"Now I definitely need to know what happened." Ray says firmly. "Please Rose, tell me."

Rose looks at him sadly, her eyes watery as she tries not to cry. "After that every guy I dated just wanted me for sex. Some would get angry when I told them no and would hit me while others would force me to have sex with them." She starts crying as she hugs Ray who is shaking from anger. "All throughout high school it was a mixture of guys wanting me for sex or guys confessing love for me but after that first guy, I didn't believe in love. I did give a few guys the benefit of the doubt and the chance to prove it, the guys I thought weren't like the others...but they were."

"So you both were used and abused." Violet whispers while sobbing.

"Yeah, but mine was over the course of weeks whereas hers was over the course of years!" Ray shouts with high levels of anger in his voice causing Rose to wrap her arms around his neck to try and calm him.

"It was an ongoing cycle until college. That's when I decided to close off my heart completely and not be used anymore. But that's where the guys saw me as a challenge and desired me more. Vi was there, the first year I turned every guy down and it only made them come at me stronger." Rose explains and looks over at Violet.

"Yeah. She was the most desired girl on campus. Every guy wanted her but she didn't want them. All throughout the year was guys doing anything and everything to get her to notice them. She would be nice and talk to a few but they took that as an invitation that she had interest in them." Violet sighs as she remembers everything.

"That's when I started getting stalkers." Rose shivers at the memory which made Ray look at her with concern. "They started following me everywhere. No place was safe. If it wasn't one guy it was another." Her breathing starts to get rapid and she starts to panic. "School, work, home, the store, everywhere someone was watching me. Then at home, I had a few break in and take advantage of me. I had one keep me captive for days and used me for his sex toy but kept saying he loved me and wanted me to be his forever." Rose is now crying and shaking with her head against Ray's chest as he holds her tightly. Now he understands why she freaked out at the fair when she was alone, it brought back memories of what happened with these other guys.

"That was only the first year of college." Violet cuts in sadly.

"After that, I decided it was best to just go ahead and date, I thought maybe if I had a boyfriend then the other guys would back off. It did work but when I decided to break up with the guy I was with for whatever reason is when I had them stalk me and harass me again. Jacob is a good example of what they were like. It's sad to admit but I got used to the abuse and just accepted it because no matter how many times they got arrested or told off or beat up I always ended up with a new one weeks later and it would repeat." Rose explains painfully while crying.

"No one should have to deal with that!" Ray shouts angrily. "Wasn't there anything else you could do?" He asks with concern and worry in his voice, he doesn't want to see her suffer anymore and knowing about her past has him worried another crazy ex might appear.

"Do what Ray? Hire a bodyguard? I don't have the money for that. Have the apartment get security just because I have crazy ex-boyfriends? Not happening. Get a guard dog? Yeah sure, I can barely afford to care for myself and I don't have the time. I refuse to bring a roommate in and risk them getting hurt too." She says harshly and glares at him.

"I'm sorry Rose, of course, you've considered everything. I'm just worried about you, I don't want you to suffer anymore." He says apologetically and gently touches her cheek.

"I know Ray. I just don't know what to do." She sighs.

"Why not have Ray stay with you?" Violet blurts out then blushes. "Just a thought since he cares so much about you and wants to protect you."

"I don't know Vi, we barely know each other. We do have a connection but it's too soon." Rose replies while blushing a bit. She won't admit it but the thought of him being around at night does relax her, she can easily imagine sleeping comfortably in his arms and she knows he will protect her.

"I can tell you like the idea though Rose. It's written all over your face." Violet teases which makes Rose blush and hide her face and causing Ray to chuckle at her.

"How about we take it slow? We can all sleepover tonight so you have peace of mind and it'll give us the chance to relax more with each other." Ray suggests with a smile on his face.

"That sounds like fun. We can spend the whole time getting to know each other better." Hunter smiles. "We will have to go get some clothes to sleep in through and we can pick up dinner as well."

"Alright. We can do that. What time is it now?" Rose asks as she takes out her phone and looks at it. "It's already 6pm?!" She squeaks. "I guess you guys can go do that now. Pizza still sounds amazing for dinner and we can watch a movie."

"Sounds like a plan." Ray smiles as he sits up and puts his shirt back on. He sees Rose pouting a bit which made him chuckle at her, he leans in and gently kisses her lips which made her blush slightly. "You were pouting when I put my shirt back on. Don't worry, when I come back I'll take it off again for you." He says while smiling still, he stood up and headed to the front door with Hunter right behind him. "We'll be back soon girls."

"Ok. See you guys soon." Violet says happily as they leave and close the door. "I've never seen you like that Rose!" She whisper yells and hops onto the couch Rose is sitting on. "You really like him, don't you? You might even love him."

"I'm scared to admit it though Vi. I do have feelings for him but I'm scared that once I admit it everything will fall apart." Rose explains sadly as she brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them. "It feels like it's too good to be true."

