The clock read 4:00 a.m.

Devin laced up his sneakers, grabbed his keys and wallet, and threw himself out the door and into the misty fall air. He threw his hood over his damp hair and took to the porch steps. He thought he had gotten a little better and recovered from the sleepless nights, but like clockwork, at 3 a.m., he was awakened by his rampant thoughts. His mother's smile and his dad's contagious laughter. Their memories swarmed around him like a tornado. They were different each time. Pleasant even. Just. . . awakening in every way he could imagine.

The horrible memories subsided; he no longer blamed himself for his parent's death as much as he did before. Though, occasionally, he would.

Devin picked up pace, jogging down the sidewalk, his destination the track that circled the gym in the back of their subdivision.

The cool air felt good against his heated flesh. He still couldn't stand the silence; on some days, he practiced piano late into the night, and on others, he went jogging. Playing the piano made him feel close to his mom, while doing odd jobs around the house, and swimming reminded him his dad. He didn't know if his parents were smiling down on him or not, but most days he felt like they weren't. And if there were a God, then he for sure hated him because why else would God take the people away that meant the most to him?

Devin rounded the corner, his breaths coming out harder as he picked up even more momentum.

He couldn't deny missing the retreat in moments of anxiety, being able to go find someone to talk to when his mind would race—in fact, he missed it so much that one night, he found himself at Trechial's window. He needed consoling after waking up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of the deafening silence. He had seen the glow of red fairy lights inside her window that night. He hadn't expect her window to be unlocked but tried anyway and held a breath as he lifted it quietly. It was open. Charlie could have been waiting on the other side with his pistol, but it was a chance Devin had been willing. He'd continued on through the window and landed not so gracefully on his back. He had inclined his head, looking over at the door. It was locked. He'd got up, closed the window gently, and locked it. Surely, Trechial had been watching him with a snarky grin; he turned around, and she was lying on her side facing the wall. He'd taken steps toward her bed, peering over her to check and see if she was fake sleeping. She wasn't. He sat on the floor next to the bed. He'd done it every night for the past week. He'd always waited for Trechial to go to sleep not wanting to wake her. There was something about the warmth of her room and the nearness of Trechial that brought him a sense of peace.

***

The quiet tap at Trechial's window set her heart racing with anticipation. It was Devin. Moving quickly, she unlocked the window, her movements fueled by excitement and nervousness. The coast was clear with her mom working late and Charlie passed out in the living room. It wasn't lost on her that Devin had been sneaking into her room. Sometimes she was awake, other times she could smell a hint of him when she woke up in the morning. Trechial lifted the window, allowing Devin to climb in, his attire, casual black sweats and a wifebeater that accentuated his toned physique. His hair was damp, droplets of water glistening at the tips.

"What's up?" Devin whispered, his voice low to avoid waking Charlie.

Trechial quietly closed the window and faced Devin, who was already taking in the makeshift campout she had prepared on her bedroom floor. A pallet of blankets had been laid out, stacked to make a padded bed and topped with a single feather pillow.

"Take your shoes off and relax. It's movie time," she suggested softly.

She could tell he was curious about why she'd made the pallet and not invited him into her relaxing bed. They were at a different point in their relationship now, somewhere between friends and something more than that. She trusted Devin not to try anything with her, but she feared that she might with the intense attraction she felt toward him. Even now, she was tapering down her shallowness and trying not to drool over his perfectly sculpted biceps.

Trying not to think about kissing him.

It might've been wrong, but she missed him when he was chunky. Though she liked Devin when they were kids, she didn't lust after him like she did now.

Devin raised an eyebrow at the sight of pillows plopped down next to her bed, on three comforters layered on top of one another. She had a tray of snacks and drinks on her computer desk. The red fairy lights over her bed added a faint glow to the room.

Devin complied with Trechial's playful order, a smirk dancing on his lips as he kicked off his shoes and settled onto the makeshift pallet. He patted the spot next to him, inviting Trechial to join him. Trechial wasted no time accepting the invitation, settling beside Devin with a contented sigh. As she nestled into the warmth of the blankets, she found herself enveloped by the familiar scent of his soap. Her heart fluttered with an inexplicable mixture of longing and anticipation as she felt the heat of his presence beside her. The urge to lean in and inhale his intoxicating scent was almost overwhelming, a primal instinct that tugged at Trechial's senses. What would he have done if she did lean in and inhale him, allowing herself to be consumed by the overwhelming rush of emotions that threatened to consume her? Trechial stole a tentative glance at Devin before focusing on the task at hand.

Devin glanced at her. "What are we watching?"

"Never Been Kissed, Sleepless in Seattle, or Sixteen Candles?" Trechial offered. She picked movies she knew would be boring and ushered him to sleep faster. Devin hated all things romance, though he could be an intentional romantic himself.

"Sleepless in Seattle," he replied, somewhat unenthusiastically.

"Really?" Trechial teased, giggling. "And here I thought you were a Drew Barrymore fan."

Devin rolled his eyes.

