A/N: Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!

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It had been a little more than a week since I had been living with Oliver and Clara and I had gone sightseeing with Oliver a couple of times. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. I was sitting at the table eating breakfast with Oliver, he was wearing his pharmacy coat that had his name on it. “I have to work today, but tonight we’ll hang out, I know the best restaurant on the beach.” He said as he bit into a bagel.

“Is Clara coming?” except for the first day of sightseeing, Clara went with us everywhere else. It was cute seeing her and Oliver so much in love.

“Um no, she has something else to do tonight, it’s not the best day for her.” Oliver said looking down.

“What happened?” there was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

“I’ll tell you, but only because I think you should at least know what she’s going though. However, don’t say anything to her about it,” I nodded, he took in a deep breath before letting out a shaky one. “Her younger sister died three years ago today” I gasped a little at that fact.

“Oh my goodness how?” I asked in completely shock. I couldn’t imagine if I lost one of my sisters. He sighed and looked at his watch.

“I promise I will tell you tonight but I have to get to work. Clara might come home before I get home do not say anything to her, she doesn’t like to be reminded.” Oliver said getting up from the table and picking up his plate.

“I’ll get that, you can go to work, you don’t need to be late.” I said he gave an appreciative smile before grabbing a bag off the counter and making his way out the door. I then began to clean up the mess we had made making breakfast. After that was done I got a shower and changed into a simple plain tee and jean shorts.

It wasn’t long after I had gotten a shower that Clara walked into the door. She seemed different today, she wasn’t happy like she always seemed. “Hey.” I said.

“Hey, what are you up to?” she asked failing at her attempt to give a smile.

“I was about to watch a movie. You want to join me?” I asked this time she gave a real smile.

“Yes, I would love that, and how about afterward we go to the salon. We can get our hair and nails done. You know, just some girl time.” She said her grin growing bigger with each word.

“That sound great” though I had never had my nails or hair done before and normally would have protested it, I couldn’t let her down. I have a feeling this was her way of making up for the loss of her sister. She’s twenty-one now I don’t know how much younger her sister was than her but three years ago Clara would have been eighteen. Her sister could have very well been my age.

“Great! Now….have you seen Now You See Me?” she asked as she rummaged around in the fridge in the kitchen.

“Uh, no, I haven’t”

“Let’s watch that! You want something to drink?”

“Water.” She grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to me as she placed the other on the half glass, half wooden coffee table. She made her way to the DVD player and found the movie placing the disc in the player and grabbed the remote having a seat beside me.

When the movie had finished playing Clara turned off the television and stood up stretching her body. “How about we get some lunch first, and then go get our nails and hair done?” she asked I replied by simply nodding my head. She grabbed her purse and we made our way down the many flights of stairs and out the door.

Clara got a cab and we got in making our way around the city. When we came to a stop on curb I looked up to find a large sign on the side of a building it read “Maggiano’s Little Italy.” We got out of the cab and made our way towards the front door. It looked like it was built in the 20’s the canopy’s lining the top of the windows and doors, the revolving door and even its sign had that 20’s mobster them. The inside of it certain fit the 20’s, hard wood floors covered every inch of the ground inside and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were marvelous.  There were booths built in wooden structures with red cloth covering them. “How many?” the woman asked bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Two.” Clara answered, the woman nodded.

“Follow me” as she started walking away we followed and to my surprise she took us to a stairs case, it was just has grand as the rest of the place. It was wooden as well and the center of the stairs was covered in red velvet carpet. We made our way upstairs and were placed just at the edge of the balcony, being able to look down at the rest of the restaurant.  “Your waiter will be right with you.” She said before walking off.

“Wow, this place, it’s…it’s amazing. I wish you would have told me how nice it was, I would have dressed better.” I said feeling ashamed of my simple shorts and shirt Clara laughed a bit. It was true though, this place was amazing, the closest I’d come to this nice of a place was the night I ran away with Zach. No I thought to myself, I will not think about him.