"Rose everyone is worthy of love and deserves to be loved. I can't see him hurting you at all Rose. You saw how he reacted with Jacob and how he reacted to your story. He had a horrible past and made horrible decisions but now he's changed, Hunter can vouch for that."

"I know. I'm just scared. I want to love but I feel like it isn't for me. Everything I've been through...just makes me feel like I'm unlovable." Rose says sadly as she looks over at Violet.

"Rose...you know that's not true." Violet sighs as she hears the front door open to reveal Ray and Hunter walking in with boxes of pizza and a couple of overnight bags. "That was fast." Violet smiles as she smells the air. "The pizza smells amazing."

"We got a supreme, a meat lovers and a plain cheese." Hunter says while placing the pizza boxes in the table.

"Sounds amazing." Rose smiles as Ray stands in front of her with a big grin on his face. "What are you.." She starts but immediately stops and blushes as she sees him remove his shirt then sit down beside her while trying not to laugh. "I didn't think you'd actually do it again." She whispers.

"I said I would." He laughs as he opens the pizza box and grabs a slice. "Plus I like to see you blush, it's adorable."

"I wonder if you can blush." She whispers and looks at him out of the corner of her eye while grabbing a slice as well.

"What are you two talking about?" Violet asks teasingly and raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing." Rose says nonchalantly as she eats her pizza.

"Yeah." Ray clears his throat and takes another bite of pizza. "Nothing at all."

Hunter and Violet look at each other and smile them shake their heads. It's good for them to see their friends so happy and relaxed and they hope this lasts for them.

"Movie time! Let's browse Netflix and see what we can find." Violet shouts as she jumps up and grabs the remote. "Hmmm...let's watch a good horror movie." She grins as she goes through the horror movies and picks one.

"Vi..." Rose says nervously and looks at her.

"You'll be safe with me Rose so don't worry." Ray says in a comforting tone but has a big smile on his face.

Violet is smiling as she cuddles up with Hunter and Ray has a big grin on his face because Rose is on his lap with her face buried in his chest as the movie plays. By the end of the movie, both guys are trying to hold in their laughter as the girls ball themselves up on their laps.

"Ok, the movie is over." Hunter announces as he turns the tv off.

"Is it?" Violet asks and looks up to see the tv off. "It is but it's dark in here!" She shouts as she clings to Hunter.

"You're safe Vi!" Hunter laughs as he holds her. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Rose. You can move now." Ray teases and tries to move his arms but she grabs them and keeps them around her as she shakes her head no. "You don't want to move or you don't want me to move?" He asks with amusement in his voice.

"Neither!" She shouts causing everyone to laugh. "Violet you know I hate horror movies!"

"I know but I couldn't resist seeing you cuddled up with Ray again. I've never seen you so attached to someone."

"Well, I hope he doesn't mind because I'm not letting him go until morning." Rose says with embarrassment then looks up to see Ray smiling.

"That's fine by me." He says happily and hugs her. "We can go to bed now if you want. Give you some time to relax and calm down in the comfort of your own bed."

Rose gives him a weird look at first then relaxes. He's given her no reason not to trust him and she knows Violet is close by and so is Hunter. She knows in her heart she's safe, it's just a matter of assuring her brain that she's safe. All the years of problems have caused her brain to immediately think every guy is out to get her so her having a guy she can trust is going to take some getting used to.

"Alright. You go change and then you can come into my room." She smiles as she stands up.

Ray gets up and grabs his bag and walks off to the bathroom while she goes to her room. She lays in her bed and sees him appear at her door after a few minutes with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

"What are you doing?" She asks a bit nervously as he walks up to her bed. "What's behind your back?" She's looking at him as he walks to her bedside, once he's beside her he moves his arms to reveal the dragon he won for her. "Oh, Ray! I thought I lost it!" She shouts excitedly as she takes the dragon and hugs it tightly.

"You left it in my car remember?" He smiles as he watches her hug the dragon. Seeing her so happy as she hugs it just warms his heart knowing that smile is a smile he caused.

"I remember now." She smiles and places the dragon on her nightstand then pats the spot beside her on the bed. "Come on. I trust you." Ray looks at her with shock as she says those words, that shock soon turns into nervousness because usually him in a bed with a girl means sex. "I know what you're thinking Ray and I know you can spend a night just cuddling with a girl and not doing anything sexual."

"I would only go that far if it's something you wanted." He says reassuringly as he climbs into the bed and lays down beside her. Once he was laying down she immediately scooted over and laid her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. "This is a first." He sighs as he wraps his arms around her. "A very welcome first."

"Mhmm." She hums softly as she falls asleep comfortably.

Ray gently kisses her forehead and rubs her arm as he listens to her breathing slow as she falls asleep. This is all he ever wanted, love and closeness and comfort and now that he has it he's not going to let it go without a fight.