The only forms of movement between Dorian and me were the regular rises and falls of our chests with each breath we took. Our legs, still hanging over the bed, were intertwined while our upper bodies remained relaxed against each other.

   I nestled closer into Dorian as he secured his arm around me. The comforting warmth emanating from him and the bed was just what I needed to close my eyes and ease myself off the shackles of this terrible day. Each breath I inhaled was accompanied by his usual coconut lemony scent.

"How did you meet?" He eventually quipped. "You and Talise, I mean."

   The question prompted a chuckle from my lips. This was actually the first time anyone had ever asked me that. Not that I blamed those who didn't. Talise and I had been best friends for so long, it was hard to remember a time when we weren't and wonder how it all happened.

"I was six. We both were," I began. "I'd just finished recreating my first human-sized model rocket. Human-sized for my six year old height anyway."

"I can imagine." he snickered.

"And the only thing running through my mind then was that this was it for me. Today was the day I was going to the moon and no one or thing was going to stop me. I had my 'body gear', also known as a tin foil hat, a fish bowl for my helmet and layers and layers of clothing."

"Because that's all you need to get to space, obviously." he tapped his head with a scoff. The teasing edge his voice carried, however, betrayed the seriousness he feigned while making that statement.

   I decided to play along though. "Obviously. NASA has a lot of explaining to do with all the money they spend on the astronauts."

    We stared at each other before bursting into hysterics.

"So, anyway, I had my launch controller and was ready," I calmed down to continue on with the story. "My mum had gotten an emergency shift she had to cover at the hospital and to me, that was basically a sign from God to do this now. Also, Mum was going to be back soon so I had to hurry up."

   My memories took me back to a six year old me dragging a rocket made from the finest scrap metal I could gather in the sidewalk in front of my home.

   This rocket was the biggest remake I'd ever attempted. Until then, I'd been stuck on rebuilding vintage radios, routers and wireless speakers, my limited resources always giving them a special touch.

"One minute, I'm in the little seat I made within the rocket, the next the device is shooting to the sky. But I'm not in it!"

"What?" Dorian's body jerking laughter was mainly dominated by confusion.

"Dude, I don't know, okay?" I shrugged after a chuckle of my own. "Everything around me flew up into the clouds. Except the chair of course."

   And instead of coming down to the place it departed, the rocket flew over several houses before eventually landing. At that moment, the only thing that gave me a hint of the rocket's whereabouts was the smoke trail that could be seen many miles away.

   As far as the woods that housed Clearwater River.

"That's crazy," Dorian muttered.

   Those were my exact thoughts when it happened, I told him. But I couldn't bear the thought of it staying there. My desire to retrieve my rocket, therefore, led me to go off on my own for the first time in my life.

   I finally got to the woods but found that the dismantled rocket parts were at the bank of Clearwater River. But they weren't on their own.

"Talise was there." The sigh I released was shaky.

"Beth," Dorian said, his fingers on my shoulder drawing comforting circles. "You don't have to."

"Talise was there," I carried on. "And it took me five minutes to convince her that although the machine was mine, I wasn't an alien."

"That must have been fun," Dorian's reply was a bit strained.

   I'm pretty sure I saw him wince. I didn't blame Dorian though. Now that he knew Talise, he could definitely relate.

"According to her, with the outfit I had on and these ears, I could have fooled her," I chuckled. "Talk about trolling."

"There's nothing wrong with your ears though, you know that right? They're perfect."

"Thanks," I was so glad my burning face was semi-buried in his chest. "Anyway, eventually, I got through to her."

   But what Talise told me next made that the least of my worries. It was funny how even then, at six years old, Tali's knowledge of illegalities was pretty wide. She informed me of how all rocket launches required permits, including the ones that occurred at home and I had just breached many federal, state and local laws. Since I was a kid, however, I didn't have to worry about jail.

"She knew all that?" Dorian's question dripped with astonishment.

"Yes." I nodded for a bit before adding, "and no."

