It was a Friday.

I was following the pathway on my way to school like any other normal, peaceful day.

I also have to add that the weather was stunning and extraordinarily beautiful today. The sky was a bright baby blue color and although there were a few clouds, the clouds appear too much like fluffy white cotton that I could hardly stay mad at it for blocking the equally beautiful sun on this gorgeous, bright, cozy day.

It made me smile.

"Hey Avy, what are you smiling at?"

If possible, that made me grin even wider than before.

"Nothing," I said slyly and still smiling somewhat mischievously, "how are you Jax?"

"I'm okay, you?"

"I'm okay too. Better than okay actually."

"That's good to hear." He paused briefly, "Now are you going to tell me what's making you smile so much today?"

I glimpsed up at him, "Maybe I'll tell you if you tell me why you're walking alongside me when I've never seen you walk on this sidewalk up until today."

He sighed reluctantly, "Fine, you first though."

"The weather," I said grinning, pointing up towards the pretty light blue sky.

"The weather made you smile?!"

"What's wrong with that?" I look over at him questioningly.

"I don't know about you Avy, but the weather is always this nice. It's California."

"Don't be a spoilsport, Jax."

"Yes, your highness," he replied with mock surrender, "I'll acknowledge this wonderful weather we have here."

I couldn't resist an eye roll and said teasingly, "Okay Jax, you can stop now."

A brief moment passed.

"You didn't answer my question Jax."

He laughed. "What question was that?" he responds innocently, but there wasn't anything innocent about the face he wore.

"You know what I mean, answer the question."

"I saw you so I went up to you, is that so strange?"

"No... but that doesn't explain why you are walking to school this way in the first place when your house is way over there in the middle of Neverland."

"Okay, you got me," he said, "so I might have saw you walking here one random day home and figured you walk the same way to school everyday, so today I decided why not and here I am."

"You stalked me?!" I squeaked.

"I promise not in a creepy way," he said frantically, "do I look creepy?!"

"You're avoiding the sort-of question," I pointed out.

"I'm not stalking you, Avery," he replied seriously, "not in the way you're thinking of. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Instead of stifling it like I had hoped to, I burst out in complete laughter, "I was joking Jax."

I trusted him, even more than I originally thought I was capable of. I knew he wouldn't harm me.

It was a satisfying feeling and I plastered on my super duper cheery smile.

"Avy," he shook his head in amusement, "what am I going to do with you."

"Nothing?" I offered him.

"Unless you want me to." He winked as I spun around to face him.

"You're moving kind of fast..."

"You're saying that like we're already dating." He couldn't wipe off his smirk.

"Well..." This time I stopped on the small bridge we were standing in the middle of, the one where we had to cross to get to school on the other side. "Do you want to?"

He raised both eyebrows up and seemed a bit taken aback.

Scratch that, really taken aback.

"Do you want to Avery?"

I took a moment to think about it. But I didn't need to. I knew that deep in my heart, this was what I wanted.

Baby steps.

And this was my very first step.

"Yes, I do Jaxson," I smiled, "now the question is, do you want to?"

He tentatively took both my hands in his and gently held them.

I let him.

My hands fit in the middle of his palm eerily perfectly.

"Yes Avery."

I broke his hold on me and hugged him, making it one of the few times with physical contact that I've made on my own in a really long time.

He wrapped his arms tightly around me and it felt complete.

I finally felt whole.

"I promise not to hurt you, I swear on my life."

"I know, Jaxson, I know," I whispered.

Promises are meant to be broken, but at this moment, I was willing to risk it.

I was willing to take this chance with Jaxson by my side.

I trust him...

And that was enough for me.