Unconditional.

Holly spent the rest of the night in her corner behind the bar, and Luke was nowhere to be seen. Felix and Aidan stood working at the bar, but it didn't stop me regularly looking over to check on her. I was being stupidly protective and I knew it. That was until I was fed more more drinks by Leo and Tristan, and the night began to blur. The next thing I knew I was waking up in Rachel's bed, wearing only jeans.

As soon as I realised where I was, I yelped and leapt out of the bed as if I'd been bitten, running my hands over my bare torso and trying to remember what happened. Where the hell was my shirt? What the hell happened? I stared, horrified, at Rachel, who was cocooned in her duvet, only her head visible. Oh god, we hadn't... Had we? Carefully, I lifted the duvet and peered underneath it, breathing out a sigh of relief when I saw she was wearing pyjamas.

Don't get me wrong, she's a gorgeous girl, with long, soft hair and pretty blue eyes, but I didn't like her in that way, not in the slightest. I didn't know what her deal was, but she didn't like me in that way either. She hadn't seemed interested in guys for a long time now. Seb was convinced she was trying to find the words to come out to us. I guess his argument was valid; we were the only guys she ever showed any interest in recently. Then again, she showed girls even less attention than she showed guys.

Rachel shivered and turned over, rubbing her eyes in sleepy confusion. "...Josh? What are you doing?"

"I, um... We didn't..." I trailed off, my face growing hot. "I was checking."

"Us?" she squeaked, hugging the duvet closer to her chest. "Me and you? No, Josh! God!"

"Where's my shirt?" I demanded, pretty sure my face was glowing red.

"In the wash," she growled, crossing her arms. "You puked all over yourself, remember?"

"No," I snapped, "that's why I checked? It's all... Blurry."

"Trust me, I wouldn't let you anywhere near my bed if I thought that would happen."

"I feel so loved," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I do love you," she assured me. "Just not in that way. Ever."

She climbed out of bed, pulling a silky green dressing gown over herself and straightening out the sheets. I thought again about Seb's theory on Rachel and smiled wryly to myself. Maybe he was right. I mean, I'm not that bad looking. Not bad looking enough for Rachel to turn her nose up, anyway.

I shook my pounding head and left the room, swanning not so gracefully into the tiny kitchen. Dirty plates and mugs were stacked in and around the sink, and there was barely anything in the cupboards. I checked the date on the milk before taking a doubtful swig, and fortunately it tasted all right. Tristan appeared as I was running water to wash up. He observed the scene and grinned at me.

"Student life," he laughed apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't know we'd have company this morning. I figured we'd be staying at yours."

"Well," I said with a shrug, "you know Rachel. She likes to lure me here to clean up when it gets too messy. How's uni going, anyway?"

"It's a bore, mostly," he said with a shrug, taking a clean mug and drying it with a tea towel. "Living with Rach is fun, though. No one's noticed I swapped halls with her roommate yet. Tea or coffee?"

"Neither," I declined, shaking my head. "I don't trust your milk. I hardly trust your water, either."

"We're messy, not diseased," he laughed. "The milk's fine, you just drank some."

"Some's enough, thank you. Where are Seb and Leo?"

"Sleeping like babies on my bedroom sofa," he chuckled. "It's quite funny, actually, Seb's too out of it to notice Leo's literally sleeping on top of him."

I grinned and shook my head as Rachel entered from her bedroom. I expected her to still be annoyed, but she smiled at me and I knew she was cool. It was an honest mistake, after all. She hopped onto the counter and sat there, swinging her legs, while I continued to wash her dishes. Some people just know how to take a guy for granted.

I honestly didn't know where I would've been if my friends hadn't gone to university locally. Well, Seb and Leo don't go to uni, but if Rachel and Tristan left it just wouldn't have been the same. Seb and Leo were all about fun and jokes, Rachel was the smart one and Tristan was the one keeping us together. We didn't gel without Tristan, he was like our gravity force. Because of that I didn't mind coming over to help them clean up now and then. Plus, it was great to have an apartment without any authority figures in it. Not that my parents could tell me what to do anymore, but I still worried what they thought of me sometimes, especially after my previous job disaster.

Tristan handed Rachel a steaming mug before jumping up to join her on the counter with his own coffee. The radio was turned on and the three of us sang along while I dried and put the dishes away. It was just an average morning after a night out, but it was one of my favourite times I spent with my friends. We were completely relaxed with each other.

"What's everyone doing today, then?" I asked as I put the last plate away.

"I have a lecture in about half an hour," Tristan groaned, "and a ton of essays to write."

"Seb and Leo will proabably sleep through the day," giggled Rachel, "but I was thinking about food shopping this afternoon if you wanted to join me?"

"Sure," I agreed. I wanted to talk to her anyway.

