It was almost midnight by the time we decided to leave. 

His words still rang in my ears. Echoing in the hollows of my chest which gradually filled with something warm. I remembered the way his eyes had looked, crystal clear; the way his lips had moved to form the words that he uttered to me. The way he had smiled. The way he had held me. It was astounding how profoundly his words had affected me. 

We rode silently for a while before he stopped the car in front of my home. I took a deep breath and turned to him, "You'll be okay, right?"

He gave half a smile, his eyes darkening for a split second before he answered, "Some day."

I  bit my lip and nodded, not pushing him further as I opened the door and stepped out. He waited till I reached my front porch and waved at him. He waved back and I heard the gentle purring of the engine in the silent night as he revved it up and pulled away. 

I was able to sneak into my room, holding my breath the entire time as I tiptoed upstairs. Although I knew if I told mom what was really going on with Ace, she wouldn't be nearly as angry at me for sneaking out. But it wasn't my secret to tell. And somehow, where he was struggling so hard to fight alone, it seemed blasphemous to not help in his secrecy. Not to mention it made me feel strangely special, that I was one of the few people who knew about it.

I struggled to fall asleep that night, my mind returning again and again to what had happened at the Drive. A catastrophic storm of emotions, both joy and fear danced passionately in my chest. Until finally, I let the darkness embrace me and fell into a dreamless sleep. 

*

Something had happened overnight. 

I was still unsure what, but Ace and I seemed closer than we ever had before. Maybe I was imagining it, but somehow, he seemed to smile a little easier and it gave me a small comfort that perhaps the secret had been weighing heavily on him as well. 

At school next day, I kept looking at him even more frequently then I would usually, and many times, I was stunned to find him already staring back. He smiled softly, his cheeks regaining their colour before he went back to staring at the teacher. I felt my neck heating up at the tiny gesture. 

"Can we go see the Vibgyor?" he asked that day as we were in his car. "I've always wanted to check out what the hype is all about. Would you come?"

"Won't you go to the cafe today?" I asked. 

"I left it," he answered shortly. I didn't ask anything further and nodded, eager to be with him regardless. "Will you come?"

"Yeah. But honestly, I don't think you'll like it very much," I said.

"Really? Why?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"It's just a valley," I shrugged. "Flowers and stuff. I never really thought they were much of your scene."

He was quiet for some time. "Not really...but I'd love to see why everyone goes so crazy over it. It's supposed to be beautiful., and-" he seemed to fidget for a while before saying softly, "-you love it."

His cheeks burnt bright red, congruent to mine. Was he blushing? Maybe. Was I blushing? Absolutely. 

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant and not responding as the car sped up. I assumed we were travelling to the Vibgyor already. It was a small area of land nestled between the twin hills in Western Haywood. I had been there a few times as a child. During spring, when it was a popular destination for picnics. Although I had asked Ace to accompany my family several times, he never quite showed any interest in it. 

It was said that the valley attained its peak during winters, around February. It did bloom the entire year as well. The only difference was the seasonal flowers. 

After half an hour of driving around, I could finally recognize the bumpy, still astoundingly deserted road that led to the valley. Much to my surprise, when I turned eagerly to my left to see the colourful myriad of blooming flowers, I was met instead with a dismal brick wall. 

"What the-?" I gaped open-mouthed as a large grilled gate came into focus with a small room beside it. A man in blue uniform appeared from inside and stared at us from the top of his half-moon spectacles. 

"I didn't realise they walled it in?" I whispered to Ace as the man strode over to us and leaned closer, staring at each of us. 

"Er, hi. We would like to go in," I said, trying to flash him a confident smile. 

"And I would like to be the president," the man scoffed. I felt like it was a good thing that he had such high aspirations, before I realized the sarcasm. "Not open to public on weekdays," he said, his narrow eyes trained over me with strange severity. 

"But they...I didn't know when they placed these rules-" I half-whispered to Ace but the man heard and grumbled instead. 

"Well yeah, broaden your horizons kid," he snorted and turned away. 

"Or learn to wake up from the right side of the bed," Ace said, rolling his eyes as I chuckled. "Well, he seems to be in a mood."

I sighed, "I had no idea, Ace. Maybe we should try on Saturday?"

"But...it would be crowded then." He pursed his lips, his eyes glinting in a way that I knew something was going on in his beautiful mind. "What are your opinions on a little rule-breaking?"

I gaped at him, my heart hammering anxiously. "This isn't a rule, Ace. It's the law."

He cleared his throat as he revved up the engine and drove us away from the grumpy watchman. "What are your opinion on a little law-breaking?"

I stared at him. "Not very favourable I'll tell you that."

He parked the car seemingly at a random distance away from the watchman. I was sure while the possibility was thin, the grumpy guard would be able to see Ace's car if he happened to strain his eyes. 

Ace grinned and I watched, horrified as he removed his seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out of the car. "Come on."

