-YEAR 2008-

With the door cracked open slightly, Arin put her eye near the slit as she examined her father on the couch who was slouching and drinking a whole bottle of wine to himself. All along the living room floor was dirty clothes, empty beer cans and adult magazines. She rolled her eyes in disgust and scoffed at her father silently from the other side of the door before moving away. Arin slid her closet door open and grabbed her backpack full of paper and school supplies before dumping them all onto her bed. She packed her towel, empty crayon box, magnifying glass, and greek mythology book into her backpack before opening the door to her bedroom and stepping out. 

"Dove Stai Andando?" (Where are you going?) 

Arin stopped in her tracks before turning around to her father who didn't budge in his seat as his eyes were still fixed to the TV. She played with her fingers gently and rocked back and forth on her feet.

"al di fuori." (outside.) 

She blinked as her father gave no response back. Grunting slightly he took a drink from the wine bottle and waved his hand to signal her out. Arin nodded and went into the kitchen to pack herself some bread and jam, along with a milk carton. Marching along the red carpet she meets the hotel janitor in the elevator. The janitor was a close friend of Arin's family and knew all about the hardships that she grew up with. The abuse, the divorce, the loneliness. Arin always called him Zio (uncle) because he was always there for her when she was upset. Zio would sneak her white chocolate and peanut butter truffles from the hotel kitchen along with a carton of milk whenever he had the time to visit her on the beach. 

The elevator dinged open and they parted ways as Arin left the hotel. She smiled to herself as she found a spot to sit. She set the bag down in the sand and zipped it open. Taking out the towel from her backpack and laying it flat onto the sand. She slipped out of her sandals and sat onto the soft pink fabric. She unpacked her food and belongings, setting it all down in front of her. Picking up the greek mythology book she seperated the pages to start reading where she left off. 

"Oedipus... MARRIED HIS OWN MOTHER???!" She comically screamed and threw the book down. She gagged to herself in disgust before picking the book up to continue reading while one hand is covering . "Well at least he didn't really fancy marrying his own mom..." She sighs slightly in relief as she flips the page. Arin found this time of day to be relaxing. She had no problem being alone if it always felt like this. Being inside what she called her "home" was totally different than being out on the shore. The beauty of Italy really helped to lift up the disgust of her own father. Even though she was only 9 years old she felt like she had already grown up. Her childhood was ruined. Arin placed the book mark where she left off and flipped to the inside cover of the book where she listed a small bucket list of what she wanted to do when she gets older. Move out was definately on the list and she couldn't wait to do so. Though she was happy looking at Italy's scenery, she would still have to go "home" to her drunken father everyday. She closed the book and stuck it back into a backpack. 

Arin picked up the bread and spread the sweet strawberry jam on it lightly. Taking a bite, she smiled and looked to her left where an older boy was swimming and splashing with his group of friends. Oh how she wished she was a part of the group. She felt a light tap on her right shoulder and turned her head to see a boy who's face was fire truck red and his tongue hanging out from his mouth. Arin's facial expression scrunched up as she found this boy to be quite weird and random. The boy looked to be about her own age. She blinked her eyes and watched as the boy panicked and breathed heavily.

"May I help you???" She leaned away from the weird boy who had a disturbing haircut. 

"C-Can I have a sip of y-your milk?!!?" He fanned at his tongue as he pointed to her milk. Arin smiled as she found his pain quite amusing. 

"Did ya eat something spicy??" She giggled and grabbed hir carton of milk, opening it and sticking the pink straw into the gap.

"Y-Yes! P-Please!! Can I have some!!?" He whined. She nodded and reached the milk out to him. As he was about to grab the milk she took it away and sprung up from her sitting position. 

"Just kidding! This is mine! Why don't you go buy some over at the shop there?" She pointed the shop, making the boy jump up and down from his spot as he whined more. She kind of enjoyed this.

"M-My parents are in the water w-with my little sister!! Just let me have a little bit!!! PLEASE!!!!" He was on the verge of tears. Now she started to feel bad. 

"Okay! Okay! Here. You can have some. Jeez. What did you even eat??" She handed the milk to the boy and put her hands on her hips as she watched the boy chug her milk. She waited for his response once he was done emptying her carton of milk. He burped and wiped his lips on his arm and then onto his shirt. Arin squinted her eyes in disgust.

