I didn't realise how exhausted the day had made me until I was ready to go to bed. Fortunately, Camila came knocking on Dorian's door after he texted her with my pyjamas, clothes and other essentials I would need the next day. All I had to worry about after her actions was taking a shower for the night and getting some sleep.

   After showering in Dorian's bathroom, it was a battle trying to keep my eyes open as I lay in his bed waiting for Dorian while he took his shower. A battle I lost.

   At some point though, in my semi conscious state, I could have sworn I felt the foam of the mattress beside me dip. Slumber took its final and victorious toll before I could react though.

   Not even exhaustion, however, could hinder the nightmares that struck.

   And even though they totaled to two, the nightmares both began the same way.

   I was in Mr. Walsh's Electronics class watching the woman on the projector screen go on and on about the virus and its significance to Liberation Week.

   Then an ear piercing scream erupted out of nowhere, sending me to my feet.

   In a split second, the scene around me changed, and I was no longer in the Electronics classroom, but another one. That classroom. The one where I witnessed the placement happen on the Zavolonian girl in real life, courtesy of Yunies creepy syringe-like gun.

   The only difference was that not the girl, but Talise was there, fighting with all the strength she could muster. Her efforts, however, were pointless. Right before my eyes, the two Yunitides present doubled, then tripled. Soon, Tali's struggling frame was swallowed by the ever multiplying number of aliens and the only thing that made me aware that she was still around was the familiar hair-raising click of the gun.

   Her dilated eyes were left to my imagination to figure out.

   And during all this, what did I do?

   Simply watch from behind the classroom door, peering through a crack, like a coward.

   And that was the position I was stuck in as well for the second nightmare which basically occurred the same way as the first.

   Except that it was Minji's screams I had to shield my ears from.

   I woke up with a start.

   The chilly air that suddenly overtook my body made me aware of the profuse cold sweat that had broken out on my forehead. But I was more concerned with trying to regulate my hysterical breathing patterns as I sat up to lean against the bed's headboard with my head on the wall. Since my mind was yet to come to terms with the environment I'd just woken up in, it took a lot more effort to calm my chest that I was currently convinced was on fire.

   But then a familiar scent hit me. The coconut lemon smell made all the memories rush back in almost immediately. As if on cue, my eyes moved the stare at the sleeping frame beside me.

   I was surprised, however, to find that Dorian, keeping a safe distance from his side of the bed, had already sat up too. His wide-eyed stare never left my face.

   Suddenly, a million thoughts and questions came crashing in. How long had he been awake? Was I the one who woke him? Had I been so noisy during my nightmare that he couldn't sleep? Did this mean that he didn't just wake up when I did and had seen while I was still asleep, stuck in my nightmares?

   On that note, I broke off the eye contact we'd established to get under the covers again. I could only hope he didn't notice my trembling body as I rested on my right side. That had nothing to do with my nightmares anymore by the way.

   Just plain old humiliation.

   Despite being fully aware that the chances of going back to sleep were out the window, I squeezed my eyes tight and tried to get comfortable. Maybe if I waited long enough, Dorian wouldn't be so freaked out and eventually go back to bed. That is, if he didn't run for the hills.

   I hadn't thought about it that way till now, but maybe this was Dorian's plan all along; to wait for me to go back to sleep so that he could make a break for it. I was merely doing him a favour here.

   An unexpected brush on my exposed left arm, the one I wasn't leaning on, jerked me out of my thoughts.

   Before I could come to terms with the source, a shuffling sound emerged. Then not too long after, I now had to wrap my mind around the firmness of Dorian's chest against my back while one toned arm of his draped my waist.

   This sudden gesture went straight to the organ in my chest. The swift beats of my heart showed no signs of stopping as warmth rushed to the sides of my cheeks some seconds later.

   Considering the fact that he'd had me backed me against the wall while kissing the life out of me in the past twenty four hours, any other subsequent contact between us wasn't supposed to have this much of an effect on me.

   But it did. It really did.

   This just felt... I don't know, different. Dorian wasn't all over me because we were making out. He was doing it to comfort me, to make me feel better.

"I just realized I forgot to ask you first, sorry," Dorian whispered from behind. "Are you okay with this?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm...yeah."

   That response was not my fault. It was a little difficult to respond with his unbelievably soft hair, which smelled great by the way, brushing my neck at intervals.

   What demon-esque conditioner did this boy use?

   And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, his legs, under the sheets moved towards mine, intertwining with them until we were both comfortable. I leaned closer into him, allowing my eyes to close for real this time.

   In a matter of seconds, I was out like a light.

***

   I awoke to the sun's shine and a pleasant fragrance all around me. My beaming face faltered upon realising the cold, empty space beside me.

   Then fell after I was reminded that today was any day I'd have to go through knowing that Talise wasn't here.

   Good thing I still remembered her mother's number. But since I left my phone with Talise after we feared the Yunies would track it, I was going to have to use Camila's phone and pretend I'd gotten a number... and also pretend that I was Talise using Beth's (Camila's) phone.

