Emily

His hands are situated on my hips, holding me close as his head remains craned back with his eyes pinched shut. I can smell him again, and this time I've got a good feel of him. My thighs cradle each side of his hips, the firmness of his sit against my ass, and my palm grazes his exposed navel, feeling a glimpse of muscle instead of the vest.

Groaning, his body shifts beneath mine, and that's when his eyes snap open and his grip on me tightens. We must've been staring at each other for a long time because it's as if something snaps or clicks, and his palms slowly drag down my sides, leaving his fingers to stroke the sides of my thighs.

"Blondie. . ."

Shaking my head, I wriggle off him and wrap my arms around myself as I give him my back. "I'm sorry, the ride left me a little dazed. I didn't hurt you, right?"

There's silence, then shuffling and scuffing before he finally lets me know I didn't and he's fine. Awkward tension hangs over us, and I want to ask him things, like what that look was when I returned from the dead, but right now doesn't feel like the time. Not only that, but there's one more place, and then we're at my Settings.

Once I'm there. . . I'll be gone, and I'll never see him again. This means I shouldn't let myself catch any feelings, nor should I dwell on anything.

"Where to next, Blondie?"

Opening the Reader, I flick the map to the next slide, and a sigh comes from me. "Just Snapchat, I think we'll be alright."

Nodding, he pushes ahead, and I can tell that something is different with him, and I'm shamefully curious about what it is and how I can find out.

Pixel steps to the side to allow me the space to hop through the Gateway first, and when I do, it's nothing like I expected.

Bright yellow coats everything except the floor, and it's blinding. An ear bursting ring echoes through the room before a wave of vibrations brush beneath the soles of my shoes, and it sends tingles through my feet. A second wave comes, and then there's silence. Knowing what the sound means, I check the Reader for an update, and a message notification is quick to greet me, only it makes me feel as if a bucket of icy water has been poured over me.

Brendan.

Searching for Pixel, there's no sign of him. Calling out his name, there's no reply. Scanning the map, he's still on the other side of the Gateway. I'm about to head through when another wave of vibrations and ringing hits me. This time, they're constant, and it has me stumbling backward onto the floor. Hastily tapping the Reader, I try to find a silence button or a volume key, but there's nothing.

Tears start to bubble up as the noise turns into a powerful onslaught, and my head buries itself into my arms, shaking as I sob to myself like a baby.

"Please, please just stop. . . leave me alone," I whimper, my fingers digging into my sleeves.

Arms wrap around me, and a cry comes from me as I scramble away, the figure blurry through the moist screen. They lower, and I know it's Pixel, not a bad person or Brendan. I try to control my breathing, but they still come out in short, breathless gasps. Warm hands settle on my arms before they travel up for the pads of his thumbs to brush under my eyes, and there's a soft coo from him as he hushes me.

Hiccupping, I shake my head and try to tell him I'm fine, but he doesn't have it. His arms lace around me as he pulls me into his chest, and for a while, I don't do anything because I'm scared of how he will react, and I don't want him to leave me.

"It's OK, Blondie, let it out for me," he whispers against my hair, and like he asks, I start bawling into the crook of his neck.

My fingers clutch the material of his shirt, and the steady sway of his body rocking me is lulling me into a sated state, and then I'm relaxing in his hold as if I were ready to fall asleep.

"Why were you crying?" he murmurs, his thumb rubbing small pattern on my shoulder blade.

"T-the noise. . ."

"And?" he prompts softly, skimming his nose carefully over my hair.

Breathing in his scent, the comfort feels too good to pass up. "They're from Brendan, my ex—can we move on? I don't want to be in here anymore—"

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on." Every line on his face is hard, but I know he's not angry at me, but at the asshole responsible for this flipping racket. "I told you, blondie, I'll be here to help you no matter what, and I'm not going to leave you behind."

My heart feels like it's constricting, and my stomach is heavy with a new type of emotion, but I'm still not sure what to call it. A shudder runs through me, and his hands seem to tighten on me for the briefest moment until his eyes bore into mine.

"Why do you want to know?" I mumble, embarrassed and fearful of what his new intentions are.

One hand rounds to scratch his neck before it works over his jaw and through his hair. He's just as nervous as I am, but he's doing better at holding it together than I am.

"Because I want to know you, Blondie. Everything that makes you who you are, things that make you tick and feel alive. In the time you're here, I want to bring you out of your shell for when you go home because I can see how and who you want to be, and the two combined are spectacular." I'm about to open my mouth, but he shakes his head. "No, I've seen how you want to take control but swallow it back, I know what it's like. You don't have to hide anything from me, Blondie."

