"I've got good news and bad news." Ghost announces, leaning against the open fridge door as he tosses a glance to where I sit at the counter.

My eyes sweep his still shirtless chest as I mindlessly run my fingers along my lips where I can still feel the faint sensation of our passionate make out session. It ended only a few moments ago before we both decided we should probably get up and eat something to settle the devouring hunger we're both feeling.

"Lay it on me." I prompt, crossing my legs to tamp down the burning feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Bad news is I haven't gone grocery shopping in a few weeks, which means there's nothing in here but sour milk and some brown lettuce." Ghost winces as he slams the door shut before sauntering across the floor towards me.

"Hm, and what's the good news?"

He flashes me an easy grin as he digs his cell phone out of his sweatpants pockets, "Mila texted the group chat and wants us all to meet up for breakfast." He quirks his brow at me and questions, "Does that sound like something you wanna do?"

"Eh, I don't know, I was really looking forward to some soggy lettuce milk." I tease with a light smile.

Ghost rounds the counter to stand beside my stool, spinning my seat around to face him. He rests his forehead against mine with a small chuckle escaping his lips as he mutters, "Smartass."

"The smartest." I murmur back, tilting my chin up so our mouths meet for what is meant to be a brief kiss, but Ghost doesn't let me pull away so quickly. Instead his hand wraps around the back of my neck and anchors me there for a few more blissful seconds before pulling back.

"I'll text her back that we're in." He remarks, taking a small step back to give us both some breathing space, "We'll get dressed and go."

I frown down at the baggy clothes I'm in and ask, "What am I supposed to wear?"

He glances up and down my body as well and a mischievous smile snakes its way onto his lips, "Nothing?"

I roll my eyes and playfully shove his chest, "I'm serious."

"You can wear my clothes, you look cute in everything." He replies, sounding like he genuinely means it, but I can't help but make a disgruntled snort following that statement.

"Yeah right, I'm not showing up to breakfast with all your friends wearing your clothes, they'll know in two seconds that I slept over."

"What's wrong with that?" He shrugs.

"Nothing's wrong with that, I just want to look more presentable." I defend, and self-consciously I raise my hand to my throat, "Plus, y'know, this. I gotta cover it up with makeup or something."

Ghost passes me a sympathetic look, glancing at the bruises for only a moment before locking his gaze with mine. In a serious tone he states, "You don't have to cover that up, Rose. You have nothing to be ashamed of. No one will judge you for it, no one will think you're weak. In fact, after that ass-kicking you gave Brody last night, you're stronger than ever."

I blush as I break eye contact to stare at the floor, "Thanks," I mutter, "But I'm not ashamed. I mean, I'm trying not to be. It's more that I just don't want to answer a bunch of questions about it. I don't wanna keep having to think and talk about it. I just wanna enjoy myself."

He nods in understanding, "That's okay, too." He reaches forward and squeezes my hand with his, "I'll get dressed then we can drive over to your place so you can get ready before we go."

I smile appreciatively, agreeing to the plan. He wanders off down the hall and about ten minutes later reemerges in fresh clothes with his messy curls looking slightly less messy. The moment he steps close enough I'm enveloped in the intoxicating aroma of his cologne, and I nearly let out a dreamy sigh at the first whiff.

Damn, I need to get a bottle of this stuff to spray my pillow with every night.

Soon we're in the car and driving the short distance to my dorm. When we get there I'm glad to see that my car is parked safely on the curb, meaning Annie got home just fine last night. I still feel a seed of guilt having ditched her, but I know once I explain everything to her she'll completely understand.

"You coming in or waiting out here?" I ask Ghost.

He purses his lips and shrugs, "I dunno, is Annie gonna try and jump my bones again?"

I let out a short laugh and roll my eyes, "No, she's not like that anymore. She's actually been a really good friend to me these last few weeks."

"Well that's good, but she still scares me."

"Aw, do you need me to hold your hand?" I coo at him with a pouty frown.

