I OPEN MY EYES WITH A WIDE SMILE, which is already completely out of character for me. I don't usually wake up happy and content. I rather curse the day before it has even started.

The reason for my good mood is probably the girl next to me. Sydney is still sleeping deeply, making sighing noises. With a silly smile, I watch her eyelids twitch a little and her light blonde curls spread across the pillow like rays of sunshine.

After staring at her for so long that it's already creepy, I get up quietly so I don't wake her. I don't bother to get dressed because I'll be back for her in a few minutes anyway. Within ten minutes I make a small breakfast, which is not incredibly spectacular with the provided food that is in the fridge, but it is still something to look at. I have no idea who has been shopping for me and to be honest, I don't want to know. All I know is that the food hasn't expired yet.

I head back to the bedroom with a big plate full of sliced fruit, some cheese cubes, bread, and jam. Sydney is just about to rub her tired eyes when her eyes fall on me and her expression suddenly brightens.

"You made breakfast naked?" She blurts out. She holds the blanket over her breasts to cover herself as she hungrily reaches for a grape.

I sit across from her, grinning. "Good morning to you too, Curly."

She shoves a cube of cheese into her mouth as her gaze still roams hungrily over my body. She did the same thing last night when I was on top of her. Or her on top of me. Or both of us ─

"Hey, do you know what you should do?" asks Sydney suddenly.

"No, what?"

"Come here and kiss me."

I don't need to be told twice. Not anymore. I was actually planning on just kissing Sydney briefly, but then we kind of lose ourselves in each other and a 'brief kiss' turns into a 'heavy making out'. Eventually, I break away from her just enough to look her in the face. "You know what you should definitely do?"

"No, what?" She replies with a grin.

I stroke her bare shoulder with a small smile. "Shower with me."

Her mouth drops open. "Shower with you?" she repeats, then raises her eyebrows in understanding. "That's right, you've been meaning to do that since the night we spent at Jeremy's, haven't you?"

I nod, thinking that I've waited long enough for this shower together now. Besides, Sydney looks so excited by the idea that my joy is immediately doubled. I don't know how quickly we made it from the bedroom to the bathroom. All I remember is that Sydney first wanted to wrap the blanket around her body, but I snatched it away from her and just carried her into the bathroom.

She protested just the tiniest bit.

Now we're standing here in the same place we were last night ─ naked and hungry. Naked, because we're about to take a shower anyway, and hungry because we've barely touched breakfast. Or are we hungry for each other? I can only really assess it as Sydney pushes me into the shower. Literally.

"So impatient," I mutter.

"Bronwyn and Peter must be wondering where we are by now," she argues lamely. "I'm just making sure we hurry up so they don't have to worry." She grins so much that she has to bite her lip.

I merely roll my eyes. "Brownie and Pee know exactly what we've been doing. Or are about to do. Didn't you notice they figured it out yesterday?"

She turns on the shower, which is freezing cold on me. I scream in a not very manly way, whereupon she can't stop laughing.

"You turned the water extra cold," I bring out in a shiver.

"Yeah, and your face was hilarious!" Sydney holds her stomach, laughing, while her face turns red with joy.

I have never heard her giggle so hard and enjoy the moment for about three seconds, then I grab her by the thighs and lift her up in a single movement. Carrying Sydney will forever remain the easiest thing in the world. She squirms and threatens me with things that turn me on rather than intimidate me and then I pull her into the cold water as well, but her reaction is unfortunately much more composed than mine. Her face is soaking wet while she looks at me as if she is imagining in her head how she could kill me.

After a while, however, she rolls her eyes and smiles, leans down to me, and kisses me on my cold lips. I turn the water warmer again but don't stop kissing her because I simply can't.

Sydney's lips are my own personal drug and the way she kisses makes my knees go a little weak. I get hard so fast it should be a world record, and the next moment we're doing so much more than kissing. We're under the warm stream of water for what feels like an eternity and yet it's not enough.

To be honest, I've never had sex in the shower before, but it definitely won't be the last time with Sydney. I always knew we would be incredible in bed ─ or in the shower ─ but the fact that we are this good surpasses even my imagination.

