– Friday, June 1st, 2018 –

I'm growing more nervous the closer we get to aunt Cady's house. Since we both aren't fit to drive, mom agreed to bring us over, but not without sending us both worried looks every so often.

I did hear her bicker with dad, before she asked to see Finnley in private. I heard her demand an honest answer to the question if he was purposefully taking me to aunt Cady.

Finnley feigned innocence, asking her what she meant, reminding her of the fact aunt Cady invited him over multiple times already, and then added the fact he misses his cousins Liv and Lara.

He pushed his luck a bit, by telling mom heneeded this to process the events of the past months and that's why he wanted to go.

She couldn't say no after that, mostly because as soon as they left the office, she saw Finnley walk up to me a bit tense, and relaxing as soon as I put my arms around him to hold him close.

She gave in, because she knows there will be a moment he needs to face his own demons, and he wants me there when he does.

The fact I will face some of my demons in the same time, is what makes me nervous to no end.

We're early, Finnley fell asleep in the car, and I contemplated on sleeping myself too, but then decided against it because then mom would have to drive an hour in silence to aunt Cady, and an hour alone and in silence back.

She won't be picking us up tomorrow, since Sam and Oliver are taking us to watch a soccer match that is part of a tournament in which the team I'm supposed to be in is participating. Alex promised to come too and bring us home once we were tired and done for the day.

But that's the best-case scenario, which means the events of today won't drain us from too much energy as it is already.

"Promise me to call if anything is wrong, okay?" Mom whispers, grabbing my hand to squeeze it, while she's waiting for the gates in front of a huge mansion to open and offer us entrance. I stare with wide eyes towards the house, nodding in agreement without really realising what I'm agreeing to.

"I knew they were rich..."

Mom chuckles and shrugs with one shoulder. "Maybe you'll remember some happy times you spend here after tonight. I hope it's the happy memories." She parks the car next to a small car that seems like it hasn't been used in a while. "Cris?"

"Yes?"

"Can we agree on one thing?"

"What's that thing?"

"Stay inside?"

"Why would I go out?"

I see her looking towards a sleeping Finnley in the back mirror. "He might ask you to do things you shouldn't."

"Like?"

She simply shakes her head, pressing her lips together. "I'm not going to give you any weird or crazy ideas. You can be a bit stubborn. Just stay inside."

"Okay." I lie, I know I'm lying. I know it has anything to do with almost drowning, and I saw a swimming pool right before the garage stole away the view at it. "I'll stay inside."

"Good, thank you." She leans to peck a kiss on my cheek. "You remembered Finn's new nickname, and that's a start. Let your brain decide what you can and cannot remember, okay?"

"..." I stare at her, unsurely on how to act. Because I'm not sure if me remembering him being called 'pretty boy' is simply because my brain is slowly making progress, or that it's triggered because they took me to that apartment and I remembered being there with him two years ago.

"Now, go and don't make Cady wait any longer. She's been really eager to see the both of you again."

I nod, and wake Finnley up before grabbing our bags to carry the inside.

The front door was already opened by the time I left the passenger seat to the car, aunt Cady walking over to take Finn's bag from my hold as soon as I grabbed it from the back seat.

Liv and Lara are both on their socks, jumping in their spots with wide smirks on their faces, excited because we're visiting them.

"Hi Finn!" Liv chirps happily as soon as he smiles sleepily. "Can we do a tea party until dinner is ready? I miss our tea parties."

"We can, yes." He nods, stretches and yawns shamelessly. "But don't mind my sleepy head, I'm really tired at the moment."

"Then why don't you go and lay down for about an hour, and you do the tea party tomorrow before your friends are picking you up?" Aunt Cady suggests while waving towards mom, who's backing out of the drive way.

I wave shortly too, before I turn around, surprised because Liv is in front of me with a wide smile.

"You join too, right?"

"I will, yeah." I smile, unsurely on how to act. I haven't seen them for so long, Liv was only just a baby the last time I rememberseeing them.

"Liv," Lara hisses, pulling her away from me as aunt Cady puts our bags in the hallway, leading us further into the house. "You know mom told us to give him some space."

"So ehm..." I ask hesitantly, while Lara took Liv towards a room to play. I stop my words as we enter the kitchen and I find an unfamiliar guy cutting up some vegetables.

"Yes?" Finnley hums, putting his arms around my waist from behind, putting his chin on my shoulder.

"Where's your uncle Dave?" I whisper, as aunt Cady left us to put our bags in a bedroom that apparently is Finn's own room in this house.

"Oh... right." Finnley clears his throat, while the stranger in the kitchen sends us a small smile. "Uncle Dave died two years ago. Had a heart-attack in his sleep..." Finnley mutters, sounding a bit sad. "Rumour has it – if we can believe Lara – aunt Cady is dating a new guy."

"Oh, wow..." I frown, leaning a bit into his hold. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

"It's fine. You might not remember, but we do and we processed it." Finnley pecks a kiss into my neck, making me shudder, before he yawns again.

"Hi guys." The guy speaks up as soon as we fell silent, offering me a hand after using a towel to wipe his hand dry from washing it. "I'm Jason."

"Oh!" I call out, a bit excited. "I remember your face!"

"You do?" Jason frowns, now looking towards Finnley in question.

"We took him to the apartment and he remembered the night we got saved. How you and Liam locked us in the bedroom."

"Right..." Jason smirks. "At least you two are together for real now." He winks and chuckles. "You guys kept bickering like a married couple, it was tiring, really."

I smirk, Finnley chuckles for a bit, yawning again.

"Go to bed?" I suggest, turning and causing him to pull his head back because of my move.

