"We're sneaking out."

Jay immediately raised his eyebrows, before a devilish grin settled onto his features.

"Now that's more like it."

I rolled my eyes but smiled, having already assumed that he'd be fond of this idea, having already encountered that reckless side of him.

"We have to wait until they fall asleep." I said. "Then it's easy. They sleep so soundly a horn wouldn't wake them. And thankfully, the house is one story so we'd be crawling out onto ground that's only a few feet away."

Jay nodded. "But are you sure that we're sleeping in here?"

I actually wasn't sure. I mean, the bed was tiny. I'd be sleeping within very close proximity to Jay, and- I internally cut my thoughts out, feeling flustered at the mere thought of us laying in the same bed.

"I'll ask them now."

I walked back into the living room. In the spam of the few minutes that I had spent consulting with Jay, the Friedmans had set up the couch in the livingroom.

Mrs. Friedman took note of me walking in, and then spoke up. "Alina, one of you can sleep in here, and the other in the small bedroom."

I nodded and thanked her. What a strange arrangement, I thought, although their limits were set to hanging out, and I figured that us sleeping in the same bed was not an option in their household.

"We're going to sleep now, but see you in the morning." She smiled.

"Goodnight!" I called out to them and they headed towards their bedroom.

They were fairly heavy sleepers, but loud noises would most likely wake them up, as they would anyone with a sense of hearing, unless they succombed to heavy sleep that eliminated all disruptions during moments of slumber.

We'd have to wait until they actually fell asleep.

"Jay, you take the bderoom, and when it's time I'll let you know and knock. I know you would forget, so I'll tell you."

His mouth dropped before his brows furrowed in a manner that was light-hearted. Had he actually been mad, I knew that his eyes would darken, his dark brows would knit together and the grimace, and he'd probably be spitting insults at me.

I slipped the nightgown over my leggings incase the Fredericks came to check up on us, which I knew they would. I knew that this plan would be tricky and perhaps flawed, but I oculd only rely on our sense of time and accuracy, as well as the ability of the Fredericks to sleep soundly and remain undisturbed.

Mrs. Frederick came a few times, wishing me goodnight and even bringing me a glass of water. I thanked her each time she came. She was relentless. I loved her and she was beyond caring, but at times her self-implemented mother role upon us grew suffocating. Maybe this is how parents were down here, but I knew my parents wouldn't do this to guests, and they don't do it to me either. Not that I really minded, just it was making the plan increasingly difficult as she would come at random times in undetermined intervals. Plus, what if I was trying to sleep? and I'm sure her husband was. It was suffocating, but kind towards me as well.

Eventually, a great amount of time had passed and I assumed she had finally drifted to sleep. I got up and quickly threw the gown over my head and put my own shirt back on. I arranged the pillows and blankets to somewhat resemble a sleeping form underneath the red sheets. I crept as quietly as I could back to the small bedroom.

I raised my fist and almost gave the door a hard rap out of habit. Instead, I texted Jay that I was right outside of the door, and then I knocked quietly, my fists landing softly against the wooden door. No reply. I texted Jay a couple of more times and dared to knock a bit louder. I kept at this for a bit before it occured to me that he might've fallen asleep. I graoned. Of course he would. I debated just going to sleep, but I wanted to go out and I knew Jay would too. He'd probably wonder why I didn't wake him up, although to do that I'd probably wake up the Fredericks and their horses. I decided to just call Jay.

When I put his number in and pressed the red call button, I certainly didn't excpect for his volume to be all the way up, or to blast a song with a curse word as the opening line.

I immediately tried to end the call, but my phone froze and the call kept going for a good fifteen seconds before I did something and was able to end the call.

I looked arounf nervously, and listened for any sounds coming from the Fredericks' bedroom. Only the slightest ruffle of the sheets of a stifled grunt could be heard, as if they were yawning or even talking in their sleep. My back was to the door when it swung open and I nearly fell backwards.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest . Jay was standing at the door. He had managed to fall asleep within the hour or so, and appeared like he'd fallen into a great slumber. His dark black hair was messy and fell over his grey eyes. He blinked as he saw me.