Smiling, I kiss her as I gently dry her off, which is also completely out of character for me. I have never kissed anyone smiling. I didn't even know it was possible. All I know is that I like the way it feels.

The dress Bronwyn sewed for her, still on the floor, has for some reason become completely wet. Sydney wrings it out and hangs it up to dry, then with a grin, she reaches for my light grey t-shirt that I wore yesterday under the white shirt and suit. She pulls it over herself and smoothes it down while I stare at her blankly. The shirt reaches her knees and fits so perfectly that I would have liked to rip it off her again.

"Sydney, are you stealing something from me again?" Grinning, I lean sideways against the sink while my eyes are glued on that t-shirt. "First my heart. Now my T-shirt. What's next? My last name?"

Laughing, she kisses me. "In your dreams, Walker."

I connect our lips again but kiss her more gently than I did in the shower. Not ten seconds later, I hear a loud pounding from the living room. Sighing, I break away from Sydney.

"Are you going to open the door like that?" She asks behind me as I walk towards the living room.

Grinning, I look at the towel wrapped around my waist. "Maybe I'll scare the person away with it."

"You don't believe that yourself," she replies with a laugh. "Let me go."

I step aside and make a dramatic gesture with my hand, which she acknowledges with an air kiss. Without further ado, she opens the door, however, I should remember one thing for the future: Every time Sydney or I open the door, there is usually someone standing there who we should slam it in their face right away. And in this case, it's ...

"Gavin?" asks Sydney in disbelief.

Cursing quietly, I close my eyes.

What the hell is he doing here? Gavin hasn't contacted me in weeks, made fucked up statements yesterday and now he's dancing up to my door? I really have to control myself to not do anything rash, and by 'rash' I mean blindly punch him in the face. Sydney and I haven't had any turbulence since last night and I plan to pick up right where we left off as soon as Gavin leaves.

He looks pretty beat up, to my satisfaction, yet the look he gives me is hostile and icy cold. So the fact that he's miserable has nothing to do with him feeling bad about the way he's behaved towards me, for a start. His red hair has grown longer and wavier, while his face looks a little narrow and pale.

"Are you taking enough vitamins?" Blurts out of me.

Sydney gives me an irritated look.

Gavin stares at my towel at first, then sees that Sydney is wearing my T-shirt and grins. "So Xander was right. You really are fucking her."

"And bye!" Sydney wants to slam the door before the situation gets out of hand, but Gavin won't let her.

He just slips under her arm and looks around the living room with played curiosity. Then he spreads his arms with a grin and turns to me. "So this is where you live? For free?"

Not really, but the cost is nowhere near what I expected. I still have enough savings and even when that runs out, I won't think once of asking my parents for money. "What are you doing here, Gavino?", I ask in a firm voice.

Sydney stands tensely beside me, obviously not knowing how to react to Gavin's visit. She's not the only one.

"There are two reasons." He puckers his face a little. "No, actually three."

Sydney snorts. "Then I suggest you shove those reasons up your ass and get the hell out of here."

Gavin should really listen to her because if he doesn't, my fist might accidentally slip after all. Sydney's angry look contrasted with her damp curls, which are slowly drying again, is so fucking hot that I would love to grab her right here and now, carry her into the bedroom and not let her go for the rest of the day.

Gavin puts a stop to that thought as he makes himself comfortable on our sofa. "Aren't you going to offer me something to drink? I'm really parched."

Sydney and I exchange glances, trying to communicate with each other. The look on her face says something like, "Throw him out please so I can jump on you!" but maybe that's just wishful thinking. Actually, she makes a rather annoying impression. I give her a tentative smile and tell her I'll handle it, whereupon she looks a little more reassured.

"Why don't you sit with me?" Gavin has put his shoes down on the sofa table and points to the empty seats next to him.

Sydney and I don't move.

He sighs, "Fine, don't then. Why so quiet, Sydney? You usually talk all the time without a comma or dot."

"If you don't have anything useful to say, I'll drag you out of here myself," I interject threateningly.

