https://youtu.be/pF9HM2JMI-s

NOTE: IN THE MOOD TO LAUGH AND ENJOY THE CUTE MOMENTS IN THIS CHAPTER? TUNE INTO kaelking12'S AWESOME PERFORMANCE IN THE AUDIOBOOK. FEATURING MUSIC BY HARRY STYLES, SMALLPOOLS, SAINT RAYMOND, THE BAND CAMINO, MIKA.

Elias

"Are you guys gonna stand there making out all day or are you gonna use your mouths to, oh, I don't know -actually communicate with each other?"

Here's the thing.

Indigo's my homie.

Like I'd-trust-this-chica-til-I-die-level-homie, and most of the time, I listen to her. But right now, I have absolutely no intention of stopping myself. Even with her giving me that flat-eyed cat death glare. I'm all over Jersey like I was the first time I kissed her on Hollywood Blvd, and as much as I should probably care about the fact that we're in public, I don't.

And apparently, neither does she.

Jersey's combing her hands through my hair like we're on some kind of kinky shampoo commercial and I'm pretty much on cloud nine. Granted, I've been living the shower-less Ryker life for the last couple days but whatever. If she doesn't mind the grunge, neither do I.

Besides I'm a rockstar now, and from the looks of things, Jersey's totally into it.

Indigo clears her throat at the two of us. I should probably take the hint but I've got way better things to do. I go right back for making up for the last week in all the ways that are publicly acceptable and take up the tonsil hockey to the next level.

I don't even know how long me and Jersey have been going at it but I'm pretty sure Indigo's been staring us down the whole time.

Seriously though, I can feel her little laser eyes burning holes into the side of my face and it's kinda starting to freak me out.

Don't get me wrong, she's not the only one paying attention to The Royal family reunion. I don't doubt that a couple of these hippies can't help but check out two very attractive people getting their sexy on. It's like watching a bedroom scene between like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt except I'm more Brad than Jersey is Angie ya' know, but whatever-you know what I mean.

Honestly, I think we're entitled to a little PDA, like-I haven't seen my girlfriend in a week, what the hell does Indigo expect me to do? Shake Jersey's hand?

Nah, bro.

I'm a physical guy. I'm all about the touchy feely parts of life especially when it comes to Jersey, and I'm not stopping for anybody. Real talk. No way. No---

Jersey separates herself from me all of a sudden-and leaves me questioning my manhood, my serenading skills, and my general existence the second she pulls away. She collects herself and then frantically runs her hands over the creases I just put in the front of her sexy hippy sarong that she's rocking. It looks like Indigo's style with Jersey flare and all I have to say is-me likey.

But then again, given the way she just acted, it might not matter what I like anymore. #HopefullynotRealTalk.

"Sorry, Indigo. I shouldn't have-We shouldn't have gotten so carried away," Jersey says, a little too seriously. She takes a step back and puts a couple more inches between the two of us which shouldn't make feel like an insecure 7th grader at a high school dance, but it totally does.

Normally, once we start getting caught up in each other, I'm the one who has to stop her. Not the other way around. Okay, wait, that's not entirely true. But most of the time, she wants to keep going, and the way I see it, that kiss absolutely should've kept going and going like the Energizer bunny.

But now it's over, and she's not looking at me, and I don't know where to look because I didn't expect Indigo to take on the role of PDA police. But here we are. Indigo folds her arms across her chest and instead of giving Jersey a talking to she faces me.

"Don't apologize for something that was only partially your fault, Lex. If I were a certain someone, I would be a little more careful about grand gestures in public, right, Elias?"

What does she know?

Sure, I probably should've timed things better or saved the whole epic make out session for backstage where nobody was watching, but I couldn't help myself. I've been dying to see this girl and now that I finally get to, Indigo's on my nuts about it. I could've done worse. Much worse.

I could've stalked her at her dorm, paid off some of the pap's to take creepy photos of my girlfriend for me, like--Indigo doesn't even know. Kissing her in a crowd might've been impulsive and stupid, but it's my kind of stupid and I'm gonna own it. Right here. Right now.

