We were kissing under the moonlight. Darren had taken me on a romantic nighttime picnic to the park where we met, a gingham blanket on the grass under the tree where we first bumped into each other 5 months ago. Right now, my back is pressed against the tree, Darren's hands roaming my body, feeling every dip and curve he can while his heavy lips are smashed against mine. I weave my hands in his thick, wavy hair, pulling him more into me. Darren's hands lower to my shorts hanging on my hips, causing me to gasp and pull away from our steamy exchange.

"Are you okay?" he breathes, worry written in his eyes.

"Yeah, i'm fine. Sorry I just..." Darren lifts my shirt to look where he was touching, his eyebrows knitting together at the scar running down my side to my thigh.

"What happened?" He's stares at the jagged line on my side, waiting for an answer. After what feels like an eternity, his honey eyes meet mine. "Who hurt you, Melody?" His once bright eyes, now are filled with confusion and fear.

"I'm fine. Really." I start, trying to pull my shirt back down to cover the mark, a reminder that I try to avoid as much as possible. "You don't have to worry about it. It's already in the past and not bothering me anymore." I sigh, giving up on trying to unweave my shirt clenched in his fingers as I look back up to his eyes. I can almost see the flames of his anger, making me blush with shame and look down.

Finally Darren releases the edge of my shirt, letting it fall to cover the scar again. "It does bother you though. When I touched it you flinched and pulled away from me. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to, but it may help me understand better and make you feel better about what happened." He crosses his arms, making his huge chest seem even bigger, while I just feel smaller and frail.

"My ex did it." I whisper. "We got in a fight, I ended up with this giant, ugly scar that I can't hide unless i'm covered from my side down to my thigh." I wince, the memories flooding back into my vision and once again, i'm back in my old apartment trying to defend myself.

"Hey, it's okay." I can hear Darren's voice trying to pull me back to reality, his hand gently taking mine in his.

"It's not okay." A tear escapes my eye, trailing down my face as I remember everything from that night. "I had gotten home late from work. He was upset with me for being so late, even though it was only 20 minutes and I had tried to let him know." The words rush from my mouth, unable to stop them. "I walked in the front door and he was sitting at he kitchen table, the dinner he had made us cold. When I went over to him, he had said I was late for our date night and he made my favorite meal, steak with potatos, which was now cold." I pause again, trying to swallow and realizing how dry my throat and mouth were. "He had picked up the plate, standing and turning towards me. He told me how he tried to make me happy, but that was useless like I was. Next thing I know, the plate is shattered against the wall next to me and he's picked up the fork to throw next. I dodged the fork by a hair as it was flung at my head. The next thing he grabbed was the knife." I stop myself, looking into Darren's eyes. His face had softened a bit, but the fury in his eyes was still there.

"I tried to run from him, but he was faster. Stuck me in the leg, and when I fell, he fell with me and it was pulled down to my thigh. I was able to escape him doing more damage by running to the neighbor's apartment next door. They let me in, let me call the cops, all while he was banging on the door trying to get to me. When the cops finally showed up, they pulled him away and arrested him. I remember how close he was to getting in. How close I was to..." I trail off, letting Darren imagine the rest. "I'm fine now." I end the story, looking at the ground.

Darren puts his fingers under my chin and pulls my face up to look him in the eyes. "Listen, I would never hurt you. That dirtbag was wrong and deserves worse than what he got." He keeps looking me in the eyes, thinking through what I told him. "Is that way you hate being late? Why you refuse to eat any steaks I try to cook?" I nod. "Well, thank you for telling me. It also doesn't make me think any less of you. You're brave and strong. You got away. Which led you here where I got the chance to fall in love with you under this tree." New tears stinged my eyes. This is the first time he's said he loved me. I won't make him regret it.