I covered my gaping mouth with my hands in horror. I was utterly speechless—the words that had slipped from Mike’s lips making my shiver in terror, as if I had experienced it all, too.

“I had no idea…” I whispered.

“That’s the point of me telling you,” he said, smiling weakly.

“No wonder…” I said to myself.

“No wonder, what?”

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked Mike in the eyes. “No wonder he is so… so… fragile, and… and scared. There’s so much… just so much…” I shook my head, not being able to comprehend what Vic had been through. I knew that Jaime had been with Spencer before Vic, but I had no idea about the fires, the mental hospitals, and the kidnapping. I shuddered; I never knew that these kind of things actually happened in real life. And, for fuck’s sake, every single damn thing that people experience in movies and movies alone has actually happened to Vic. He’s been in fires, he’s fallen in love with a girl he wasn’t supposed to fall in love with, he’s rescued a girl from her own insanity, he’s been kidnapped, tortured, nearly murdered, and he’s been in a horrific situation of witnessing his girl’s death.

And I thought my life was dramatic…

“Yeah,” Mike said lowly. “He always talks about how weak he is, but he’s the strongest person I know. He’s been through so much shit, but he’s still here. And I look up to him for that, y’know?” Mike said, nodding as if he was agreeing with himself.

“Yeah,” I said quietly, gazing at the door Vic was behind again. “He’s been in there all morning,” I whispered.

“I wish he wouldn’t do this,” Mike said sadly.

“Maybe it will be different this time,” I said hopefully.

“I don’t want to take any chances, though,” he said. I nodded, not wanting to risk it, either. “We’ll give him some time, though. I think he needs it,” Mike said.

I nodded in agreement.

“Let’s watch TV or something,” Mike said, and I was grateful for the suggestion; I really needed a distraction. I couldn’t get Vic’s horrific story out of my head. It made sense to me why Vic was so sucked up into his music—it served as a distraction from all of the terrible shit that has happened to him. I silently worried, though, that I was just a distraction, too.

I curled up on the couch, tucking my legs into my chest and resting my chin on my knees. Mike sat next to me, clicking the TV on with a remote.

“Hey, look,” I pointed to the screen (Mike was already sucked into his phone, not even paying attention to the TV).

“Holy shit,” Mike breathed, shifting forward so he was sitting on the edge of his seat.

“Who the hell is that?” I asked.

“I have no clue…” Mike said quietly as he squinted his eyes at the screen.

Mike shot up abruptly and banged on Vic’s door. Well, there goes the whole “giving him some time” plan. “Vic, open up! You have to see this!” Mike yelled.

“What is it?” I faintly heard Vic call from the other side of the door.

“The news! C’mon, it’s important!” Mike said desperately, bouncing on his toes, waiting for his brother to open the door.

Luckily, he did. The door swung open, and Vic, looking rather disheveled, exited the room. He gave me a small smile and wave, but then he looked down and I noticed a blush creep on his face. He must have felt bad, realizing that he had gotten himself sucked into writing again. I smiled back, though, hoping that he didn’t worry about it too much. I felt this whole new understanding for his actions, and as long as he didn’t get too obsessed, it was fine.

“Who is that?” Vic stared at the screen, shocked like me and Mike.

“I don’t know, man. But she confessed to Carlos’ murder, so that’s all that matters, right?” Mike said, furrowing his eyebrows.

As we fixated ourselves with the news, we waited patiently for more information to come through.

Vic dropped to his knees in front of the television, his eyes watering with tears. “She had family alive…” he said, his voice breaking. Mike looked at me sadly, and then he looked at his freshly distraught brother.

I felt like I was intruding, like I shouldn’t be a part of this… even though I wanted nothing more than to hold Vic and tell him that everything was going to be okay, I backed away. I knew he didn’t need me right now… he needed Spencer. It hurt, but it was true.

I let Mike console Vic as I continued to listen to the news program.

“…Marie Martin confessed to killing Carlos Martinez, the man who was ruled innocent for the murder of Marie Martin’s granddaughter, Spencer Martin. She confessed to the shooting via letter, and now authorities have taken the elderly woman into custody. She did not resist questioning and has so far been extremely cooperative… Martin confesses in her letter that she killed Carlos Martinez out of avengement. She wanted to reconnect with her long lost granddaughter, but didn’t get the chance to when she was brutally kidnapped and murdered…”

Mike muted the television, and I continued to sit there, zoned out. An image of the actual letter popped up on the screen, and Mike paused it to read. I turned away, though, not wanting to read it for some reason; I guess it felt too personal for me to read.

“Oh, God, things could have been so different if Spence knew she had blood relatives still alive,” Vic cried into his hands. I shivered, backing away further. I knew it was wrong to feel this way, especially because I should be there for him, but the way Vic continued to grieve over her—two years after her death—made me a little uncomfortable.

