It was already 10 pm when Mal walked into her apartment. She had a lot of work to go through so she didn't really register when Uma said good night or told her to not stay up late. So when she was in desperate need to go to the bathroom she checked the time showing a surprisingly late hour. And she went home.

Ben was hungry enough to wait for her at the front door, meowing loudly and rubbing his head on her leg lovingly. Mal closed the door behind her and crouched down to pet him.

"Hi, baby. I'm sorry I'm late, you must be starving, aren't you?" Mal said to the furry animal, enjoying his soft fur under her fingers. "Let's get your dinner,"

Mal walked to the kitchen, turned the lights on, and walked to the cabinet with Ben's food, who hurley followed her intensifying his meows. She laughed at his behavior and poured his dinner into his bowl. The apartment died down from Ben's protests and instead Mal could hear only his loud munching.

"I swear, you are not a cat, but a pig," she hummed and took off her jacket. The blond then walked to her closet to take out some clothes to wear after her shower.

"Hi," a greeting flew somewhere behind Mal making her swirl startled. "You're home," the brunette stated, trying so hard to not sound like she just stood an hour outside, waiting for Mal's apartment to light up.

Evie was leaning on the balcony doorway, a small smile on her face. Mal relaxed at the familiar face and folded her clothes on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, I had a lot of things to sort out," Mal replied.

"Was that Ben meowing?" Evie asked then, stepping into the room not waiting for an invitation.

"Yeah, he was hungry as hell," Mal chuckled, his loud munching still echoing in the apartment.

"Mal-" Evie started before Mal cut her short. The blond was almost certain what Evie would say.

"Actually, I am pretty beat up, can we not tonight?"

"I- was not going to ask you that, "Evie laughed and sat at the edge of the bed. Mal could feel her own cheeks flush.

"Oh,"

"I can see you are tired, I was going to ask if you'd like some dinner?" Evie smiled. Mal exhaled loudly.

"That sounds great actually,"

"Order a take-out?"

"Please,"

"How do you feel about Chinese food?" Evie asked, fishing out her phone.

"Sounds divine. I'm going to hit the shower in the meantime, hope you don't mind," Mal said, taking her towel. "There is some change in the bowl in the hallway and some plates in the-"

"Mal, I know where things are, just go. I'll take care of the rest" the brunette smiled softly.

Mal nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

-

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Mal suggested taking a few bites of her noodles.

"Sure, have anything in particular in mind?" Evie asked.

"I have a few DVDs with older movies if that is okay. I'm not in the mood for new ones." Mal stood up from her bed, opened a drawer, and looked through her movies.

"Sure," Evie replied.

"Have you seen this one?" Mal asked, tossing the DVD to Evie, who missed it and the box fell on the bed.

"I haven't, what is it about?" Evie asked, examining the cover. "It looks queer,"

"It is about a newlywed bride who becomes infatuated with her weddings florist and questions her sexuality. Great movie." Mal explains the synopsis by observing Evie's tensing frame. "We don't need to watch it if you don't want to," she added a few beats later but Evie still stared at it intensely.

"Yeah, do you have anything else?" Evie said after a few seconds, handing the DVD back to Mal.

"Sure, how about '10 things I hate about you?' "

"Sounds great," Evie smiled, still looking at the "Imagine me & you" DVD in her hands.

"You can take it and watch it if you want, it's one of my favorites," Mal said, pointing to the box in her hands. Evie looked at her and nodded.

Later when their stomachs were full and the movie was ending, Evie looked at Mal. The blond has fallen asleep halfway through the movie, but Evie didn't mind one bit. She enjoyed her company nonetheless.

Evie reached out with her hand, brushing a strand of blond hair that had fallen on Mal's face. Her fingers barely gazed at Mal's cheek in the process. Evie stared at her mesmerized. She didn't know why, she had already watched Mal plenty of times but every time it felt like the first. Always finding something small that she previously hadn't noticed.