I sat still, refusing to step out as if that would stop Ace from being the absolute moron that he had decided to be. He opened the door beside me and leaned over. Momentarily, the thought that we were just about to break federal law left my mind as I got a sharp whiff of his signature scent. What was it exactly? He was the only thing I associated with it. 

He undid my seatbelt and grabbed my hand, almost dragging me out till I groaned and stood outside, shutting the door reluctantly behind me. "Ace I...I'm a little scared."

"Trust me. If we're found-" he clasped my hand tightly in a way that made my heart flutter. "Tell them I forced you."

I bit my lip and nodded, not knowing what else to do. Of course, there was no way I would push him over the edge just to save myself. And a part of me I tried so hard to suppress, was masochistically thrilled by the idea of breaking into a place where we weren't supposed to go. He led me towards the wall and glanced around to make sure no one could see us. 

"Can you climb?" he asked, glancing upwards where thankfully, no barbed wires decorated the top of the wall. 

"I...I can try," I answered, searching the bricks for any foothold. 

"That works," he grinned and placed his hand on the wall. I watched as much to my shock, he deftly climbed up, pulling his slender body onto the top of the wall where he crouched, gazing down at me. "Come on!"

I gulped and stared around, wondering what my mom would say if she found out I had broken into public property. But it was too late. There was no way I would let Ace do stupid things alone. And I knew I would go till the end of the world for him anyway. 

It was possible that there were more guards inside, but the plot was massive and it would be easy to get lost in between all the flora.

Also, I had no choice. 

I placed one foot into a slightly deep cleft between the bricks, hoisting myself up as I scrambled to find a place to put my hand. How the fuck had Ace done it so easily?

"Hey," Ace said softly and I glanced up to see him stretching a hand out. "I got you, Milo."

I gulped and after praying to all the entities I could think of, grabbed his hand. He pulled me up with surprising strength and after scraping my knee on the bricks, I finally found myself crouching beside him on the wall. The wall was at least ten feet tall. At my own almost-six-but-not-quite-six-feet height, scientifically, it shouldn't have been much of a problem. However, heights had always terrified me ever since I was a child and had tumbled down a long flight of stairs and split my forehead open. I still sported a scar on my left eyebrow from the four stitches I received.

"Okay, come on," he said and before I even moved, he jumped and tumbled deftly onto the soft grass. It was then that my eyes finally took in the valley. It was as breathtaking as I remembered it. 

What looked like miles and miles of lands covered with a thick blanket of flowers. Apart from a few feet of grass right under the wall, there were no traces of green along the pinks, violets and oranges. The colours clashed into a terrifyingly beautiful symphony. An orchestra of hues, crafted by nature's tender hands. I caught a sweet scent hanging thickly in the air. It was intense enough to make me heady, but not overwhelming somehow. A just-perfect blend. 

Ace stood up straight and raised an eyebrow at me, whispering, "Come on, Milo!"

I took a deep breath, shuddering at the seemingly high distance I had to travel. "Er...I...I don't like heights, Ace."

I glanced away from him and bit my lip, trying to concentrate on the beautiful flowers instead of the cold dread now filling my chest. But my vision seemed a little blurry. Of course, he knew I was terrified of heights ever since we went to an amusement park and I spent my entire time on the dangerously high rides with my eyes shut. I don't know if it was my green face or constant shivering that had given away my phobia, but Ace had decided to ditch the high rides and instead just have seven different flavours of ice cream with me. We had been sick for two days after that, but it was worth it.  

"Hey, look at me."

Through my haze, I heard a gentle comforting voice which I knew I would recognize anywhere. Almost entranced, I glanced down at Ace. He spread his arms, giving me a soft smile as if assuring me that he would catch me. 

"You're going to die," I said in a monotone, knowing well that there was no way he would be able to hold me steady. We were almost the same height, although, from my recent discovery he was clearly much more muscular than me. 

He grinned, "Trust me, Milo. I won't let you get hurt."

I bit my lip and sighed, shutting my eyes. "Okay."

"Okay," he whispered. 

I leapt. 

I was ready for the impact of the fall to jolt through my joints. However, I felt his strong, assuring arms enclose around me as the collision led both of us to fall into the ground. The breath was knocked out of me for a split second before I rolled on the soft grass and found myself on my back, staring at the suddenly beautiful sky. 

I had a random image of the cliched scene in romance movies, where the heroine would trip and the hero would gracefully hold her in his arms. They would gaze at each other till they fell in love. 

All I felt right now was a slightly sore butt. 

"You're okay, Milo," I heard a soft voice and glanced sideways to see Ace on all fours, smiling at me. "Now stop being fucking dramatic and let's go!"

I nodded, taking deep lungful of breaths as I got to my feet and slowly followed him into the wondrous cacophony of colours. 

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Hey, I reached 1k followers! 

Thank you to everyone for the continuous support! I'll write a nice heartfelt message when I'm not 90% asleep. No, I'm not sleep deprived, that is just the person I am. 

*I've missed my morning classes consistently for a week now.* 

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!