"Hold up, Gogo. Before you go and start pointing fingers at people, it's not like we're in LA and even if we were, I--"

"You're right. We're not. And lucky for you, most Freedom Fest peeps are all about enjoying and experiencing the live show, not watching it through some digital too smart for their own good mind numbing pacifier of a machine just to document countless soul stealing images to feign a persona on social media. Plus, it's usually a no filming/no photo event, but you didn't know that when you jumped off the stage, did you?" She asks.

Yeah---no. Not at all. Wait, Ryker may or may not have mentioned that on the drive over but I was too busy freaking out about the big show to pay attention. #KeepingitHonest

"No, but if I caught somebody filming, I would've broken their camera."

Jersey reaches out and slaps me across the forearm. Stings like crazy but as weird as it sounds, I've missed her angry squirrel jabs. At least she's feeling okay enough to hit me again.

"What? Like you did on social night? That girl could've easily filed a lawsuit against you for breaking her phone, Elias! Indigo's right. After the week we've had, you totally should've been more careful."

Indigo nods at Jersey all guru like but I'm way too proud/embarrassed right now to admit that either of them are right. So I do what any mature person would do and keep fighting a lost battle.

"Me? You started it!" I say, and honest to God, I don't even know why I say it because I definitely made the first move. Everybody and their grandma saw me nearly kill myself jumping over the railing just to make out with this girl. But now I'm making up stories and putting my girlfriend on the spot which she hates, so yeah, this reunion isn't going anywhere nearly as well as I planned.

Real talk.

Jersey narrows her eyes at me which is code for you're gonna get your ass kicked later, but instead of backing down like I should, I just-smile at her. And it's not apologetic or humble like it should be. It's a 100% King Certified crap-eating grin. And she's hating every minute of it.

"Okay, wow. I didn't start anything, Elias. You were the one who got all romantic with that song and then pounced on me from the stage. If you wanted to kiss me that badly, you could've waited until I saw you later."

Indigo nods and then fists bumps her. Traitors.

"My thoughts, exactly, soul sister. Ryker and I went through all the trouble of planning this stint only for your boyfriend to haphazardly jeopardize it on a whim," Indigo says.

Her and Alex do that weird thing girls do where they silently communicate with each other using tempurathy or whatever. Who's the hypocrite now? If Indigo wants us to use our words, she better practice what she preaches.

"Now hold on, Gogo, I don't know what a whim is but for your information I'm 100% sober right now. I'm not on anything, so ease off the accusations," I say.

Jersey chokes back a laugh which is probably directed at me.

"Elias, a whim is a--never mind. Anyway, before you continue to confuse yourself with alternative facts, I did not start that fiasco. You did. End of discussion. Let's go catch up with Ryker so we can tell him how amazing he was."

Really? Amazing? I mean he's good but like she could drop the sparkly words and general sparkly-ness that shows up in her eyes whenever she talks about him.

"What about me? I wrote half the song. I'm 50% amazing too!" I say.

Jersey looks at me like I'm some kind of lost puppy. Not gonna lie, right now, I kinda feel like one. A lost and stupid-jealous puppy.

"Yeah, you were good too."

I don't know what it is about what she says or how she says it but her matter-of-fact you're basically average low-key insult leaves me lost for words. I stand there stuttering over how to respond to her while J and Indigo whisper something to each other and then start giggling like a pack of chickens.

Indigo motions to Jersey, they link arms, and then the two of them start walking off towards the backstage area. Jersey turns on her heels like a Tilt-a-Whirl and I catch sight of the pretty little henna tattoo winding its way up from her ankle only to disappear under her dress.

My mind goes places it probably shouldn't just thinking about all the possibilities of where that tattoo ends, but I force myself to snap out of it. This is no time to fantasize about her new tats when I've got a petty argument to win.

"That's fine. Walk away. It's cool if you're too embarrassed to admit how much you missed me. Don't worry, J. Those lips don't lie."

I always knew she was good at eye rolls, but I never thought I'd see Jersey practically turn her head all the way around like that psycho chick from movie. Guess you learn something new every day. Jersey whips back in my direction and stomps over to me till we're nearly nose to nose. Her breath smells like mint and whatever other good smelling herbs Ryker put in that tea he gave me earlier.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there might've been some sex drive boosters in that bad boy 'cause I'm super turned on right now when that probably shouldn't be happening. Oh well.

