𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓼.

You don't really appreciate things when they're there, and when they're gone, you'll realize how much importance they held. When a person leaves, it's like a part of your soul, your heart has been chipped away. A part that belonged to them, a part that'll always hold their memories. A part that will go dormant because they'll never come back.

It's been a couple of weeks since Cass and Lee left. I hate myself for saying what I said, but I don't hate myself for pushing them away. It was the right thing to do, and nothing anybody says will change my mind. Yes, I hurt them, but their future will be much better without me in it.

Resting my back against the headboard, I close my eyes. Finally, I give some thought as to why Kane, Jessica, and Alessandro would do this. Kane shouldn't have done this, he didn't have to do this. The least he could do was check-in and ask if I was okay. He just had to ask and I would have told him, I would've asked for his help, not that he'd help me. But he was my brother. He should've saved me, helped me get out... but he had to leave me there to die. The least he could've done was pick up my phone.

Hearing the door creak I open my eyes and find myself looking at a stoic faced Albert. He's been coming over more often lately, which was understandable. His sister is here, and he can meet her more often if she stays here and not at the dorms. He'll come in, ask me how I am, talks a little, and then Riona takes him with her. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but he's the only person I can talk to besides Ri and Elle. Luc, Darren, and Jade come in twice a week, but they've got school too so I can't complain.

This time though, Riona is at the university, she's got, classes. Albert walks in, his expensive-looking, black, leather and probably Versace shoes tapping against the expensive marble. He stands at the foot of the bed and looks at me.

"Hey," he finally says.

"Hello. Riona is at school," I state.

"You wound me, Collins, I'm here to see you. I'm here to see my friend," he says while mocking a pained expression and keeping a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. A slight twitch of his lip catches my eye and I roll my eyes.

"So, what brings you here?" I ask him as he locates himself at my feet.

"Oh, just here to keep you company, save you from my mom's boring companionship," he remarks, lowering his voice a little.

"You might want to lower your voice more, Albert, I can still hear you!" We hear Elle shout from the living room. I snicker and Albert looks like a deer caught red-handed.

"Oops, I meant enjoying your awesome, never-tiring, always entertaining company," Alberts shouts back.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, boy," Elle says, appearing near the door. She leans against the door frame and props one of her hands on her waist.

"But I am a billionaire now, aren't I?" Albert asks, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Don't sass me, I can take away that position just as easily as I gave it to you," she says, narrowing her eyes, but I can see a twinkle of mischief behind her glare.

"You wouldn't dare," he says, narrowing his eyes back, but I can see his lip twitch.

"Try me," Elle challenges. My head goes back and forth as they bicker. I can see that Albert is starting to get on her nerves as she clenches her jaw, trying to keep her cool.

"Okay, that's enough, I think," I cut in before they can go any further.

"I'm gonna go and give Ezra a call," she says, "don't worry, it's not about taking away your position. Although, I wish it was," she whispers the last part and before Albert can say anything she slides out of the room, disappearing into the hallway.

"Take Albert, she isn't very keen on staying in bed," Elle shouts, warning him. I roll my eyes as Albert raises his eyebrows at me. I just shrug in reply.

"It must be nice to have family around," I say, gazing into the distance, a soft smile on my face.

"Yeah, you told me in the hospital that-"

"Yeah, I don't usually just blurt it out. I'm not that bold. It was probably because of the meds."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I don't usually just go about grabbing people, though I don't have any meds to blame it on," he says, grinning, "And to answer your question, yeah, it's nice to have family around. It's just a feeling of belonging that comes with it." I feel a pang of guilt as I remember Jessica and Alessandro but I cover it up with a teasing smirk.

"Albert Stone, are you trying to make me jealous?" I ask him.

"N-no, I just. I was trying to- um- trying to show, no- um-" At this point, I can't hold it anymore. I burst out laughing as I take in his reddening ears, my laughs filling the otherwise silent room. I don't realize how hard I'm laughing until I hear a weird, pig-like sound coming from my mouth. I freeze for a second as I realize that I just snorted. I look at Albert with a heated face and wide eyes. A moment later, we both double over laughing at the sound that escaped my lips.

I want to jump off a cliff and into an ocean after this to live with non-existent mermaids.

Definitely not sarcastic.