Mike turned away from Vic, giving me a sympathetic look. I took that as my ticket to excuse myself. I approached Vic and kissed his temple before turning away, letting him mourn a little in peace.

I knew that things weren’t always going to be like this, though. A lot had been piled onto Vic in a mere twenty-four hours, triggering all sorts of feelings, so he deserved to cry a little. I suddenly felt ashamed for my previous thought of being uncomfortable with the situation, because I knew what I had gotten into the second he told me about Spencer. This was expected. Granted, I didn’t expect everything to come crashing down all in one day.

~~

VIC’S POV

“Damn it,” I growled, sniffing back the last of my pathetic tears.

“It’s fine, Vic,” Mike soothed me, but I shook my head.

“It’s not fine, Mike. Charlie probably feels like shit, now, because I’m crying again over this,” I said sadly.

“She’s fine. She understands, Vic. You’re allowed to be sad from time to time, and I’m thinking this is a good enough reason to be sad,” Mike said, and I found truth in his words. I sniffed again and wiped my face with a sigh.

“You’re right,” I said. I hated when Mike was right. But he was always right.

“You need to get out of the house,” Mike added. I nodded; he was right again. I needed to take Charlie and go somewhere for the day. I needed to rip myself away from the memories, and focus on making new ones. I hated to admit it, but I also needed to take a break from my music. I had to control myself, before things got too out of hand.

“Go on,” Mike patted my back, ushering me up to go talk to Charlie. I felt bad for Mike. He was always trying to help me, but he was just as hurt on the inside as I was. I worried about him, and I knew we were way over due for a brotherly hang out. It also occurred to me that we were way over due for a band hang out—we had a tour soon, but we haven’t prepared at all for it.

“Band practice tomorrow?” I asked Mike before I left the room.

“Yeah, I’ll call the guys. We have a lot to deal with,” Mike nodded, as if he could read my mind. I smiled weakly at him and he gave me a significant look before I turned away.

“Hey,” I found Charlie in my room, sitting with her legs dangling off the edge of my bed.

“Hi,” she smiled softly. Before she had time to hop off and approach me, I walked swiftly to her, resting my hands on her waist.

“Sorry about that,” I mumbled.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it was just a shock to my already shot nerves, y’know?” she nodded, understanding. I wrapped my arms around her and sighed into her shoulder. “I need to get out of here,” I mumbled. “Run away with me?” I joked, cracking a goofy smile.

“Oh, anything for you!” she said dramatically with an equally goofy grin on her face. I smiled, moving my hands to either side of her face and bringing her in for a firm kiss.

“Can we actually go somewhere, though?” I murmured against her lips. She pulled me in closer with her arms wrapped around my waist and squeezed me in response.

“Where do you want to go?”

“The middle of nowhere,” I said seriously, thinking back to the time we had to spend the night in my car. That was only last week, but it felt like it was an eternity ago. And I was very, very happy during that time in the middle of nowhere with Charlie.

“That sounds fun,” she giggled.

“There’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, but it’s so cliché,” I warned as a cheesy idea sprung in my head.

“Of course,” she grinned. “What is it?”

I smirked. “It’s a surprise!” I said.

“Hm, fine,” she said. “When can I know?”

“Let’s see… be ready in, like, thirty minutes. Comfy clothes,” I said.

She raised an eyebrow at me, but she didn’t question it. “Alrighty,” she said, sliding off of the bed. Before she walked away to the guest room, I spun her around kissed her gently on the lips. It felt so right—even though I was upset over Spencer, being with Charlie was definitely right. I only hoped that she knew that; that she knew that I was being genuine about her.

~~

CHARLIE’S POV

“Where in the world did you get a pick up truck?” I asked Vic, who was driving with a smirk on his face.

“What, I’m not allowed to own one?” he frowned. I stared at his expression for a few moments, and he must have sensed my gaze, because he couldn’t keep his frown on for long. His mouth cracked into a smile. “Yeah, it’s not mine,” he admitted. “It was my dad’s,” he added, his face tensing for a moment before relaxing again. I wondered about his parents—Vic and I knew a lot about each other already, as if we’ve known each other for more than nine days, but we have never asked about each other’s parents. I was glad, too.

“It’s a nice truck,” I said, giving the middle console a pat. I sighed, sinking back into the old, leather seat. “I’m interested to know what you have planned, Fuentes,” I said, and he smiled.

“Soon, you’ll find out that I am nothing but a big cheese-ball,” he said. I reached over and poked his side.

“I get that vibe from you, already,” I giggled. He caught my hand mid-poke and grinned successfully, keeping my hand in his and lacing our fingers together.

“We are here,” he sang, stopping the car.

“You weren’t kidding when you said the middle of nowhere,” I laughed, looking at the desert around us.

