When I gave a partial promise to consider coming here at night, I didn't exactly mean it. As a matter of fact, I never meant it at all. But maybe it was fated. Destined to be, I don't know. So, it took a troubled Nathan to bring me here and his salty words to make me stay.

He left a few minutes ago. Nathan, I mean.

He didn't bother to say a goodnight or goodbye, though I feel like he wanted to. It's probably best he didn't.

Yeah, it's best he didn't.

"You came."

Solid yet light footsteps follow the sound, then stop somewhere behind me.

Why don't I have to spin around to know who it is? Yes, i'm taken aback and certain my heart skipped a beat or fifteen, but I already know it's Tyler.

When I do gently turn around, our eyes meet without having to search. Even in the dark he manages to stand out and be seen. Well, thanks to the moonlight as well, I suppose.

"I did." Then my lips go ahead to stretch into an unnecessary smile as if we'd just swapped cute compliments and not just stated the obvious. Thankfully, it's a smile he returns. Kinda. Tyler's smiles are never gonna be as wide as a typical one so i'll just have to accept whatever I see.

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his grey nike track pants and proceeds matching to my side across the ocean.

I watch as he does so, biting my lip to hide the quick blush growing on my face though i'm sure he won't be able to see it. It's too dark to tell. Even if my head morphed into a freaking tomato right now, he wouldn't see. Although it'd be mighty awkward if that happened, and of course, medically unhealthy.

And actually, he would see if my head morphed into a freaking tomato.

Against my inner wishes, a thick silence settles in. Apart from nature's sounds - which are mostly crickets' at this hour - there's no talk between us till for the first time, I decide to break it.

Only stopping when I realise we just spoke at the same time, "Oh, you should go first."

"No, you."

"No I'll wait, you go."

He stares at his shoes first, then allows his eyes eyes travel back up to calmly rest on mine.

"Why did you come tonight?" The question, as normal as it should be considered, has my heart do something funny. I think it clinches and unclenches.

Why did I come tonight? I never planned on coming, the only thing I planned to do was stay.

I blink away with a shrug, "Just thought I should." A quick thought makes me add, "You said I could try it out."

My reply must sound like an out-right lie since I can sense his eyes searching every part of my face for the actual truth. He doesn't even bother to look away when I turn back to him with a reasonable questionable expression. He's daring.

"And why did you come?"

"I come all the time." Oh, yeah. Of course. It appears he's about saying something else when he spots an object on my fingers. I cautiously follow his trail of sight down to the gold chain dangling on my middle finger.

Well.

This boy does love staring at accessories.

It's the one I found on the floor that day in school, knew I had thought to safe-keep it in one of my hoodies, just surprised when I found it a few minutes ago in the one i'm wearing.

Anyway, with his strong attraction to it, I attempt hiding it away in the pockets of my hoodie again.

"No, stop."

I only stop 'cause i'm shocked. Too shocked to even move as he walks the remaining steps to me, even though I keep contemplating backing away a little or even out of this place entirely. "How did you get that?"

I'm not aware or in control of the words that leave my mouth in response when he yanks the chain out of my hold. I want to take it back but stop and instead watch him check out the accessory in disbelief. What the hell is going on? "How did you get this?"

"I.. I can't. I saw it-"

"Why did you take it?"

"I didn't take it!! I mean... I did, but not exactly, you know? It's just one day.." Noticing him back away from me like i'm some kind of plague or thief, I quickly try to explain myself. "Look no, I didn't take it, I promise."

He has one hand ruffling his hair, his expressions still clearly showing how certain he is that I stole it. Probably thinks i'm one of those weird fans that'll pick anything belonging to a guy they loved. Even if it's dirty socks.

Perhaps that's what the redhead girl did, and that explains why she was in such a haste when she ran past me. I never for a minute thought she'd stolen the chain.

I also never for one minute would think of stealing it either, and I try for the last time to explain this to him. "I know how bad this looks but I swear I didn't take it. I picked it on the floor, yes, but intended giving it back to who I thought it belonged to, just... haven't found her till this day."