The ending song of the movie blasted and Mal moved in her sleep. Startled, Evie retracted her hand and leaned back to her original position, not noticing that she had leaned over Mal. Her heart beat loudly as her eyes stared at Mal, waiting for her to wake up. No such thing happened.

So Evie waited a few more minutes watching the ending titles, her heart still hammering in her chest. She reached out to the other DVD and looked at the cover again. After a few minutes of wondering if she should just go home or put the movie on, Evie decided that she didn't want to sleep in her empty apartment and stood up, setting up the disk.

She tip-toed back to the bed and settled next to Mal's sleeping figure. Evie stared at Mal for a few more seconds while the beginning titles enrolled and moved her attention to the TV once a woman appeared on the screen.

Ben jumped on the bed, walking in a circle next to Evie's legs before lying down on them after finding a comfortable position. Evie smiled at him, enjoying the warmth from his furry body.

When the movie ended an hour and a half later, Evie understood why this was one of Mal's favorite movies. The characters were relatable, their chemistry was great and the plot was just fantastic. She smiled at the ending and the song, wiping her eyes.

A stuttered breath escaped her lips in an attempt to not cry, but soon enough the end titles stopped and the TV screen went black. The room quieted down and her tears started escaping her blinking eyes.

Mal stirred then, her back at Evie. She listened for a few seconds with her eyes closed before realizing that someone was crying.

"What's wrong?" Mal asked, turning around, eyes lazy with sleep. "Are you alright?"

Evie frantically wiped her eyes, holding her breath for a few seconds in a failed attempt to contain her erratic breathing.

"Yes, I'm sorry I woke you up,"

"It's okay, what happened?" Mal asked with sleep in her voice, she pushed herself up a little and waited for Evie's response.

"Nothing, the movie just got me, that's all, "Evie replied. Mal watched the black TV screen unaware that there was another movie playing minutes ago.

"Yes, Heath Ledger was a real gem," Mal commented, looking at the brunette.

Evie looked at her with tears glistening in her eyes. She reached out and wiped the corner of Mal's mouth, which was drooling in her sleep seconds ago. That provoked Mal's hand to fly and wipe her mouth after Evie's gesture.

"Maybe I should go," Evie stated, pulling the sheets off her body. Ben's head flew up watching who disturbed his sleep.

"Why," Mal grabbed her wrist before Evie could escape, "don't you stay?"

Evie watched her then, but Mal was half-asleep, probably not registering her own request. Her green eyes were warm and welcoming, illuminated by the moonlight. There was no sign of that cold, distant Mal Evie had gotten used to the past few weeks.

"You are upset," Mal stated then, Evie froze between getting up and laying back down. "Ben can be a really good support animal," Mal mumbled the last part, eyes almost closed. The grip on her wrist loosened up.

As on cue, the cat crawled slowly to Evie's lap and laid down on her tights, purring slowly.

"Okay," Evie agreed then, Mal's eyes opening barely.

Evie lay down and pulled the bed sheet up. The movement provoked Ben and he moved under the covers to curl at Mal's feet.

"Come here," Mal whispered and moved closer to her, wrapping her hands around Evie's torso. Evie could feel Mal's heart beating in a steady rhythm against her forearm; she could feel her hot breath on her cheek.

Evie turned around then, face to face with Mal's closed eyes and relaxed features. All tears were forgotten, only the unbearable aching in her beating heart stayed.

"I'm sorry," Evie whispered later when she was sure Mal was asleep. She didn't want to go to sleep but stay in this peaceful moment forever, imagining that Mal would always be there to hold her in her arms when she was upset.

"I'm so sorry. I know I'm hurting you," she whispered again, trying to swallow the knot in her throat. "I'm hurting me, too"

Evie sighed and waited a few more seconds, heart beating wildly. Maybe Mal would open up her eyes and reply to her confessions. But when that didn't happen she added:

"You are not in love with me but maybe I am,"