He just laughed, getting out of the truck. “I can’t decide if this is creepy or romantic,” I said to myself, shaking my head as I got out of the car, too.

“Ah! Definitely creepy!” I said when I nearly ran into Vic who had somehow made his way over to my side of the truck. He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly, pulling me close.

“I’m creepy?” he asked in a mockingly sad voice.

“Yes,” I said confidentially.

“Well, I’m about to become even more creepy,” he said. I raised an eyebrow at him. “Put this on,” he said handing me a bandana.

“What? Why?” I asked, confused.

“Over your eyes,” he said. “I have a surprise, but I don’t want you to see, yet,” he explained.

“Whatever you say,” I laughed, attempting to put the bandana over my eyes. I dropped it in defeat. “I can’t do it. Can you?” I held the piece of cloth out to him for him to tie around my head.

“Sure,” he laughed softly, our fingers hitting each other’s as he took the bandana from my hand. I couldn’t help but giggle as he tied the bandana gently around my head.

“There,” he said when he finished, and I felt his lips softly touch the skin behind my ear. I shivered, and he chuckled. “Wait here,” he said.

“Yeah, as if I have anywhere else to go,” I rolled my eyes.

I sat peacefully in the seat for a few minutes, wondering what the hell Vic was doing but not being worried about it. You would think that being taken to the middle of nowhere and then blindfolded would make me feel uneasy, but it didn’t. I was with Vic, and I felt so safe around him. Warmth, happiness, and comfort flowed through my veins when it was just me and him.

I suddenly felt a hand tap my shoulder. “Right this way,” Vic dragged out the words, helping me out of the truck, his voice smiling. He turned me around and led me somewhere else—God knows where—stopping and then resting his head on my shoulder from behind. “What do you think?” he asked.

“Dumbass, I still have the blindfold on,” I laughed.

“Oh,” he said. “Right,” he laughed, and I felt him reach up and undo the knot of the bandana, letting the piece of cloth fall to the ground. My eyes adjusted to the light, again, focusing on the scene before me.

We were facing the back of the truck, the bed of the truck entirely covered in fluffy blankets upon fluffy blankets, pillows, and even—to my amusement—some stuffed animals. “Aw,” I said softly, turning so I faced Vic.

“You like it?” he asked, his eyes glinting. I nodded, pulling him in for a hug. This was exactly what I needed—what we needed. A getaway. One on one time. Just me and him.

“I think we needed a break from the world,” he said, walking us to back to his set up.

“I agree,” I smiled, butterflies beginning to swarm in the pit of my stomach.

Vic jumped up onto the truck and turned back to me. “Come here,” he held out his arms, and I smiled as he pulled me up with him, our bodies falling back onto the comfortable pile of blankets.

“Ah, I just love this,” I said, my voice muffled as I buried my face into a fuzzy blanket.

“I’m glad,” he chuckled, squeezing me gently. We were quiet for a few minutes—the only sounds being crickets and our breathing. We had driven a few hours to get out here, so night was slowly beginning to creep onto us.

“You know, Charlie, I don’t really know much about you,” he murmured while he played with my hair.

“Yes you do!” I said, but then I frowned, realizing that maybe he was right.

“Exactly. It’s not fair. You know literally everything about me,” he said, and he had a point.

“Well, what do you want to know?” I asked.

He scrunched his mouth up, thinking. “Well, what do you think I should know?” he asked.

I smirked. “Nothing. I like being mysterious,” I giggled.

“No, seriously,” he playfully whined, rolling over so he was leaning on my side more.

“Do you want to hear happy stuff, or sad stuff?” I asked, realizing that my list of sad stuff was a much longer list. He frowned slightly, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Why don’t we just play the question game, instead?” he suggested. I propped my head up with my right hand, my elbow resting on a pillow, and nodded.

“Go ahead,” I said.

“Okay. We’ll start with the easier questions. What’s your favorite color?”

“Black,” I said plainly.

“Really? Black?” he blinked.

“Why, do I not look like the kind of girl who likes black?” I smirked, batting my eyelashes.

“Honestly…” he began, but I interrupted him with a laugh.

“I’m kidding. I like green. But not the ugly green. The pastel, pretty green,” I smiled. “What about you?” I asked.

“Hey, no, I’m asking the questions here!”

“That’s not how the question game works!” I retorted. “You are not going to be interrogating me, mister.”

“You already know all about me, though,” he said. I pouted, but he was right.

“Fine, carry on!”

Vic grinned mischievously. “Let’s see…” he said, scrunching his up as he thought of another question.

“You can’t even think of anything to ask,” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“No, no, yes I can! Um, what do you want to be when you grow up?” he asked.

“You’re joking,” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, I’m serious! Like, what did you want to be, and did you become it?” he asked.

“We’re getting deep here,” I laughed softly. “Um, let’s see. When I was little I wanted to be an artist. And no, I did not become it. Next question,” I said quickly—probably a little too quickly. I never realized until now that I hated talking about myself.