“No one cares how you’re dressed, trust me. Just enjoy the meal it is the best Italian food I have ever tasted.” Clara says with a smile on her face.

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Lunch was amazingly good. Clara and I were now walking down the busy streets toward the salon. “Look snow cones! Let’s get one.” Clara suggested.

            “Uh sure.” I said, it was ninety-six degrees outside a snow cone actually sounded pretty good.

            “Two snow cones please.” Clara said to the man in the truck.

            “Flavors?”

            “Blue raspberry, and…?” Clara then looked toward me as if to ask.

            “Cherry” I said a smile plastered on my face, the man nodded and turned his back to us making the snow cones.

            “Here you go, one blue raspberry and one cherry.” He handed us the snow cones and we paid before continuing our walk. Clara stopped and I looked up at the building, Macy’s Salon read on the sign that was hanging off the building above the sidewalk. Clara was smiling, but not the normal one I was used to seeing. No this one was the one I had been looking at all day; this one was filled with sadness. We walked inside the building and were instantly greeted by a woman.

“Clara, long time, no see.” The middle aged woman said, she was probably in her mid-forties. She had dark brown hair that had a hint of grey starting to shine through; her blue eyes were filled with sorrow as they looked at Clara.

            “Hey, Ms. Macy.” Clara said a small smile on her face, she no longer looked like the independent, confident twenty-one year old I had gotten to know, she now appeared to be a worried, shy five year old.

            “How are you today? I know it’s a hard day.” Macy said, she must know about Clara’s sister.

            “I-I’m fine.”

            “Don’t you lie to me, Clara. Tell me the truth.” Macy said taking her hand as she walked toward the couch that was placed in the lobby having a seat as Clara followed. I followed behind them and stood beside the couch Clara and Macy were occupying.

            “It’s hard, but I’ll get through it, I always do. However, getting pampered could help me take my mind of it.”  Macy smiled.

            “Hair and nails?”

            “For two please. This is my friend Fire.” Clara said now standing up gesturing towards me. Macy looked at me and then smiled.

            “Oh course! I’ll set that right up, follow me.”  Macy said as she led us to salon chairs. “Have a seat.” She said with a smile as we both had a seat. Two women walked up to us.

“Hi! I’m Maribel I’ll be doing your hair. So…sweetheart what do you want done?” she asked in a think city accent as she looked at my hair.

            “I’m not sure, what do you suggest?”

            “Well, we can get rid of these neon green highlights and had a different color, maybe purple? The green makes it look like you’ve been in chlorine too long, plus I think the purple will make you’re blue eyes pop!” Maribel said. I gave her a smile and nodded.

            “That sounds great, but wait how much will it cost”

            “It’s on the house, Maribel,” Macy cut in, “For both of them.” Maribel and the other hair dresser nodded and began their work.

            When they finished I had new dark purple streaks in my hair that did in fact make my blue eyes pop. Clara’s auburn hair was now a few inches short, only reaching her shoulder blades instead of her lower back and also had a few low lights to add some contrast to it. “You two look great! Now let’s get those nails done!” Macy said when she saw us. We walked over to the nail part of the salon and took a seat in big comfy seats that engulfed our entire bodies in the soft fabric as it massaged our backs.

            Two women came up to me and started to clean and paint my toe and finger nails. “What color?” one of the women asked.

“Purple, to match my hair.” I said with a smile on my face.

“That sounds great! I have the perfect shade of purple!” the women said before getting up and going to get the color.

“I want bright red!” Clara said with a grin stretching across her face.

The women got the colors we wanted and started to do our nails, cleaning them, cutting them, shaping them and then of course actually painting them. By the time they were done it was nearly five thirty. “Thank you so much Macy for everything. I don’t know how I would get through today without you.” Clara said while hugging Macy.

“What about your Fiancé?” Macy asked a smile on her face as she looked down at Clara much like a mother would her daughter.

“Oliver, he’s great and he really tries to help, but it’s better with you. You were there when I found out.” Clara said to Macy. Macy nods her head. “Come with me tonight?” Clara asked, you could see the desperation in her eye.