"You know, if you weren't so cocky, I'd probably be telling you how beautiful that song was, and how hard the last week's been without you, but since you seem so satisfied with yourself, I guess you don't need me to tell you anything, huh?" She says.

"Tell me, you love me, and I'll drop the ego, and show you the best night of your life."

She scoffs at me but I take it in stride.

"Who says I wanna go out with you at all?"

Jersey's got her bottom lip pulled between her teeth and a look in her eyes that I haven't seen since last summer. I've been looking for her since then--my Jersey girl. The one who's got an east coast smile tough enough to crack the concrete. I haven't seen her like this since she walked off that plane--and I've missed it. I've missed her.

And I know I'm crazy for wanting things to stay like this. For the two of us to forget ourselves for a little while and get caught up in who we used to be. I need an escape tonight. But I'm tired of walking around with nothing but sadness on our shoulders.

Lately, it's been seeping its way into every conversation, every quiet moment, every single thing we do or say around each other. We're drowning in our history when all I wanna do is exist in the present. I wanna ride out the here and now until we can't anymore.

"Let's flip a coin on it, heads you come out with me, tails you break my heart."

I blow her a kiss and she's blushes despite herself. Yeah, still got it.

"Sorry, I don't play with cheaters."

She turns around and tries to walk away from me but I catch her by the wrist and pull her back before she can say two words about it.

"Who said anything about cheating, Jersey? I'm a changed man."

I take her hand in mine and guide it into my front pocket which takes the rosey-ness in her cheeks to a whole new level. I feel her fingers tighten around a coin and then let her decide if she wants to leave, keep groping her way around my jeans, or back off like the modest girl that she is.

She whips the quarter out lightning fast, holds it up in front of her face, and examines it like a detective.

"Wow, no double-headed dirty tricks this time? I'm impressed. Hope you're ready to lose."

She flicks the coin off her thumb and the two of us watch it catch the concert lights as it sails through the air.

Indigo steps between the two of us and snatches the quarter mid-flight.

"What's the deal, Gogo? We're in the middle of something here!" I say.

Indigo throws my money over her shoulder and into the dark without missing a beat.

"No more coin tosses, no more bets. You guys are cosmically capable adults, so embrace your untapped spiritual maturity and see where the night takes you based on choice not chance."

I shoot Jersey a look and she bites back a smile.

"I don't know about you, Gogo, but I've still got a whole year before me and my lady have to do any adulting, am I right, J?"

Jersey shrugs her shoulders and gives Indigo an apologetic smile.

"He is. Sorry, Indigo."

And that ladies and gentlemen is called winning.

"You both are hopeless. I mourn," Indigo says.

"Yeah, and hopelessly sexy. Don't hate us cause you ain't us, Gogo. I know you're getting old and all cranky since you're pushing twenty one or whatever so, we'll let you go back to Ryker before your bedtime."

I try giving Gogo a couple loving pats on head to take care of the murderous look on her face. But instead of softening up or laughing like I expect her to, she snatches me by the ear, twists it until I whimper-scream, and then pulls me down to eye level.

"Too far, Elias. Too far. I may be small, but I am mighty. You've been warned. Have a good night, lovebirds."

Indigo leaves me bent over and in pain while Jersey sends her off with a smile. The second Gogo's out of sight, Jersey loses it. I don't know what kind of twisted upbringing she must've had that taught her to laugh at beautiful people in pain, but the girl's in hysterics. She lets out one of those honkey laughs that make the inner Jersey girl come out in full swing.

"Who knew the great Elias King would crumble over like a pile of rocks because of his baby ears! You should've seen the look on your face!"

I snake my hand around her waist and tug her towards me. She trips over her feet and lands flat against my chest with a soft thud.

"You should see the look on yours."

She stares up at me wide-eyed and adorably confused so I decide to set the record straight. I tilt her head back and lean in with every intention of kissing every single unanswered question off her lips. I shut my eyes and my mouth collides with something soft and warm, but nowhere near as soft and warm as her lips.