Trechial got up, put the DVD in the DVD player, and resumed her seat next to Devin. She couldn't help but be acutely aware of Devin's presence as the movie played. Despite her efforts to appear relaxed, she was keenly conscious of every detail about him––his smile, the unique colors of his eyes, the diamond earring in his left ear, and those lips that had once met hers behind the gymnasium in their freshman year and then on Christmas.

Devin stretched out his arm behind Trechial and squeezed her shoulder. She scooted closer to him; they locked eyes briefly, then focused on the movie. She kept her hands in her lap as a precaution, her mind returning to her earlier thoughts. In truth, there was no line between them anymore, just her fear of how far things would go with him and how fast they would get there. Devin relaxed further, easing onto the pillow and propping his head up with his hand. She had already missed his embrace, but her plan seemed to be working, so she was happy. Trechial yawned, realizing she may have overworked herself while playing volleyball at the gym earlier and planning this little setup.

"Are you tired? I can go," Devin asked, noticing her yawn.

"No! Don't."

Devin eyed her. "Okay."

She imagined a future where they could be together like this, not just as friends but as something more. She wouldn't dare say lovers because they weren't ready for that stage, plus she wanted to be married before she was intimate with him. Nonetheless, she knew she and Devin were connected on a deeper level and wouldn't be able to continue to do things like this the older they got. And while she was still a virgin, he was not, and she'd heard the rumors about him. They sacred and intrigued her at the same time. Waiting for marriage would be tough given that her body was buzzing being this close to him.

Trechial immediately shook the thoughts away.

In essence, no one was like Devin. It wasn't just his looks but his bravery, loyalty, and his authenticity. It was why girls flocked to him, her included. He drew girls in like bees to honey.

An hour later, Trechial checked on Devin. His breathing was even and calm. Careful not to wake him, she got up to grab another blanket.

His groggy voice startled her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting another blanket," she whispered.

Devin watched her through a sleepy haze as Trechial covered him with the blanket and slid under it. She trusted him with her under there.

"You do know I still like you, right?" Devin murmured, his eyes closing.

"Point," Trechial said, facing him and wrapping her arm around his waist. She stared at his lips as he spoke. What am I doing? she thought.

"I could take all of this to mean something more than friendship, ya know," he said.

"Take it however you want, Tae. Now go to sleep," she replied, gently steering the conversation toward rest.

He yawned. "Fine. I will."

Trechial sensed he meant more than just falling asleep––he considered the possibility of them being more than friends too. It showed in every interaction she had with him.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Night," Devin replied.

Before long, Devin's soft snores filled the room. Trechial smiled sleepily, comforted by his presence, and allowed herself to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

***

Devin woke up feeling refreshed, something that hadn't happened since his parents died. He looked over at Trechial's sleeping form, curled up in a ball. He placed the blanket back over her, careful not to wake her. Her hair had come out of the ponytail, and some was covering the side of her face. She was so pretty whether asleep or awake; she was the prettiest girl in the world. And he wanted to be her guy.

Devin's eyes flickered to the locked door, noting the failed attempt to breach Trechial's room. The bottom lock was unlocked, but the deadbolt held up, a sign of Charlie's persistent but unsuccessful efforts to intrude. He glanced at his mobile phone; the little green screen read 9:19 a.m. He had mostly gotten a good night's sleep except for one incident. Trechial was a bad sleeper. She had smacked him on the head when she turned on her back. Then she'd turned to her side, facing him and throwing a leg over him. Then, she'd scooted close to him, pulling him into her soft body and wrapping an arm around his neck. She had rubbed his head ever so gently.

"You're so soft, Mr. Teddy," she'd purred.

Devin had wanted to kick her off the pallet last night, mostly because he was flustered and annoyed that she was dreaming about a freaking teddy bear and not him. He'd peeled her arm off him and rolled her onto her other side, and that's when the worst part happened. She'd scooted back against him, her backside pressed into him. His eyes had popped, his pulse raced, and he took in a deep breath to help calm the manifestation that was happening below. It was too much to bear and, without thinking, he shoved her off the palette with a foot.

"Sheesh, Trechial, why don't you sleep like a normal damn person?" he had growled, turning and facing the wall snatching the covers off of her. Trechial was oblivious to how guys functioned.

After a few minutes when he'd calmed down, he pulled her back onto the palette and faced opposite of her to prevent any more mishaps and fell asleep.

He cleared his thoughts by looking down at the girl he wanted more than he wanted his next breath and smiled. He enjoyed being in Trechial's company. She made him want to be a better person.

"Are you leaving?" Her sleepy voice woke him out of his thoughts.

Devin looked at her. Her eyes were still closed. "Yeah, I need to go. I have to meet some clients at the Aquatica Center at noon.

"Okay. See ya later." Trechial turned over, her back to him once more.

Without thinking, he leaned over her, brushed her hair to the side, and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Mini."

"Mmm hmm..." she hummed, then she was back to sleep. Devin put on his shoes and dove out the window, leaving his heart with Trechial.