"You scared the shit out of me!" I said, putting my hand over my chest to feel the ever racing pulse of my heart.

"Yeah, and you didn't with that call at eleven thirty."

"It's your rightone, and your volume that was turned all the way up." I said. "Besides, we have plans." I chided.

He look confused for a few moments, before he recollected his thoughts. "Right.."

For a second I thought he was going to bail, and decide not to go, choosing to resume his rest.

"Give me a sec to wake up."

"You are awake." I joked, although I knew he meant to just regain his consciousness and snap out of a drowsy state.

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

I followed him into the room, and softly closed the door. The bed sheets were wrinkled, as Jay had slept on top of them. I grabbed pillows off the floor and arranged them similarly to the ones where I was sleeping.

"What are you doing?"

"In case something happens, we're actually sound asleep." I gestured to the "figure" which didn't look too realistic if you looked closely, but chances are that neither one of the Fredericks will be staring us down and switching on any lights.

He nodded, still in a drowsy state, and put on his jacket before looking at me. "What now?"

I looked at the window in the room. It was small, but should be big enough for both of us to go through. "I have to get this open." I walked over to the window. With a bit of my own struggling, and then later Jay's help, we managed to get the window open, but not without a horrendous sqeal of wood against wood.

Jay said he'd go first and then help me out onto the other side. "Alright." I said. "Do this quietly."

Jay tried to ease himself through, but then hit his head against the window. He followed it with a loud "fuck!" before continuing out onto the other side. Way to be discreet. It was a drop of a few feet, so the chances that we get injured are slim. Although, Jay already managed to within his first few seconds of trying to exit.

I suggested locking the door, but Jay said we should leave it open to be on the safer side and so that the Fredericks don't think we're up to anything.

I complied, even though Jay had his door locked before.

I was halfway out when I heard footsteps from inside of the house. I froze. Should we try to make it back inside the house? And if they caught us, what would we say? I decided to just try to make it out. Jay saw the panic in my eyes, and I quickly whispered to him that they were coming. His eyes widened as well, and he basically dragged me all the way out of the window. The door began slowly opening, and in a rush I propelled myself all the way outside, also managing to bang my shin against the window. I nearly yelped, but Jay clamped a firm hand over my mouth. I was still in his arms, so he gently put me down before roughly pulling me to the ground. We hadn't had time to close the window, but hopefully whoever went to check on Jay wouldn't make anything of it.

I saw that it was Mr. Frederick. He looked around the room, and I felt his eyes pass over us. I wasn't scared of him, he wouldn't hurt us in any way, but I also would be in so much trouble and the Fredericks would probably never have me over again. I really hoped this would be worth it.

He gazed out the window, and even in the dark, I could see his face faintly, and make out a frown. My heart was pounding and my hair was a mess from the amount of time I ran my hand back through my ponytail. Jay, of course, looked relaxed as ever. He was on his phone, and I was about to slap him.

I thanked God when Mr. Frederick decided all was well and leave. I waited a minute or so after he closed the door to stand up. I grabbed Jay's phone and threw it back into the room. Thanks to the carpet, it landed with a soft thud, and there was a good chance it wasn't cracked.

He looked at me, his mouth agape.

"No phones. You almost got us caught!" I whispered harshly.

"The fuck? But okay..." He said, putting his hands up in defense. He then changed the subject. "What do you want to do?"

"I have a few ideas." I said. "First, follow me."

I led him towards the woods. I had grabbed a flashlight from one of the kitchen drawers, and illuminated our path as soon as we got far enough from our house.

"Those woods look creepy as shit."

"Are you scared?" I smirked, looking at him.

He tried to stifle a grin. "No. I'm just saying."

After a bit of a trek, we finally made it to the woods where we had previusly ridden our horses through. The night air was stuffy, and had grown hot. I tied my hoodie around my waist and continued into the woods. This area was safe, and the only dangers were racoons and the ocassional fox. I immediately thought of the man from the train, and a shiver ran down my spone. I moved closer to Jay, who looked at me with surprise.

