sorry for such a late update! school's been kicking my ass lol, and I'm writing this as I study for my psychology test xD

I had a shift at Target starting in a half-hour, but instead I stood in front of Griffin's door, arms hanging limply by my sides.

I didn't know why I was so nervous to knock on the door, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Griffin had texted me and asked me to come over to him, yet I couldn't bring myself to knock on his front door. It felt like every time I started to get closer to Griffin something happened that pushed him away; something that made him snap from warm and open to closed off and cold. I wasn't sure what Griffin I was going to see.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, only to have Griffin open it what felt like seconds later. I took a step back in surprise and Griffin blinked at me, blue eyes lined with dark bags, blond hair a mess on his head. Griffin tugged at the edge of his black t-shirt, eyes locked on the floor.

"Hey," I said gently, and Griffin's head immediately snapped up, eyes locking on me, "Um, are you okay?"

"Sure," Griffin muttered, stepping back and holding open the door wider for me. I clasped my hands together and walked into the apartment, awkwardly standing a few feet behind Griffin. Griffin shut the door and turned towards me, lips pursed into a thin line, "Thank you for coming, Emmy."

I nodded, words dying on my lips. I could have told Griffin that, yeah, of course I had come for him, but I couldn't. It occurred to me then that, without a second thought, I had left Cara's house, gotten into my car, and practically flew down the street, heart racing in worry at Griffin's text. I had immediately come for a guy I barely knew, and that made the words die on my lips.

Griffin stepped past me and sat down on the couch, elbows on his knees, fingers clasped so tightly together that his knuckles turned pale white. I bit my lip and walked over, sitting down next to him and leaning back into the couch. When I had got Griffin's text, I assumed I would be coming over to him in the midst of a breakdown or at least looking somewhat sad. Instead I came to this - a Griffin who seemed uncomfortable even looking me in the eyes.

"They're reopening my mom's case," Griffin said suddenly, looking up at me through his eyelashes, blue eyes clearer than I had ever see them. I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off, "I already know you know. I saw you down the hall when the officers came. You weren't exactly hiding."

Griffin smiled softly at me and I flushed at his words, remembering how I hadn't even tried to hide when I saw the officers at Griffin's door. I nodded and waited for Griffin to go on - he had brought up his mom's case being reopened, and I wasn't sure where that conversation would go. I didn't want to press him, so I sat back and waited.

Griffin scratched the back of his neck and dropped his hands, fingers twisting together, "They have a, um... New suspect," he muttered, eyes cast down to the floor. Griffin's whole body seemed tense, then, the muscles in his shoulders and back practically jutting through his thin shirt, "It's been ten years and they have a new suspect."

Judging by Griffin's tone and body language, it was obviously he wasn't happy about that, and I didn't blame him. After ten years, the police decided to reopen the case. I couldn't imagine how Griffin felt about the case being reopened, let alone finding out they had a suspect. They had a person they believed killed Griffin's mom, and I couldn't even imagine the type of pain he was going through.

"I know I should be happy," Griffin continued, wringing his fingers together so tightly that I gently leaned forward and pulled his hands apart. Griffin looked up in surprise and let his hands fall limply to his sides, "but I don't think people understand that the past is more painful than anything else. To be reminded of my mom's murder, Emmy, it's like... It's reminding me of when I was a little kid again. Back when there was nothing I could do to help. I'm helpless and I hate it."

My heart broke for Griffin, and I didn't give it a second thought as I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him. Griffin sat there, tense and unmoving, before letting out a deep breath and wrapping his arms around me. Griffin seemed to sink into the hug; he rested his head on my shoulder, arms wrapped around me tightly, fingers dancing on the small of my back. It was an awkward position, but I just held on tightly, trying to silently assure Griffin that things would be okay.

But how could I assure him about something that I wasn't even sure would be true?

It felt like seconds later when Griffin pulled back, face flushed pale white, eyes half-lidded with evident sleepiness. I looked at the guy in front of me - wrinkled clothes, messy hair filled with obvious knots, and sleep-ridden eyes. Without hesitating, I stood up and held out my hand, gently lacing my fingers through Griffin's and tugging him up.

"What?" Griffin murmured, allowing me to half-pull him up while he just pushed himself up the rest of the way. Griffin stared at me, eyebrows furrowed, and I just gazed around his apartment.

"Where's your room?" I asked, and Griffin's eyebrows shot up immediately, a tired smirk playing on his pink lips. I tried to ignore the way my ears burned at that and ducked my head, avoiding Griffin's gaze, "You need to sleep."

I expected a protest - or at least some kind of snarky comment - but Griffin just squeezed my hand gently and led me down the hall and into his bedroom. Griffin pushed the door open and dropped my hand, immediately walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge. Griffin smiled awkwardly at me and I smiled back, taking a seat at his computer chair by his desk.

