The time for the trip was here and no matter how much she tried, Kate wasn't too keen about it. She couldn't pin point what exactly was the issue, but she couldn't completely relax and enjoy the moment.

Deep within, she felt something amiss about this whole trip but decided to not say anything, as to not ruin anyone's excitement. Both Nick and Anna could not stop talking about it.

Nick's older brother(Brian),had lent them his boat to travel with, to Paradise Island. This gave them relief that they didn't have to rent out a boat.

With 30 minutes to spare before the others arrived, she set out to do something important.

It was so important that she didn't want any regrets to linger on her trip.

Down the street, Max paced back and forth in his living room, trying to decide on his next move. He kept debating on whether he should go over to Kate's house or let things be, until she returned from her trip.

He had overheard Julia mention something about Kate and her friends, planning to take a trip. Today was the day and it bothered him that the last he would remember, from his encounter with Kate, was her running away from him.

The sound of the doorbell pulled him out of his deep thinking and he took a breath, as he went on to answer. The way he swung the door open was not intentional but it still surprised Kate, to the point that she took a step back.

Max couldn't believe his eyes. Kate was standing right at his doorstep as if she knew how much he thought about her.

" Kate?!" His voice rose in surprise.

" H-hi." She said nervously. " Can I come in?"

Something twisted in his heart as he watched her look anywhere else but him. She seemed so unsure and kept twisting on her heel.

" Yeah, sure," he immediately stepped aside to let her in.

He gasped in surprise when Kate threw her arms around him after he closed the door.

His whole body tensed and he became tongue tied.

" Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She asked so quietly he almost missed it.

Nothing about her tone sounded accusing or off, instead it made him sigh in relief and later hug her back.

" I didn't want to ruin things for you by bringing up the past." He answered.

She moved back to look at him. His lips parted and eyes widened when her own were watery.

A moment or two passed with both of them looking at each other. Kate sighed and said, " I guess you know huh?"

He nodded.

" I can't imagine what you went through." He shook his head, trying to clear the disturbing image that had come to mind. " It must have been terrifying," he softly said.

" All I can say is that it's something I would not want to experience ever again. Anyway, I'm here to talk about something else." She let out a sigh before she continued. " The last time I was here -------"

" I was wrong."

" What?" She blinked at him in surprise.

" I shouldn't have sprung all of this on you like This, I should have done better." He sounded embarrassed as he lightly rubbed the back of his neck.

" N-no, you did the right thing. You told me the truth and I appreciate that."

" Yeah, well, I didn't keep my promise to you." He said in defeat, walking over to the couch .

" Max." She followed suit, settling next to him.

" I should have come back for you, maybe then you would -------"

" No, No, don't do that. You were my first real friend Max, a hero even, because you actually saved me, in your own way. I didn't lose it like my father."

Max didn't say anything but looked down.

" But I'm not him. I mean - I've learnt to deal with everything, well, I'm still doing that. I've grown and have tried new things. You on the other hand, you have grown too and are looking great."

His face warmed at the compliment.

" I don't know about looking great." He said shyly.

" It's true though, you have grown so much and I'm glad to see this for myself. The younger version of you is all that has been stuck in memory for the longest time, so I'm relieved that this time, I get to see you in this present. How has everything been?"

She sounded genuinely interested to know about him, which affected him more than she would realise.

" Well, I've been...surviving I guess."

She frowned when she heard this.

" Max."

" Things weren't easy, bumpy but alright in some parts." He felt uneasy as he mentioned the next part. " I uh, got into some trouble and well, I've been trying to stay on the right path."

He couldn't meet her eyes as he talked, feeling uncomfortable and a little scared to see her reaction.

He didn't want her to see him as anything but that trusted friend, but he could not deny that there were parts of his life, in which he wasn't proud of.

" You are doing the best you can, that's all that matters, right?"

He met her eyes again.

" Yeah." He nodded.

" Things will fall into place, you'll see. One step at a time is where it all begins, and working at Austin's place is a great start."

A small smile took over his face when she mentioned this.