"My dad bought Ravioli and i ate one only to find out it was smothered in really spicy tomato sauce..." He sniffled up his snot from his runny nose and smiled at the girl who just saved his life. 

"Hm... I can't handle spicy foods either.." She smiled back.

"Thanks for letting me drink the milk. I'm Vernon!" He held his hand out to her. She grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake. 

"Im Arin." She let go of his hand and nodded. 

"Are you here with your family too?"

"No."

Vernon raised an eyebrow. He thought it was crazy for someone his age to be roaming around a crazy populated place by herself. He felt like he should accompany her.

"Oh.. Well in that case... Do you mind if I sit here with you?" He tilted his head and smiled.

"Well actually I was just about to go out near the water and look for sea shells. You can come with me if you'd like." 

"I'd love to!" 

Arin tought Vernon how to search for the best sea shells with her magnifying glass as they put the cool looking ones into her crayon box. They talked on and on. Exchanging information about each other. Vernon being a year older than Arin, he felt like he needed to protect Arin as she talked about her family life. Which is uncommon for her to do since she is alone most of the time. They walked together along the shore and talked about their interests as they kept packing sea shells into Arin's crayon box. Arin felt warm and comfortable near Vernon. She smiled as she looked at her new friend blab about how he wanted to be a rapper and how hot his mixtapes would be.

"We should have a sleepover!" Vernon nudged his friend as she was examining a sea shell. Arin looked up at him and smiled.

"It would be nice. But my father always wants me home after dark. It doesn't make sense because he always goes out during the night time and sometimes he wont be home until the next morning." She looked down. 

"Then I can just ask my mom if I can sleep over at your house." He nodded firmly. Arin's eyes widened. Her house was a total mess. She didn't want her new friend to see how she lived.

"U-Uh... No.. You can't. I'm sorry..." She sighed and shook her head slightly.

"Why not?" 

"It's just a mess... I don't want you to see it... Plus I live in that hotel there. Nothing grand like an actual home..." Arin played with her fingers before looking up at her friend. He gave her a warm smile before grabbing her by the shoulders. 

"It's fine. I won't judge you. I just want to spend more time with you." 

"Are you sure your parents would be okay with it??" He nodded at her question. 

"Come on. I'll introduce you to them!" She widened her eyes as Vernon dragged her through the soft sand towards her parents and little sister. Arin shyly hid behind the boy as she stood in front of his parents. She bowed 90 degrees and introduced herself. His parents nodding. 

"Mom. Dad. Is it okay if I spend the night in Arin's suite? She lives two floors above our room in the hotel." Vernon's parents thought for a few minutes before giving him the okay. Vernon's excitement shot through the sky in Italy as he hugged Arin. She smiled softly and hugged him back. Arin bowed to Vernon's parents again before leaving with Vernon to her spot. Non-stop talking came from Vernon as he helped her pack her stuff. 

The two young ones headed towards the hotel by themselves, pressing the button for the elevator. Vernon glanced at Arin who was staring at the elevator numbers as it came to the ground floor. He slowly took a hold of her free hand and gently held it in his. Arin looked down at her hand and looked at Vernon with a raised brow. She took her hand away and smacked him on his arm. He laughed and rubbed his arm before entering the elevator with the younger one. Arin waited outside the door of Vernon's hotel room so he can pack his pajamas and toothbrush before heading off to her own. They entered the elevator again and waited. Finally in the matter of minutes, they arrived at room 507. Arin opened the door and slowly walked in, slipping off her sandals at the front door with Vernon behind her. He closed the door behind them and locked the door as Arin instructed him to. She slowly walked in to see the TV off and her father no where to be seen. She sighed as the mess remained on the floor and couch. She had second thoughts about having Vernon here but it was too late. He saw everything already. 

"It's not as bad as you said..." he said quietly.

"Lets just go into my room." She lead him into her perfectly organized bedroom, the light and shut the door behind them. "The bathroom is there if you want to change into your pajamas." Arin pointed and he nod, going into the bathroom to change as Arin changed quickly into her own pajamas. The two met again as they finished changing. 

"Want to play video games with me?" She handed Vernon a controller and the TV and Console before hopping onto the bed. Without a choice he nodded and hopped onto the bed next to her. For hours they worked together to kill zombies and laughed all night long as the other would get attacked by a mob of zombies. Time flew by quickly, the clock reading midnight. Arin yawned and stretched her arms. 