"You- you look so flustered," I say, still trying to control my laughter. "Don't worry, I was just teasing you!"

We slide into a comfortable silence as I close my eyes and let myself rest. I snap my eyes open at what I believe to be a few minutes later, but I find myself resting on my back instead of the sitting position I was in previously. I sit up, groaning a little as my body still feels a little sore. I slowly ease myself out of bed, limping over to the dining room and sitting on one of the chairs. I rest my elbow on the table and look over in the kitchen.

Albert is cooking, stirring something in a pot. He's in a suit, but not all of it. His black coat is hanging on the back of a chair and his crisp white shirt is covered with a blue apron that reads 'Kiss the Chef', making me chuckle silently at his ridiculous choice. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, his tattoo-covered forearms in full display. The veins protrude a little as he grips the handles of the pot, and I stand near the wall as I stare at him in all his glory.

I walk quietly over to the dining table and slowly lower myself into one of the soft, fancy grey chairs.

"What are you making?" I ask him, hoping that I scare him, considering I was extremely quiet. But to my surprise, he's barely even fazed as he looks at me and replies.

"I don't know."

"Are you sure you should be in the kitchen?" I question, one of my eyebrows raised.

"I know my way around the kitchen," he says, rolling his eyes. He washes some vegetables and sets them on the counter, glancing at me.

"Pfft, a person who says he doesn't know what he's making shouldn't be allowed in the kitchen," I say, trying to annoy him.

"Apparently, my mom didn't remember to stock up on a few, no, a lot of things. In a few minutes she was calling in Riona for some help, so she told me to come in and cook something. You weren't supposed to wake up while I was here. I was supposed to cook and keep in on the table for you to wake up and eat it."

"Why?" I ask, referring to why he said that he wasn't supposed to be here when I wake up. Thankfully he understands.

"Because we thought it would make you feel uncomfortable to be alone in the house with me?" He says, but it comes out as a question.

"Albert, just a few days ago you helped me get through something that I believed nobody could get me through without me passing out from exhaustion. You called me your friend. Now care to explain why I would be uncomfortable around you?" I ask, raising both my eyebrows this time.

"I just thought-" He starts but I cut him off.

"You think too much, Albert, and you end up overthinking. So, don't think," I say and grin. He narrows his eyes at me.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" he asks.

"Yeah," my grin widens, "my friend."

He just shakes his head and slowly drops a steak into the oiled and heated pan. The soft sizzle of the steak fills my ears and a few minutes later, I see him add a generous amount of butter and rosemary. The fresh smell of the herb reaches my nose and I inhale deeply, taking in the amazing smell. I turn to look at Albert who is already looking at me with an amused expression. This time it's my turn to roll my eyes as I let my eyes drift to the new phone in my hand.

"Hey," I call him and he lifts his eyes from the pot to look at me. "Thank you for this, I never really got to thank you for the phone. It was quite generous of you to get me this and I appreciate it very much!" I say with a soft smile.

The side of his lips lift a bit in a crooked smile, showing one of his dimples and making my insides go all mushy gushy as I feel my heartbeat fasten. He gives me a little nod in reply and my eyes travel to the shiny black phone in my hand. I scroll through it for a while and my mind floats back to our conversation from earlier.

"Tell me more," I suddenly say, shocking both him and myself.

He raises his eyebrows as if asking me what I meant. "About family, I mean," I elaborate.

"Are you sure?" He asks, looking at me with uncertainty shining in his eyes.

"It's not like I'm gonna start crying. So, go on, tell me more." He nods in response again and leans forward on the counter. He rests his forearm flat on the counter and leans forward, putting the weight of his upper body on his arms as he begins.

"As I said, it's a feeling of belonging with them. Family is like a safe house. It's almost as if a warm blanket is wrapped around you that protects you from everything. They make sure you never feel alone or stranded. Their love, care, affection, and concern help anything and everything. It's almost always overwhelming but in a good way of course. They'll be there whenever you need them and will do whatever you want them to do. They'll be there with you to stare at the face of danger and never back down. They'll be ready to give up their life for you.

"Family is just something that I hope I never lose because I don't what I would do if I didn't have my mother to hold me whenever I hit the rock bottom if I didn't have my dad to guide me to be the man I am today, and even if Riona's annoying, I don't know where I would be without her constantly supporting me and encouraging me, making me laugh whenever I'm down. I just- they're everything to me. I don't care if I lose my company or my position, my family is one thing I wouldn't want to lose.

