Meeting their cousin was a bit awkward. Sebastian was the total opposite of Nathan and Stephen. He was a happy go lucky kind of guy. 

Sebastian had blond hair and dark blue eyes. He was the same height as Stephen but his body was leaner. His girlfriend– Trina– was pretty down to earth. The moment they introduced us, I had an instant liking to her.

She was shorter than me by at least five inches. During our talk I learned that they've been together for four years now.

Trina worked as a waitress at his mother's restaurant and that's how they met. She was still finishing her Masters in accounting and didn't want to start a relationship, but he was persistent.

I admitted to how Stephen and I met, and instead of judging me like I thought she would, she thought it was funny. Kate was a bit silent. She only talked when someone asked her something directly.

Seeing the ocean for the first time in real life was something I couldn't explain. The air was fresh– different than it was in town.

I loved the sound of the waves crashing against the caramel coloured sand. I've never seen anything so beautiful.

“How about we throw some patties onto the grill?” Sebastian asked.

“Sounds good,” I smiled at him.

“We'll throw together some salads to go with it.”

Kate decided to stay on the beach so Trina and I went back to the house. After collecting everything we needed and deciding on what to make, we started.

“I’ve never seen him so relaxed,” Trina broke the silence.

I glanced up at her from where I stood on the other side of the island. “Who?”

“Stephen.” She threw the cut onions into a small bowl. “The last time I saw him– about two months ago– he was a fucking mess. The whole thing with his mother was stressing him out.”

The knife slipped on the cutting board as her words registered. He said his mother died while giving birth to him. Did he lie to me?

“His mother?” I managed to get out.

“His stepmother, Nathan's mother. She was set for parole- oh my god Alia!” Her scream made me jump in fright.

Before I could react she was by my side gripping my wrist. I allowed her to pull me towards the sink. She opened the tap and held my hand beneath the running water. The water tinted red as it disappeared down the drain. I felt lightheaded and slightly nauseas.

“It's fine,” I whispered. “It's just a little cut.”

“I'll go get the first aid kit.”

I grabbed the towel and pressed it against the cut as I stepped away from her. Muttering that I'll take care of it myself, I quickly walled out of the kitchen. When I entered my bedroom I sank down onto the bed.

What Stephen told me raced through my mind. He never mentioned his stepmother. What did she do that made her end up in prison? Trina said he was stressed so maybe he wanted to ensure she got out.

Shaking the thoughts away, I tended to the cut. It was deep but thankfully I wouldn't need stitches. As I turned my eyes caught sight of the plastic bag I had stowed in the cabinet earlier.

I pulled out the hair removal cream and pushed the bag back inside. The instructions stated that I had to test it twenty-four hours before using it.

“Hopefully it's easier than it sounds,” I muttered to myself.

When I returned back to the kitchen Trina had already finished the salads. The kitchen was cleaned so I had no choice but to join them outside on the patio. Sebastian and Nathan stood at the barbeque with a beer in their hands. Kate was still on the beach with Derrick and Stephen sat to the side with Trina.

I bit my lip as I debated on what to do. My decision was made when Stephen glanced up at me. His eyes looked weary and slightly guarded but he gave me a small smile. I returned it as I made my way towards them.

“How's your finger?” Trina asked as I reached them.

“Just a small cut.” I held it up to show them the plaster.

Stephen was sitting in one of those chairs that were made out of grass or something like that. It was weaved together with a comfy pillow placed on top of it. He surprised me when he reached out to pull me onto his lap.

I snuggled against his chest but kept silent as he and Trina continued their conversation. Half an hour later the sun started setting and the wind started to pick up.

Derrick was pretty disappointed when he was forced to go take a bath. We decided to eat at the diningtable instead of outside. Trina and Kate would clean the kitchen. Stephen, Nathan, Sebastian, Derrick and I moved into the living room.

After a few minutes of surfing the TV we decided on watching SpongeBob.

“Stephen,” Sebastian called. He nodded towards the pool table. “How about a game?”