"Sleepy?" Vernon looked to the left and watched Arin yawn continuously before nodding. He turned off the the console and TV as Arin squirmed up to her pillow and slipped under the blanket, laying on her back. Vernon smiled and got up to flick the light switch down to turn off the light. He slipped into the other side of the bed and layed on his side, staring into Arin's side profile.

"Thank you for being my friend..." Arin quietly said as she slowly turned her head to look at Vernon.

He smiled and nodded. "No, thank you." He inched over to the other's body and wrapped his arm around her. Arin shyly smiled and closed her eyes, not minding the touch. They fell asleep in each other's warmth until the next morning.

-

Arin woke up and threw Vernon's arm off of her, making him move in his sleep. She chuckled and slowly got out of bed, opening the door slightly to see her father still absent. She sighed in relief and went over to Vernon, violently shaking him by the shoulders. He woke up almost immediately and sat up. 

"Good Morning sleepy head." She smiled as Vernon blinked his eyes open. Smiling in return. 

"Morning lovely." He chuckled and got out of her bed. Vernon checked the time on the bed side table and grumbled.

"I have to go Arin. My parents are probably waiting for me. I'll see you later okay?" He ruffled her hair and smiled at the younger body. She nodded and gave him his clothes, leading him to the door. They hugged and parted ways. After closing the door, Arin smiled to herself and went into her room to get freshened up for a new whole day with her new best friend. She tied up her hair cutely with a scrunchie and wore a bright blue sundress. Hours passed as she was getting ready and she stepped out of her bedroom to ssee her father kissing another women. He pushed her away as Arin entered the room and waved at her to leave the house before continuing to her face. She quickly left and bumped into Zio in the lobby. He handed her a small white box with four truffles on the inside. She thanked him and ran to the beach, hoping she can find Vernon again. She sat at the same spot she was in yesterday and waited and waited and waited. As time passed Arin started to tear up. 

She felt a small tap on her shoulder and she quickly wiped up her eyes and stood up, turning around to see Vernon. 

"You're here!" She hugged him excitedly. "What took you so long?!" Arin slapped his arm again but then noticed something was wrong. 

Vernon rubbed his arm and looked down. 

"Hey... What's wrong?" She looked at him worriedly.

"I'm leaving tonight..." He said quietly, but audible enough for her to hear him clearly. Arin scoffed and tilted her head in confusion. 

"What do you mean??" 

"I'm going back to Korea tonight..." Arin dropped the box and pushed Vernon onto the ground. She felt like he was playing with her feelings the whole time. 

"Why didn't you tell me before?! I thought you lived here like I did! You're a real jerk Vernon!" She screamed at him as tears fell. Before Vernon could get up and do anything about it she had ran into the hotel. Arin ran far, far away from him. She ran into Zio's office area, wanting to be alone from everything. She hugged her knees and cried until she couldn't cry anymore as she waited to Zio to come find her. Vernon sat in the sand and cried as he picked up the box she dropped. He opened it and saw the truffles Arin wanted to share with him. He slowly got up as he clutched the box close to his chest without squishing the truffles and walked back to his family in tears as they were waiting in the lobby. They rubbed his back in comfort and assured him that they will be back to visit Italy next summer.

-

-YEAR 2015- 

"Okay boys. We will be doing a Pledis family concert in Italy as well as Germany, France and Spain." The artist groups in Pledis cheered happily as ticket sales were going up. 

"Will we be getting rest days before the concert in the countries?" Vernon asked his manager.

"We can only afford you guys to have one free day in Italy and Germany." 

Vernon nodded and texted his girlfriend about his absence. It's been seven years since he has seen Arin and to be quite honest. 

 

He completely forgot about her. 

 

Seventeen and the other Pledis groups boarded the plane to Italy. As they arrived they checked into a hotel and rested before going out. Vernon told Seungkwan about his trips to Italy with his family only to then remember Arin. His smile immediatly turned sour and he stopped talking. Seungkwan raised his eyebrow and shook his head. As seventeen toured Italy, Vernon walked behind the rest silently. They walked along the shore. Vernon picking up various sea shells and such. 