His sharp orbs still glare down at me, only that his eyes get softer with each passing second and that, i'm thankful for. He shakes his head when he says, "I never thought you did." A beat passes before he continues, "Sorry, today's not been the best."

My big mouth nearly makes the mistake of asking if it has something to do with fitting into a new school, or taking up someone else's position, or if cough, cough, Nathan? - thank God, by the time I hear my voice, the words are, "It's dark here at night."

He gives me an amused look, I give myself one too because sure, i'm grateful for not spitting out my initial thought that would most likely have offended him but seriously? It's dark here at night? It's naturally dark everywhere at night.

"I mean, on nights the moon's not out... how do you cope?"

A light chuckle comes from him, and his eyes are sparkling when he looks straight at me. "I survive. Wanna see something?"

That's how we begin walking together to a spot rather farther in than I've ever gone. On arrival, I notice the trees here are scanty and we appear a bit closer to the moon. I know in actual fact that the latter is impossible but that's what it appears to be. From here, it honestly feels like if I stretch high enough, I can touch that silvery night globe.

When I said a 'sure' to Tyler's out of the blue question, it was followed by another unnecessary smile, plus I kinda thought this was like the movies where we'd hold hands, blush at the intimacy of the moment and go off to whatever it is he wanted to show me. It was not. Obviously.

I'm so glad I quickly retreated my hand from touching his before the gesture made me look stupid.

Tyler smashes two small rocks together and the next thing there's a fire. My mouth forms an O shape in surprise 'cause that wasn't what I expected him to do, yet still it's nothing out of the ordinary. I've done something similar in elementary school.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Shocked?"

"No," I snort, staring away whilst folding both hands behind my back and playing with my fingers. His lips stretch again in that signature smile. "It's nothing super, why would I be?"

"Really?" The corner of his lips raise as he takes a seat on the nearest rock, leaving me the only one standing. "Well, and here I was feeling like something straight out of marvel."

"Nah, you were probably just acting out your inner cave-man abilities."

He barks out a laugh.

Now, this is the only thing I'm sincerely, hundred percent, shocked at. The whole response from him making me wonder if i'm... am I?

Am I funny?

Please, probably not.

The first time I heard Tyler laugh, It infuriated me. Sounded like mockery. He'd just invaded private property that I'd self-acclaimed as mine for close to ten years, so the last thing I was going to do was join in his 'feats of laughter'. Let alone notice that it's about the most beautiful thing you could ever hear. Cold but warm at the same time. While my laugh sounds like something you wanna turn off immediately, his is something you'd want to listen to forever.

So I stand there, listening to him, till he taps on the space next to him for me to come over.

This rock's not as high as most, I could've gotten on easily, but Tyler still sort of helps me out. Which, in all honesty, doesn't help at all. His lovely, strong hands holding up my arm nearly make me trip off the rock and the whole damn planet if possible. The proximity's new. Nice, electric but new. And even when I make it to the top and am sitting next to him, the feeling remains new.

Getting comfortable on the hard surface, I allow my eyes hover round. Sometimes I check out Tyler too, for the first time realizing I'd indeed not seen the usual chain around his neck for a while. Honestly, had no idea I had been the one with it all along.

He perfected the fire to let it burn for a good while, and the fire whilst keeping me warm and lighting up our environment, makes his side-profile - whenever I dare to look at him - more attractive. The orange hues give his face a bright tan that helps outline his features. Even the smallest ones, like a small faded scar right next to his nose. This one's a shock to me 'cause people like Tyler are not supposed to- or rather appear to have no flaws. No blemishes. This only makes me wonder how perfect the boy i've loved all my life, really is.

Although, while scars are known to be imperfections, his are the opposite. Now I get the popular rom-com line, 'it should be illegal for a person to be so handsome' - because it really should be illegal for Tyler to look this good. He should be jailed. If I could jail him, I would. In my room. On my-

Joking! I'm not that weird.

"What were you gonna say?" He asks out of nowhere.

