this place and its just our spot."

"That's called being in denial." I glare at him and he smirks. "Fine, just ours."

I smile and start unbuttoning my blazer. Ian's busy looking around, probably thinking about all the nerdy things he's missing out on in German class and its not until his body registers the silence that he turns to me and blinks in surprise.

"W-what are you doing?" He asks eying me closely.

I smirk, now pulling off my knee high socks. When I'm done with that, I start unbuttoning my white shirt and Ian looks away laughing to himself.

"Stop it, Roxanna."

"Stop what?" I tease, popping open the last button and shrugging the cloth off me.

"Undressing. Stop undressing." He says his back facing me.

I locate the side zip on my skirt and pull it down, then proceed to wiggle out the skirt, until I'm just in my bright red laced bra and matching panties. (I came prepared)  "How do you know I'm undressing?"

Ian doesn't say anything and turns to me, his eyes go wide and it takes about ten seconds before he quickly turns back around, pressing his fist over his mouth. "Holy shit, Anna!"

I burst out laughing, "what?"

"Oh my God, put your clothes back on." He exclaims and from over here I can see him smiling, blushing and almost freaking out.

I stretch my legs out like the ballet dances and take slow steps towards him. "Is this your first time seeing a half naked girl?"

"That's my girlfriend and standing less than ten feet from me? Yes."

I bite on my lip and my cheeks burn red. If he doesn't look at me, I'm going to turn all shy, run back to my clothes and bury myself in a hole. I place a hand on his shoulder and he gasps but doesn't move away. "Look at me." He doesn't. "Ian."

I hear him gulp and while biting on my lip to keep the shyness, blushing and anticipation at bay, he turns around. Ian eyes stay glued on my face for about a minute, before his eyes lower down to the rest of my body. "Holy shit." He breathes out and I smile, getting all warm.

"That helps." I say.

"What helps?" He asks, eyes on my breasts before he reluctantly returns to my face.

"The look on your face." I tease and he turns red, running a hand through his hair.

"Helps what, again?" I don't reply and instead start walking backwards. "Roxanna, what are you doing?"

"We are cooling off."

"Anna, don't jump in. The water's gonna be freezing." Ian points out.

"Thereby putting the 'cool' in cooling off." Ian shakes his head at me as I lightly cringe. "It'll be fine."

I flash him a smile and then turn around so I'm facing the water. I'm already on the edge and my heart is hammering like a machine gun. I'm scared but also craving the euphoria and I want to this with Ian. I look back at him one last time before winking and jumping off the cliff.

My hair fly up as my body cuts through the air, free falling downwards for what feels like eternity. Just when I'm starting to freak out about not hitting the water, I finally land in with a loud splash, the water prickling my skin like a million needles as I sink deeper. I'm deaf and blind to the world until I push my legs, hands and whole body upwards until I surface out the water and take in a large breath.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaim, running a hand over my face before I burst out laughing. Ian was so right. It's so cold, it's painful. I look up at him and wave him down. "Your turn."

"Must I? I might freeze to death in there." He yells looking down at me.

"Come on. Don't be a dork." I shout. I can't exactly see his face clearly but he disappears from view and soon, he's jumping in.

"Fuck!" He hisses, reemerging and shaking. I burst out laughing and he glares. "You're so evil."

"You're so cute." I retort, looking down at his shirtless body. The water tops at his chest and I'm feeling bad 'cause I can't see the rest of him. His lightly pale skin would have to do. I can see his contrasting tattooed arm and I can clearly see that the tattoos and the redness of his arm, stops mid shoulder, not around his neck.

"I thought the water was way deeper than this." Ian says looking around the water.

"It is but over at that side." I point towards the falling water. "Aren't you supposed to be the nerd in this relationship?"

He sticks his tongue out to me and I throw my head back in laughter. When I look back at Ian, he's looking at me in thought, his eyes a shade darker with a small, almost undetectable smile on his lips. I blush, sagging down into the water. "What?"

"I wish I was with my camera." He says tilting his head to a side and still looking at me.

"Why?"

"You're very beautiful." He blurts out, I blink at him and he looks away blushing and slapping his hand on the water. "I think you're the most beautiful person I've come across in my whole eighteen years." He smiles to himself and look back at me. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

My shyness slowly goes away as I pull myself up to my full height and walk closer to him. I shake my head. "Not like that."

Ian swallows, his Adam apple bobs as our bodies touch. I can't feel the warmth on his skin because is so cold. He rest his forehead on mine and I put my hand on his shoulder, desperate to get closer. "You were right. Its freezing."

As if letting go of his calm, his arm wraps around me, trapping me closer as our lips meet. Our cold breath entangling with each other. Our tongues are really warm and the more we kiss, the deeper it gets, the more warmth I feel spreading down to my toe.

My fingers move through his wet hair as our lips separate and his kisses move down to my neck, hands running down my side and groping my chest. I moan into his, throwing my legs around him and pulling his head up to mine so our lips connect again. Ian groans into my mouth and I'm not sure he even is aware he just did that and then to my horror, my bra unclasps.