"Woah there, Tiger. You can't just kiss a girl twice on a date without even properly asking her to go out with you first. Coin toss propositions don't count."

I blink the shock out of my eyes and then force myself to pull away from her even though it's the last thing I want to do.

"Fine. Fine. You wanna go out with me?"

She shakes her head and all the pretty braids Indigo must've put in her hair spill all over her shoulders.

"I don't know. You kind of smell, and your mouth tastes like plants."

"Speak for yourself, Dirty girl, when's the last time you showered?"

I bury my nose in her hair and take in a good nose full of what smells like fresh watermelon shampoo?

What? That can't be right?

"Are you sniffing me right now?" She says, and then play shoves me away from her general direction.

"I am. And, its...nice. Man, I thought you missed me!"

"For your information, I showered this morning. Indigo made me, so now you'll never know the level of rank I was before."

"Ha! I knew it. You did miss me."

She starts giving me one of those hard stares that usually come before a good Jersey-bonafide arm whacking. I cut off her stare before she can carry out the arm numbage.

"Alright. Fine. I'll chill on the ego. But I still wanna date you so hurry up and say 'yes' so I can take you on the Ferris Wheel and make out with you until my face hurts."

Jersey flashes me an unsteady smile.

"Not unless you go with me on those bumper cars first. I don't do heights."

"And I don't do bumper cars, remember?"

I push the memory of the last time I freaked out in front of her out of my mind. I was a different guy back then. Bitter, angry, and scared of everything. A lot's changed. But some fears don't. Something's stick around longer than you want them to.

Jersey weaves her hand between mine and squeezes the tension out of my fingers.

"I remember. It's just-we've spent a whole week trying to survive some of our worst fears, so why don't we conquer some of the little ones while we're here?"

Flush highlights her cheeks and paint her rosy under the stage lights.

"You're a brave girl, Jersey Summers. I'll tell you what, I'll go on any ride you want if you promise me something."

"W-what?"

"Follow me, I don't wanna ask you here."

I take Jersey by the hand and lead her through the crowd until the concert goers disappear and we end up a couple steps short of the coastline. The sun's setting just on the edge of the ocean in front of us, painting the water yellow-gold. A breeze comes dancing past us from the direction of the carnival carrying the smell of cheap popcorn and burned sugary cotton candy along with it. But instead of heading down towards the neon lights, I kick off my shoes and pull Jersey down next to me in the sand.

Jersey settles into the space next to me and my skin starts tingling wherever we touch.

"What did you wanna ask me?" She says and her voice comes out about as small and fragile as it did a week ago. The sound has me fighting the temptation to ask her all the questions she probably doesn't want to hear.

I wanna know how she's been. If she's okay. If she's been walking around this city as haunted and heavy-hearted as I have. I wanna know the kinds of things people have been saying to her. How she's been taking it. If she's been taking it well or if it's been taking pieces of her.

But that's the thing. If I open up that version of Pandora's box, the sadness'll come creeping back into the both of us. It'll take the fragile little spark that's in her eyes and the potential of tonight and drown it somewhere in the ocean.

So I keep my questions to myself for her sake and mine. We need a night away from who we are, a night where we can live life like it hasn't kicked the shit out of us time and time again. And maybe wanting to put a little distance between us and our past makes me selfish and ignorant. But I just want to keep Jersey smiling like she was earlier. I want her to believe in the potential of us.

Of who we could be no matter who we've been.

Or what we've been through.

No matter what we've lost.

"Can you-would you-uh, how do I say this?"

Her eyes flit up to mine and I watch as she does her best to hide the fear in her expression. She's still doing it-struggling to trust me. Struggling to be comfortable when all I want is for her to be able to let go of everything that's holding her back when we're together.

I wonder how long it'll take for her to feel steady around me. I wanna look at her one day and see that she's as sure of things as I am. That she's as ready to take this-us, as far as I am.

"Promise me that you won't ever let me agree to leave you again. Even if Lisa or the press or my parents threaten my life and future children, don't let me let you go, okay?" I say.

I wait for Jersey to smile or say something-anything to bring back the spark in her eyes, but her face stays still.

"But what if-what if you wake up one day and realize that you got all of this wrong. What if I-don't turn out to be the fairytale that you expect me to be?"