"So what do we have for breakfast?" Tristen yawned, jumping off the counter and peeking in the bread bin. "How does mouldy toast sound?"

"You're disgusting," I muttered as Rachel and Tristan started laughing, "both of you."

I helped them pick the nicer pieces of bread to shove under the grill, throwing the rest away. I was a little surprised to find they actually had some butter in their practically empty fridge. I grabbed the last can of Diet Coke from the fridge for myself, figuring the very worst case scenario would be flat Coke and I wouldn't get poisoned.

After borrowing one of Tristan's few shirts that smelled okay, the three of us left together, leaving Seb and Leo to sleep. We walked Tristan to his university building before turning and heading for the nearest supermarket. But as soon as Tristan left us, I fell into an awkward silence.

I didn't know how to talk to Rachel about this kind of stuff. She didn't seem to be interested in romance in the slightest. But who else could I talk to? In any other situation I'd talk to Seb, because he's been my best friend since forever. But if I went to him with this information he'd just make jokes. He'd ask me if she was hot or if she wore short skirts. I couldn't tell my sisters because they'd go all domestic on me. Rachel was the only person I could trust. It had to be a girl. It had to be her.

She seemed to be able to tell something was bothering me before I even said anything. She pulled me close and snaked her arm around my waist. I smiled and draped mine over her shoulders, kissing the side of her head.

People have always told us we were perfect together. She was stunning, with defined cheek bones and coffee coloured skin. Back then I straightened my brown hair, and my fringe swept to one side, veiling one of my blue eyes. I always thought she was too pretty for me and never saw how we suited each other, but I often thought about how easy it would be with her. She already loved me for all my flaws and hangups, and I felt the same about her. Plus she was always up for watching the football with me, which earns her major Josh points. But we've just never seen each other that way.

"What's up?" she asked me, her voice quiet, but I just shrugged. "You know you can tell me, Josh."

"I know," I said, "and I plan to. I just don't know how to explain it so you'll understand."

"Are you in trouble at work already?"

"I don't know," I admitted, already wanting to pull my hair out. "I don't think so."

"What happened?"

I sighed, frustrated. "My boss has a daughter and I think I really like her."

"...Oh?" she said after another awkward silence, and a grim laugh escaped my lips.

"It gets worse," I told her, and she raised an eyebrow. "She's 17, and I don't think she feels the same way. She kissed me last night, but it was just to get her ex to leave."

"She kissed you? How did I miss this?"

"It was pretty much ten minutes after we arrived," I recalled, grimacing at how awkward this was. "I went over to talk to her dad but she got to me first. Then her ex arrived and I knew she was using me, but I didn't stop her. I didn't want to..."

We arrived at the supermarket and grabbed a trolley, and somehow the tension seemed to increase. I felt paranoid, as if I'd run into someone I didn't want to see, but I knew I was probably being stupid. I just didn't want anyone overhearing our conversation. Knowing my luck I'd run into Brewer and he'd hear everything. How would he feel knowing I had feelings for his daughter?

We walked around in silence for a while, throwing items into the trolley. I absentmindedly messed with my fringe; something I do when I'm nervous, twirling it around my finger before placing it back where it was and then repeating. It annoyed the hell out of my mum, but it wasn't something I could control.

"Do you think 17 is too young?" I asked suddenly, and Rachel smiled at me.

"I think three years is nothing compared to other relationships," she reassured me. "I just think you should worry more about what your boss will think. You should let him grow to like you properly before you drop this bombshell on him. And she might turn out to be too immature for you. You might want someone your age..."

"She's not," I insisted.

"And you never know," she continued, "you might realise you don't really like her after a few weeks."

"Have you ever fallen for someone in a matter of days?" I asked, and Rachel laughed.

"You know me," she said. "It takes a lot of convincing for me to even look someone's way. That's why I've ever only been in one real relationship. I'm not good at that stuff."

"You're a knockout," I reassured her, squeezing her shoulder softly. "You don't need to be good at it."

"You're sweet," she said with a smile, picking up two tins of beans. "Heinz or home brand?"

"Does it matter?" I laughed, and she threw three tins of home brand into the trolley.

"Look, Peyton," she sighed, "if you really like this girl, go for it. But be careful. Is it really worth it if you think she's not interested?"

I knew she was right. Heck, she was always right. But it didn't mean I wasn't willing to try. Maybe Holly did like me, she just didn't know it yet. It didn't hurt to ask, did it? But maybe it was a good idea to wait a while. It might be weird to tell Holly I liked her after only two days. Even I was still finding it weird.

Once we'd circled the supermarket and filled our trolley we headed for the checkout. I helped pay for the groceries, firguring I'd eat some of it anyway and Rachel was probably struggling with her shitty student loan. She wasn't very good at budgeting money, and neither was Tristan. His was probably all spent already.