"Yes please." He pouts back, sticking his bottom lip out at me.

I smile at him with a roll of my eyes, "Come on, tough guy, I shouldn't take too long."

We exit the car and begin heading up the stairs. From behind me Ghost reaches his hand out and entwines his fingers with my own, causing my stomach to flip. I'm still not used to this affection, but I hope it never stops.

When we get inside I find Annie sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of her that seems to be disregarded as she watches videos on her phone. When she hears the door shut her head snaps up in our direction. She blinks a few times between Ghost and I, clear confusion on her face before a mix of relief and happiness melt over her features.

"I'm so glad you're alright." She sighs, standing up and crossing the room to surprisingly pull me into a quick hug.

I welcome the kind reception by quickly squeezing her back and smiling warmly at her when she steps back. I reassure her, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry if I worried you last night, leaving so quickly."

She waves me off, "It was equal parts worry and confusion, but it's fine." Her eyes sweep over to Ghost and a knowing smile pricks the corners of her mouth, "I take it he's the friend who drove you back last night."

"Nice to see you again, Annie." Ghost remarks, flashing her a quick smile.

"You too, Ghost."

"We're gonna go to breakfast, I just gotta get dressed and ready real quick." I tell her. I turn to Ghost and command, "You can wait on the couch. Annie, can we talk while I get ready?"

Both nod in agreement to my requests. Ghost shuffles over to the couch and pulls out his phone while Annie and I trek down the hallway and into my room. I've barely shut the door behind us before Annie is launching into question mode.

"Okay, girl, what is on your neck? Because there is no way that's a hickey, and if it is that's a monster one. Also, when did you and Ghost start talking again? And are you wearing his clothes?"

I let out a heavy sigh, knowing I'm about to rehash everything to her. It's been a long time coming, having to tell Annie about Brody, but with each new person that I admit it to, it almost feels like a small weight being lifted off my chest. Like I no longer have to carry this burden alone.

I toss her a forlorn glance as I lean against the closed door and slowly begin, "Yes, these are his clothes, and we only started talking again last night. And no, it's not a hickey." I pause, letting out a shaky breath before revealing, "It's a bruise."

"Oh, Jesus, is he that rough in the bedroom?" Annie remarks with bewilderment. A small part of me is amused that the only scenario she can imagine getting such an awful bruise is during a rough night of sex.

I shake my head at her, "No, Ghost didn't do this to me." Confusion takes over her face and I chew on the inside of my cheek before uttering, "It was Brody. He, um, he cornered me last night. In the parking lot."

A small gasp escapes her lips and her eyes look misty as she stares at me, "What? Oh my god, are you serious?"

I nod my head and swallow hard, "Yes, unfortunately."

My voice cracks a little and without realizing it, my eyes are welling with tears as well. Quickly, Annie is at my side, hugging me tightly.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" She questions, sniffling away her own tears.

I nod my head, clearing my throat lightly as I try to banish my tears. I'm tired of crying so much, and I wanna get through this without totally falling apart. Annie squeezes me for a while longer before pulling back, gazing at my splotchy face with a sympathetic expression.

She allows me a moment to compose myself as I quickly swipe away my tears. I let out a strained laugh as I mutter, "I'm sorry. I've been crying so much lately."

"Don't you dare apologize for this." She's quick to reply, her tone firm.

I pass her a grateful smile, sniffling away the rest of my tears, "Thank you."

A pregnant pause follows, before Annie cautiously questions, "So has this... is this an isolated incident or has this happened before?"

I swallow hard, glancing around at anything in the room that isn't her face as I reveal, "It's been going on for a while."

She gasps again, covering her mouth with her hand, "Oh my god, Em, I am so sorry." She shakes her head, "Jesus, how did I never notice? I mean, he always gave me a bad feeling whenever he came around, and he seemed a little controlling, but I never— I mean I couldn't have imagined—"

"It's fine, Annie. It wasn't your job to protect me." I assure her, "And I'm fine now. I'm out of his grasp and hopefully he'll leave me alone now after last night."