I try to take her words in stride but I can't swallow them. I can't stand the fact that she's even thinking this way-even though my mistakes are probably the reason why she doesn't believe in anyone anymore. I move into the space behind her and wrap my arms around her until she's completely surrounded. I need her to feel this, how close we can be, how sturdy she can be when she has someone to lean on.

"I don't need a fairytale, Jersey. I-"

I take her trembling hands in mine and hold them there until she stops shaking.

"-I'm fine with just this. Just you."

Jersey doesn't say anything for a while. Instead, she leans her head back against my chest and stares out at the ocean. I rest my chin on the top of her head, silently wishing I could hear all the things that are racing around in her brain. She sighs into the salty air, wipes a couple runaway tears out from under her eyes, and then turns around to face me.

"What's wrong?" I ask, even though I'm scared to know the answer. But she doesn't answer me at all.

She leans in and kisses me and her lips are soft and unsure but so full of everything we've been missing that I completely lose myself in the moment. In her. She's a hurricane of confidence and hesitation, wildness and wild desperation and I'm struggling to breathe.

I'm struggling not to give in to how badly my hands want to touch every single part of her and take away all of the pain that's rushing around in her veins.

She pushes me down in the sand and I stare up at her dazed and still trying to read the whirlwind of a girl hovering over me. I reach up and try to tug her down to me, but she catches me by the wrist and smiles at me.

And I think it's real.

God, I hope it's real.

"What are you smiling at? You didn't answer my question. Kissing your way outta things will only get you so far, J" I say between breaths.

She laughs to herself, plants a slow kiss on my forehead, and then hovers over me like a halo.

"You wanna know what's wrong with me, Elias? You. You're driving me crazy with your promises and serious conversations when I just want funnel cake and rides and fun. I need fun right now and I want that right now to be with you. Here. So promise me, for the rest of this evening that we won't think about last week, or next week, or next year. Promise me a moment, and I'll promise you tonight."

I sit up, take her by the hand, and pull her to her feet along with me.

"You know I'd promise you forever if you asked me to."

She lets out a snort of a laugh but she doesn't know how serious I am. Whatever. That's a conversation for another day. Another moment.

"And the Cheese Man returns! I was starting to worry that he was gone for good."

I slide my arm around her waist, she drops her head against my shoulder, and we start heading towards the carnival lights.

"Never. He's alive and well tonight and he's got a very important question for you."

"And what's that?"

"Will you make me the happiest man in the world and-"

She covers my mouth to try to shush me so I lick the inside of her hand until she lets me go.

"What is wrong with you?!" She squeals.

"That's what you get for not letting me ask my question."

I laugh in her face and she wipes my spit right on the front of my T-shirt.

"You're gross. Ask your question already," Jersey says, accent in full swing.

"What do you wanna ride first?"

***

So, I am very proud to say that I survived riding the bumper cars without having a full on freak out this time. Granted, I had my eyes closed the entire time while Jersey drove around like a crazy person, but whatever, I did it. No black outs, no bad memories, just a good time.

Halfway over to the Ferris Wheel line Jersey goes sprinting over to a milk bottle carnival game while I'm still trying to get over my girlfriend-induced whiplash from the bumper cars. The good news is I managed to survive her psycho-driving without getting another concussion. The bad news is I'm probably going down in the bumper car hall of fame for screamers.

Apparently, people don't usually spend all ten minutes of the ride shrieking and begging their drivers to slow down like I did. But whatever. I'm gonna make up for my negative bro-points by kicking the balls out of this throwing game and winning Jersey anything she wants.

Real talk.

She points at a giant-stuffed lion who's face is sewed on crooked and starts squealing like a six-year old.

"Elias, look how cute this is! It's cross-eyed and kind of ugly but I love it."

She grabs the bottom of my T-shirt and pulls me up to the booth so I can get a better look at the fail lion she's fallen in love with.

"I see why you want it. It's weird enough to be one of a kind."

"I know right."

"Kinda like you."

She socks me in the shoulder.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I think you're a special girl- and a special case just like this lion. It takes a certain kinda person to see how beautiful it is."

