A migraine kicks in the moment I open my eyes, and that's when I know I'm fucked up.

Letting out an exhausted groan, I stretch out my arms lazily and my face crumples, my head throbbing.

Looking around, at least I'm not somewhere unfamiliar. The light from the window hurts my eyes, and before I know it, I fall to the floor, my legs a little sore.

"Fuck... fuck..." I mutter repeatedly, my throat dry. I put a hand on my bed for support, panting heavily.

When I find my balance, my stomach churns.

Oh shit. Thankfully I don't trip on my way to the bathroom. I flip the seat cover open and vomit, feeling intoxicated. How many drinks did I have last night?

The door on the left opens, and I look up to see Ella with a look of genuine concern. Her eyes trail from the toilet to my face as she tilts her head. "You... you drank?"

Times like this make me wish the bathroom isn't also connected to her bedroom. "Last night. Yes." I cough, my mind still a little fuzzy.

She looks alarmed. "Did you at least take a bath?" she questions, "COVID, Ann. And variants. Did you also—"

"Don't worry, I washed her up." Kate's voice booms as she pops up beside Ella, her features softening when she sees me. "Are you okay?"

"No." I reply a little too sharply, then I sigh when I see the drastic look on her face. "My head hurts. Oh god... did I drive? Did you fetch me?"

The corners of Kate's mouth twitch. "Dominic took you home."

My jaw drops. Ella smiles, turning to Kate. "Is he...?"

"He's hot, alright."

"Oh my god." I get up almost immediately when all the memories of last night kick in. It's okay to be helpless. I deserve someone better. I only loved Cornell because he loved me. I deserve someone who'd wait for me.

"I'm saying I'd wait for you."

I rush to my bedroom and clutch my phone in a hurry, my heart pounding. I have fourteen texts from Liz, and six notifications from Nina in Discord. Liz's texts are from earlier — she apologizes for what happened last night, and asks if I'm home safe, also begging for a confirmation if Dominic did in fact take me home.

Nina's messages are from last night, and it's mostly her
freaking out about my whereabouts.

There's one text message from Dom. He sent it an hour ago.

Dom: Drink water

"That's it?" Kate exclaims disappointedly, reading from behind me.

I turn my phone off and let myself fall back to bed. I told Dominic everything. My eyes dart to my sisters, who are staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

"Kate made chicken fingers." Ella comments quietly, trying to cheer me up.

I force myself to sit upright and invite my sisters to come in with me, patting on the bed. Kate sits on the edge while Ella slides in next to me, opening her arms to embrace me.

Devastated, I begin to realize how far I've fallen. Am I super broken to the point that I've completely confessed to someone I don't even know much about? Shame envelops me, and the tears start coming.

How embarrassing! Dom probably pitied me. Is that why he dropped me home? Ugh!

I'm Ann Brooke. I shouldn't be like this. I don't just tell random people my problems. I don't share my hardships and sufferings. I feel like shit.

My phone beeps, and I don't bother trying to get it. Unfortunately, Kate doesn't feel the same way, so she snatches my phone and checks the notifications.
Her face changes automatically. "Ann, get up!" she panics, her voice rising.

"No." I shoot back nonchalantly, drained.

"Listen to me you little bitch," she hisses, annoyed.

Both Ella and I stare at her with bewilderment. Kate hands me my phone.

Dom: I'm outside ur house

Butterflies in my stomach, I let out a gasp. Ella, who most likely read the text beside me, squeals in excitement. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I can't help but yelp, mortified. Dominic is here? "How do I look?"

"Fine." Ella replies blandly.

"Like shit." Kate snickers, "his hoodie is in your closet, by the way. You were wearing it when you got home last night."

I do a double take. "I can't do this right now." I moan, scanning my outfit. I'm wearing one of my Dad's shirts, which looks big on me, plus cranky shorts. "My head hurts and I smell. I just fucking puked... I..."

"But you still want to see him." Kate smirks.

Yes. "No. I look—"

"Put on a jacket or something." Kate cuts me off.

"What's that gonna do?"

"For starters, it covers your boobs," Kate replies directly, "unless you want your nipples seen."

Ella smirks. "Speed."

I roll my eyes at the two of them and groan when I feel pain coming from the layer of skin around my eyes. "I can't even think straight."

"Just go, you idiot. I'll go get a jacket." Kate turns to Ella, "make sure she's already downstairs in a minute. Don't forget his hoodie."

Nervously, I retrieve Dom's hoodie from my closet and go downstairs with Ella, who tells me to calm down repetitively. She knows me too well — she can tell that I'm freaking out in the inside, even when I seem calm in the outside. Kate gets me her Nike jacket which helps cover my entire top.

"Don't say anything stupid." She advises me, fixing my hair right before opening the door for me to leave as I put on a face mask, squinting my eyes.

Just like a shy little kid, I hesitantly step out of the door and notice the familiar Rover outside. Catching my breath, my eyes dance and see Dom, who's leaning against the vehicle, his light brown eyes narrowing at me.

My heart skips a beat. It's the second time I've seen him in person. Is it me, or does he look even more attractive? He's wearing a grey long sleeve sweater and dark pants, his hair a little ruffled and his eyes boring into mine intensely.

