"Hey" he greeted, his blue eyes lighting up.

"Hi" I replied, with a little smile on my face.

"Of course, I'd love to come in, thanks" I replied sarcastically after some minutes of just standing and staring.

"Oh, sorry" he apologised sheepishly and let me in. I made my way to his bed and plopped onto the edge of the extra soft king-sized bed, while he walked towards his desk, pulled out the chair and sat down.

I let my eyes wander the walls of the familiar room and then I noticed a picture frame on his bed which was turned upside down. I picked it up and couldn't stop the grin that made it's way to my face.

It was a picture of Blake and his parents when he was like what eight? And trust me, puberty hit him real hard.  He had a missing tooth and he was sporting the cutest smile ever. His mum and dad were on either side of him and just by looking at them, I could tell whose physical Gene's were stronger.

His mum's. He didn't really look like his dad except that they had the same smile, if you know what I mean. His mum was a pretty young woman and she had the most captivating eyes. His dad was also handsome, but his mum definitely took home the award. They looked like such a happy family.

My smile dropped when I remembered what had happened to them and I looked up to see Blake staring at me, his chin resting on his crossed fingers which were resting by the elbows on his knees. He had a straight face on so it was hard to know what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents" I started gently. I wasn't really good at comforting people who were in pain but from what I'd heard, talking about the problem always made them feel better.

"Thanks" he replied, casting his gaze upon his red comforter.

"What were they like? Your parents?" I continued. He didn't reply for a while and I thought he wasn't going to, but then he did.

"My dad was both the hardest and softest man I'd ever met. He was extremely strict about matters concerning the gang and his business but when it came to caring for his family, he became the exact opposite. It was hard to believe he was the same person to be honest" he chuckled as if remembering something "He was hardly ever around but whenever he was, he always made sure to enjoy some quality father-son time with me and I grew up learning a lot from him. A lot of people thought I would become as strong as he was and be able to balance my life like he did, but they were wrong. I'm no where near as strong as he was and sometimes I just feel lost without him"

His face was contorted in pain and seeing him like that made me sad. I wished I could hug him so tight, all of his sorrows were squeezed out, but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

He stood up, ran his hand through his hair and then leaned on the desk. I sensed he wasn't done and so I waited for him to continue.

"My mum" he chuckled again, crossing his arms over his chest "she was amazing. Now that I think about it, she was a lot like you"

"Like me?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah. She was stubborn and always did what she thought was right. I'd seen her handle mafia business quite a number of times and against the judgement of gang members due to her gender, she was great at it. She was a tough woman alright. She was more present than my dad was and she always tried her best to keep us away from mafia business"

"Hmm, seems to me like she was a badass woman" I commented trying to lighten the mood and I was successful for a fraction of a minute.

"That she was. I'm pretty sure my dad got scared of her some times to be honest" he replied, a small smile resting on his lips. His eyes were dazed and I could tell he was reminiscing.

"It was hard after they died you know. It was like all the weight of the whole world had fallen on me and I was left to carry it all alone" he continued. His voice cracked and I knew he was trying not to cry. I stood up, made my way over to him, went on my toes and engulfed him in a bear hug.

He was still at first, but then he uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around me. Tight.

"It's okay Blake. No matter what anybody says, I know you're strong. You keep things in order when your uncle and aunt aren't around even with Steve as a pest, you were there for Elsie after their death even when you were hurting and you're still there for her now, you're there for your friends and you take care of everybody all by yourself. It takes strength to do all that and I think that makes you as strong as your dad was, maybe even stronger" I said. I didn't know where all of that came from but they tumbled out of my mouth and at the end they were all true.

He hugged me even tighter after that and we stayed like that for sometime - don't worry, my ribs are intact - until his phone buzzed. I pulled back and he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"What's up?" I asked, taking a step back and I noticed his glistening eyes.

"It's nothing, just that I set a reminder so I could remember to visit them later today" he replied, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

"Okay, what are you waiting for?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't just leave you here....don't worry about it, I'll go later" he replied, with a slight wave.