And here comes sock number two.

"You really have a gift for making insults sound like compliments, Elias."

"It wasn't an insult. I'm just saying, you're lovably weird too. How is that a bad thing?"

I flash her a million dollar smile that usually works as a "get out of jail free" card. She doesn't take the bait. Instead she rolls her eyes at me, pulls my wallet out of my pocket, and shoves it into my hand.

"How about you stop talking and try not to lose all your money on the first try."

"Is that a challenge?"

Jersey props her hands on her hips and stares me down like we're in the hippy version of a western movie.

"Absolutely. I bet you ten bucks that you won't knock a single bottle down."

Challenge accepted.

"You're on. Milk bottle man, bring me the balls!"

I strut up to the red and white pin-striped booth, slap a fiver on the table, and wait for the tattooed guy to finish setting up the bottles. He hands me a stack of three softballs which should make this an easy win.

"Watch and learn, Jersey. Watch and learn."

She wraps her arms around my waist, stands up on her tip toes, and whispers a soft "good luck" in my ear right as I release the first ball. It flies out of my hand crooked and nearly takes off the carney's head. He shoots me a death glare while Jersey giggles to herself.

"Hey! No cheating! You can't whisper talk at me when I'm trying to concentrate."

"The rules are there are no rules. Keep going, Mr. King."

I try my best to ignore the feel of her fingers tracing circles on my chest, and the heat prickling across my skin, and pick up the second ball. Jersey plants a slow kiss on my shoulder which jacks up my throw to the point where the ball smashes into the ceiling and nearly takes out one of the lights.

"Fix your aim, kid!" Tattoo man says.

I nod nervously, grab ball number three, and wind up to throw it as straight as I can. Jersey runs her hands through my hair at the last second, the ball swerves to the left a couple inches shy of the bottles. I shut my eyes in defeat when it crashes against the back drop with a loud thud.

Jersey grins at me like a little monster and holds her hand out for the prize.

"Cough it up, King. You lost!"

"Not until you've finished your turn. I'll bet you ten bucks that you won't hit anything either!"

Jersey busts out the cockiest smile this side of SoCal.

"Fine, but you do realize that you're gonna be out twenty bucks if I win. You already paid for two games and you're about to lose the bet."

I hand her another five and then slide up behind her so I can start my own game of physical sabotage.

"I'll believe it when I see it. Put the balls in your hands and win the game."

She whips around so we're standing face to face, and grabs me somewhere that leaves me completely lost for words.

"Already have, Elias. I already have."

***

Twenty minutes later, there's a crooked faced lion sitting between me and my girlfriend on the Ferris Wheel. We're slowly making our way up above the fairgrounds and closer to the stars a car at a time and Jersey's-absolutely horrified.

I don't know how she ended up clinging to a stuffed animal instead of me, but I'm not about to let some crooked-faced cotton ball steal my girl's attention. Real talk.

I gently reach over and pry King Leo out of Jersey's arms and slide into the space next to her. She grabs on to me for dear life and I run my hand up and down her back to try to get her to relax a little and enjoy the view.

"Are we down yet?" She asks.

I stare down at her hoping she'll open her eyes for a minute or two so she can see what I'm seeing, but she doesn't budge.

"Babe, come on. I want you to see this. You're missing the best part of the night."

"Not at all. The best part of the night was when we weren't suspended hundreds of feet off the ground."

"Hey, you promised you'd do this with me," I say. She grunts into my t-shirt.

"I am doing this with you. I just want to do it with my eyes closed."

"When has doing it with your eyes closed ever been worth it, Jersey?"

She laughs for the first time since we've been on this ride and finally loosens up a little.

"Okay, fine you might have a point but I still don't like heights. Do something to calm me down. Tell me a story or something."

I take a second to debate whether or not I should tell her the one secret I haven't told anyone about all week. It's been kicking around in the back of my head for a while now but I was too unsure of myself to actually say it out loud.

I wanted to talk to my mom about it but now's--not really a good time and obviously Tanner's out so, it's just been me, myself, and this idea. An idea that starts and ends with Jersey. The only problem is, I don't know how she'll take it, but I'm hoping that if the high keeps going, that maybe she'll hear me out.

