Trespassing

Ava's POV

Thomas was humming some Metallica and I was really bored watching him slide under and from underneath his Porsche. We were at Finn's auto-shop—well, his dad's. Mr. Matthews had checked in with Trip's work a while ago, making sure the carburetor wouldn't explode.

Finn had gone out to grab me a bagel and a Coke for himself.

My phone vibrated. I let out a sigh. It was either mom or dad wondering where I was. I hadn't gone home after Saturday afternoon, I'd called saying I was sleeping over Valerie's again. I could tell dad had been grateful, but on Sunday I did the same thing and now my parents weren't liking it.

They knew something was up. Not even they were that blind. But I wasn't feeling like playing merciful daughter.

Tiny roller-wheels sounded from in front of me. Thomas showed up with dark oily smudges on his skin and white T-shirt.

"Babe," he mumbled getting up. I threw him a rag, he caught it wiping at his forehead and hands. "Thanks."

Trip's muscles flexed as he tossed the towel to the hood, turning to me.

"Have I told you how incredibly hot you look like this?" I tugged on a belt hoop, propelling his mouth near mine. "It's so sexy on you." I kissed him shortly.

"I aim to please, Rosy."

"I wish you'd stop." He ignored me.

"Ava, as much as I love you spending night after night tucked away in my bed... We need to talk about what you want to do. You can't keep dodging calls, soon they'll call the police or something."

"What can I do Thomas? My mom is hell bent on fading me and bringing Mia back. My dad said she turned me into someone I wasn't, but it wasn't like he tried to stop her. He never helped or cared before... It's on him, too—" I heaved out a sigh of pure frustration, tipping my head back. "I feel like if I go home I'll kill someone—"

"You have rage blackouts, I remember." He said showing a smirk.

My mouth hung open as I swatted his arm. "Mocker."

Trip leaned on the table I was sitting on, nudging my head with his, my lips fought off a smile. He drew an arm around me, careful not get any oil on my clothes, and kissed my cheek.

"After I'm done here Finn and me are going to hit the gym—" I frowned. "Where did you think he was getting the new set of muscles?"

I shrugged, "I don't know... Birthday wish come true? All you boys wish for is either a girl from playboy, hard abs or a car from Fast and Furious."

"Now who's mocking?" He chuckled. "He's been coming with me for a while now. Anyway, after that's over I want to show you something."

I cocked my head and he averted his eyes.

"What is it?" Giving me a sly smile he shook his head, pushing away from the table. My shoulders slumped but I was smiling. "You're not going to tell me? Really?"

Thomas held up his hands, "I'm big on surprises."

***

While Thomas and Finn burned away at the gym, I stewed in his bedroom. With that last test out of the way, I had nothing to do. I didn't want to think about application letters, grades, but I couldn't seem to imagine what spring break would be like.

My parents were getting a divorce. I was going to quit modeling. Thomas was going to get his hands on that DVD—hopefully—and burn it.

Things were going to change drastically, for the better, it seemed. There was a coil in my stomach though, big chances did that—they got you all worked up. It had been the same when I'd begin to model.

The bedroom door crept open making me sit up, but who came through wasn't Trip.

"Oh, hey." Gabriel mumbled glancing around like he hadn't just invaded Thomas' room, or plopped down on his couch. I blinked at him. He blinked back. "Where's Trip?"

"Gym," I said tucking my legs Indian style. "Do you normally...?" I trailed off not wanting to sound rude.

"Barge into his bedroom?" That took care of that. I nodded. "All the time." His sassy tone made me smile. "The maid's cleaning Giselle's study room, I'm waiting out so I can snoop around, see if I can find the code to her safe."

Right. Catherine said Giselle had a safe in the apartment above her office, where she stayed working late sometimes, the DVD was there—supposedly. She told Trip she'd go with him to keep Giselle busy, but I was still wary.

Catherine had been the girl who'd gotten him in this mess in the first place. I really hoped there was nothing else at play.

