We drive down a sandy, private road that leads to the most beautiful view of the water. The stars are brightly visible, and the moon is full. It looks like a painting; almost too perfect to be real.

"Thanks for coming tonight," Noah says after I put the car in park. I'm pretty sure he's sober, but I still feel more comfortable driving.

"You didn't give me much of a choice, remember?" I tease.

We exit the car and I follow Noah to the hood, where we sit and watch the waves crash. He places his palms down behind his back, and I notice small cuts around his knuckles from the fight. He's also got a few on his chin. Goosebumps occupy my skin when I think back to him getting hit. Noah catches me staring, but I immediately brush it off like I wasn't.

"I'm guessing I owe you an explanation," he admits coyly as he rakes his hair through his soft caramel-colored waves.

"I think so," I say.

I wait for him to say something, but all he does is smirk, so, I shift my gaze to the ocean and admire its natural beauty. I think about my life, and how, up until tonight, it was always planned out — whether by me or for me. Nothing was allowed to fall out of order. If it did, it was like this domino effect; a chain reaction where one thing set off another. But being with Noah, experiencing his world, changes that. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it.

"When I was younger, my parents would fight all the time," Noah finally speaks up. "I don't really remember a time when they weren't fighting, actually. In the beginning, it was stupid shit, like my dad missing dinner because he had to work late at his construction job, or my mom forgetting to take care of something for the house. But it didn't take long for the fighting to escalate. I remember the day my mom found out that my dad was having an affair. Some slut he met at a bar. My dad was a drinker my whole childhood so when he wasn't home or working, he was at O'Connors — some sleazy-ass bar around the corner from our house. He told my mom it was a one-time mistake, but then she caught him a second time, and after that, she knew she could never trust him again. Fucking liar." Noah shakes his head in disgust.

"Shit got bad after that. My dad's once a week drinking turned into seven. And, if he didn't come home drunk, then he came home high. Sometimes, he didn't come home at all. Most nights, I wish he hadn't. I never understood why my mom didn't leave him, but I guess it's more complicated than just packing up and taking off."

"My dad...he, uh...he never hit my mom, but he said some fucked up things to her. Things no one deserves to hear. I tried defending her the first time it happened, but I learned my lesson not to get involved after my dad lost his temper with me. I was 5. I never forgave myself for not protecting my mom after that."

Noah drops his head down and I feel his guilt. He's complicated, that's for sure. But at the end of the day, he's a protector; a fighter when it comes to the people he loves.

He lets a deep breath out before continuing. "And, our house was...well, it wasn't the nicest house on the block, but it was on the water. And we had the most amazing view. When the fighting was bad, which it was 99.9 percent of the time, I'd sneak out the back door and walk out to the ocean. I'd plant myself in the sand and just sit there for hours, gazing at the water. I'd picture my future and want I wanted for myself, and it left me feeling hopeful. Like there was more for me in this world than just the messed-up family I was born into. I told myself I never want to be like my dad, and when he left for good two years later, I promised myself I wouldn't."

"It pained me to see my mom and younger sister struggle from my dad's absence, so I started working as soon as I legally could. I wasn't the best student academically, but I did make friends who came from good, unbroken families. Yeah, they were self-entitled assholes who probably used me in more ways than I'll ever know, but they gave me something I always wish I had when I was younger. Family. And, Justin...he's my family. He took me and my sister in during the hardest of times. I know what people say...you know? That he uses me to get to girls or whatever. And maybe that was the case in the beginning. But Justin's become my brother. Having his support, and moments like these," he says as he gestures to the water, "are what keep me going. When I'm feeling hopeless, I look out and remind myself that anything is possible. That I am limitless, just like the ocean."

"And, the fighting, well what can I say about that? I had to inherit something fucked up from my dad, right? My entire childhood, I never got to say what I felt; therapy was too expensive, and my mom was never around to talk. I vented to Justin a few times, but sometimes that's not enough. I guess fighting is my version of releasing the pent-up anger from my dad abandoning us. I'm not looking to physically hurt anyone; I'm just trying to keep myself from hurting. Sometimes, I go too far; like tonight with Kyle. I know that I owe him an apology, but apologizing has never been my forte. It makes me feel vulnerable, and if I feel vulnerable, then I'm a coward. The same coward who couldn't protect his mom when he was 5."

It's all starting to make sense now. When I first met Noah, I thought he was this obnoxious prick who used his good looks to get his way. But really, he was struggling, and still is. My heart aches for him, but I also feel honored that he trusts me enough with something so personal.

"You are," I say, reaching for his hand, and he looks at it before meeting my eyes. "Limitless. You're capable of anything you set your mind to. And I know it sounds cliché, but I mean it. Where you come from doesn't make you a bad person. You went through bad shit; shit that people should never have to know in their lifetime, but look at who you are now. You like to fight, and that's something you need to work on, but you're also a hard worker, a great friend, a responsible brother, a loving son. You've already made something out of yourself, don't discount that. There's no doubt in my mind that you're going to do great things for yourself in the future, but don't forget about the great things that you've done for yourself up until now. Be proud of that. Everything else, everything you aspire to be...let that be your guide. Don't let it be something that replaces the person you were in the past or are right now. I know that you're going to do great things in this world, Noah Collins."

I can't help but smile when I say the last part. Noah smiles back at me and shifts his body closer. He lifts his hand to my cheek, softly brushing it, and then gently brings my face in. I rest my forehead against his, and we stay like this for a few seconds until he softly places his lips onto mine; making me feel something I've never felt before. Something I thought only existed in timeless love stories.