"Hey guys, I'll be right back." He said to the other members before running off. Seungcheol yelling that he's not supposed to leave the group. They shook their heads as the boy disappeared. Vernon ran to the hotel he remembered Arin living in before stopping. The hotel was shut down and out of business. It was old and dusty looking. The window was busted and there was wooden planks nailed tightly on the entrance so nobody could enter. Vernon's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Millions of questions formed in his head as he stared at the abandoned hotel. Where is Arin living now? Why is it closed down? Why didn't he keep in touch with his old friend? He felt his heart drop, tears forming along his water line. Vernon instanly felt bad. He wanted to know how Arin was doing and where she is. 

Finally, the other members of Seventeen caught up to Vernon. They looked up at the old hotel building.

"What's up Vernon?" Mingyu asked. The members confused about Vernon. 

"N-Nothing..." Vernon shook his head and wiped his eyes. "Lets go..." Seungcheol nodded and leaded the rest of the group away from the area. 

-

In the course of seven years a lot happened to Arin. She lived in the city of Gangnam. Her father was arrested in 2010 for the illegal possesion of drugs and luckily for her, a caring family was willing to adopt her. Of course she felt blessed. She finally had a pair of adults who loved and cared for her no matter what. She sat on a swing and kicked her legs to propel her. Arin grew up tall and beautiful. He hair naturally waved and matched the color of her eyes. She always had her hair up in her signature ponytail. And even though she vowed never to make a friend, she actually made a friend named Jiho who shared a couple of interests with her. Jiho was a role model to Arin. Jiho was drop dead gorgeous. She was always there for Arin. They talked about everything together. Although Arin never told Jiho about Vernon who is now famous and has a girlfriend. She sighed and thought about the things she has not had. Arin smiled at her new life, smiling brighter than her milky skin under the sun. 

Arin checked her phone to see a text from Jiho.

Jiho

Look behind you! <3 <3 <3

Arin stopped herself from swinging and looked back to see her best friend. She hopped up and squealed as she excitedly ran over to Jiho. 

"Let's go get lunch together!" Jiho nods and pulls Arin towards her car, shoving her dongsaeng into the passengers seat. Arin chuckled and shook her head as she buckled herself in and watched as Jiho scrambled into the car before driving off to a restaurant. 

"Aigoo... It will be hard to meet you since school starts in a week for you." Jiho clicked her tongue. "Let's spend the whole week together. I can spend the night at your place and we can binge eat, watch movies and do each others nails." Jiho nodded. "How does that sound?"

Arin laughed. "Sounds good to me!" 

Jiho parked the car as they arrived. They ordered a plate of steak and fries to share with a molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream served at the end of their meal. 

 

Thus ending their day with karaoke. 

-

A week passed and it was time for school. Jiho texted a good luck message to Arin and even dropped her off at school.

"Here I made you lunch. Special for you. All your favorite foods because I am the best." Arin chuckled and hugged her best friend. Jiho drove off as Arin waved goodbye with a cute little pout on her face. She walked up the concrete steps towards the entrance of her school. Arin unlocked her locker and stuffed her books into her locker, taping a couple of pictures on the inside of her locker. She closed her locker and looked at the boy standing next to her. Arin immediately recognized the face and turned around quickly, fast walking towards her class. Vernon looked over at the girl and raised his eyebrows, shaking his head before loadind his books into his locker. They had different classes. 

Arin entered her classroom and sat next to a boy named Lee Chan. He looked at Arin and blushed slightly. Chan rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. Arin cursed softly under her breath as she dug through her backpack. She turned to Chan and looked at his name tag before looking up at his tomato red face. 

"Um... Do you have a pen I could borrow?" Arin asked. 

"Y-Yes I do! One moment.." He dug into his backpack and pulled out his favorite pen, handing it over to the other.

"Thanks." Arin nodded.

Hours of long lectures passed before lunch time came and Chan packed his things quickly and left to go meet Vernon and Seungkwan in the cafeteria. Arin packed her stuff and blinked.

"He forgot to take his pen back..." Arin scratched her head before walking to the cafeteria. Chan was spilling his guts about the cute girl sitting next to him to his hyungs. They laughed and shook their heads. He spotted Arin coming his way and shut his mouth quickly, slightly blushing. 

Arin stopped at their table and held the pen out in Chan's direction. "You forgot your pen." 

"I-It's okay... K-Keep it until the day ends..." Chan gulped. Arin nods and sticks the pen in her backpack. 

"Thanks Chan." 

"N-No problem Arin..." He smiled widely. Vernon immediately widened his eyes and looked at her name tag to make sure it was really her. 