" And it's all thanks to you."

" No, I didn't do much." She shook her head.

" Kate, you have done way more for me and I'll forever be grateful." He said with an appŕeciative smile.

Kate returned his smile with her own.

" Well take it as my way of saying thank you for all you've done for me." She shrugged.

A moment of silence passed before Max spoke up again, finally being vocal about something that he'd longer for an answer to.

" Can I ask you something?"

" Sure."

He hesitated for a second before he asked. " Why did you give me that poem?"

Kate blinked at him surprise. She did not expect him to ask that but continued to answer the best that she could. " I guess I really wanted you to never forget me."

" I would have never forgot about you." He replied so quick that it surprised both of them.

" I never had anything nice to give you."

" Kate------" She held up her hand to stop him from saying any more.

" I remember all the nice things you brought for me, each time we met up and I wanted to do the same." She said. A small smile took over her lips as she continued, " I also remember something my mother said to me once."

" Was it the motivation you needed to give it to me?" He guessed and she nodded.

" My mother lived and breathed storytelling. She loved the theatre, the plays and drama, one of her last performances, Ezra, made me see her differently. She shined so bright and was just so beautiful. I----" she stopped herself and her eyes widened when she realised how much she spoke. " Sorry, I'm rambling."

She looked away shyly, her cheeks felt warm.

" No, you can tell me anything." He said, not minding at all.

He liked listening to her speak.

She looked at him again and after hesitation, she spoke again. " Uh, my mother told me that the poem was both Ezra's poison and salvation. She said I should give it to the one who would find me and break the spell. Then I would wake up. So, just like in Ezra's journey, I discovered a stranger, outside my own world and he became a big part of my life."

A smile broke out on his face, he couldn't hide it.

" I think in her own way, she was telling me to give it to that special friend."

" Do you think in her own way, she might have worried about what would happen if she wasn't around?"

She opened and closed her mouth, words failing her for a minute. Again, he'd asked the unexpected.

" I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-----"

" N-no, it's okay." She waved it off. " I believe she predicted about my life right before she passed on."

" I think she is relieved now." He said.

" Why do you say that?" She asked with a curious frown.

" You have good people around you. They love and care for you. "

She smiled. " I'm always grateful about that and the fact that we met again after so long."

" I uh, hope you don't mind me asking this."

" Hmm?" She looked at him expectantly.

" What happens now? "

The sound of a knock on the door interrupted Kate.

" Oh, you were expecting someone and I disturbed you, I'm sorry." She said quickly as she rose to her feet.

" No, no, I wasn't expecting anyone. I mean, I meant to come and see you." He replied, following suit.

" Really?"

He nodded." I wanted to talk to you before you left."

" Oh." She nodded in realisation.

" Let me answer that?" He said, glancing between her and the doorway, though sounding unsure.

She gestures for him to go ahead, not wanting the person on the other side to wait.

That person was none other than Nick, who had arrived and was surprised to not find Kate at home waiting for them.

" Hey man, sorry to bother you but I'm looking for my girlfriend Kate, she lives right over ------"

" Nick?" He heard her voice at that moment which made him relieved.

" You're here." The relief was evident in his tone. " I got worried when I couldn't reach you."

" Oh, I'm Sorry, I forgot my phone at home." She said as she came out.

" No worries." He smiled at her and she smiled back. " So uh, are you done here or ......" He trailed off as he spared a glance between Kate and Max.

Realisation took over her that Max had been silently watching them this whole time. Her cheeks warmed. " Yes, for now."

There was a promise to her tone that Max received, there would be more conversations when she returned and he liked that very much.

Kate further went on to introduce the two guys to each other, her mind was already filled with thoughts of them getting to know each other in the future.

Max watched as the couple walked away and he couldnt help the bittersweet feeling in his heart. A part of him was relieved that he and Kate finally talked but there were regrets on his part. He wished that he'd said more during their conversation.

It felt like she was leaving for a very long time instead of just a few days, and he couldn't placd the cause of such a feeling.