"You scared?" He grinned.

I looked a the menacing black trees, darkened without sunglight. The moon was bright today, so thanfully we had that shining down at us, but the fact that it was a full moon also added to the creep factor. We were now at the edge of the woods. I heard the occassional sqeak of snapping of a branch, and I grew weary. I had tried to put up a brave front, but if Jay wasn't here with me I'd probably be frozen in fear.

"I'm not." I sadi firmly, but smiled up at him.

"Oh really?" He smirked. Before I had a chance to reply, he dashed into the woods and darted behind a tree before I could even process what just hapened.

My throat clammed up and I grew nervous. "Jay you're not funny." No reply.

Where I had previously been nervous I was now scared. Jay wasn't replying to me and the woods just seemed even more eerie now that I had gotten a good look, and was standing alone.

"Jay stop."

I decided to venture the slightest bit further into the woods. Maybe he was trying to prove to me that I'm a baby. I'd prove him wrong, even though I was weary. I heard twigs snapping. With every noise, my heart leapt out of my chest some more.

"Jay!" I cried. By now a tear had slipped out of my eye. Not only was I scared, but I was worried something had happened to him.

I felt a rough pair of hands squeeze my shoulders. "Boo!" I recognized the voice and rolled my eyes, before realeasing myself from his grasp.

"Really?" I said.

He chuckled. "You said you weren't scared."

"I'm not scared of the woods- I'm scared of being alone in them you dipshit!"

His gaze softened, before he walked over to me. He was drastically taller than me, but my head fit right onto his chest when he pulled me into his arms.

"I wouldn't leave you." He whispered, and I could feel his jaw move against my head as he spoke.

I had relaxed in his grasp now, and I enjoyed his embrace.

"Come on." I said. "And this time- don't leave me."

"I won't." He chuckled.

We continued further into the woods, and I grew more relaxed. The woods were the same woods I rode through every day, and I had Jay's arm around my waist. Also, my eyes were more adjusted to the dark, so I could make out more details around me. The noises were from the small animals, and I realized that even in the dead of night, the woods were alive as ever.

"It's so hot." Jay said, pulling at his shirt.

I nodded. "It is."

By now, we had made it to the creek in the woods.

"I didn't know this was here." Jay said, grinning.

"I mean," I chuckled, "it is your first time being here."

He looked at me with a mischevious glint in his eyes. I knew he was up to something.

"What?"

He smirked and wiggled his brows.

"What?!"

"Wanna go for a swim?" He said, his devilish grin widening.

I bit my lip. It seemed fun, and I had gone swimming here countless times, but neither of us had our swimsuits and we'd be wet the whole way back.

I continued chewing on my lip. "I don't know-" I trailed off.

"Come on, why not?"

"The Fredericks would notice-"

"We'll dry overnight."

"I don't want to get my clothes wet."

"Then don't."

My expression immediately turned to scorn. "Jay, I'm not going skinny dipping with you."

He rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious."

"Fine." He said. "Just go in your underwear and I won't look."

"What, I-"

"I'm doing the same. Besides, we'll be in the water."

I thought about what he was saying. I guess he was making some sense, but I didn't know if I felt comfortable undressing in front of him. He'd probably seen countless of girls, and my skinny figure probably wasn't comparable to the people he'd slept with.

"Are you embrassed on account of me?"

I didn't reply for a while, and just continued biting my lip.

"Don't be. Come on, live a little." He grinned.

"Fine." I made up my mind.

He smiled at me, and I smiled back. I processed what I was about to do. No boy had ever seen me in this little clothing, not even Griffin.

Jay pulled off his jeans and shirt. He was clearly comfortable, and based upon his confidence and appearance, he had all the reason to be. He slipped into the water.

"Fuck." He said, wincing.

My eyes widened. "What?"

"The water is freezing." He said. He then disappeared for a moment, before rising out of the creek. "That's better." His dark hair was over his eyes, and he swept it back. I was red, from seeing him and from anticipating the moment to come.