Arin raised an eyebrow and tilted her head before walking away from the weird boy. Vernon felt his heart drop as Arin walked away without even looking at him. Arin bit her lip in embarrassment as she sat by herself with her back turned to the table Vernon is sitting at. She quietly ate the food Jiho packed her and felt a tight feeling in her chest as if she wanted to cry. Vernon slipped his arm away from his girlfriend's shoulder as he stared at Arin from his table. He really wanted to talk to Arin. He wanted to know everything that happened in the past seven years.

After finishing her food, Arin got up to leave the cafeteria. She stopped at Vernon's table and looked at Chan. 

"Hey Chan. Me and my friend Jiho are going to see a movie tonight. Do you want to come?" Arin bravely asked in front of her ex-best friend. Vernon felt like he got stabbed a million times in the heart. He slightly glared at Chan. 

"I-I'd love to Arin. I'll give you my number!" Arin smiled and exchanged numbers with Chan. 

"Great. I'll see you tonight then!" Arin smiled and nodded before leaving. 

Chan clutched onto his shirt and smiled widely. Vernon rolled his eyes and Seungkwan blinked as he couldn't believe what he saw. Vernon then got an idea.

"Hey Dino. You should ask your new little girlfriend if me and Jinny could go too." Vernon's girlfriend, Jinny, nodded in agreement. 

"Oh yeah sure. I'll ask her." Chan nodded. 

"YAAaaAHhHH!! I want to go too!" Seungkwan nudged his dongsaeng.

Chan started to get less excited about the idea. "Fine... I'll ask her if you can come." 

-

It was 7pm and Arin gave the okay for the uninvited to come along as well. Jiho and Arin met up with Dino, Seungkwan, Vernon and his girlfriend at the theater and bought their tickets. They were going to see a new action movie that came out. Jiho and Arin stood in line for snacks. 

"Oppa. Can you buy me some popcorn? I'll go find us all a seat in the theater with Dino and Seungkwan." Jinny tugged on Vernon's sleeve and he nodded also taking in Dino and Seungkwan's orders. Vernon stood in line behind Jiho and Arin. 

"Long time no see Arin..." He bravely spoke. Jiho and Arin turned around to see Vernon alone. Jiho looked at Arin confused. Arin stared at the other before shifting her gaze on Jiho, turning her back towards Vernon again before moving up in line. "So what? You're just going to ignore me like this??" Vernon felt a heavy feeling in his throat. Jiho kept her glance on the two younger teens. She poked Arin whispered in her ear.

"I thought you just met him today... Why is he talking to you like that? He looks like he's about to cry..." Jiho kept glancing at Vernon. 

"Just ignore him Jiho." Arin didn't even bother to whisper. She stared up at the menu and didn't look at either of them. Jiho nodded and pulled out her phone, texting a message to Arin. 

To: Arinnieeee <3

You better tell me whats up tonight after the movie.

She sent the message and looked at Arin who read the message on her phone. 

"Arin... Please don't ignore me... I'm sorry... I missed you really..." Vernon shook as he spoke. Trying his hardest not to cry in a public area. Arin kept her back toward Vernon and he completely lost it. He hugged her from behind and cried into her shoulder. Jiho and Arin's eyes widened in surprise. He tightly held onto Arin like his life depended on it. Arin ripped away Vernon's tight grip and pushed him away making him fall on the ground again.

"Leave me alone!!" Arin shouted getting the whole lobby's attention. Jiho quickly helped Vernon up before returning to her best friend's side. Vernon grabbed Arin's wrist and dragged her out of the theater, Jiho following after her friend. He dragged Arin to the side of the building and pushed her up against the wall before pressing his lips onto hers. Jiho's eyes widened as she covered with her hands. Arin pushed Vernon away and smacked him in the face. 

"What the is wrong with you?!" Arin stepped behind Jiho to block Vernon away from her. A waterfall of tears flowed down Vernon's cheeks. 

"I-I love you Arin... I miss you..." He wiped his salty tears from his cheeks. Arin snickered as Jiho was in an abyss of confusion. 

"My . You have a girlfriend you jerk." Arin hissed.

"She's nothing like you... You're special to me Arin... Please..." Vernon tried to circle around Jiho to get to Arin. Arin quickly moved her friend so that there was a constant barrier between them.

