In the header is an awesome cover made by the sweet @Bookaholicscommunity ❤

"Are you alright? Do they know it was you?! It's because of me you're in trouble. I'm so sorry!" I ramble on, almost jumping on Alex when I see him arriving by the school gate.

He grabs my arms, making me look at him, and my big eyes scan his face and body as if I hadn't seen him for years and not just a few hours ago.

"No, don't worry! They don't know anything! Otherwise, I wouldn't be here!" He offers me a confident smirk, and I find my breath again, staring in his tenebrous eyes.

"They just interrogated me because of my background with vandalism, but they don't have any clue. The ones who did that are professional badasses!" His smirk broadens.

"Then, why did they keep you for so long?" I ask, the knot in my stomach still not completely dissipating.

"They just asked me some questions, tried to pressure me." He shrugs as my eyes widen.

"I just told them the truth: that I was with my beautiful girlfriend and that I didn't think they needed me to draw them a picture of what we were doing... I didn't lie!" He grins.

I shake my head, laughing, as my worries are eased just by his cocky grin, his confident attitude, his penetrating eyes... all of him.

"Oh! By the way! Don't you need your jacket?" I smile, holding out his jacket.

He puts it on, the black leather fitting perfectly on his strong shoulders. I watch him silently as he sticks his hands in the pockets and stops abruptly, rummaging in all the pockets of his jacket.

"Is that what you're looking for?" I smirk, waving the small packets I've found earlier in his jacket.

His dark eyes widen, and he quickly grabs them from my hands.

"This is dangerous. Don't play with this, if someone sees you..." He towers over me, his low and dangerous voice sending a shiver down my spine.

"I can tell you the same. Why did you bring it at school today, with the cops and all?!" I hold his piercing gaze.

"It was exceptional. I had a delay in delivery."

"And if the cops had found it?!" I ask with wide eyes the question that has been playing in my head with all the other dreaded ones since Alex has been taken to the police station.

"They can't look for two things at once!" He puts back the packets in his pockets, his tone playful again.

"You're reckless!" I shake my head.

"I'm the baddest bad boy!" He smirks smugly and gives me a smooth peck on the lips. "Have you already eaten?" He changes the subject, licking his lips.

"Yeah, but I haven't eaten much... I wasn't hungry." I bite my lip.

"Good! 'Cuz I'm starving! How about we go eat out?" He grabs my hand.

"Yeah, why not, we have a long break." The knots that have been taking up all the space in my stomach are slowly vanishing as Alex is already leading me out of the schoolyard.

"Do you use them? I mean... the drugs?" I break the comfortable silence we're walking in, unable to get out of my head the images of weeds, white powder, pills, and bars I've seen earlier in his jacket. I think this is the first time I see them from so close, actually even from afar; this is the first time I see them for real.

"From time to time... Sometimes at parties." He shrugs, and it's in moments like this that I realize how different our worlds are. While for him, it seems nothing, ordinary, for me, it's the contrary.

"Could you make me try them one day?" I ask, chewing on my lip.

He chuckles. "No!"

I gasp. "But–"

"You're a too good girl, Miss Badass!" He looks at me with his twinkling dark eyes. "It's overrated anyway."

I must admit that I'm curious, maybe because it's part of his world. But Alex doesn't let me dwell on that as he encircles my waist with his strong arms, pulling me to him.

"I have better ways to make you high..." he rasps on the shell of my ear, and the tingles that travel down my spine in his warm embrace make me forget any other drug. 

The laced promises in his tone are arising my hunger for his sinful lips. So I turn around, wrapping my arms around his neck to get an intoxicatingly addictive kiss. Though my clumsiness gets in the way as I stumble on something on the ground, making us both fall down. I can do nothing but grip Alex tighter and close my eyes.

I reopen them when the impact is less brutal than I've expected. Alex's strong arms catching me have prevented me from falling too hard, and the grass covering the ground has cushioned my fall.

"Oh! We're at the park?!" I realize, glancing around to recognize the tall trees, the bushes, and the tables around.

We've walked with no destination in mind, searching for a nice place to eat our take-aways, and we've naturally ended up here.

"Let's eat there, Miss Clumsy Cutie!" He winks, grabbing the bags containing our bagels – luckily well packed – scattered on the ground.

"Yeah, it's perfect here." I smile, letting the much-needed peacefulness engulf me.