I tighten my grip on his hoodie, walking towards him slowly, trying to think of words to say. I should just thank him for yesterday night.

He straightens his posture when I reach him. We don't say anything for a few seconds, the awkwardness visible. I extend my hand with the hoodie and look at him straight in the eye, my cheeks a bit flushed.

"Thanks for this." I mutter under my breath, hoping my hand isn't shaking.

Dominic just stares at the hoodie before putting my hand down. I don't know if he's smiling or not because of the face mask. "You can have that."

His voice sends me chills. "I... but it's yours—" I begin.

"And I'm giving it to you," he returns meekly. "You can have it."

"I..." I find the courage to speak up, but then it dawns on me that we're still in the middle of a pandemic.

Maybe he thinks I might be a carrier of COVID, and he wants to be extra careful. But if that's the case, then why is he here? "I... I want to thank you for last night."

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

I blink, uncertain if I heard him right. "What?"

"I said—"

"I heard what you said," I cut him off, a little impatiently. "I... why are you asking?"

He doesn't meet my eyes. Instead, he looks at my house, which makes me nervous. "I brought you pancakes."

My stomach flips. He brought me pancakes? "What?" it comes out as a snort, "uhm, why?"

"Because you probably woke up with a headache."

"Y-Yeah I did." I stammer, stunned. "But... why?"

He finally looks at me. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Wh-What's obvious?"

He sighs before getting something inside his car. My eyes bulge when he pulls out McDonalds. "Chicken fillet. Nuggets. Fries. And of course — Oreo McFlurry.

I remember you mentioning to Leo how much you like it."

Sorrowfully, I shyly retrieve the food with uncertainty. I know for a fact that it's rude to just ignore a gesture like this, but then I can't stop pondering — why is he acting like this? Why does he care? "Thank you, Dominic."

Something in his face changes. "Ann—"

"Hi!" the sound of Kate's voice makes me jump. Her eyes are lit up and her smile is big as she waves at us cheerfully, acting all nice and innocent. What is she doing? "Hey Dominic. I really appreciate you taking my sister home last night."

Dominic nods shortly. "No problem."

"That's why we'd like to invite you inside," Kate continues. I shoot her a glare. "Come have breakfast with us! Or..." her eyes trail to the McDonalds I'm holding, "or you could accompany Ann as she eats that. In her room."

What!? "That's not necessary—" I begin, panicking.
"I already ate breakfast." Dom sincerely looks apologetic, which amuses me for some reason.

Thank goodness. I don't even remember the last time I cleaned my room. I give Kate a victorious smirk, but of course she doesn't give up. "Just don't remove your mask. I can assure you, we don't often go out. Ann was being careless yesterday night," Kate sighs, "and Ella would love to meet you."

Since when did Ella like to meet new people? Dom looks at me for help, but I shrug hopelessly. What Kate wants, Kate gets. "Okay." Dom locks his car and glances at me, waiting for me to lead him inside the house.

Okay? Blushing, I look down and walk inside the house. I can literally hear my own heartbeats.

When we get inside, I turn to Dom. "I... I'll go clean my room, okay? Just follow me after you meet Ella."

"You don't have to, Ann." Dominic assures me. Behind him, Kate shoots me an amused smirk.

I just shake my head at him and rush to my bedroom, getting both nervous and scared. Two of my bras are lying on the floor, and there's a pile of books under my bed. I toss his hoodie in my closet and put down the food on my desk, putting my iPad aside.

It takes around three minutes for me to tidy up. A couple of minutes later I hear a knock on the door, and I automatically get out of the bathroom after washing my face and combing my hair.

Dominic's in my room. Dominic's going to be in my room. Even Cornell hasn't been inside the house. Dad and Kate never really liked him. I open the door and the first thing I smell is alcohol — the good one that gets rid of germs.

He sees the look on my face and shrugs. "Your sisters insisted."

"And you let them?"

"There's a pandemic. It's reasonable." His eyes divert to my room, "we can go down—"

"No! It's fine." I cut him off a little too eagerly. I hope he doesn't think I'm desperate for him to be with me in my room, considering I don't really care. He's just a guy! "Come on in."

Dominic slowly steps inside my room while I close the door behind him. I can't see his reaction, but I hope he isn't judging. I sit down on my bed and awkwardly invite him to scoot over. He blinks and sits down next to me quietly, acting a little too proper.

Remembering the food on my desk, I get up and grin at him. "I'm... I'm gonna eat."

Flabbergasted at my sudden movement, he nods silently. I sit down on my chair and open the box of nuggets first. I reach it out to him and he shakes his head, telling me he's full.

There's an awkward silence as I eat my meal. When I pull out the Oreo McFlurry, he lets out a smirk. "The Last Olympian."

I turn to him and follow his gaze. "Oh yeah, I always reread the series every summer. Same with Harry Potter." I lift up my spoon and scoop some oreos into my mouth, looking away from him so he doesn't see my lips get wet with cookies and cream.

None of us say anything until I finish my ice cream. "Thank you, Dom." I tell him, feeling a lot better. He meets my gaze and my heart jumps. "I... I can't thank you enough."