“Of course, I’ll meet you there at seven. Then I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“Oh you don’t have to do all that, you already paid for my hair and nails.” Clara protested as I stood by idly.

“Nonsense. You will let me get you dinner. Now get on. Go home and relax a bit.” Macy said leading us out of the store.

As Clara and I walked the streets trying to hail a cab, Clara spoke. “I bet you’re wondering what that was about.” She said.

“It’s not my business.” I said.

“My sister, died three years ago today. She was only seventeen.” Clara says looking down at the ground, her freshly done hair hiding her face.

“I’m sorry Clara.” I said just as a cab pulled onto the curb.

“Don’t be.” Clara said her face turning hard and cold as we got into the cab and made our way back to the apartment.

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We reached the apartment and went inside where we found Oliver watching television as he sat on the couch. Olive realizing we were there quickly got up and went over to his fiancée. He engulfed her in his arms while placing a kiss on her forehead; Clara responded by wrapping her arms around his waist, burring her head into his chest. “Hey babe, how are you doing?” He asked not pulling away from their embrace.

“Why do people keep asking me that?” Clara muttered into Oliver’s toned body.

“Clara…” his voice said in a warning tone, she sighed.

 “I’m fine really I am. Macy is meeting me there and then we’re going to dinner. Can you and Fire find something?” she pulled away from their embrace so that she can look up at Oliver.

“Yeah, don’t worry about us.” Another kissed was placed on Clara but this time it was her lips. Clara smiles before walking off into her and Oliver’s bedroom.

Clara emerged ten minutes later in different close, though for someone going to a grave she was dressed in some bright colors. She wore white shorts that stopped mid-thigh, a bright coral t-shirt and matching converse high tops. “I’ll be back late tonight. Have fun.” Clara said before walking out of the apartment.

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Oliver and I were sitting at picnic table near the beach side by side as we ate hamburgers and hot dogs Oliver had gotten from a food truck. He had sworn they were the best he had ever had, and that their apple pie with ice cream was even better. Even though I had yet to eat the pie, he was damn right about the hot dogs. “Oliver…” I said trying to bring his attention away from amazing view of the ocean back to me.

“Huh?” he said slowly looking back toward me.

“Clara’s sister. What happened?”

He sighed, “It’s complicated, and in fact it’s what I was going to tell you the night you showed up. There is a reason Clara was so nice to you, maybe it’s because of your age, maybe it’s because you’re a runway, but I know for sure it has to do with her guilt.” He said dipping his French fry in ketchup before putting it in his mouth.

“Three years ago, Clara and her sister Riley ran away from home, Clara being eighteen and Riley being seventeen. Their mother had just remarried this guy, Clara says one night he came in to her room and touched her. The next day instead of going to school she got her sister and they gathered up some of their things and left Nebraska, they came here. They lived on the streets for about two months before Macy found them.” He said taking another small pause by biting into his burger. “She let them work at the salon cleaning up and in return she let them stay with her. Clara had met this guy while working at the salon; he came in with his mother one day. Well he really liked Clara and invited him to a party on the beach near the boardwalk. Clara asked Macy if they could go, but Macy said no when she found out where the party was. However, Clara felt that because she was adult and she didn’t have to listen to Macy, she took Riley and they snuck out.”

“Wait why sneak out if she thought she was an adult?” I blurted out.

“She needed Macy; she needed a place to live, if Macy kicked her out they would be back on the streets. Anyway, at the party, Riley met this boy Spencer and they started hanging out. Turns out, Spencer was into some dangerous stuff, he was in a gang and they sold drugs and things like that. Clara was working at Macy’s when they heard the news. Riley had been shot; she was with Spencer when a rival gang showed up looking for revenge. Spencer was pretty high up in the rankings of that particular gang, so when they saw him hiding Riley they shot her.” My mouth was a gape, my eye wide, my voice unable to work. I couldn’t believe any of this it sounded like the stuff that happens only in movies.

            “W-why does she blame herself?” I asked after a several minutes of silence.