I squeal and jump down him, sinking into the water and crossing my hand over my chest to keep the bra in place. Ian looks confused for about a second before he smiles shyly.

"Sorry?"

"Did you do that?" I ask and I even feel like smiling at the situation.

"No." He shrugs, "but I'm not really sorry."

"Ian!"

He swims closer, I move backwards. "Come on."

"No way."

"It's was already kind of transparent." He points out.

"I still want it on."

"Just once."

"Ian." I cry out, smiling like a lunatic. "Stop."

He raises his hand up, still swimming closer. "I'm not doing anything."

"You so are. With your juju eyes and lips."

He smirks and swipes his tongue over his now plump lip. Before I van move away any further, he suddenly reaches lot, latching onto my hand and pulling me closer. I squeal some more, our bodies colliding. He looks down at me, managing to look so hot, cute... Manly and boyish. How do I fight this?

"Let me?" He asks and I think I nod, I'm not sure. He slowly uncrosses my hand and pulls on a strap until the bra comes off, leaving me bare and exposed. Ian looks at me. "Oh God."

Our lips meet again and this somehow feels more heated, his mouth lowers down to my chest and I have to bite down on my lip to keep the sounds in. Didn't work so well...

We continue making out and it's when I feel his fingers on my panties band, that half my senses come back. I shake my head at Ian and he pulls away.

"Yea... Sorry."

I laugh and we untangle from each other. Ian helps me put my bra back on and we play a little game of catch, float around the water before crawling out to the rocks.

I sit on one, and squeeze water out my hair. Ian retreats from the water and sits beside me. I can finally see the whole of him and I have to force myself to look away from his black boxers before I commit a crime. Instead I look at his body. His long hair is pulled backwards and sticking to each other. I see a small scar crawling out from his scalp.

"What gave you this?" I ask my finger touching the scar, its small but the rest of it is hiding underneath his hair.

Ian touches it like he's not aware its there but recognition finally flashes on his face. "I broke a vase on my head."

I don't know why but I laugh out loud. "What the... why?"

He shrugs, "I wanted to see if I'd pass out."

"Did you?"

"No. It just hurt really badly."

I shake my head. "You're crazy." He smiles slightly, then watches the water fall with seriously. "What about your arm?"

"Hmm?" He turns to me with a raised brow.

I touch his tattooed arm and he doesn't flinch. Its a bit rough against my palm and my eyes stay trained on it. "It's different." I say cautiously. "I know its tattooed on but is it supposed to be red? Its like you got burnt or something."

"I did."

"What?" I look at him, not expecting that reply.

Ian frowns down at his arm. "Remember when I told you our house set on fire?"

I nod, fearing where this was going.

"It happened in the middle of the night and I was inside, sleeping and so was my pregnant mum."

I gasp, my hand flying over to my mouth, a second too late.

Ian doesn't look away from his hand. "I didn't realize it until it was too late. The fire had gone really high and the fumes were choking. I could hear my mum scream and calling my name and despite the scary fire, that kept me going until the fire got to the roof and it started collapsing. A flaming plack of wood fell on me, all over my hand making a barbeque out of me." He smiled morbidly, then looked up at me. "Worst thing was I couldn't pass out, my mum's scream won't let me and if I did I probably won't be here right now. I don't know how but I managed to get the wood off me and maneuver my way around. I couldn't hear my mum's scream anymore and by the time I staggered out of the building, there was already a bunch of people watching the scene."

"I don't know why but I didn't stop walking. With my burnt bloody arm and smoked up ribs, I continued walking and I almost got hit by a car. Tina Howard's car."

"And that's how you met the Howards?"  I say, my voice hoarse and parched.

Ian nods, spreading his arms back and leaning in. "That's how I met them. Imagine my surprise when I wake up from a coma seven months later and I find out a certain couple haven't left my side since."

"They are wonderful people. Angels sent from heaven." I say wiping moisture off my eyes.

Ian nods in agreement. Then tilts his head to me. "Just like you."

I huff, "what have I done for you to be categorized as an angel?"

"You have no idea." He says with a smile.

I smile back looking at his arm. "Did you have tattoos before the... Incident?"

He shakes his head. "No." Then looks at his arm. "I got these after. I hated myself and was dealing with a lot of anger by the time I woke up. Nothing made sense and I had an ugly scar covering my whole arm. I got these after I was discharged. I couldn't stand looking at it and I hated people doing the same. The tattoos make it less obvious."

"Hmm." I nod. "You faced your fear of needles and passed out fifteen times because of it."

He nods, standing up from the rock. "A tattoo means open wound. And the scars signify healing. Its almost impossible to heal from that. The tattoos are my closure."

I smile giving him my hand and he helps me stand up. We start climbing up a bunch of rocks going back to our clothes. "You're freaking strong, you know that right?" He smiles in reply and I hold him tighter lest I slip and fall. "No wonder Jamie likes you."

"Jamie likes me?" He asks surprised.

"Yup and so do a bunch of girls." I say pouting. Ian just nods. I stare at his head. "Don't you have anything to say to that?"

"I like you. Only you."

I blush, as his perfect reply, holding on more tightly to his hand.

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