"Can you stay?" Griffin asked quietly, kicking off his sneakers and laying back in his bed. Griffin put his hands behind his head and turned towards me, blue eyes wide and framed by light eyelashes, a look of complete innocence on his face, "I just get really lonely."

I thought about Grant and realized that was the first time I had ever seen him since I moved into the apartment complex. I had been living there for about two years, and Griffin had been my neighbor since as long as I could remember, but I never recalled seeing Grant visit him. Sure, Griffin had friends and girls over, but I never saw Grant. I never saw Griffin's dad, either.

I tried not to dwell on Griffin's words, though. I nodded and kicked off my shoes, tucking my legs underneath me on the computer chair, "Sure."

Griffin's eyes were practically closing, but he rolled over to face me, a small smile on his face, "You can do whatever," he said, eyeing the surprisingly clean room and shrugging awkwardly, "There isn't much."

Griffin was right about that - his room wasn't much. There was his bed - surprisingly clean and made - and the computer chair I was sitting in. His desk was empty save for a notebook on it, but I could see papers sticking out of the drawers. Griffin's dressers were clean, the tops covered in the regular stuff - deodorant, a comb, and cologne. There was a pile of clothes in the corner of the room and a stack of books next to that, but nothing else.

None of that mattered, though. Because the second I heard Griffin's slow and steady breathing, I found myself dozing off on his computer chair.

-

"What the fuck!" Griffin's loud voice sliced right through my sleeping mind, making me jolt in his computer chair and jump up. The chair swiveled around and I found myself facing an empty bed in front of me, "Fuck!"

I was out of the computer chair in seconds, my feet catching over my shoes before I got my balance and sprinted out of the room. My head was spinning, my mind felt cloudy from sleep, and the whole apartment was spinning around me. But I didn't stop until I made it into the kitchen where Griffin was standing by the island, body tense and rigid.

I slowed to a stop on the other side of the island and paused. Griffin slowly turned to me, and my stomach dropped to the floor.

Griffin's hair was a mess, which wasn't a surprising fact. He was in a pair of shorts and a shirt, and his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were pale white. Griffin's blue eyes were wide and wild, the look of fear in them reminding me of a caged animal. Griffin's whole body was shaking - his shoulders were tense, but he was trembling.

"Griffin - "

"Do you make anything while I was sleeping?" he asked, voice as hard and cold as ever. Despite that, though, he sounded absolutely petrified, "Emmy! Did you cook anything while I was sleeping in the oven?"

I frowned. The second Griffin had fallen asleep, I had followed suit, "No. I was sleeping. Why?"

Griffin pushed himself away from the island and slammed his fists down onto the counter, the sudden bang making me take a step back. Griffin tugged his fingers through his hair, an action so rough and careless that I was positive pieces of his hair were pulled out. Griffin spun towards me, then, blue eyes as cold as ice, fingers digging into his palm.

"The oven was on," he said, voice rising in pitch as a bit of hysteria leaked into his tone, "Emmy, the oven was on."

I paused, too tired and confused to try and understand what Griffin was saying, "Did you forget to turn it off?"

Griffin's eyes widened unimaginably wide, mouth going open, "No, I didn't forget!" he snapped, stomping past me and into the living room. Griffin was standing half in the darkness of the living room and half in the light of the kitchen, his shadow contorted and thrown against the walls, "Someone left the fucking oven on while I was sleeping!"

The fear that Griffin was feeling dawned on me, and I felt an ice cold hand wrap around my heart and squeeze. Griffin and I had both been sleeping and, according to Griffin, he hadn't left the oven on before we laid down. If I hadn't done it and he hadn't, that meant someone somehow had managed to turn his oven on.

Someone had managed to get into his apartment.

"Did you let anyone in earlier?" I asked quietly, but Griffin was pacing around the kitchen again, eyes darting all over the room, "Or do you think you might have manged to bump into the oven earlier and turn the dial by mistake?"

Griffin's cold eyes landed on me and when he spoke next, I knew that all of my questions had been futile.

"Someone was in my apartment, Emmy. Someone turned the oven on and could have started a fucking gas leak or an explosion! My apartment could have went up in fucking flames with us in it! I didn't turn the oven on, but someone did."

Griffin slid down the wall, fingers twisting through his hair and tugging, whole body shaking as he curled in on himself. I could only catch as Griffin folded in, head resting on his knees, arms wrapped protectively around his body. I wanted to help - to hold him or say it would be okay, but my own legs felt like Jell-O, and I was sure that if I moved, I would be in the same position as Griffin.

"Someone was in here."

</ da-dum! and the plot thickens xD I really hope you guys enjoyed it, and please let me know your thoughts! your comments are amazing :) love you all!