Gavin knows I'm capable of that, but still, he just shrugs. "What? It's true, isn't it? I remember the first time we met, Sydney. Did you seriously think I cared back then whether you knew about Dean or not? Actually, I was just curious why he had such a crush on you. Besides, your roommate is really hot."

"Unfortunately, she's taken." Sydney puts on a fake smile. "To Peter. It must feel like shit when every girl you fancy is in love with someone else."

"What?" Gavin pales.

"I'm just repeating Mrs. Aplin's words. You liked Bronwyn, who is interested in Peter. You liked Candice, who was clearly in love with Dean. And you liked Hollyn, who ─"

With a cutting gesture of his hand, he interrupts her. "I get it, thanks."

"Then you can tell us now what you are doing here." I'm getting more and more anxious because I know Gavin. He only deflects from the subject when he doesn't really want to talk about it. That, in turn, must mean that Kolin has planned this surprise visit because Gavin himself doesn't look like he likes being here at all.

"Your parents want to talk to you," he says after a while. "They feel terrible about suspecting you and all that. Kolin doesn't approve at all that they don't want anything more to do with him. He wants you to put a good word in for him." Before I can protest vehemently, he continues, "I'd do what he says if I were you, or you won't be able to enjoy your freedom with Sydney much longer."

I shake my head. "I'm certainly not going to be blackmailed."

"That's your decision, not mine. Kolin also wants to talk to you, Sydney. A date, at best." Even Gavin shakes his head in disgust at that notion. "I don't know why he's so obsessed with you."

"Is there actually any useful reason you're here?" Hisses Sydney. The fact that Kolin just can't leave it alone infuriates her, I can tell by her glittering eyes and hands clenched into fists. She's not the only one who's angry. I feel like punching something, Gavin at best.

No idea why I don't do it.

"This," he points at Sydney and me in turn, "has to stop."

Sydney raises an eyebrow. "And you get to decide this because ...?"

"Not me, you stupid nut. Kolin will only let you go free if, one, you call your parents and somehow convince them to talk to him again and, two, you end whatever is going on with Sydney as soon as possible so Sydney can have a little chat with Kolin. At best over dinner ─ his words. He really has a lot to tell you, starting with the person who murdered Hollyn."

Sydney turns her head to me in surprise. I know exactly what she's thinking. She wants to pull a Hunter to tease information out of Kolin, but that's out of the question. Over my dead body is the only way she'll get involved with these... psychopaths. At least Xander is out of sight, but I won't let Gavin and Kolin anywhere near her from now on, especially not when she's alone.

Sydney shouldn't be sacrificing more for me than I am for her. After all, that would destroy the balance in our relationship.

Wait, relationship?

My pulse suddenly speeds up.

I've never been a relationship guy for fuck's sake, but when I look Sydney in the face now, I know that this mindset has turned a hundred and eighty degrees. Yet I can't make such an important decision on my own. She has to want it too.

"Dean?" Sydney frowns irritably, probably because I haven't said anything and have been staring at her like the last dumbass for several seconds.

I force my head to turn to Gavin. "What does Kolin have against me anyway? I didn't do it after all, Gavin, and you know it. I. Didn't. Kill. Hollyn."

"Kolin is the only one who knows who it was. He ─"

"Wait a minute," Sydney interjects. "Hunter, Xander and you don't even know and you still joined his side?"

Gavin grins almost knowingly. "Fact is, Kolin always gets what he wants. You of all people should know that, Dean. And what he wants is to visit you in prison, so that's what he'll do if you don't do what he wants you to do."

Holy shit.

I was right. These guys are all psychopaths.

"Any questions?" Says Gavin, as if he's our maths teacher and we're his scheduled students.

I shake my head, even though I have a lot of questions. I voice one of them. "Why do you hate me? What have I ever done to you?"

"You will only find out when I visit you in prison too," is the last thing he says before slamming the door behind him with a loud bang.

Sydney lowers her head dejectedly, so I don't hesitate long and take her in my arms. I think I feel a few tears on my bare chest, which Sydney silently lets out.

For me. She is always sad because of me. I hold her until I feel she's better, but she's not one hundred percent happy, I can tell by her lips that are pressed together and her big eyes that are red from crying.

And the morning had started so good.

-