"Go with me?" He blinks rapidly a couple of times, a bit seductively.

"I could use a nap too..." I drawl with a small smile lingering in the corners of my lips, digging the idea of cuddling up with him and sleep for about an hour.

"We'll call when dinner is ready." Aunt Cady cups Finnley's face, sending him a proud look. "You look better, honey."

"I feel a bit better." He smiles and sends me a look. "Might have to do with kiddo over here."

"Pretty boy." I tease him, sticking out my tongue, getting a nudge of his elbow in return.

"Go and get some rest." She pecks a kiss onto his forehead, before she sends us out of the kitchen.

* * * * *

We had dinner with aunt Cady, Jason, Liv and Lara, and it was fun, though a bit awkward at times because Liv kept enthusiastically talking to me about the times I was here last year, confused a bit because I don't remember those events, while Lara kept reminding her to not talk to me about the past.

Right after dinner, aunt Cady went to play a board game with the girls and Jason, and we joined, though I'm not playing myself – I joined Finnley as a team since my brain is lacking the ability to really focus on details.

I don't think I would enjoy it as much on my own. At least now I have Finnley to help me strategize a bit.

After the board game, Liv was send of to bed, while Lara was showering. Jason told us to let him know when we needed anything, heading to play games in the basement.

We talked to aunt Cady a little more, but then Finnley took me to his bedroom again, to tell me what he wanted to do to try and get my memory back.

I sit down on his bed, while he walked to a dresser and pulled out swimming trunks for the both of us.

"You want to go swimming." I deadpan, dreading it already. "Mom is onto you."

Finnley shrugs a bit and smirks. "Not swimming. Jacuzzi."

"Jacuzzi?"

"It happened in the jacuzzi."

That made me frown a bit, but I push the confusion aside. I can't remember anything, so I'm not going to argue him for it.

"Yes, or no?"

"I don't know... It scares me a bit... I don't know what there is to remember..."

He bites his lip, nodding to tell me he understands, putting the trunks down again. "There's another thing..."

"Which is?"

"I thought, I mean... you're doing this mostly to understand me better... so I could maybe... push aside my shame a bit..."

I cock my head, sending him a questioning look in return for his blabbering.

"You'll see the scar..." He drawls, not looking at me directly. "Just, promise not to laugh."

"I'm not gonna laugh!" I stare at him in horror. How could he think I would laugh at him for a scar?

"Well, okay."

"I just don't know, Finn..." I admit in a whisper, thinking about my mom's words. "I'm scared for what memory will come back. So far, being here, isn't getting me any memories back."

"Because nothing remotely interesting happened here to you, besides in that jacuzzi. We weren't here a lot. We didn't spend much time here or do special things." He shrugs. "I really didn't think you would remember anything at all, besides, maybe, in the jacuzzi."

"I'm just scared, okay?"

"I know, and I'll stay with you if you want to try." He walks over to me, and sits down on the bed, while I lay down with a deep sigh.

Why do I suddenly feel scared to remember anything? Is it solely because I have been having nightmares about the night of the events I maybe will remember once I step into that jacuzzi?

Or is it because I feel like so much more depends on those events, and I'm scared I might not remember despite getting into that jacuzzi? What if I disappoint myself and Finnley?

"I'm not ready, right now. Maybe later tonight?"

"Okay, we'll wait. Just calm down, we won't do it if you don't want to."

He lays down next to me, pushing a strain of hair out of my face with a deep sigh. "Do you... want to see the scar anyway?"

"You don't have to do that..."

'I want to," he calmly answers while he lays on the bed fully, making himself comfortable on his back.

"Are you sure?"

"I am, absolutely..." He nods, biting his lip a bit nervous. "But you... do it." He uses his hands to cover is face. "You look."

"100% sure?"

"200%"

I smile, though he doesn't witness me doing so because he's not looking. As a warning that I am going to look, I straddle his tights, putting my hands on his hips. "Last time I'm asking..."

"Just look!" He laughs out. "I'm sure."

I smirk, but return to being serious when I focus on his shirt, pushing it up to uncover a scar that curls around his side. I've seen a small piece before in hospital, but now, from up close, I can tell why he hates it. It's not just the mere memory that it will remind Finnley off – being robbed from his kidney and part of his liver. It's probably because they really did a number on his once so flawless skin. It's as if they used a blunt butchers knife to cut him open. The scar rough and wobbly, curling around his right side.

There's a tense silence, and I notice Finnley is holding in his breath, probably awaiting my reaction, so I decide on surprising him by kissing the scar. I start at his stomach, connecting my lips with his scarred skin, causing him to gasp in surprise.

I stop his hands from stopping me, following the scar, pecking small kisses over the entire length, slowly, carefully, loving.

By the end, Finnley is whimpering a bit, his eyes closed, his mouth slightly agape. His breathing slightly quickened, and I feel a bulge in his jeans press against my own.

Instead of stopping after kissing as much of the scar as possible, I crawl up to connect our lips in a kiss that is way more heated then we shared so far in the past weeks. It's full of feelings that lingered in the background; the lust, the need to be as close to him as I possibly could.

And seeing the way he's answering it, curling a leg around mine, putting his arms around my neck to pull me on top of him, tells me he has the same lingering feelings he tried to push aside until know.

But kissing his scar unleashed those feelings and I can't hold them back any longer.

* * * * *

A/N: If you like to read on what happens between them after Cristian showed affection in such a sweet way, go over to my book of private chapters and read "The Struggle For Love - Chapter 29.5".

QOTC: Do you think Cristian's response to seeing Finnley's scar was the best way he could react? Let me know what you think he should've done if you think it wasn't!