"What happened last night? Did Ghost kick his ass?" Annie questions, her eyes lighting up at the mental image that conjures up.

"He definitely would have," I remark, a proud smirk curling my lips, "If I hadn't beaten him to it."

Her eyes round as big as two golf balls and a surprised, enthralled shriek escapes her lips, "What? Are you serious? How? I want every detail!"

I grin devilishly, thinking back to the high-pitched crying Brody had been wailing last night, "Okay, but I really do need to start getting ready so let's go to the bathroom so I can do my makeup."

Annie follows me excitedly as we move to my adjoined bathroom. I pull out my makeup bag and as I get to work covering up the bruise I go into every detail of last night for Annie. She adds in small bits of her own input here and there, but mostly just listens with wide-eyed intrigue.

By the time I'm ready, I'm done with the story and Annie is standing there with shock and admiration on her face.

"You broke his nose! That's amazing! God, I wish that were on video."

I grin back at her, "So do I."

I get dressed into my own clothes as Annie waits in my room. I keep it casual with a pair of skinny jeans and a striped tank top that flows loosely around me. I keep my hair in it's messy bun with a few curly strands framing my face. When I come out, Annie is sitting on my bed waiting, and lets out an approving whistle at my finished look.

"You look great, Ghost is gonna love it." She grins.

"Thanks, can you see the bruise at all?"

"Barely," She squints at my neck, "It just looks like a shadow."

That's good enough for me. We both emerge from the bedroom and find Ghost right where I left him. He glances up from his phone and takes me in with an enamored grin on his lips.

"Damn." He comments with a low whistle as he gets to his feet, "Lookin' good, Rose."

I smile back at him and try not to blush. Even in such a simple outfit he's looking at me like I'm something delectable that he can't wait to devour. Brody never looked at me like that.

"Thank you." I mutter to him shyly before turning to Annie, "I'll see you later."

She grins, her eyes sparking with a knowing look as she glances between the two of us, "Have fun kids."

Ghost and I make our way back outside and to his car. He opens my door for me without even thinking about it and once he's settled in the driver's seat, we lurch away from the curb and head down the street.

As we near the restaurant my stomach slowly starts to turn with anticipation. I don't know why I'm nervous, I've already met his friends. It just feels like there's more pressure this time. I'm no longer just another friend, I'm something more.

I feel Ghost's eyes continually glance over to me before he asks, "Why are you chewing your lip? Are you nervous?"

I pop my lip out from between my teeth and look over at him with a light sigh, "Kind of. I don't know why."

An easy smirk melts onto his lips as he reaches over and rests his hand on my thigh, "I don't know why, either. They all love you."

"Do they know I'm coming?"

He nods, "Yeah, and they all texted back with a flurry of happy emoji faces, so I think we're in the clear." He pauses for a moment and adds, "Well, except for Troy, but he never texts back to anything."

He doesn't seem concerned in the slightest, but I can't help but think back to the conversation I shared with Troy at that party, out on the porch. He had warned me about Ghost, and basically called me out for hanging out with him while I had a boyfriend.

He's never seemed to be my biggest fan.

We roll into the parking lot and I try to shake the worried thoughts from my head as we exit the car and head towards the entrance. Ghost reaches out and laces his fingers through mine, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Inside the restaurant is busy, and the entrance is flooded with people waiting for their names to be called. But Ghost spots the table where his friends are already sat and we walk straight past the line to reach them.

As we approach they turn their heads towards us. I see each one of their gazes zero in on our interlocked hands and immediately Mila grins and starts buzzing with excitement in her seat. Dane gets a knowing smirk on his face and nods his head at us while Tay even manages a warm smile on her purple-lipsticked lips.

It's Troy's reaction that has my gut churning over. His jaw ticks as his mouth sets into a firm frown. I seem to be the only one that notices as he quickly masks his disapproval by raising his glass of water to his lips and taking a long sip.

