secret

-four

"What?" he said, shaking his head and backing up.

"No please.." I pulled him back to me by his hoodie.

"By who?" he asked, running his hand through his hair.

"If I knew, I wouldn't still be petrified he'd show up and do it again." I said quietly.

"They haven't caught him?"

"They don't know who he is, Austin. It was.. It was four months ago. I was walking back from a party, and he pulled me into an alley way a few blocks away and then yeah.. Of course, I have ideas of who it was because of the people at the party, but I have no proof, and he left little evidence."

"That's why you started cutting, because of something some fucked up piece of shit did." he didn't ask, he knew.

I nodded. I couldn't hold the tears back any more, and he pulled me into a hug. "I'm so sorry.."

"I go places every day and think, 'What if it's him?' because I don't know.. That's why I got Koda. He's a trained police dog and will attack on command. I also got a secured alarm system for the house. I couldn't live with the fact that maybe I was going to be raped again, and I wouldn't have been able to do shit about it."

"Who do you think it was?" he asked, looking into my eyes.

"I.." I shook my head.

"Tell me, Cady," he clenched his jaw.

"I don't know, Austin. I'm not even fifty percent sure and they told me I had to be a hundred. It was dark, he only said a few words, and I never saw his face."

"What did he say to you?" he asked, pulling me over to my bed and sitting down.

"'If you scream, I'll slit your throat' and then he pulled out a knife. But.. he took something I'm never getting back.. Something that should've been saved for someone I love, not someone like him."

"Cady, I love you." he looked at me.

I shook my head. "You don't."

"I do."

"No Austin, you don't. I'm unlovable.. Nobody loves someone who's been used and manipulated like me. I'm a messed up person with a fucked up past Austin, and I don't want to fucking hurt you."

"Let me prove to you that someone can love you, and that not all guys are going to use you and take things from you." he said quietly, clearly not hearing a word I'd said.

"I can't.."

He nodded. "Yes you can."

He stood up, and he grabbed my face, and he kissed me.

-\--\--\--\--\--\--\--\--\--\-

The next morning I found a note by my phone.

"'Cady,

   I want to show you something. Come over to my house after you eat. You can just walk in, and go where the noise takes you..

love, Austin'"

I bit my lip, and got dressed. I threw my hair up into a messy bun and slipped into a pair of shoes. I grabbed my phone and ran down the stairs.

"Alex I'll be back I'm going to Austin's!" I yelled, typing in the pass code.

We've lived together since her parents died a year ago. My dad travels, and usually isn't home for months at a time. He checks on us every few days, though.

I let Koda out into the kennel and unlocked the dog door. "Have fun."

I jogged to Austin's, where I could hear music.

He's singing..

I opened his front door. You could faintly hear a voice, which I knew was his, and a guitar. I followed his voice, and it brought me downstairs to his basement, which was renovated into a studio.

He was in the recording studio, and three guys were sitting listening. "Yo, Austin, you've got a visitor."

"Cady, come in here." he said, and he pointed to a door.

"Austin.. you're.. amazing."

"Sing with me." he said, moving over to share the mic.

"Uh, no." I laughed.

"Yes." he demanded, and he started playing the guitar again.

"Well let me tell you a story, about a girl and a boy.." he sang.

"He fell in love with his best friend, and when she's around he feels nothing but joy." I picked up.

We sang the entire song, and he was grinning by the time the song is over.

"Why are you look at me that way?" I asked, blushing.

"Because, not only are you beautiful, but your voice is amazing."

"Shut up."

His friends cleared their voices. "He's right."

"Oh, this is Alex, Robert, and Zach." Austin introduced them.

"I'm Cady."

"We know. He's in love with you." Alex said.

I looked at Austin. "He's crazy."

"Crazy for you." Austin stuck his tongue out a little before he laughed.

"That was cute." I said under my breath.

"What was that, Cady?" he asked, poking my ribs.

"Nothing Austin!" I laughed, backing up until I couldn't anymore.

"I heard you anyways." he said quietly, gazing into my eyes before kissing my lips softly.

"Get itttttt!" the boys chorused.

Austin grinned through the kiss, and my heart raced when his fingertips brushed my bare skin revealed because my shirt was up a little.

You're falling for him. Hard.

"Would it be crazy to say I think I'm in love with you?" Austin said, looking into my eyes again.

I thought a second before saying; "Only if it's crazy for me to be in love with you.."