   According to Talise, I told him, jail wasn't for kids, but 'The Rapist' was.

"Excuse me?" That made Dorian release his hold on me to sit up straight. "Did I hear that right?"

"You did," I rose to a seated position as well. "But join those two words together and what do you get?"

   It didn't take long for Dorian to figure it out. He instantly reverted to lying on the bed when he did, laughing his head off. When I laid next to him once more, I didn't want to push for our previous position so I just kept a safe distance.

"Now, I didn't know what that meant then," I said, referring to what Talise told me. "But it terrified the crap out of me. While I'm freaking out though, Tali is already picking some of the metal scraps from the rocket and dumping them in the Clearwater river. Since I didn't want to see a therapist—"

"You mean, "The Rapist?" Dorian teased.

"Anywayyy..." I stared at him through narrowed eyes before proceeding, "I start picking stuff too, and after a few minutes, it's like there was never any crash at the riverbank."

   After giving Talise my thanks, I asked her where she lived. To say I was mind blown when she informed me that only today, her family had moved into the home I recalled was two houses away from mine would be an understatement. When I made her aware, she wasn't as excited. Seriously though, what were the odds?

   I remembered asking Tali why she was out here in Clearwater River and not with her parents since she had just moved. She responded by telling me about her parents had moved to Ridgeton against her will. Tali said right before I arrived, she'd been planning on building a raft that would take her back to her old neighbourhood.

   I wasn't the only one who was six, people.

   When I offered to help her do so in exchange for saving my life from 'the Rapist', she told me that it wouldn't be necessary since she wanted to go to her new home now instead. Talise then asked me to lead the way back to our street.

   With the change I had left, I was able to afford seats on the bus for the both of us. After we officially introduced ourselves, I asked Talise why she'd changed her mind about leaving.

   I didn't really understand the weight behind what she said next until our friendiversary a month later when she made it clear to me, but it certainly did things to my little six year old heart that following month and every year after that.

"Why? What did she say?"

"That day in the bus, uh," I bit my lip to suppress the overwhelming sadness that rose within me. "Talise had told me she didn't want to run away anymore because now... she had a reason to stay."

"Wow. Pretty deep for a six year year old," Dorian said.

"Yeah." I grinned. "That's... that's Talise."

   And now, she couldn't even think if she wanted to with those monsters having a hold on her mind. My smile disappeared.

   I lifted my body off the bed to stand on my feet. After pacing around Dorian's room without a sense of direction for a few seconds, I rested my back against the nearest wall. My eyes soon dropped to stare at the floor. This was the best way to avoid revealing my brewing tears.

"We're going to get here back, Beth," Dorian's voice got clearer as I heard his steps toward me. "Soon."

"I know," I remarked, swallowing hard.

   That, however, couldn't be attributed to my withheld tears.

   Dorian was currently right in front me at a proximity like never before. If I were to raise my head, I was pretty sure I could... The next thought brought my heart to a standstill and heat to my cheeks.

   I snuck a glance upwards, only to have my beliefs confirmed. His green eyes were already on my face, but they weren't meeting mine. Dorian's stare was much, much lower.

   I regretted it immediately after my tongue reached out to swipe over my lips. This was not the right time to do that. I wasn't sure how to feel with the way his eyes turned several shades darker in response.

   Shit.

   Did this mean he wanted this too? Wait, too? Did that mean I wanted this to happen? I mean, I didn't not want it to happen but...Was I overthinking this? I was overthinking this.

   Suddenly, my mind was filled with one of the last conversations Talise and I had. What she said— through her earpiece at Zavlon— she would make me do if Visitation Day ended without me doing it myself. Tali had mentioned it to the confusion of the others in the van and I didn't make things better by downplaying it. But I knew very well what she meant. And she knew that.

   So I did what Talise had subtly implied. What she knew I'd wanted to do for a while now. Startling Dorian (and myself, really), I threw my arms around his neck and drew him closer.

   Then, pushing all sense and reason aside...

   I went for it.