I walked over to where they hill appeared to stop and noticed it was a jagged cliff and backed away. Knowing me I’d most likely trip and fall over the edge. John silently appeared by my side.



“So do you like it?” He whispered into my ear. It sent a shiver through my body and goose bumps started to appear on my bear arms and he must have noticed because he chuckled and started to remove his jacket.



“Of course, it’s breath taking.” He slipped the jacket over my shoulders.



“I told you so.” He started to walk back towards the motorcycle and I joined him.



“I’m glad I was wrong.” I said playfully. He smiled and nudged me with his elbow.



“Technically you weren’t wrong, you just weren’t right.” I giggled.



He opened the seat of his bike and brought out a large square blanket and a brown paper shopping bag. He started to walk over to a spot underneath a tree directly facing the sun. He spread out the blanket flat and took a seat with the bag. I sat down next to him. I had just realized his jacket smelt like him and kept catching myself sniffing it for the sweet smell his skin gave off. It made my heart tingle.



“What’s with the bag?” I asked.



“Lunch.” He stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches covered in plastic wrap, bottled two waters, and a vanilla cupcake with yellow frosting.



“You’re just full of surprises aren’t you?” He sat one sandwich and water in front of me and the other in front of him.



“I try.” He unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. I did the same. Surprisingly they were really good, for a guy.



“So where do you go to school?” I asked after a couple of bites.



“I don’t.” I looked at him with a shocked expression on my face. “I was home schooled.”



“Oh.” I guess that explained it. “But what do you mean was.” He looked away towards the horizon.



“I wasn’t exactly fond of home.” His tone had turned dry and bitter.



“So you ran away?”



“Technically.” He looked at me and smiled trying to lighten the mood. “It’s not that big of a deal, really. I tell you about it some other time.” My blood turned a soothing warm, there would be another time.



“Promise?”



“Absolutely.” After a little while of silence I decided I really wasn’t done talking about the subject so I brought it u again.



“So what grade would you be in if you did go to school?” I inquired with my mouth sticky from peanut butter.



“I don’t know. I was being taught out of a college level science book before I left.” I my eyes got wide.



“So you would be in college?” He shook his head back and forth.



“No way. I’m only seventeen, but I guess I could when I turn eighteen in October. But that’s a long way off.” He was older. But I already guessed that by his appearance. Let’s see I was born in March and I’m sixteen so… we’re only about a year and a half a part. That’s not much at all. My parents are eight years apart.



“So why were you doing such an advance curriculum?”



“Let’s just say my teacher pushed until he got the very best out of me and wouldn’t except any less.” I noticed him hide a tiny scowl when he brought up his teacher. I didn’t’ want to push his buttons so I didn’t ask anymore.



By now we had both finished are sandwiches and John was splitting the cupcake in half. He laughed when I took a bite of mine and got some frosting on my nose.



“It’s not funny.” I had grumbled jokingly. Most of lunch went like that. Not a quiz session like I had expected it might have been, but just a good time. With jokes and laughter. He really was a good guy. He just hid it behind the whole bad-boy manifestation.



We had finished eating and were talking about a chipmunk that had just scurried away with some of the leftovers of our lunch. It was weird though, not a bad weird but a good kind. The way we talked was so natural. I didn’t have to put any effort into the conversation at all. Words just flowed out of me, and better yet everything I said seemed to make him smile. I think my favorite part about him was his smile. His pale, thin lips curved over his teeth in a slightly crooked way every time that made my heart race. And they way he stared at me when I said something, like he heard what I was saying but understood it to a much deeper level. He knew the words I didn’t say and it made me aware of how much he was truly interested in what I was saying. There was something else though too. When he looked at me he always looked through my eyes, and into my soul. But he did it with a sort of innocence you wouldn’t expect from him, like he did it only by accident. Plus, even if we were speaking about something insignificant like a tree his eyes would always show the same interest in the conversation as if we were talking about a matter dear to his heart. He was such an amazing individual.



As the sunk deeper in the sky our discussions became deeper too. He asked me about my family, and I told him everything I could think of. I didn’t bother to ask him any of the same questions knowing he would just find some words to weasel himself out of giving an actual answer. Eventually, and I don’t know how exactly, but we got to the topic of Ian. I had cringed and turned my head away from him when the conversation started.



“What’s wrong?” He asked concerned. “If you don’t want to talk about it it’s fine.” I shook my head back and forth. For some reason I felt the need to tell John, to get it off my chest. I know I had told Nicole already but that was different, talking to John was like seeing the situation in an entirely different light.



“No. I want to tell you.” My voice had gotten weak and John scooted closer to me to hear better. I told him the story, right down to every last detail. And not once did he interrupt me. Occasionally he would nod his head, or scowl, like when I described finding Ian swapping spit with Claire Saunders, but besides that nothing. Once even when my eyes started to get teary and my voice cracked he grabbed my hand to comfort me. That helped. His thumb gently caressed the tender flesh of my wrist causing the area to tingle and burn.



Even now when we both sat in silence after I had finished the story he held on to it. John was looking at my hand intently and his face looked like a marble statue, hard and unmoving. He looked as though he could have crushed every bone in my hand but was to my surprise was still gentle.



“He doesn’t deserve you.” He told me. Even though he said it so quiet it sounded s though he might have been talking to himself. I didn’t say anything. The sky was being to turn the colors of a sunset when John stood up and walked towards the edge of the cliff. I watched his silhouetted figure as one hand rested in his jean pocket and the other combed through his hair. I wrapped my hands around my knee’s trying to keep them warm as I waited for him to come back.



John picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the horizon out of boredom and watched in amazement at how far it went. He was really strong. Not that I couldn’t’ tell by the rippling muscles on his arms but it just took me by surprise. He then returned both hands to his pockets and walked slowly back over to me. He sat down so close beside me the aroma of his skin completely engulfed my nostrils.



“Sorry I upset you.” I whispered while looking at him. He was turned away staring into the sun. It reflected off his face beautifully making him look more handsome than usual.



“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m glad you told me the story, really.” His face still looked enraged but I could tell he was being truthful.



“Aren’t you cold?” I asked after awhile of hushed conversation.. He was wearing just a tee-shirt since he gave me his jacket so I was concerned. I also noticed he had tiny goose bumps starting to pop up on his skin.



“No.” He sounded care free.



“But…” I pointed to his bumpy arms.



“Oh those. They aren’t because I’m cold.” He grinned affectionately. There went my heart again, I swear one of these days it’s going to beat inside me so hard it will end up breaking out of my chest. He then turned his back head to look at the sky and I did the same. The sun was setting behind the cliff and the sky was an orange and pink haze. It was twilight, I should be home now, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going anywhere, at least not if John wasn’t with me.



I cold breeze blew by and made me shiver. John looked over worried and put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his lap making me warmer.



“Th—Thanks.” I stuttered through my chattering teeth.



I felt his warm lips kiss my hair and my blood ran a pleasant warm. His hand that was hugging me into him was gently stroked up and down the length of my arm while the other played with my hand by fiddling with my fingers and rubbing the opposite side of my palm. At this moment my world was perfect. Right before the sun was about to completely disappear he tilted his head into my ear and whispered softly.



“I know this isn’t probably a big surprise but…” I turned to look him in the eyes. “I really like you.” He smiled happily. I could tell he meant like as an understatement. “And I was inquiring if you felt the same way.” His arm around my shoulder shifted to my waist and held me tenderly as the other moved towards my face and cordially removed a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His hand then dropped and softly caressed my jaw with the tender part of his knuckles. He paralyzed me again, god why did he have to be so perfect.