"Fine, then make yourself comfortable."

Jersey pulls her feet up onto the bench and lays down until her head's resting in my lap. I run my fingers along the edge of her face lightly enough to get her eyes to flutter open right in time with her smile.

"Look, you did it. I'm proud of you, scaredy cat," I say.

Jersey processes what I'm saying and then shuts her eyes again just to make a point.

"Shut up and tell the story already. I wanna hear something nice before I plummet to my doom."

I lean down and kiss her eyelids as softly as I can which makes her squirm.

"If you're still scared, just look at me. As long as I'm around, I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, okay?"

Her cheeks flush pink as her eyes scamper away from my face.

"Okay."

"Alright, on to the story. Once upon a time, there was a boy who fell in love with a girl--"

"I've already heard this one!"

"--no you haven't. Now stop interrupting or I'll throw you out the window. Anyway, this boy had a habit of making a lot of mistakes. Some, way worse than others. But the worst one he made was leaving his girl when a part of him was still with her. A part he would've given anything to save if he could have. But she was hurt and alone so she made a choice. A choice this boy forgives her for. A choice that he doesn't want holding her back or hurting her anymore. Because he still loves her. He loves her enough to never leave her alone again. So he took seven days to find a way to keep her. A place where she could--where they could start all over again, but only if she wanted to. Castles aren't for everyone, you know?"

Jersey sits up straighter than straight and stares me down with about as many questions as there are tears in her eyes.

"Elias, what are you saying?"

My throat closes up so instead of trying to explain things I take my phone out of my pocket and show her exactly what I'm talking about. Jersey's speechless as I scroll through pictures of a humble one bedroom apartment a little ways off campus. I've been eyeing it for the past week hoping that I could set up a place for me and Jersey to stay if the craziness on campus kept up.

But even beyond that, I want her with me.

Living across the hall's been okay, but the idea planted itself in my head when she started staying in my room more than she was in hers. Whenever she was around, no matter which dorm we were crashing in felt like home. She isn't just my girlfriend at this point.

She's more than a moment. More than a phase. She's the mother of my son, she's the start of a story I don't want either of us to finish.

And this is the first part of me telling her that. I just hope to God she's willing to hear it.

"What I'm saying is, move in with me. And I know that might sound crazy with finals coming up or whatever, but I was thinking that after Winter Break we could--"

"Elias--"

"--wait before you say anything, just hear me out, okay? You wouldn't have to pay rent or anything and we can talk to Indigo together if you want, but I just think that this could be--really good for us."

She turns her whole body to face me, takes my hands, and places them over her heart.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved a boy. But the girl had a heart made of sand. The kind that would slip through your fingers if you weren't careful. So the girl asked the boy to make her a promise. To give her moments because she knew that moments were all she had. Moments were all she could give. And the boy promised her--"

"Jersey, please--"

"--he promised her he would. And she loved him all the more for it. For keeping his word. For giving her moments so her heart could get strong enough for it to survive. Strong enough to keep beating for him. So please, keep that promise to me, Elias. Please give me time. I need it more than you understand, okay?"

Before I can say anything, she leans in and my words get lost in her lips. There's so much I still wanna say. I wanna convince her that we can take this step together. That we can do anything together as long we don't let anyone else get in the way. Including ourselves.

But the longer she kisses me the less I need the conversation and the more I need her. The more I'm willing to let her have this moment so we can have a million others.

If loving her right means letting tonight boil down to a simple kiss miles above the SoCal coastline, then I'll give her this moment.

And I'd give it to her over and over again.

To keep her smiling.

To keep her happy.

To keep her here.

To keep--

--her.

***

(Thank you guys so much for reading and listening! We really hope you enjoyed the much needed romantic get away for Elias and Alex this week! Can't wait to share the next chapter with you next week!

NEXT UPDATE: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH

PS: Sorry for the incorrect date on the post last week haha I'm pretty sure I got the date wrong!)

#REALTALK QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

1. Do you think Elias is moving too fast?

2. Do you think Elias asking Jersey to move in is the right solution to what they're going through?

3. (A random question because we're curious :P) What is your shipping name for Alex/Elias?