I watched Bryan carefully as he retrieved our plates, and took them to the sink. There was something strange about him, yet I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. I shrugged it off again as me being paranoid, then I shook my head. No. The longer I take to ask, the more I won't be able to let this go, and I know it, already. I can't always be this indecisive and overthink everything. I let out a yawn, stretching my arms up. I took a grateful sip of the coffee Bryan prepared, letting the aroma waft over me and let it fill my senses.

Bryan sat on the couch beside me, again, and gulped his black coffee. I watched him but didn't say anything, for the moment. I felt a small poke in my mind and a British voice floated in. Relax. You can trust me. There is nothing to fear. I felt tingles up and down my arms, as the voice caressed my mind.

However, being afraid and being curious were two very distinct things, and I wasn't about to let some imaginary voice in my head distract me. Bryan raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" I blinked and then rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah... mind if I ask you a thing or two?" Bryan shrugged. "I'll answer if I can." I looked into his eyes. There's that dodgy answer, I was expecting... let's see what I can come up with...

"Well, first and foremost, there is something I've always wanted to know. Ever since I first met you... there's been this weird voice in my head, and sometimes my mind is foggy..." He stiffened beside me. I picked up my coffee and swirled it around a little, finishing it. "You somehow knew that vanilla bean was my favorite coffee, and you said that you couldn't give me any information as to why or how you entered my apartment. Call me crazy, but I think that you are a guy, with a lot to hide... either you're just extremely cautious, or you've got a secret that for some reason, you don't want me to figure out, yet, it just makes me all the more curious to know what you're hiding."

I heard a sigh to my right. I leaned back against the sofa and crossed my arms. Bryan sounded aggravated. That means he's hiding something... I paused, waiting for a response before I said anything else. He took a deep breath. "There is a lot that you want to know, and I don't think that there is enough time in a day to answer all your questions, Sofia."

I glared at him. "Is that the only thing I'm going to get out of you? A deflective answer?" I saw him clench his fist. "I'm not deflecting anything!" He yelled, making me jump. His eyes bore into mine and for a split second, they turned red. I leaned in closer to him, placing my hand on top of his for a brief moment. "Is the secret that you are hiding so frightening, that you can't bring yourself to give me an explanation to soothe my curiosity?"

He glanced down at the floor. "I..." He paused, seeming to look for the right words. "I just don't want to scare you off, that's all..." I raised an eyebrow. I momentarily glanced at the calendar on the kitchen wall. It was Sunday. School was back in session tomorrow.

I put a finger to my chin. I needed to get something out of him... "Do you want to come to the gas station with me? I don't need anything, but we can look around." I shrugged.

He grinned. "Actually, since today is the last day of Spring Break, how about we go somewhere fun?"

I smiled at him. "Okay, I'm up for that. Where should we go?"

Bryan pondered for a moment. "Do you enjoy bowling?" My eyes lit up. "Yes! Oh..." I looked down and noticed I was still in my pajamas, and I blushed. "Just give me a minute to change..." He nodded with a grin. "I'll be at my place, just come find me when you're ready." I nodded. "Okay."

Bryan showed himself out, and I ran upstairs to get changed.

I changed into some capri jeans and a pink crop top with a small knot at the bottom, that showed off my belly button, brushed my teeth, and was out the door in less than fifteen minutes.

*************************************************

"All right!" I laughed, landing another strike. Bryan clapped for me. "Nice job! That makes two now! One more and you'll have a turkey strike!" I laughed, shaking my head. "Why do they call three strikes a turkey strike? I'll never get it." Bryan laughed. "Maybe someone out there likes turkey and thought that it would be a good idea for bowling." We both laughed again.

The scoreboard showed that I was twenty points behind Bryan. Last turn. He walked over to me, grabbing a red bowling ball, and, with what seemed like little effort, threw the bowling ball straight down the middle of the pins, knocking them all down. "Yeah!" He jumped high in the air, and swooped me up in a hug. I laughed, as he spun me around. "Hey! You won! Great job, Bryan!" I high-fived him. "You did great!" He smiled at me. "Thanks! So did you."

I looked at the scoreboard, and grinned. "Want to play again?" Bryan sighed, sitting on the leather couch nearby. "Let's take a break. How about you tell me something interesting about yourself?" I giggled, taking my bowling shoes off for the moment. "Like what?" He shrugged. "How about we both share something we're afraid of?" I thought for a moment, then blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "You're going to think I'm crazy..." He smirked. "Try me."

"I'm afraid of vampires." He raised an eyebrow. "Vampires? Like Dracula?" I nodded. "Yeah, I know they don't exist, but they still seem really creepy." I rubbed my arms up and down. Bryan gazed at the floor, lost in thought. "Bryan?" He didn't respond. For a moment, I thought he had fallen asleep. "Bryan?" I shook his arm, a little, and he came to attention, with a yawn, and stood up, paying for a soda that he ordered from the concession stand.

He held the orange can out to me. "Here." I shook my head, taking my water bottle out of my bag. "Brought my own, but thanks... anyway, what are you afraid of?" He put a hand to his chin. "I would say... losing the people I love most... though that's not really a fear, it's more so..."

I took a sip of water. "You just don't like being alone, huh?" He shook his head. "Nope. I might enjoy it at first, but it really bothers me, just being alone with my thoughts." He looked into my eyes with a smile. "I guess... in a way... I'm glad we found each other. Let's try to make high school memorable... for our own sakes." I smiled back at him. He stood up, putting his own shoes back on. "Let's go somewhere else! The night is still young!" I laughed. "That soda really gave you energy."