   And all that could only happen after I came up with the perfect excuse. We couldn't drag the earlier lie Talise told Mrs Lightning —that she had to sleepover at my place because my mother was out of town for a week taking care of a sick relative and she didn't want me to be alone—forever.

   Especially when we didn't know how long it was going to take to get Tali back. If we were able to at all...

   A creaking sound from what I traced to be the bathroom door opening interfered with my fast depressing train of thought.

   Dorian stepped through it, fully clothed in a loose blue shirt and black jeans. The only evidence of his shower were the water droplets that look like they were sprinkled by hand over the tips of his thick, dark wavy hair.

   I didn't have to worry about being caught staring... since I just was.

"Hey." The ends of his lips lifted into a cautionary smile as he glanced down at my frame still buried under the covers.

"Hi," I replied.

   My voice didn't have the attractive edge that came with waking up like the unusual thickness that accompanied Dorian's greeting. Surprise, surprise.

"So," he said as he walked over to take a seat at the end of my side of my bed. Dorian stared down at the bed, his fingers fidgeting with the fabric of the sheets for a while before he eventually asked, "Any regrets?"

   My immediate response was a scrunched up facial expression until comprehension set in. I sighed, giving an eye roll as I fell back in the pillows with a groan.

   Seriously? I can't believe after all that happened yesterday, a part of him still needed validation that my behaviour wasn't because I was all up in my feelings about Talise. I didn't know whether to be mad or disappointed that he still held the view that I was going to regret everything when I awoke today.

"None." I made sure to emphasise the word as I sat up again.

   My scrutinising gaze was able to witness Dorian's face transition from a unreadable one to a similar one I had when I found out an almost breakthrough had been made in the time travel research scientists have been conducting for centuries.

"Good," he simply said, keeping his focus on the nonexistent crumbs he kept brushing away from the sheets.

"Yeah," I threw the covers off me, proceeding to get out of bed. "Good."

   As I bypassed him, my journey to the bathroom was short lived by an encircling sensation around my wrist. Suddenly, I was face to face with Dorian, his green eyes piercing mine as his other hand moved to my wrist that he didn't have a hold on.

   His stare wandered over my face until it settled on my lips. Then, while maintaining eye contact, Dorian's tongue peeked out for a quick swipe over his lips. His plump, rose pink-coloured lips.

   Was it possible for a non-cartoon/comic book character to audibly gulp from moments like these?

   Well, if that was established, some scientists somewhere (probably their graves) were just proven wrong. 'Cause the sound that just came out of me could not be attributed to anything else.

   Why was he just looking at me? This was starting to get weird. Especially since my mind decided to do me dirty by reminding me of morning breath.

   I mean, I had brushed my teeth last night, but this wasn't last night anymore. It's even in the name; Morning Breath! As much as I wanted to, I was not allowing Dorian to do anything until I'd at least come out of the bathroom with fresh breath.

   But I really wanted to though... no!

"I'm gonna..." I trailed off, while trying to look away and uncoil his hold on me. "I'm gonna go."

"Okay," he muttered, doing my job for me by withdrawing his hands.

   After trying (and failing miserably), not to think of everything that went down with Dorian while in the bathroom, my restless hand taps against my thighs were at its peak by the time I'd done every essential, was clothed and ready to leave.

   Despite the anxiety that threatened to glue my feet to the bathroom floor, I turned the door handle to make my way back into the bedroom. I was taken aback upon seeing Dorian seated at the edge of the bed, in a conversation with Aarav.

"Hey, Beth!" Rav grinned as soon as he noticed me. "I see you—"

   I cut to the chase. "What's wrong?"

   The reason for my question could be attributed to the look I saw on Rav's face the moment I walked out of the bathroom. As he spoke with Dorian, his pinched eyebrows and down turned mouth exposed someone in distress. I made sure to give him my sternest glare, hoping that it would be what made him crack.

"You need to come with us," Rav sighed, barely two seconds after I pulled out my secret weapon.

   Surely, my ability to intimidate couldn't be that good...right? Judging by the resigned look Rav, it seemed as though he was going to tell me anyway.

   I followed him and Dorian as they walked through Dorian's room. It was a silent walk, at least until after Rav told me that his room was our destination.

   Did it have to do with Talise? Had they heard any news? Was it bad news? Such thoughts went straight to my gut instantly, instilling the urge to unleash the food I'd eaten in the past twelve hours.

   As Rav twisted the door handle of his bedroom, the tightness that terrorised my chest only got worse. The moment the door opened a tiny crack, I rushed past him and Dorian into the room.

   Not to my surprise, Camila was present, seated on the desk that stood beside Rav's bed. She, however, didn't even spare me a glance. Tracing her gaze over my shoulder to the couch, what I saw made my blood go cold.

   Or rather, who I saw.

   As the figure stood up from the couch, bearing all smiles while approaching my way, my mouth could only choke out the one coherent word that came to mind,

"You."