"You're always welcome," he returns softly, "it's no problem, really."

Without thinking, my mouth opens: "So why did you do it?" when I see the look on his face, I look down glumly, "I... sorry, I'm just confused."

"Ask me anything."

His eyes pierce through mine intensely, so much curiosity in them. I muster enough courage to voice out my questions. "Why did you take me home last night? Why are you bringing me breakfast?"

"Because we're friends."

Unexpectedly, the answer stings. I remember to wear a straight face. "Ah." I stand up and nod at him, heading towards the bed to clutch my phone and sit next to him. I pretend his body being near mine doesn't affect me in the slightest. "Thank you."

He takes a deep breath. "I added you."

"Mmm?"

"On Instagram and Twitter."

"Really?" I open my phone, knowing he's watching. Thankfully my lock screen is a Harry Potter quote and my home screen is a fan art of both Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, my favorite couple in the Percy Jackson series.

I accept his follow request on Instagram and go to my feed unintentionally (a habit). My mood shifts when I see Krista posting a good selfie of her, and Cornell commenting heart shaped emojis.

"I blocked him" huh.

"Kristana Henderson," he reads the username dryly. "Is that her?"

"I found out two months before junior year ended. But I confronted her about it a day before our senior year started." I tell Dominic, who nods at me attentively, paying attention. I wonder if he finds her pretty.

I click on Cornell's profile and show Dominic his feed. "This is Cornell."

He stares at the screen with a blank look on his face. I wish I can tell what he's thinking. When he finally nods, I go back to my news feed and tap two times on Krista's picture to like it.

"She's my friend." I tell him before he says anything.
"I didn't say anything."

I look up from my phone and shoot him a look. "You were thinking it though."

He copies the look on my face, narrowing his eyes and exaggerating my pout. "Was I?" his voice reaches an octave higher, and I can't help but feel sparks in the atmosphere, the feeling tingling.

He laughs at the face I make. I draw myself back to reality, diverting my eyes to my phone as I open Twitter, acting like I'm not screaming deep down. I accept his follow request and follow him back. "Cute Husky." I point out his header.

"Name's Nico," he shares. When he sees the look on my face, he chuckles, "Yes. Nico di Angelo from Percy Jackson."

I bite my lip. He's so cute. "What about the Chow Chow on your display picture in Discord?"

"Her name's Hermione."

My mouth forms a thin smile. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. "Where did you get them?" I can't help but ask.

"Nico was left behind by the family next door, so we took him in," Dominic replies solemnly. "We got Hermione from the shelter. It's always better to adopt than sell. What about you?"

I blink. "What about me?"

"If you were to have a dog, what breed would you prefer?"

I snap my fingers excitedly at the question. He raises his eyebrows, amused. "I'd want a chihuahua!" I chirp.
"Smallest dog breed."

"And yet they can be aggressive," I point out. "I love them."

Dom smirks. "Small but terrible. Just like you."

I scoff. "I'm 5'4!"

"I'm 6'1."

"I'm not small," I roll my eyes dramatically, putting my phone away.

"There's a stain on your desk, by the way."

Oh. "Can you get the tissue? It's in one of my drawers." I stand up and pause. My head still fucking hurts.
"Sure."

I approach my desk and frown. The edge is smudged with Oreo ice cream. If Dom didn't point this out, there'd probably be ants in my desk when I get back. "Hey, thanks for—"

That's when I remember my sketch.

Oh shit.

"Dom, don't—"

Too late. My entire body freezes when I see him studying the sketch I have of his face. My phone drops to the carpet. I know I should try and snatch the paper out of his hands, but I can't move.

He'll think I'm obsessed with him. He'll think I have a crush on him and that I sketched his face the moment I saw him onscreen.

"It's not what you think." My voice sounds desperate, but I don't care. He's someone I want to keep for a long time, and I don't plan on losing a friend today. I'm losing too many people already. "Dom... I swear... ever since 2016.."

He looks up immediately. "Ever since 2016...?"

"This will sound strange—"

"Say it."

Is he upset? "Five years ago, I dreamt of you," I begin, swallowing. My hands are sweating, and the tension is rising. I wish I saved that ice cream for later. "And ever since... you kept appearing in my dreams once a year. The second time it happened, I drew that.

"I know it sounds fake, but it's really not. Believe me, I nearly passed out when I saw you onscreen." I cup my cheeks nervously, "I swear I'm not a creep."

He doesn't take his eyes off me. Is he convinced? "You want more proof? Fine. In my dream, I'm looking through your eyes," I continue helplessly, most likely looking and sounding stupid. "In my dream, we would be dancing. But it's weird because I'm staring at myself, because in my dream, I'm you, you know?" I let out a fake laugh, "and then I'd see myself through your eyes... and every time... I look so happy. So... alive.

"And yes, I can see myself in my dream and know how you look like at the same time because my pupils are dilating and my eyes grow bigger and then I can see your reflection in my eyes in my dream.. oh my god, am I making any sense—"

"Ann."

"Wh-What!?" my heart is beating so fast I fear I might faint. He probably thinks I'm insane. I'm so—

"Me too."