            “She believes, that if she had listened to Macy and not gone to the party Riley would never have met Spence, so she wouldn’t have been there and she wouldn’t have gotten shot.” He explained.

            “Why did she take me in?” I blurted out.

            “She didn’t want you to end up dead like her sister. She’s done this twice before, although the other girls leave on the second or third day and go back home.” Oliver said.

            “Does that mean you want me to leave?”

            “Actually, I want the opposite,” he said inching closer to me. “I don’t know what it is, but there is something about you Fire, something so intriguing and I can’t get myself to stop thinking about you.” He was centimeters from me now.

            “Y-you can’t?” I stuttered.

            “Not at all.” He said has he pressed his lips against mine. I was shocked at this action but couldn’t bare myself to pull away. He deepened the kiss, taking one of his hands and tangling it into my hair while the other one was pressed against the lower part of my back. I finally came to my senses and pushed Oliver away.

            “You’re fucking engaged!” I yelled at him as I got up from the picnic table.

            “I know I am, but Fire, there is something about you! You’re different!”

            “Different, you think I’m different? News flash Oliver, I ran away at seventeen just like Clara! The only difference is she had a hell of lot more reasons to run than I did!”

            “Fire…” he said getting up and walking towards me placing his hands on shoulders. I shrugged them off. “Fire come on, don’t be like that. Just try it out with me, please.” He begged.

            “I don’t feel good about this Oliver. To kiss an engaged man is wrong on its own, but to kiss an engaged man whose fiancée is letting me stay in her apartment is a whole another level of wrong!”

            “I love Clara, I really do, but if I don’t try with you I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering if you were the girl I was supposed to be with.” He said once again placing his hands onto my shoulders looking deep into my eyes.

            “Oliver this is insane, not only because you’re to be married but also because of the large age gap between us!”

            “Age is just a number.”

            “And jail is just a room.” I restored.

            “Please Fire, just try, please.” He inched closer “Nothing bad will happen.” His lips were up against mine in a second. There was spark of electricity that kept me from pulling away. We started moving them in sync; his tongue ran across my lips asking for entrance which I granted. “I think I could do this forever.” Oliver said as the loud sound of a motorcycle went off in the parking lot beside us. I chuckled as that before we went back to kissing. We sat there, on the edge of the beach making out for what seemed like forever. The whole time I could never shake off the terrible feeling in my gut. You know the one that tells you, you are doing something wrong. Yeah, it was that feeling and I just knew it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

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I was now sitting on the couch with Oliver, it was late about one in the morning and Clara wasn’t answering her phone. “Are you sure we shouldn’t go and look for her?” I asked.

“I’m sure; I’ve been through this with her. She probably is staying with Macy tonight anyway.” He said as he moved closer to me, our lips only a few centimeters away. I knew it was wrong, everything about it screamed wrong and I never did anything about it. I was brought out of my thought by his lips on mine. I had never had a kiss like the ones I get form him, filled with electricity, filled with passion, filled with what I am to assume was love. I leaned into our kiss has one of his hands rested on my thigh rubbing up and down, I let out a slight moan into his mouth just at the door knob began to turn. I instantly pulled away from him. Putting as much space between us as humanly possible, wiping my mouth as I saw a very drunk Clara stumble her way into the apartment.

Oliver quickly made his way over to her helping her stand up right. Clara giggles a bit placing her head on Oliver as her lips start to attack his neck. “Clara, what happened?” Oliver asked trying to pull her off.

“I…well you see, I went to go see Riley...but, you know, she’s dead. Then I was so sad afterward, I…I wanted to have some fun!” she says slurring her words as she constantly giggles in a drunk manner.

“What did you do?” Oliver said slowly and clearly trying to get an answer out of her.

“I-I went to this bar. And…and I had a drink….or maybe two.” she was still laughing, this is what I never understood about getting drunk. Why would you want to put yourself in that state on incoherence, I mean if I can’t understand you, what the hell can you understand?

“Just two?” Oliver raised his eyebrow as he looked down at Clara.