The walk back was short and sweet, and once I finished helping her unpack the shopping I grabbed my clean shirt from the washing machine and bid her farewell. She had coursework and I had a lot of booze and cake to run off. I walked home, figuring I couldn't get too much exercise after yesterday.

Mum and Ilona were already at work when I arrived home, and Dad was reading a paper in the kitchen, humming to himself. I didn't bother disturbing him; I just changed into grey trackies and a baggy black vest, grabbed my iPod and a bottle of water and left. I liked to listen to heavy music when I ran; it kicked in my adrenaline and motivated me to move. The louder, the better. I stuck a playlist on repeat and started jogging, nodding my head slightly to a harsh, screaming voice I could barely understand. Perfect.

There was a park not far from my house, with a track winding in and out of vast woodland and overlooking a lake. It was about a mile long overall, and I figured a few laps would suffice. I was already starting to sweat when I arrived, the sun beating down on me hard, but I knew as soon as I reached the woods I'd be okay. It was nice and shady in there, shielding me from the hot sun. It was strange to have nice weather in April, especially in England, but I didn't question it because running in the sun is much nicer than running in the rain.

My head was already starting to pound after the first lap, but experience had taught me it was best to ration my water. I'd definitely need it more when I was finished than now. Besides, it was only my first lap. I intended to go around at least twice more.

I pretended not to notice the girls on the tennis court watching me. I pretended the attention didn't please me. But let's be honest here. I'm a guy. Of course I was getting a kick out of being watched by four fit girls in skimpy tennis skirts. I was a little disappointed when I reached the forest again and the trees concealed them from me.

I was so distracted by the girls I barely had time to realise I was about to run into someone. I dug my feet into the dirt, forcing myself to stop, and before I knew it I was being shoved against a nearby tree. I exclaimed in surprise, my back stinging as it collided with the rough bark, and when I looked up Luke was sneering down at me. It took a second to realise I wasn't imagining things before he wrenched the earphones out of my ears, pinning me there with just one arm, and moved his face so close to mine I could smell his breath. His face was still pretty messed up, and I couldn't help but smile and congratulate myself on a job well done.

"Can I help you?" I growled with all the menace I could muster.

"Look," he thundered, his voice deep and threatening, "I know you're new so I'm going to forgive you for your previous endeavours and lay down some rules, okay? Holly is off limits, not just to you but to everyone. I know you're not together; you've only known her five minutes. But if you do get any ideas, you should know I know where you live and who your friends are."

"Are you threatening me?" I snarled, pushing him off me and trying not to wince at the sting in my back.

"Yeah," he said with a malicious smile, "you could say that. Just watch your back, new kid. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

I decided, stupidly, to threaten him right back. "I know enough to get you into a lot of trouble."

"What did you just say to me?" he boomed, shoving me against the tree once more.

He aimed a punch at me and I ducked, flinching at the sickening sound of his fist hitting the tree. Before I even had time to think I brought my knee up, between his legs, and ran for it. I sprinted as fast as I could out of that forest, bursting back into the warm sunlight, my heart pounding against my chest.

How had he found me? Had he been following me? If he had, how long had he been following me? Did he really know where I lived? Fear for my family rocketed through me. I didn't know what this guy was capable of, but I knew Holly must be terrified for a reason. I shook my head and slowed down, calming myself. He didn't know where I lived. He was just trying to intimidate me. He was just pissed because I hit him the other night. It was just a coincidence that I'd run into him.

Still, I didn't want to run into him again. He was bigger and scarier than I was, and I didn't want to see who would win in a fair fight. I decided to finish my jog around the block. It was far less scenic, but much safer. There were people everywhere.

I didn't realise my phone was buzzing in my pocket until I paused for a sip of water. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was Dad.

"Hello?" I started to say when I hit the answer button, but he was too eager to let me finish the word.

"You need to come home," he said urgently, and just his tone sent shivers down my spine. "Now."

I knew it couldn't be that bad. I knew it couldn't be Luke. It didn't stop me being freaked out. It didn't stop me sprinting home to see what the matter was, abandoning my water bottle on the curb. I got home in two minutes flat, gasping for breath, and I immediately saw it. It was hard to miss. People were even slowing down in their cars to look at it. There were crowds of people across the road taking pictures of it.

The outside of my parents' beautiful town house had been completely trashed. My name, Josh Peyton, had been sprayed in red across the front door. My yearbook photo from Year Eleven had been blown up and stuck on one of the windows. Photos of my parents, my friends, my sisters and even my two-month old little nephew surrounded my photo. The window on the other side of the front door had been smashed and the whole thing had been finished off with endless rolls of toilet paper, draped over the house like Christmas tinsel.

My jaw just dropped. Fear sunk into me, rattling my bones. I felt sick. I didn't even know what to do. All I could do was stand there until my nerves finally got the better of me and I threw up that morning's toast on the front lawn.