At this period of the year, the place is quieter and emptier; even the trees are cleared of their leaves. Yet with the shy sun peaking through the clouds, it still looks radiant and magical. It's maybe also the sweet memories we have there that are making it shine so bright in my eyes.

"It's our place!" he concludes, kissing my cheek.

***

'Our place', I smile to myself, gazing down at the beautiful white rose in my hands. I skim delicately with the tips of my fingers the velvet immaculate petals, my fingers sliding down to the white card tied on it and tracing slowly the now well-known slanted handwriting.

'To My Miss Clumsy Cookie,

Meet me at our place at 7'

My heart flutters, the same sensation I've felt when I've found the delicate flower in my locker a little earlier.

I finally get there, our place. I follow the small path which looks very different than in my memories. There is no green, no colorful flowers, no birds chirping, only dark masses that must be bushes and an aery silence. Though I recognize the rustling of the gravel under my feet.

My heart starts beating faster, and my eyes – getting used to the darkness, with the street lights scarcer in this area– scan the surroundings.

I don't see the silhouette I'm looking for, but a shower of stars comes to my eyes at the end of the path. The Holidays getting closer, the whole park is decorated with Christmas lights. Hundreds of little lights are arranged in the trees and the bushes, with tinsels on the edges, and all of this is offering an enchanting spectacle, leading to the highlight of the show: the center of the gardens, the bandstand illuminated with lights of all colors. Though I don't go here. I know I won't find what I'm looking for there.

So following my instinct and my heart, I take a turn, heading for the back of the park, a more secluded area.

There, I see it, standing under a tree whose foliage has been replaced by Christmas lights: the silhouette that makes my heart skip a beat.

The place is far less illuminated than the rest of the park; it's darker and different, yet I find it even more beautiful. The big tree is forming a sky of lights above our heads, a magical universe with a few tinsels around the place, our place.

My heart jingles when I'm welcomed by a bright smile, blinding me more than all the Christmas illuminations around.

"Wow! It's magical!" I whisper, breathless, though my gaze is focused on only one light.

"Now, it is..." Alex replies, the tree's illuminations reflecting in his tenebrous eyes and dazzling me.

It's almost too much for my heart, thus I just close my eyelids, leaning in to feel the relief of his plump lips attracting me inches away.

However, I don't get the outcome expected. Not feeling the sweet sinful lips on mine, I reopen my eyes to be met by a deep red rose. Its petals are as velvet-like as the white one in my hands, but the dark red color is making it even more hypnotizing. Yet behind, there is something even more mesmerizing: Alex's intense dark eyes gazing at me in a special, tender way.

"Would you do me the honor to go to the Winter Ball with me, Miss Clumsy Cookie?"

My heart shoots up to the sky. His gaze doesn't leave mine, observing me attentively, but in its takeoff, my heart has taken my voice and my breath, so I'm left speechless and breathless.

"It's a first for me. I may not have the right technique," The look in his dark eyes makes my heart flutter even more, and it doesn't help me to find back my voice.

"No! I mean yes! I mean..." My words rush out of my mouth in every direction like the bangs of my heart inside.

Confusion and disappointment cross his eyes for a micro-second before a mischievous smirk quickly appears on his handsome face seeing me stumbling.

"You mean?"

"I mean it's perfect, so yes." I smile, my cheeks probably as red as the rose I take in his hand.

"You're sure, Miss Clumsy Cutie?" He leans closer, his cockiness back again.

"Yes..." I pause, tilting my head. "I don't have a nickname for you."

"It's not important. You can find one later," he rasps, his arms bringing me closer.

Yet the contrast between the look in his tenebrous eyes melting my heart and his hot breath tingling my lips gives me the idea instantly. "Mr. Puppy Bad Boy!" I grin proudly.

He freezes abruptly, his lips half an inch away from mine, and his eyebrows raising above his big eyes. "You know I wrecked people for less than this?"

"What?! It's not my fault you look at me with puppy eyes!" I widen my grin.

"You're lucky that you're cute!" And with these words, he finally kisses me.

So... what do you think of this chapter?

Some illegals stuff, but mostly cuteness overload!! :)

Do you like Alex's new nickname? ;) Do you think it fits the 'baddest bad boy' who deals drugs and gets arrested?

And what will happen at the Winter Ball?... ;)

I hope you like this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments, vote... the feedbacks are more than welcome! :)