“I’ve been lying.” Davian says before I’ve even opened the front door. “About everything.”

My heart sinks as my hand stays on the cold, metal door knob. Lying? About what? His feelings? Me?

I part my lips searching for words, but even I know that those words will never come. Davian doesn’t love me, it seems so impossiable, it has to be. How can something that felt to right turn out to be this wrong?

“I don’t know how to say this,” Davian looks over my shoulder. “Can we maybe . . . Sit down?”

He still the same Davian. I think as I take a step back letting the front door creak open, letting Davian and his black eyes into my house. A stranger.

Davian trudges up the stairs like this is his house. Like he’s the one leading me around. He finds my room fast, almost like he’s been here before. Maybe he has, maybe that’s one of his lies.

I almost want to tell Davian to leave. Not because he’s lying but because I don’t want this to be true. He is my whole life, my heart, the other half of my soul. How can he be lying to me?

Davian sighs as he takes a seat on my bed, he eyes the leather jacket that’s hung over my desk chair.

“Take it,” I tell him as I fall onto the bed next to him. “It’s your’s.”

I don’t want to be rude, but I can’t stop this buring fire. It’s crawling through me, killing my insides, telling me to cut. Like it always has done.

Davian shakes his head. “It’s not mine . . .” He trails off, meeting my eyes. “Not anymore.”

His eyes leave mine as he takes a deep breath.

“Maisie I don’t know how else to tell you . . .” Davian sucks in a sharp breath of air as he twist around to face me. His black eyes laced with unshed tears. “I wish it wasn’t this way.”

My eyes start pricking with tears. I’ve never seen Davian so hopeless. So lost. I just want to help him, but then his voice floods my ears. I’ve been lying. And everything goes away.

“It’s okay,” I mutter as I grab hold of my hand, sliding my fingers down my palm to the two scars that sit next to each other.

Davian’s eyes fall to my wrist. “Nothing’s okay.” He whispers as his eye lids fall over his black eyes. “I did something . . . Something that will change everything.”

I don’t even want to try to understand what Davian’s trying to tell me. He’s speaking words I’ve heard before. Words that I know, but I can’t hear them. I can’t hear him.

“That night, a few months ago.” Davian murmurs. “The crash . . . I . . . I was . . . There.” His voice is so small I can barely hear him. Like a ghost, someone who’s already gone.

“What do you mean?” I ask as a single tear makes its way down my cheek.

“I mean I was there . . . I was driving . . . I crashed into . . . Into you.”

My head shoots up as his words enter my mind. I feel the blood draining from my face as I meet Davain’s eyes. Eyes black as the night. Eye’s that I’ve loved, that I’ve longed to see ever since we met. But now they’re just eyes. Someone else’s eyes. Not Davian’s eyes.

“I . . .” I stammer, my heart racing in my chest. “You killed my mom.” My voice is so high and soft that I’m not even sure Davian heard me.

He gives me a small nod, lifting his hand to scratch his forehead. “I know.”

He knows. That’s all he can think to say? He killed my mom and all he can say is I know?

“No!” I rise to my feet. That fire in my chest suddenly fading. “You don’t know!”

I don’t know what to do, my eyes flicker to the door and then I run. Down the stairs, my breath caught in my throat as I crash into the kitchen counter. I press my hands down on the cold granite, shutting my eyes.

As everything around me turns black I see Davian. His perfect face, his beautiful smile, his eyes when he laughs.

I can’t breathe! I can’t live! The fire rushes back, even stronger than before. It creeps up my chest, buring my heart.

I let out a scream, smacking the scented candle that Aunt Trish had left out off the counter. It lands with a loud crash, the glass spreading across the floor.

I open my eyes to see that not only is there shattered glass but also a bright orange flame. Just like the flame that’s been burning me inside.

I stare into the flame as it grows, melting the glass, melting the candle. Slowly I lower myself to the ground, trembling as a sob escapes from my throat.

This feels right. Sitting here, letting this fire take me away. Take me out of this world. I don’t believe in a better place, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to go to a better place, I just want to leave this one. I just want to stop holding my heart together without any glue to fix it.

. . .

The fire grows as I pull my knees to my chest on the floor. It’s been a few minutes, and still the fire hasn’t reached me. The smoke alarm has started ringing, or at least I think that’s what that sound is.