"Family isn't always made by blood though. All the things I said before, you just need to find people who'll be there for you. And I know you've found your family. Even though you don't want to agree, somewhere within your heart you know that you've found your people, your family, ones who'll support you no matter what and will do anything for you.

"Every time you feel as if you don't have anyone to rely on or talk to, just remember this, 'Family is not made by blood and blood doesn't make family.' Just remember that there are people who will protect and love you no matter what," he concludes. During his speech somewhere he came and sat in a chair beside me. We stay silent for a few minutes after he's finished. I gaze at the textured grey wall as the sound of me drumming my fingers on the cold, smooth surface of the table echoes through the atmosphere around us.

Memories of Jade, Riona, Cass and Lee flash in front of my eyes. All the happy moments, the times we've suffered. Even when we suffered, we were together. But then I pushed them away. I left them behind. I hurt them.

"Thank you," I say, looking at him with a small smile.

"What for?" he asks, eyebrows knitted.

"For giving me this confidence boost. People usually just give me pity looks and walk on eggshells around me. They're always so cautious about what to say in front of me, and they never talk about their families, siblings, or their parents, but I love hearing about it. I would love to know what it feels like. And you did just that, you talked to me without any boundaries, you explained what you felt to me and you made it seem like I wasn't missing out on anything, really, you made me feel wanted and appreciated. So, thank you for that," I say, resting my hand on his much larger one. Pleasurable tingles shoot up my arm much stronger than before, shocking me.

I peek through my eyelashes at him, unconsciously leaning towards him. He takes his hand from under mine, disappointing me a little until he moves it over mine, gripping it and giving it a gentle squeeze. He leans a little towards me, drawing my eyes to his full pink lips. I subconsciously lick my own.

"No problem," he whispers, his breath brushing over my face. His voice is much huskier and deeper than usual.

"You're beautiful," he whispers. He leans forward, his lips mere inches from mine. My heart rate picks up again and I can hear it in almost every part of my body. My mind can't take all this in at once. The only thing I can process is that a handsome greek god is sitting beside me, almost kissing me, and I have literally no control over myself. I look at his lips through my hooded eyes, pulling my lower lip between my teeth, biting it a little. I could swear that I see Albert's eyes get darker.

"May I?" He asks, looking me in the eyes. I'm taken aback by the intensity shining in his own eyes, and instead of replying to him I softly press my cold, pale lips to his luscious pink ones.

If I thought the tingles when we touched were anything, I'm blown away the moment our lips touch. It's as if firecrackers are dancing across my skin. I can feel the tingles everywhere. A zoo of butterflies entered me the moment I rested my lips on his, and it's ballistic. My heartbeat is so fast I can feel it through my chest, and my blood is rushing to my brain, making me feel ecstatic. It feels like there's no other feeling better than this.

Our lips battle with each other. He takes my bottom lip between his and softly sucks on it. I run my tongue along his upper lip, making him bite down a little on my lower lip. I flinch a little but he soon runs his tongue over the lip, soothing the pain.

What am I doing?

I was supposed to stay away. I was supposed to let him live his happy life and let him find a beautiful girl with no baggage. This wasn't supposed to happen.

I couldn't be selfish. Not with him. I pull away instantly and look at him with wide eyes. He has an innocent expression on his face and his lips are a little swollen. He's panting softly, and so am I. I look into his eyes, trying to read him. There's not a sliver of regret or disgust or hate that I can see. He looks content, making the guilt in my chest blossom even further.

"Shit!" I whisper as I lean away from him. "I shouldn't have done that," I say, "This shouldn't have happened, this was a mistake."

He seems shocked after hearing my words, but the shock soon turns into hurt and anger. And trust me, you do not want to anger a man like Albert. My eyes bore into his now pale blue eyes, and I could see the hurt swirling in them. My chest tightens knowing that I did that. After seeing the hurt expression on his face all I want to do is curl in a ball and bawl my eyes out but I stand my ground. Taking a deep breath I mutter a quick apology before taking my crutches and limping over to the room I'm staying in.

Umm, so yeah that's the chapter. I'm not even gonna say anything.

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Edited by the amazing  Sarah Baker