What?

Please don't tell me I actually said the 'jailing'' thing out loud?

"Huh?"

He throws a pebble down to the fire, then turns to me, "A while back. When you said I could go first."

Oh.

Oh that. An audible sigh escapes me. It's a relief my assumption wasn't true, but i've got too much of a bad memory to remember what on earth I was going to ask him. And i'm about wording this to him when his fingers lightly stroke the chain round his neck. Pushing in the pendant down his jacket, probably so I don't see the name? I could be wrong.

Either way, i've already seen it. The five-day span of the chain being in my possession was enough to notice the name on the pendant. I even begun underground search for any girl named 'Christian'.

"Who's Christian?"

An emotion flashed on his face for a second. Only for a second. The next expression is a tightened jaw and when he tilts his head to look at me, i'm instantly wishing for a time-machine. Not to go too far back, just a few seconds ago to when I hadn't asked that. Or minutes ago when I hadn't even thought to ask.

Why do I always seem to blurt out the wrong things?

In defense, he's not slow to ask back. "Who's Anica?"

"What?"

He raises an eyebrow as we share a stare.

In this moment, I realise how similar we are.

Not in looks. Definitely not in looks since in that department, we'd be defined as direct contrasts instead. He's gloriously tan, wavy dark-blonde hair, blue eyes and, not to put myself down, but he'd logically be described as a million times more attractive than I am. Even without the fame. I'm, on the other hand, pale toned, brown eyed with a freckled nose, cheeks, and wild curly hair.

So, no.

I'd say we're similar in a... different way. The chain. The lone-walks down Eden street, and the accessory pendants being triggering names.

Up until Tyler, I'd never seen anyone besides myself wear a particular gold chain every single day.

I told Tyler my name was Melissa when he asked, but before leaving, he decided to go with the name spelt out on my necklace. He called me Anica instead. So the next time we ran into each other, the first thing I did was to correct that. Not 'cause my name's not Anica - because it is - It's just more of a sensitive name that I'd rather my family alone use.

And he respected that. Tyler, I mean.

Well, it's not like he says my name on a daily- actually, it's only been once or twice after that. But never of the 'two times' has it been my middle name. It's always 'Melissa'.

Surely this is the reason I pay my anger no mind and just... apologise. Maybe I was wrong, crossed a boundary somehow. "I shouldn't have, I'm sorry."

"Pinky hug?" I add.

He looks surprised. Either because of the apology, or the thing after. "Pinky what?"

Oh, it's the thing after.

Why is he surprised, though? I mean, I'm not going to judge him entirely since I was equally surprised when Pamela proposed it to me in grade... six? But it's a thing. It's probably a thing here in Colorado too, I think.

Or not! I don't know. Pamela was born and raised here.

All, I'm certain of is, if it exists between my best friend and I, then it's a thing.

"Is that even a thing?" He asks with a laugh in his tone.

"Yes, it is."

He chuckles in disbelief, though once he sees how serious this is, how serious I am - holding up my pinky finger and all, he stops laughing. "You're serious?"

"Of course, I am. This is to, you know, settle scores. Shows you're not mad anymore so you don't go away mad." I say this whilst taking my eyes round our environment, noticing how what he said about the increase in beauty of this place at night, is beginning to show. Reveal. Come out. Become alive? And the moon does give the ocean what Tyler called 'freckles'.

Are those really what my freckles look like?

I turn back to meet him, a bit frightened at his intense gaze on me the whole time. What's he looking at? I look away, then back at him. Repeat the same motion again and again, till I just end with staying on him.

My eyes instinctively go to his full lips being parted, and a hopeful thought runs through my head.

Sadly what he says next dampens the mood.

"You're weird." He states, like a matter of fact thing. Like he's known me my whole life. Like everything he's noticed about me up until this moment has helped sum that up. Maybe a picture of me with my pinky up for a hug does look... weird. Or at least - not normal.

I must look like a hurt puppy since as his finger makes contact with mine, he finishes with, "It's in a good way, Martinez."