"And who are you writing about today?"

River grips his arms tighter around my waist, his lips close to my ear as he finishes his sentence. I'm pressed against his chest as I lay between his legs, his back resting on the tree that overlooks the pond. Since the dock caved in, I've used this tree as my safe place that's right beside it, but honestly, River is doing far better than the tree. His warmth is comforting, his winter jacket against mine acting as my own personal heater.

"Don't you realize I'll never get anything done if you keep asking questions?" I tilt my head back all the way to glance at him upside down, and he places a kiss on my forehead when his eyes meet mine.

"I'm just curious. Not every day you get to be in the presence of the next J.K. Rowling."

"Oh my god." I roll my eyes, unable to help the laugh that slips out. "I'm not as good as her. The woman's imagination is uncanny, and her talent outweighs mine by far."

"But you could get there," he adds. "Once you go to college and take all those fancy writing classes."

River hasn't let up about this since I told him I wasn't considering college because of my mom. It's not that he doesn't understand, but he thinks I should do online classes, and he's not wrong. I know that he has a point, but for now, college seems overwhelming.

"You're never going to let up, are you?" I groan.

"Not a chance. You're so talented, Hazel. Even Mrs. Thompson says so."

"And? Mrs. Thompson isn't a credited author. She probably just thinks I write better than the average student, and that won't get me anywhere."

"But-"

"And why do you get to tell me what I'm supposed to do with my life when you haven't even told me what you want to do with yours? You're secretive about everything."

He knows I have a point, so he lets out a defeated sigh and shrinks back further against the tree. "I just think you're missing out on a huge opportunity. Even your mom says she wants you to go, so why don't you?"

"Because what if I'm not good at it?" I blurt out, all my fears tumbling out at once like complete word vomit. "What if I can't handle it? Now that my mom has to be on dialysis, I'll be at the hospital even more than normal. How am I supposed to keep up with that and school simultaneously? It'll be too much."

I don't know how he does it, but River always seems to find ways to calm me down. He brushes his fingers against my face, placing the tiny fly-away strands behind my ear before gently caressing my cheek. "I guess you'd have to ask yourself what would bother you more?" he asks quietly. "Going to college and flunking out, or regretting never trying?"

I contemplate his question for a moment, gazing off deep into thought at the now bare trees surrounding us. The creek isn't as beautiful in the winter, but the quietness of it is still relaxing. It's a good place to think about questions like these.

"And social work is what I'll be majoring in," he tells me, my heart swelling twice the size. I don't breathe because I fear he'll stop opening up to me if I do. "A lot of shit happened to me before I got to this foster family, and I want to help kids like me find a better home."

Sitting on his lap, I wrap my arms around his neck and cup his cheek. "I think that's incredible. You'll be great at it."

He sighs. "If I get a scholarship. I put in my application to state this past weekend."

I'm not sure what River's grades are like, but I know he always attends class, pays attention, and writes notes down. He cares about school. That's more than obvious.

"You'll get it. I know you will."

"Hopefully, and just so you know, State also has an incredible creative writing program."

"Yeah?" I play with the curls sticking out of his beanie, and before I know it, I find my lips pressing against his. I like that he thought about me when he applied to college. He researched to see if I could go there too, and the thought of him planning a future with me makes me... Ugh, I don't know, but my heart feels palpitating.

The kiss is soft and sweet, and as his hands run down my back, this unspoken calmness rushes between us. Kissing River takes away all of the messed-up shit going on in my life. It brings me to a state of relaxation I've never felt before. I could be having the worst day, and as soon as my lips meet his... Boom. All gone.

"You're so pretty," he says. "Honestly, it's unfair."

"Mmm." I giggle and kiss him once more. "Tell me again."

"That you're pretty? I'll tell you a thousand times if you'd like." And then he rolls himself on top of me, my back pressed against the grass. "You're pretty." He smiles, placing a kiss on my cheek. "You're pretty," he repeats, kissing my neck, his voice dropping down into a raspy whisper -- one that fills my dreams at night. "You're pretty."

I laugh as his hair brushes my neck, begging and pleading for him to stop when he tickles my sides. "Okay, okay!" I concede, panting and out of breath as I stare at him. His lips are pink and swollen from our kiss--his cheeks a slight pink underneath the tan skin from the cold. I could stare at him forever.

"How'd you find this place, anyway?" He glances around us, completely changing the subject.

Shifting uncomfortably beneath him, he can see that I'm no longer smiling. I've told him everything about my past, though. There isn't a thing he doesn't know.

"The day I learned my mom was sick, I had to leave my house. My dad tried to explain it to me, and he tried to get me to stay, but I couldn't listen. I left and walked for hours, then wandered down the trail to the back of the house. When I got to this place, it was like..." I shake my head as the memories seep in. "It just gave me some relief. The sound of the stream, the birds chirping... It was like I entered an entirely different world."

River smiles, understanding lining his features. "A world that's better?"

"Yeah. I came here to write every day after that until my dad left, and then it turned into only the weekends."

"Damn. And I broke the dock. I didn't realize this place was that special to you."

"We broke the dock. It wasn't just you sitting on it," I add.

"As you said before, it never broke until my fat ass went on it with you."

"It was our combined weight that broke it," I reassure him, but the look on his face causes me to laugh. "What? It was!"

"All I'm saying is that's not what you said when it happened." He chuckles, and before I can protest further, he stands up from the ground and holds his hand out to me. "Let's go inside. It's cold as hell."

I wrinkle my nose up. "And do what?"

"Beat your mom in rummy. She told me at the hospital last week that she's the best player out there, and I can't let her walk around living a lie, you know? She still needs to play me. I told her I'd play her when she felt up to it, and she's in good spirits today."

"I beat you," I point out as I follow him up the trail. "Like, twice."

"That's because I let you win."

"You did not!" I laugh when he dodges the hit I try to throw, jogging ahead to escape. I chase him, unable to stop the hyena laughter coming out. "You were acting like a baby when you lost!" I shout, but he's beat me to the house now.

He's got the largest grin on his face as he holds the door open for me, and dammit, I can't explain what's happening in my body. My chest feels like it'll explode, and my stomach is a conservatory from all the butterflies it's currently housing.

This damn checklist is going to be completed sooner than I thought.

A/N: ugh, I love this story SO much.

River and Hazel are end game <3

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ALSO—- I started a new story called A Billionaire's Mistake! It's under My Works on my profile :) am I insane for writing 3 books at once???????? Possibly.

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