“O-okay, so maybe I had six…but…but shhh, don’t tell Oliver. He’d get mad at me.” She thought she had whispered into Oliver’s hear.

“Oh really? And what else shouldn’t I tell Oliver?” he had said it in a joking tone but he didn’t expect the answer he got.

“You know what!” she was becoming more and more tired by each passing second, her body becoming more dependent on Oliver t0 keep it up.

“No, you’re going have to remind me.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow, I’m-” her own yawn cutting her off, “Sleepy.” Oliver sighed picking her up bridal style and taking her into their bedroom. He came back out a few minutes later and made a glass of water.

“Get some sleep Fire, it’s late. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He looked tired and worn out in just a matter of moments he went from being his normal full of energy, happy self. To looking like he hadn’t had a good night sleep in years. I just nodded and made my way to couch where I lay down with a blanket, waiting for the darkness to overtake me.

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The next morning I awoke to the sunlight streaming in through the window. I looked around the apartment and was taken aback by the large amount of silence that filled it. It wasn’t normal for the apartment to be filled with this much silence. Slowly getting up, I made my way toward the kitchen to find something that would fill my empty stomach. “Hey.” I heard a familiar voice say. I turned around and found Oliver on the other side of the counter; he once again looked as if he hadn’t slept in ages.

“You look terrible.” I said, he chuckled a bit.

“Yeah, I know. When I finally got Clara changed and into bed her stomach decided it needed to be emptied.”

“I’m sorry. Is she okay?”

“Yeah she should be. She’s really hung-over right now though. Pounding headache, can’t even hear a whisperer or see the tiniest ounce of light without making it worse.” That earned a chuckle from me.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh at that, I know it was a bad night for her.” I said regretting my laugh. Oliver shook his head with a boyish grin placed on his face as he walked around the counter towards me; closing the space between us. He placed his hands on my hips pulling me so that there wasn’t even a centimeter between our bodies. He leaned in and kissed my lips slowly and gently before he went down my jaw and collar bone.

“You’re so beautiful, especially when you have your hair tied in a knot on the top of your head and you have no makeup on. It’s you; it’s your natural beauty.” His hand caressed my face as his green orbs stare deeply into mine blue one. Leaning in his lips touched mine, barely at first then all at once. My mind couldn’t wrap itself around what all had happened in the last twenty-four hours and I needed some answer. I placed my hand on his chest before slightly pushing him back.

“Oliver stop.” He pulled back, creating a small amount of space between us as he stared at me, confusion written all over his face. “Why. Why all a sudden? Things like this don’t happen all of a sudden. You never acted like you liked me, ever. You never flirted or even hinted that you found me attractive so why all the sudden?” I asked the more I thought about it the more it confused me I know this kind of stuff isn’t just a spur of the moment thing, so why was he doing it?

“I’m engaged Fire and you’re sixteen years old! In no way is this morally right. I tried to fight it, I did, but the more I got to know you the more I couldn’t resist. Then last night, it was just you and I on the beach I broke down, I knew I couldn’t wait anymore, so I kissed you. You are so amazing, the most amazing girl I have ever met. Don get me wrong, I love Clara. In fact I thought I was in love with her until I met you. Until I felt what being in love really was. I love Clara, but I’m in love with you.” I stayed quite; my mind was at a standstill. I wasn’t expecting such a real answer from him. “Fire, please say something.” He said as he closed the already small gap between us. I could feel his breathe on my face as he stared down at me, I tried to avoid his eyes.

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

“How about, that you will try with me and if you don’t like it we will stop.”

“But what if I do like it Oliver? I’d be breaking up you and your fiancée. I don’t want to be that girl.” I said with a sigh.

“You won’t be, I’d be that boy, the one who feel in love with someone else and didn’t want waste all the time, money and effort on a marriage that wouldn’t last.”

“Are you going to be okay with those consequences though?”

“Yes, Fire if it means I get to be with you” his lips pressed against mine. As wrong as this was, it felt so right and I had no intentions of stopping.