Her wave goodbye reminded him of the last memory he had of her, when they were kids. She waved like that with a sweet smile and before he knew it, they never saw each other again.

" I thought there would be more than 2 cars." Kate said as she pulled to a stop close to her house.

There were two cars parked down her driveway and their group of friends were there, along with Stacey, who came out from the front seat and her friend.

Kate held back what she wanted to say, not wanting to make things awkward.

Stacey on the other hand felt an extra boost of confidence, noticing how Kate glanced her way. She wanted her presence to be felt strongly and it was already working. She had put on extra effort in her whole look, with a cute red mid-thigh dress that hug her body right, along with a touch of makeup, hair done and bouncy and lastly, sunglasses.

Despite how much she wanted to wear one of her heels, she opted for cute flat shoes and also some jewellery.

In her view, she gave off major supermodel vibes and she liked that very much.

Kate on the other hand wasn't so keen to be in the same car as her, today was one of the few times she really desired peace. She longed for a nice travel.

She could tell that Stacey had every intention to be the main character of their trip and she didn't, want to be part of that whole thing.

It was enough that they would all be living under one roof for some days.

" There's a problem with Danny's car, he got into a little accident."

Kate gasped. " Is he okay?"

" Hmm." He nodded. " Though his car will need some attention. So, I offered mine, which is bigger and makes sense." He explained.

" And I bet Stacey offered with hers, right?" She raised her brow.

" Yeah. Besides, it'll only be a few miles till we reach the boat and we are off to go."

When she didn't say anything, he turned to her and faced his back to everyone.

" I know what you're thinking."

" What am I thinking?" She said, tilting her head to the side a bit.

" That we could have asked you for your car too." She looked away then, knowing that he was right. " And Yes, we could have but I said no."

Her head whipped in his direction again.

" Why ?"

" I didn't want us to trouble you and besides, your car just got fixed. Let it rest for a bit."

She opened her mouth to say something but he beat her to it. " You look very pretty."

" Are you trying to distract me?" She asked teasingly, looking a little more relaxed than before.

" Nope." He said, popping the 'P.' His smile brought out hers and she teasingly rolled her eyes, knowing that she couldn't resist his charms.

" You're so beautiful, I can't believe you're mine." He added, gently touching her hair.

Her eyes roamed all over his face and she fought the urge to kiss him right then and there, so hard.

" We'll take full advantage of this trip, right?" She needed reassurance at that moment, her desire for the weekend to make more beautiful memories together growing, as she looked at him.

" Hmm, I want this for us." He agreed.

" Okay."

" I won't let you out of my sight." He said, pulling her closer by her hips.

She nodded.

" Let me get my ------"

" Got it." She arched her brow in question. " Julie already gave it to me before she left."

" Come on guys, lets get this show on the road!" Danny said, giving them a reason to pull apart.

" Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Nick said, leading Kate to her car.

" Anyway, I'm doing everyone a favour by offering to drive some Princesses and Divas!" Danny teased out loud.

" I heard that!" Stacey said as she reapplied her lip gloss, Anna on the other hand shot Danny a dirty look, knowing that she was also a target of his teasing.

Anna quickly pulled Kate on the side, before they left.

" I should get a gift for sacrificing my peace for yours." She said, pretending to be upset.

Kate smiled which Anna couldn't resist, so she smiled too. " You're too cute." She tried to squish Kate's cheeks but she dodged that.

" Don't even think about it."

Anna pouted but Kate refused to give in.

" I can't believe I'm doing this." She sighed when she remembered about the trip.

" You'll survive." Kate said, stifling a laugh.

" Says the friend who's ditching me for her hot ass boyfriend"

" Hey, I did suggest Danny."

" Oh and look how that turned out, him getting it on with princess Ivy..... Remind me again why we're still in this circle?"

"Because you're sticking it out for me all because of love and that we will look beyond it, and move on because we are nice people?" Kate shrugged.

" The things I do for friendship." Anna sighed dramatically. " Okay, lets get this over and done with." She clapped her hands, feeling ready to go.