"Who said anything about leaving me?" I asked, walked over to his bed and picked up my backpack that I had taken off when I first came in and turned back to him "I'm coming with you"

"Really? You're coming with me? Why?" He asked genuinely shocked and confused.

"I have to meet them now don't I? And also, I have to report you to them"

"What did I do?" He asked, smiling a little.

"Do I have to remind you how big of a jerk you were the other day at school?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest and resting on one hip.

"Oh...that....I'm really sorry Dani, I - " he started to say but I cut him off.

"Nope, you're not apologising your way out of this one Blaky" I said and made my way out of his room.

"But -" he called out, but I was gone.

I walked down the stairs and waited for him at the bottom. I was happy he was finally in a better mood. Some minutes later, he came down, his hair barely hidden underneath the beanie he had put on and he was wearing a tshirt now. The joggers stayed though.

"Come on" I said and he hesitantly lead the way out the door and towards his car.

We got into his Mercedes and he pulled out of the driveway. He drove for a few minutes in silence until he pulled up in front of a cemetery. We got out and I noticed a rose bush just outside the gate. I went over, plucked some roses and after Blake said a few things to the security guard, he let us in. It was still afternoon but that didn't stop my mind from cooking up imaginary things as we walked in.

I thought since I was the one who decided to tag along, I might as well comport my self but my mind wasn't having it and I jumped at the slightest sound. Probably noticing how jumpy I was, Blake took my hand in his and pulled me along. It's a good thing I was walking behind him now because I wouldn't want him to see how red my face had become.

We walked through rows of headstones until we finally arrived at two very beautifully placed white headstones. His parents' names were inscribed onto the marble and some wilting flowers were on them. I moved to replace the wilting flowers with fresh ones and then sat cross-legged on the grass in front of the headstones. Blake then did the same and sat beside me.

We sat staring at them for some time, neither of us saying anything, until Blake spoke up.

"Hi mum, hi dad" he started softly and I moved to stand up and leave to give him some privacy, but he held my hand and pulled me back down.

"Please stay" he pleaded and I nodded, falling back to the grass.

"It's been three years now" he continued "and I still miss you guys..... Elsie is fine and I think she's starting to make friends all over again. Steve is surprisingly less of a jerk these days" he chuckled and I squeezed his hands "Aunt and Uncle are taking care of us really well you know. They try their best to be around frequently and always want to know what's going on, although sometimes that can be really annoying especially from aunt Victoria" another chuckle and then silence.

After some minutes, I cleared my throat in a manner that said "introduce me already!"

"Oh and this is my friend Daniella" he said with a slight laugh and then released my hand.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Harper" I waved "I'm Daniella Robinson. I moved here recently and I also attend Arlington high. Blake and I are project partners in geography and I'll have you know that I've done most of the work so far"

"That is so not true" he intruded but I ignored him.

"He did save me on my first day of school though. I tripped on the staircase and was going to fall when he caught me. It's a good thing he was there am I right? That fall would've been a pretty bad one" I said, making a face at the last part and he laughed.

"Blake was a jerk to me last week Mrs. Harper and I wish you were here so you'd smack him on the head for me. I've heard of how badass you were and I think you and I could've been besties. That goes for you too Mr. Harps, we'd go on and on about the Lakers because I'm also a Lakers fan even though they're really embarrassing these days. I mean they got beat by the wolves, the wolves" I rambled on. I honestly didn't know what I was saying but I just kept on talking.

"Your son is actually one of the nicest, caring and strongest people that I know and I'm happy I moved here and met him" I said and then added in a whisper I'm sure he could hear "Don't tell him that though, wouldn't want to flatter his ego now would we?"

*  *  *  *  *
Hey guys!! Had to squeeze in time to write this up so it maybe a bit boring and tbh, I don't know when the next chapter would be coming cause it's not yet complete.

Anyways, I hope you liked reading this as much as I loved writing it. Thanks for your support guys!.

Also, please don't forget to VOTE, drop COMMENTS and SHAREEE. If you're really enjoying this book, please share it with your friends and have them share it with theirs and so on. I wish this book could get more recognition but I can't do it alone.

Thanks in advance!♡♡