“What do you do, now?” he asked.

“Well, nothing at the moment,” I said quietly.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Shit happens,” I said. “Do you think maybe we could stop talking for a little while? I don’t like talking about myself. I don’t want to think about the outside world,” I said quietly.

“Yeah, sure, of course,” he said, pulling me close to him. I buried my face into his warm neck, planting a kiss on the exposed skin. “You’re a really good cuddler,” he chuckled.

“I love cuddling,” I grinned.

“I love cuddling, too,” he said. “With you,” he added.

I smiled and pulled away; I cupped his face with my hands and kissed his lips softly.

He kissed me back passionately, his hands brushing my hair on the left side of my head in a soothing rhythm. I sighed, and, as I did so, his tongue slipped into my mouth. I didn’t object, though, allowing our mouths to mold together.

We rolled around a little, and I was now lying down on my back, Vic on top of me. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him as close to me as possible. I didn’t even mind that all of his weight rested on top of me—I wanted it all. I wanted it all, and more.

He started to kiss up my jaw and then down my neck, and I tangled my hands into his hair, loving every second of it. I brought my hands back down, tugging on his shirt. It was off within seconds, and the truck shook a little when I flipped us over.

An entirely new heat rose within me, like a small spark that erupted into flames almost instantly. I straddled him, separating our mouths so I could trail sweet kisses down his neck and chest. I scooted back a little so I had more room, and I smirked when the action made him groan. He rolled his eyes a little and sat up, pulling me back into him. Now, we were sitting up together, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist and the entire upper half of our bodies pressed up against each other.

Vic started to explore a little more with his hands. He squeezed my hips gently, and then he traced his hands up the sides of my body under my shirt, up to my shoulders, and then back down to my hips again. The feeling of his hands on my bare skin drove me wild, and I knew that my shirt needed to come off. Vic knew, too, because before I could say anything it was quickly discarded. I shivered—the night air cool on my skin. Vic noticed, pulling me closer and burying his face into my neck.

It wasn’t that cold out, but it was nighttime and almost winter—so the weather was enough to give me goose bumps. Or maybe it was the effect Vic’s touch had on me. Either way, I knew of a pretty good way to make the temperature rise.

With this thought in mind, I slowly dragged my hands down the front of his chest until I reached the hem of his jeans. I laughed in my head for a moment, wondering why in the world he wore jeans after telling me to dress comfortable. I pushed the thought out of my head, though, distracted by the growing bulge in his pants. I smirked, fumbling with his belt.

Before I knew it, his jeans were off, and so were my sweatpants. I flattened my body against his, not being able to get enough of the contact of our skin.

As things started to escalate, Vic suddenly stopped. “What’s wrong?” I asked, breathless.

“Are you…” he looked at me warily.

“Oh, that… I’m fine. I want to,” I said, reconnecting our lips.

“Just stop me if you change your mind,” he murmured, and I mumbled something along the lines of “okay, but I don’t intend to”.

He continued doing what he was doing before—tracing my body with his soft yet coarse hands. Now completely undressed, I felt ready to make myself his. I wasn’t afraid; the way Vic touched me was tender and full of respect, and maybe there was a little bit of love, but what did I know? He wasn’t hurting me, he wasn’t threatening me, and he wasn’t violating me. He was taking care of me.

“Ready?” he breathed into my neck, and I nodded. He rolled us over so he was on top, and I let out a soft whimper as he slowly entered me, my veins lighting on fire again. “You okay?” he asked—his voice strained. I nodded again, unable to speak for my breathing was taking over.

I gnawed on my lip as he pulled out slowly, moaning at the change in feeling. He pushed into me again, making me squirm in absolute bliss.

I noticed the look of pure ecstasy embodying Vic’s features, and I silently wondered when was the last time he had sex. For me, it’s been a really long time. Well, a really long time since I’ve had sex the right way.

And, this was right. This was more than right. Everything about this time was wonderful, and, eventually, our bodies shook together—everything in perfect synch.

I sighed in pure pleasure and passion, smiling at Vic. I curled up against his side, our bodies still hot, resting my head on his bare shoulder. He kept an arm around me, drawing circles with his thumb against my hip.

Nothing else matter as we spent the rest of the night simply lying there together—just me, him, and an infinite amount of stars.

Notes

Omg, I am so sorry that it's been so long since my last update!! I get so inspired for one story, effectively neglecting everything else! I apologize, and I hope this makes up for it.....

awk

let me know what you think!!

ps sorry for the multiple changes in pov

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Guys, I accidentally started a new story. It's called "Starry Eyes"; check it out maybe? :)

I'm way in over my head with the amount of stories I have going, but I have no shame because I love writing, so I'm going to do a lot of it! Yayay