"Hey guys!" Ghost greets enthusiastically when we reach the table. He's already dragging out my chair for me, which unfortunately happens to be right next to Troy.

"Hi," I greet meekly with a small wave to everyone before sliding into the seat, "How are you guys?"

"Um, fan-fucking-tactic!" Mila answers loudly, her enthusiasm rolling off of her in waves. She gestures between Ghost and I with an awestruck look and demands to know, "When did this happen? What did I miss? Because it's about fucking time!"

"Mila, take it down a notch, people are trying to enjoy their food." Troy grumbles, glancing at the nearby tables.

"How can I take it down a notch when the greatest couple of all time just graced us with their presence?" Mila shrieks.

"Um, wow, fuck you too." Dane remarks, wrapping his arm around the back of his girlfriend's chair.

"Suck it." Ghost boasts with a smug expression, "We win."

I smile but can't help but think that Ghost and I haven't even labeled what we are yet. Are we just casual? Are we even a couple? He clearly didn't disagree, which gives me a small flutter of hope.

"I'm so happy right now." Mila cries, her body basically vibrating with excitement.

"Alright," Tay reaches across the table to grab Mila's mug of steaming coffee and moves it to the side, "You're cut off."

"This isn't the bar, Tay, you don't have authority over people's drinks here." Mila protests, moving the mug back in front of her.

Tay purses her lips at her but allows her to keep the caffeinated beverage. As I smile at their exchange I feel Ghost's hand move to my leg underneath the table. He doesn't even glance at me as he does it, almost like it's just instinctive as he opens the menu in front of him and questions, "Have you guys ordered already?"

"Nah, we were waiting for you." Dane answers, opening his menu as well. He glances at Tay as he asks, "What looks good, babe?"

"Um, no, we're not glazing over the subject." Mila interjects, narrowing her gaze on Ghost and I, "I demand to know everything that led to this moment right here, right now."

"Mila, try to act a little less like a crazed stalker, please." Dane hums as he continues to scour his menu.

Ghost and I share a brief look, and it's like he can read exactly what I'm thinking. I don't want to tell them everything that happened with Brody last night. It's not the kind of subject you bring up at a nice breakfast in a public place.

With an easy smile Ghost replies, "We got over our issues, simple as that."

Mila rolls her eyes at him, "Way to be infuriatingly vague."

He shrugs at her, "That's all you need to know."

Mila looks like she's just been robbed of precious details so I pass her a small smile and offer softly, "I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

She seems pleased at that, firmly nodding her head and replying, "Yay!" She claps her hands together, "Regardless of how it happened, I'm so happy—"

"Yes, we can tell." Ghost interjects with a light chuckle.

Mila shoots him a quick glare, "I'm happy," She continues, "Because Em is back. This group needs another empowered woman to keep you boys in check."

Tay nods in agreement and flashes me a welcoming smile, which eases my mind a lot. Beside her Dane winks at Ghost and commends, "She's a good one bro, don't fuck it up again."

Ghost's hand on my leg clenches lightly and I feel his thumb rub up and down, sending goosebumps to my spine. He tosses me a confident smirk and remarks, "Believe me, I won't."

I grin back at him, feeling a sense of warmth spread through my body, finally feeling like I belong once again. Finally feeling like myself after such a long time of being stuck under Brody's controlling rule.

But bursting through my bubble of happiness is Troy, who beside me scoffs beneath his breath and mumbles quietly, too quiet for anyone but me to hear, "We'll see."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN;

Another chappie for you all!

I've noticed a lot of new readers on this story recently and I can't tell you all how much it means to me that you've all taken your time to give my book a chance! It makes me smile so hard when I check the read count every day and see that it's risen, even just the tiniest bit. Thank you all, truly.

I hope you enjoyed this one. Please vote and comment if you did. I'm trying to update regularly but it's hard finding the time to write new chapters. I've still only got a couple under my belt at the moment, but I'm keeping at it, don't worry.

Again, thank you!

-Sarah xo