Davian let me fall for him. Why did he? He lied to me, but what matters most is that I cna’t stop loving him.

He brought me out of the blinding light and into the cool peaceful darkness. He cared for me, I was his. And I thought he was mine.

Everything’s different now. I no longer understand what feelings are. It was only ten minutes ago that I loved Davian, now as I lay here with the blazing fire, and my tears I don’t know what I feel.

But I do know what’s going to happen next. I’m going to stay here. Letting every moment in my life melt with the fire and smoke. I’m going to let my heart stop breaking, stop beating.

My eyes slowly fall to my left wrist. My cut is healed now, but not to what it was before. I trace the thin line with my thumb. I have scars, but now finally I won’t. It’s all over, I just have to wait for the bright flames to reach my broken soul.

I let my body relax as the orange flames dance closer. I take ink a deep breath, my throat buring form the rough sting of the black smoke that’s hovering above me.

“It hurts,” I cough, my voice hoarse as more black smoke creeps up my nose. “Why did you keep saving me?”

Tears slide down my cheeks my lungs longing for a taste of fresh, clean air.

I gasp as I hear the creaking of wood above me. But before I can shut my eyes I’m pushed out of the way. I land on my side, my heart pounding as I hear a scream of pain. Davian?

“You changed me,” He calls out through the flames. His voice so familiar as it echos around the burning room. A sob echos my sore throat as the dust from the fallen ceiling fades away, leaving Davian circled by fire. His whole body, his legs trapped under the now buring wood.

I shake my head as I rush past the flames falling down in front of Davian. Not because I don’t want him here, but because I can’t beileve that he still keeps coming for me.

“You changed me Maisie,” Davian chokes out, coughing as he fights for air. His cheeks are already a deep pink, painted from the fire dancing around us.

I don’t understand anything anymore. But still I grab Davian’s hand as I lay down on my stomach, pressing my trembling hand to his.

Davian holds my hand tight, bringing his other hand on top of ours. I gasp as my cheeks burn with smoke and tears. I don’t get it, why did he do this? Why did he push me away?

And suddenly I know why. It all comes to me, almost as if I’m listening to Davian’s thoughts. And I know that my broken heart will always love Davian with all the pieces I have.

My eyes fly to the burning wood that’s pinning Davian down. I need to help him, he always saves me, I need to save him.

I let go of his hand, coughing as I force myself up. All the wood is on fire, buring and crackling. Still I reach out, searching for a place that I can grab and pull. But there’s no where.

“It’s okay,” Davian gasps as I fall back to the ground. “I’ll be fine.”

Tears stream down my face as I lay my head next to Davian’s. “I’m sorry.” I cry as he shuts his brown eyes.

“No,” he murmurs as the fire crackles loud around us. “Don’t do this, don’t say its over.”

Over. That word echos around in my mind, mixing with the flaming hot burst of flames around me. It’s over. Its all over.

“Maybe I want it to be,” I reach for his hand. It’s Davian. Not a stranger not a killer. He’s my hero, the one person I’ll always love.

Davian grunts as he shifts, grabbing my hand with his sweaty hand. “Your not gonna die,” Davian tells me his black eyes fixed on mine. And they’re his. They’re what they’ve always been. They’re Davian. “Your gonna live, and your gonna grow. You’ll make everyone around you happy, just like . . .” Davian lets out a pained breath. “Just like you did for me.”

I shake my head, scooting close to Davian. I lean my forehead against his, holding on tight to his hand. “I don’t want to live . . . Not without you.”

Tear stream down my cheeks, and Davian lifts his warm hand to brush them away. He cracks a small smile, his eyes filled with pain. “Do it,” he whispers, our head still pressed together. “For me.”

I nod once, holding his hand that’s still on my cheek. I don’t know what happened. One minute ago I didn’t know who Davian was. Well I did. He was a liar, a killer, and a theif. He didn’t tell me about what he’s done, he killed my mom and he stole my heart.

Now as I look into his eyes, with my forehead pressed gently against his. I know who he is, he’s the boy I’ve been waiting for. All my life, the only boy who’s saved me from death, who’s saved me from becoming who I was before . . . Before the crash, before the pain and the heartbreak, before the word Davian made my heart race, and before knowing that I couldn’t save him, after he saved me from losing myself.