"I don't know..." I said. I thought about it a bit more, and was growing flustered. Besides, the water was really cold, according to Jay.

"Alina!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"You're either getting in, or I'm pulling you in, clothes and all."

"You know what?" I said to myself. "Whatever. Live a little." I then turned to Jay. "Don't look."

I unzipped my sweatshirt and began untying my shoes when I felt a pair of eyes on me. The intuition led me to turn around, and I could see Jay's eyes trained on me.

"Really...?" I said in a low voice.

I saw him roll his eyes. "It'a dark as shit anyways. I can't see a thing."

"Yet somehow I can still see you staring at me." Once I was done untying my shoes, I took them off and tossed them aside, along with my socks. "Jay!" I reprimanded, and he turned around, now facing the other side of the woods.

I took off my leggings and folded them, placing my shirt on top and leaving all of my stuff at the water's edge, neatly, and trying to avoid muddy spots. Jay's clothes were all over the place, strewn here and there.

I bounded over to the waters' edge and dipped my toe into the water, immediately growing reluctant of lowering myself further into the creek. The water was cold, and a shiver went up my spine at the thought of a swim.

"Are you coming or not?" An annoyed voice called out. I rolled my eyes.

"It's freezing."

"Maybe if you actually got in and swam, you wouldn't be so cold." He was still facing the other way, but I could already see his expression in my mind.

"I'm not though. The water is cold, but the air is perfectly fine."

"Alina, you're getting in."

I huffed but then grinned. I might as well go in. Besides, Jay had now seemed to grow used to the water and didn't appear to be shivering or wincing, so I'd probably get adjusted to the temperature in no time.

I lowered myself into the water and let out a gasp when I felt the cold. It pricked at my skin and even my exposed half was cold.

"Are you in?"

I lowered myself further into the water, so that it was now up to my collarbone.

"Yeah." I said through chattering teeth.

Jay turned around around and grinned, clearly glad that I decided to step in.

"Go underwater, it helps."

I pulled my hair out of the ponytail, letting it fall down onto my shoulders and then into the water. My long blonde hair pooled in the water and I swept it out of my face with my hand.

Jay looked at me, an intrigued glint in his eyes. I smiled as we made eye contact and then looked down.

I plugged my nose with my hand and pummeled underwater. I initially felt shock when my head submerged, but when I rose up again the water was more bearable.

I was still cold though, and shivered as I waded through the water.

"Why'd we do this?" I said, and laughed.

"I don't know." Jay threw his head back and laughed along with me.

It was probably one of the dumbest ideas ever, sneaking out and then swimming in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night, but it was still fun and exhilarating and I feel like spending this time with Jay would bring us even closer. Although how much closer can we get? We're within feet of each other wearing no clothes.

As if he had read my mind, Jay stepped closer towards me. I raised an eyebrow when he dove underwater. He disappeared for a few seconds, and I wondered where he could've went.

Suddenly, I felt someone lift me up. A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me a few feet. Jay's head popped up out of the water and I saw his mischievous grin.

"Jay!" I gasped. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms on his shoulders as he held me.

I wasn't fully above the water, but my bra was exposed. I wasn't uncomfortable but I grew slightly red.

He smiled at me. I smiled back and moved the dark hair out of his eyes, as both of his hands were busy propping me up.

That's when he leaned in and kissed me. I wasn't expecting it, but eventually we gravitated towards a synchronized kiss that ignited all sorts of things in the pit of my stomach. My hands made their way up to his hair as his traveled up my lower back. I'd made out only a few times before, but Jay was an expert. His tongue entered my mouth at the right moment and we deepened the kiss even further. It was as if we both had been secretly anticipating this moment, and now that it finally happened we let everything go and ignited a passionate kiss that I'd remember for a long time.

He clearly noticed that I was shivering, as he pulled away and looked at me, concern in his eyes.

"Are you cold?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

"C'mon." He said, gently pulling me closer so that I was now comfortably testing against him. Shivers ran up my spine from the cold and from Jay's touch, and I knew the goosebumps were from both too.