"Do you want help?"

"Nah, I'm pretty used to dig around." He winked a baby-blue my way. I almost blushed. I hadn't been with Gabriel too many times, and the times I had, hadn't bee spent alone.

Gabriel was very... intimidating. With his disarming soft features, baby-blue eyes and pale blond hair. The way he acted... It seemed like he was a devil in an angel's body.

Fingering the ear piercing he asked, "Has he shown it to you, yet?"

"Huh... what?"

Shutting his mouth, he tucked an arm behind his head.

"Nothing, forget it. I didn't say a thing." Could he be talking about the surprise Trip was going to show me this afternoon? "He really likes you, you know." I lifted my eyes to his, and it was the first time I saw and heard how much Gabriel cared for Thomas. "He never told another person about what Catherine did, no one besides me and it took a lot of courage to do." He paused. "He's spent two years regretting it and at the beginning when he told me about you... I was kinda worried. The guy's like the brother I never had, I didn't want to see him go through anything like that again..." he trailed off, revealing a hint of pain.

I dug my nails into my palms. Even though Trip had told me about what Catherine did, he never talked about what came after. What he'd felt when his mother ordered him to get with a different girl every weekend.

"How bad was it?" I whispered.

Gabriel shifted looking up to the ceiling.

"Pretty fucking bad, Ava." I swallowed. "But if he wants to tell you all the messed up shit he did, he'll come clean when he's ready." At that he gave a small grin. "I'm glad I was wrong about you."

A little while later after getting Gabriel's stamp of approval, Thomas arrived. We didn't linger at his house for more than five minutes. Gabriel stayed there and Trip all but through me inside his SUV.

I had no clue where he was driving us.

His flickering glances meant he was nervous. Which got me on edge. I wasn't a nail biter, but I'd start pretty soon if he didn't get the mystery out of the way.

"Why are you nervous?"

"I'm not." His voice wavered and he answered too quickly—ha! Realizing it, Trip's sapphire gems spared me a longer look. "Okay, a little—but I won't tell you anything until we get there."

Huffing to keep my emerging nerves under wraps, I glared out the window. We were near Carnegie Hill, and Thomas only slowed down on 5th Avenue. Surprise cornered my stomach as we pulled up, Thomas was too late to open my door. Climbing out, I looked up. We'd stopped right in front of a modern entryway with the number 1270.

And Thomas was pulling me along towards the double doors—a doorman opened them, smiling politely.

Oh, did I mention Thomas' hand was sweating? It was. In the elevator he pressed the fourth floor and wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Thomas—"

"Just a little longer." He smiled reassuringly. I wasn't sure if he was trying to keep me calm or himself.

Heart beating in my chest, I followed as he poured out of the high maintenance elevator. Trip pulled out a key when for apartment 4J and I stared, speechless. He had to wheel me inside.

"Thomas..." I mumbled as a click came from behind. "What is this place?"

New wood floors greeted us throughout. A new state of the art kitchen was across the hall, and to the left, was a wide void space with a lovely large window on the far wall. The living room, I thought.

"It's got three rooms—living room, kitchen and one bedroom. Then there's a bathroom," Trip came up beside me, reciting the words like a salesmen only sheepish. "And there's—"

"Thomas." I deadpanned, facing him. "You're shaking," I noticed. Pursing my lips, I took a step closer, rubbing up his arm.

He looked down the few inches that separated us and heaved, touching my face before kissing me—and boy, did he kiss me. One hand on the back of my head and other on my lower waist, pushing us together. Trip's tongue skimmed my bottom lip tasting it carefully, I sighed into his mouth and he twisted his mouth on mine as I granted access. His tongue grazed mine with tenderness, then got under it—I moaned, tangling my finger in his soft hair.

He drew back, eying me through hooded eyes. I licked my swollen lips suddenly feeling very tired and comfortable in his embrace.

"Ava," tingles ran down my back like every other time he said my name. "I... I bought this apartment. For us." Heart exploded like dynamite. "I want us to move in together." He drew a sharp breath. "Do you want to... move in with me?"