“You want me to beat your ass again?"

“You won 'cuz I let you win,” he said as he stood.

“Want to play baby?” Stephen asked me.

I shook my head. “Maybe another time. You'd have to teach me first before I take a risk in playing in front of the others.”

Chuckling, he pecked my lips then moved his lips to my ear. “I'll look forward to teaching you.”

I watched them play for a few minutes before turning to Nathan. He was focused on the TV like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Shifting closer, I leaned forward to catch his attention. “Can I ask you something?”

“That depends on what you want to ask,” he muttered, keeping his voice as low as mine.

“Why did your mother go to prison?”

His face gave nothing away, but I didn't miss the flash of anger in his eyes.

Leaning forward, he glanced at Stephen before looking back at me. “It's not my place to tell you Alia.”

It was all he said before getting up and disappearing up the stairs. Between watching the guys and the TV I started feeling sleepy. Every time my eyes would flutter close, I would force them open again. I didn't want to go to sleep because I knew the nightmares would follow.

It would ruin the amazing day I've had so far. I didn't want it to end.

“Time for bed,” Kate called from somewhere.

“But mommy!”

“I said it's time for bed Derick,” she said folding her arms across her chest. “Let's go.”

I gave Derick a small smile as he got up from the carpet. “Night sport.”

“Night Li,” he muttered as he hugged me. “Thank you for making mommy bring me.”

I frowned as I watched them walk up the stairs. Kate barely spends anytime with him at home, and even here she didn't bother playing with him on the beach. Why was she acting like that?

“I think I'm going to go too,” Trina said. “It's been a long day.”

“Me too.” Sebastian smirked at Stephen. “We'll see you guys in the morning.”

I watched silently as they walked up the stairs hand in hand. When they disappeared out of sight I turned to Stephen. He was putting away everything. My eyes trailed over him. Trina was right, he looked more relaxed.

“Like what you see baby?”

I shook my head, following him with my eyes as he approached me. “You'll look so much better naked.”

Stephen chuckled as he sat down next to me. Swinging his arm around the back if the couch, he grabbed the remote.

“I'm sure it can be arranged.”

Heat flashed through me as the image of his naked body flashed through my mind. Shifting on the couch, I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled his lips down to mine. He groaned, gripping my hips to pull me onto his lap. His tongue stroked my bottom lip before delving between them and into my mouth. My stomach tightened when he sucked on my tongue.

“Not here baby,” he muttered, as he broke the kiss.

I realized that I was trying to pull his shirt off. Stephen pecked my lips one more time before moving off his lap. My eyes dropped from his as rejection flashed through me. He pulled me against his side before cupping my cheek and forcing my eyes up to his.

“It's not that I don't want to,” he said softly. “I want to, but after what happened this afternoon… I can't baby.”

“You already apologized and you told me why you did it. So why is it bothering you?”

His hand dropped from my face as he turned his head away from me. Without saying a word he got up and walked into the kitchen.

I sat silently as he pulled the sliding door close and locked it. After doing the same to the front door and making sure all the windows were closed, he faced me.

“You said that you're fine but I'm not. What I did… it makes me hurt knowing that I hurt you. The blood and the look on your face, it's something that will always be stuck in my mind.”

“You took my virginity,” I gave him a small smile, “there was bound to be blood Stephen.”

He shook his head as he walked towards me. Sitting back on the couch so he was half facing me, he grabbed my hands.

“I could've hurt you so badly with my piercing Alia. The blood wasn't just from me breaking your hymen, it was from my piercing as well.”

“We can't have sex with your piercing on?” I asked him feeling slightly shocked.

“We can,” Stephen chuckled. “But not for your first time. It'll hurt more.”

“Oh.”

Giving me a small smile he pulled me off the couch as he stood. I followed him silently up the stairs and into my bedroom.

Stephen cupped my cheeks and pressed a kiss against my lips.

“I'm going to take a shower and then I'll sneak into your bed.”