" I do think it won't be so bad, I mean there is a cute guy joining us." Kate passed her eyes towards Ethan, Maddies brother who joined them last minute.

She walked away before Anna could say anything.

" Say no more." Anna responded, heading over to Stacey's car. " You look very pretty by the way!" She called over her shoulder.

Kate looked herself over and shrugged. Her outfit wasn't much but she appreciated the compliment.

She had opted for an all denim outfit apart from the cute white fancy shirt, Julie made her wear. Not only did Julie have a lot to say about her outfit, but she did the rest on her with a bit of make up and her hair, which looked lovely.

" This will be fun." Nick said reassuringly, once he joined her.

She nodded, trusting in his words.

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

Kate had left and Julie missed her. Now that Alexis was to return the next day, it relieved Julie to know that she wouldn't be alone at home.

It had been a long day and she was tired. She felt her mind drifting off somewhere as she twirled her straw in her milkshake. She was so lost in thought that the forceful shove ahe felt against her back, almost sent her to meet the floor. Thankfully she recovered, finding her balance in time.

Her reaction was to look around and find the culprit, the minute she did, her breath caught in her throat. The most intense shade of black eyes locked with hers, causing the hair at the back of her neck to rise. There was something chilling about this male's gaze.

The scrutiny she recieved made her uncomfortable. He wore a blank mask, cold even, his jaw was hard with a thin lined mouth. There was a sense of attractiveness to him that if one took away the coldness he had, it would be appreciated.

All those kind of thoughts flew away when it dawned on her, that he seemed quite familiar. She watched as he left the diner without a word but leaving chills to trail down the her spine.

She shook her head and continued her way.

Her parents would return home late and so, she saw no need to cook because she was sure they'd sort themselves out. That is why she ordered takeout.

" Here you go," Pam said , giving Julie her order.

" Thanks."

" Are you okay?" Pam asked.

" Hmm, just tired. It's been a long day."

" And you miss your cousin." Pam guessed.

Julie sighed. " Yeah and that too."

Pam offered a sympathetic smile.

" I mean, I should get used to this because later on, she'll be gone for college." Julie sighed yet again.

Pam gave Julie a small gentle squeeze on her hand for comfort, before she handed over the change. As Julie was about to leave, Pam called her.

" Uh, before you go, I need to tell you something."

" What is it?"

" It might not be a big deal but I need to tell you anyway, since I just remembered."

" Hmm."

" Not too long ago, someone came looking for Kate. He was a man and he seemed quite eager to see her."

" A man?" Julie asked, wanting to be sure she heard right.

Pam nodded. " The thing is, I would have not put much thought or meaning to this, but something about that man's energy felt strange. His intense eyes and blank face was - You know what?" She stopped herself. " Maybe I'm being silly, it must have been one of the regulars who was served by Kate but I can't remember him.

" Maybe."

" Okay, go on." Pam said before attended other custormers.

She didn't want to waste any more of Julie's time with this.

Later in the day, as Julie waited for Alexis to arrive, after plans changed and she would arrive earlier, she found herself falling into sleep. What had been a nice enough nap, changed, when in her dream she was taken back to her childhood.

It calmed her whole body to see her young self along with Kate, play around, though her cousin seemed so fragile and tiny. That little moment of joy turned into a chilling one, when Julie felt like they were being watched. She looked up and saw a man, whom she recognised as her uncle Sean, Kate's father. Something about the way he stared at them, especially Kate, made her quite uncomfortable.

It was not so often that she would be allowed to see her cousin, but when she did, time felt short and her uncle hovered too much around them. At most, he bored holes at anyone who got close to Kate, even his own nieces. He was a little too possessive and intense even though his words weren't harsh.

Julie desired so much for Kate or Amileen then, to visit their home and see their town, but it felt like an impossible dream. The answer no was evident in his intense eyes before he said anything.

The sight of those eyes made her jolt awake and sit up right.

Everything clicked, like a lightning bolt in her head. Those eyes, the same ones she knew so well had made contact with her own earlier. They were close, far close to home.

" Oh no, it's him!" Julie screeched in horror.