I stared up at him, arms sliding off his shoulders from going limp. Was I hyperventilating? It happened a lot since I'd met Thomas.

"Ava?" He asked softly, taking a small step back. "Please say something."

Looking around, my heart did several happy dances. I bought this apartment. For us. Oh God. An apartment, he'd bought... Move in? Leave my house and move in with him?

My logical switch turned 'on'.

"Thomas," I smoothed my wavy brown hair back. "Are you crazy? What were you thinking—you bought an apartment?"

"Ava, I—"

"We're going to College in a few months. You're going to Yale and I'm not—"

"I'm not!" He yelled. I stared for a moment, open mouthed. "I'm not going to Yale. I said it was a possibility, but that was before."

"Before what?"

"Before..." his blue gaze held a shred of vulnerability when he held mine. "Before you told me you loved me. Before I didn't have any reasons to stay, only to move away—away from my mother, from these girls and the memories I built—but it's different now." He advanced cupping my cheek. "Now I'm going to get that DVD and make sure no one will ever see it—"

"What if you don't?" I hushed, feeling that he was getting way ahead of everything.

Thomas gripped my face, "I will." He pressed our foreheads together. "Because I love you and I want to have a life with you, because you're my reason." Shakily, I grasped his wrists, my legs were feeling wobbly. "I never knew it was possible to feel the way I do when I see you every damn time, it's like I fall in love all over again. I want that feeling every day when I wake up, every night when I go to sleep."

"You bought an apartment..." I murmured too stunned by his lovely words and gestures.

His vibrant chuckles shook my core.

"With my trust fund, don't worry though, it didn't make a dent in it." His thumb brushed my skin. "Even if it had, it's only money, Ava."

I bit my lip, "What about bills? Water, electricity, food—I wouldn't be okay with you paying things for me, Thomas. It's your money."

"It's my father's. He just put it under my name." I glared at him. "Okay, I understand. I knew you'd feel that way, and I'm not planning on using my trust fund for it, either. I got a job at Mr. Mathews garage." My jaw dropped. He'd done everything behind my back, without me suspecting a single thing.

"Trip..."

"I like cars, Ava, it's an awesome first job." He smiled and I could see genuine excitement there. "You can get a job, too. Something doing what you like—in photography? Or gardening—like a flower shop." He swallowed keeping his eyes on mine.

Lips curving up, I allowed myself to be assaulted by his happiness. It was contagious.

"Say yes, baby, I can see it's what you want." He was right. I didn't want to go home, he didn't want to spend one more minute with his mom, and we wanted every second together.

But this was so sudden, we were so young... And yet, it felt like we were a lot more experienced than most people our age.

"You did all this for me..." I shook my head.

Wrapping those strong arms around me, he whispered into my ear, "You're worth everything and more."

Those words sealed the deal before I hugged him more than a million times, before he showed me the rest of the place, with the narrow but modern kitchen, the marble bathroom, the large bedroom that had a big fitted closet—our future closet—and then... then he took me to the living room's window.

Beyond it, was a small balcony that you could turn into a beautiful garden. My eyes were watery when he wrapped me up from behind, head burying into my shoulder.

"For your garden in the sky." He kissed my neck, below my ear.

A silly little smile crept up my face. My hands fell over his as I leaned into his safeness.

"When did you buy this?"

"Yesterday when you were busy studying for the test—"

"You said you went to meet Gabriel." He smirked.

"I did. He came with me." Oh. So he had been talking about the surprise—and what a surprise. "Pets are allowed here. We can get a dog." I gripped Thomas' hands tighter.

I turned in his embrace watching his sparkling eyes. "You're the first boy I've ever loved and the only one I always will."

His kiss tipped me backward, I pressed forward and his biceps flexed. Soon, my feet were off the ground. He was lifting me like a feather. I cupped his neck, looking into his eyes.

And it was like seeing the other half of me.