My lower lip trembles, but his thumb is quick to swipe across it, and my breath comes out shaky as his eyes darken into a deep forest green instead of the bright grassy tone I'm used to. "And that starts now, conquering your fear and moving on with that difficult first step."

I'm overwhelmed, and everything he said makes sense, and it warms my heart knowing that someone can finally understand me—see me. In however long I've been with him, he's made me feel things I've never felt before, or even knew I could feel. So, after a quick mental pep talk, I hesitantly nod.

"You know that noise? That's my ex, Brendan," I start. "We were together for a few months, and to say the first love fire died in the first couple of weeks isn't an understatement. Second month in, he found his fun somewhere else." Catching the anger in his eyes, I stare at my lap as my fingers start to tremble. "If he loves her, he loves her. If not. . . well, that's their problem now."

"Did he hurt you?" he fires, and it's easy to tell how strained he's feeling now.

Biting my lip, I recall all the hurtful words he would use if I didn't act how he wanted me to. How he would be in public if I messed up somehow, and it hurts.

"Not in that way. . . him and life never was on my side, nor did my type of character fit, so I learned how to blend in with the background—"

"And that's never going to happen to you again."

"Why?" I whisper, afraid to look up at him again.

His finger and thumb cradle my chin before elevating it, so my eyes are glued to his. "Because, Blondie, you are like a shining star that overpowers the darkness."

No words come from me because I don't have any. How would someone respond to something like that? What I do know, is that my heart is racing a marathon within my chest.

Helping me to my feet, Pixel keeps an arm around me as I click on my Reader, and cautiously open the chat. I'm greeted by a list full of messages, some short, some long, but the recent one is what catches me off guard.

Cock teaser.

"Blondie. . ."

I shake my head, humiliation eating away at me. "It's fine."

"If he were a real man, he would beg for forgiveness and grovel at your feet, worshiping you like a Goddess. That's what I would do; no woman of mine would ever be made to feel like that."

"Have you ever had a relationship?" I blurt, unable to take it back or cover it up when his eyes slide to mine, a mischievous grin tilting his lip.

"No, but it's the right thing to do. If you were mine, I would show you." He chuckles and scrubs his jaw. "But that's not the case, so we don't need to worry about that right now."

My mind is reeling from his words, and the impossible one of him wanting me is absurd. I'm an example, nothing more in that conversation. Pixel is a handsome man in his prime, he could find any woman he desires, and they won't have any issues with him or baggage.

"I need to put him in the past. . . I need to be better," I murmur, wiping the remnants of my tears as I straighten my spine and furiously type on the holographic keyboard before re-reading it to make sure I didn't leave anything out.

Brendan: Cock teaser

Me: You may call me that if it makes you feel better, we all know your trying to hide the fact that yours is most likely riddled with every disease in the book, not that there was anything to tease. I told you once, I'm done with you, and if you ever contact me or my family again, I swear you will have the cops on you faster than a dog in heat!

Hitting send, Pixel has his hand raised in the air, fingers wiggling expectantly. Laughing I slap my palm against his and lead the way toward the Gateway at the end of the message page. When I'm about to jump in, I'm pulled back by my upper arm.

Pivoting on my heels, I raise a brow at him, and he regards me for a moment. "Are you OK? That must've been tough."

Smiling down at my shoes, I shrug. "It was, but it had to be done and I feel better, like I can move on with my life. Thank you, Pixel, I really needed that."

I turn to walk away, but he's quick to tug me back, and my hands land on his chest. I'm about to ask what's bothering him when Pixel cups my cheek and leans in enough so all I can see is the different shades of green in his irises.

"Blondie, there are things I want to say to you, but I know now isn't the time for you to hear it, especially with what lies ahead for you," he mumbles softly, his thumb following the curve of my cheek. "So, I'm going to have to ask you to remember this: I'm your friend in here, and it's my job to protect you."

I'm left staring up at him, unsure of what his words mean. He's told me this before, so what's changed for him to say it again?

Did that fall back in Temple Run scare him?

Knowing that's going to be something we're going to have to talk about, I say thank you instead, and lamely tell him I'll be there for him too if he needs me, but he plays it off with one of his cheerful grins. Allowing Pixel to hop through first, I shake my head and my limbs as I try to bring my attention from how close his lips were to the main mission at hand.

Getting home.

Turning around to face the depths of Snapchat, I let a proud smile slip onto my face. Switching on my Reader, I tap on Brendan's profile before finding the Block tab. Once his name is under my blocklist, I switch off the gadget and hurry through the Gateway where my Settings should be waiting for me.

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