"I don't care. You're nothing to me now Vernon." He felt like he wanted to faint. 

"What's taking them so long... The movie is going to start soon.. I'm going to go check on them." Chan whispered in the dimly lit theater. 

"I'll go with you Dino! Seungkwan save our seats!" She followed her dongsaeng out to the main lobby. They looked around confused. 

"Where did they go?" Dino looked at Jinny before seeing an employee. 

"Excuse me, but have you seen three teens? Two girls and one boy? About this tall?" He asked the employee who pointed at the exit. Chan looked at Jinny confused and went outside, they looked left and right but didn't see anybody. 

"Forgive me please Arin! I never wanted us to end up like this!" Vernon still chasing Arin around Jiho who was her human barrier. 

"I refuse to! Leave me alone!" Arin yelled. 

Chan and Jinny heard their yelling and quickly ran to the side of the theater. They widened their eyes as Vernon's eyes were red from tears and his nose filled with snot. 

"What the is going on?!" Jinny yelled and grabbed her boyfiend's arm. Vernon took his arm away in a snap and grabbed Jiho's hands. 

"Please move Jiho so I can talk to Arin alone..." He begged his elder. 

"Don't listen to him Jiho! You're my friend not his!" Arin yelled. 

Jinny attempted to grab Vernon's arm again only to be pushed away. Jinny bumped into Chan who kept her from falling.

"Leave me alone Jinny. I need to talk to Arin." Vernon hissed.

Jinny scoffed and went straight towards Arin. She grabbed Arin's wrist and dragged her to the floor. Arin fell on her back and Jiho pushed Jinny away from her best friend, helping her up. 

"YOU ALL ARE CRAZY!! GET LOST WILL YOU VERNON! TAKE YOU AND YOUR PSYCHO GIRLFRIEND AWAY FROM ME!" Arin yelled angrily. Jiho has never seen Arin this angry in her life, she was definately terrified. Chan stood there not knowing what to do. Arin walked up to Chan and sighed. "I'm sorry... I have to go... Maybe next time." She pats Chan's shoulder and takes Jiho's hand, dragging her to the car. Vernon watched as the two drove out of the theater's parking lot. Chan looked a this hyung, a bit of tears forming in his eyes. 

"Way to go hyung..." Chan cried softly before going into the theater and sitting next to Seungkwan. 

-

The next day, Jiho dropped off Arin at school after last night's talk. She finally spilled everything she hasn't to her best friend and Jiho felt bad that she was trapped in this buildin with him for hours. Arin took a few books out from her locker and put it into her backpack. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Vernon with bruises and scratches along his face. He was holding a small bouquet of white carnations. Arin glared at the boy in front of her and turned her back to him, closing her locker with a slight slam. He flinched and grabbed Arin's wrist before she could get to her class. 

"Arin. I'm sorry. I really did mean it when I said I loved you. I didn't want to tell you I had to leave the next day because I thought you were going to swat me away if I did. I should've just been honest with you. I missed you and thought of you lots when I was in Italy. The hotel is closed down and I was worried of your well being... Please forgive me Arin..." He held the flowers toward her. After seven years he still remembered the most insignificant fact about her. Her favorite flowers. She hesitantly took the flowers from him. That was just enough to make him smile widely. 

"You remembered..." Arin spoke softly as she sniffed the flowers. 

"Of course I did..." He lifted his hand up and slowly and gently pushed her back behind her ears. Vernon took a step closer to Arin and pressed his lips against her forehead before pulling away. 

"What happened to your face?" She said trying to turn a slightly awkward conversation into a better one.

"My ex-girlfriend did it..." He nodded. Arin raised an eyebrow and gently hit his head with the bouqet of flowers. 

"You deserved it." She snickered.

"I know.." Vernon wrapped his arms around Arin and pulled her close to him, closing his eyes as he buried his face in her neck, inhaling the sweet scent she always had. Arin didn't budge as the other caressed her back. They felt warm. The feeling was so natural. "You have a lot to tell me my love..." Vernon whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly. Arin closed her eyes and nodded slightly. "Sleepover?" She smiled. 

 

Vernon pulled away from her neck and pressed his lips against Arin's. She cupped his cheek with her free hand and caressed his cheek, being careful not to press on the bruises. Vernon pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against Arin's. 

 

"Most definately." He whispered aagainst her lips before going for seconds.