The morning light pierced yellow through the windows. Audrey rubbed her eyes and groggily sat herself up. Tying her short hair in a messy bun, she turned to Eli. He glanced up at her sleepy figure before returning to his book. "Do you sleep?" She asked jokingly, not realizing that the true answer was 'no'.

Throwing off her blanket, Audrey scooted closer to Eli, looking over his shoulder. "Is it a good book?" She asked. Eli could feel her breath on his neck, she was so close. Didn't it bother her? To be so close to a stranger? "Well, I've read it 7 times, so-"

"7 times?" Audrey guffawed, leaning closer still to try and see the words. "I wouldn't read a book more than once if I didn't have to," She sighed, "English really wasn't my subject." Eli nodded and tapped his book nervously. Had a girl that wasn't related to him ever been this close to him? He knew the answer.

Audrey's phone buzzed twice and she jumped to her backpack and took a different pill. Eli noted this one was orange, larger. She needed bottled water to swallow it. Nothing about this seemed right, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. Audrey suddenly yawned and scooted back over to Eli. "Read it to me?" She asked in a sweet, tired voice.

"Y-you said you don't like books." Eli reminded her cautiously.

"No, I don't like reading. I like to listen. I like people's voices." Audrey corrected, throwing in her big hazel eyes for good measure. Eli decided it wasn't in certain lights, no, it was everywhere. In all lights, Audrey was radiant. The prettiest girl he'd ever encountered. She wasn't wearing makeup.. Was she ever wearing makeup? Or had he made that up to disprove her perfection?

"I'm halfway through the book." Eli tried again. Audrey rubbed her eyes, her morning pill made her drowsy and she needed to keep resting. But, she wouldn't say this. "I don't mind."

****

For twenty minutes, Eli was paralyzed. Audrey had fallen asleep on his shoulder. This much physical contact was new and scary. He wasn't sure if he should enjoy it, but his heart was beating too fast. She'd fallen asleep after three pages, her head slowly falling to rest on his shoulder, and her eyes slowly drooping to a close.

Audrey craved physical contact. She already missed her Mom. She was used to talking singing, hugging, hair stroking. And, although she couldn't help how drowsy her medication made her each morning, she could help finding Eli's shoulder.

She liked how soft the sweater was, how it felt on her cheek and the scent of an unfamiliar detergent and deodorant. She breathed it in and decided he smelled like fresh linen and nutmeg before nodding off to sleep.

The more Eli thought about her shallow breaths hitting his neck, the redder his cheeks got. He couldn't wake her. He just couldn't. Her soft curls tickled the back of his neck. Her breathing was shallow and strange. Like she was breathing in an odd pattern. Not like in, out. Like, in, in, in, out out, in, in, out. As if, in her sleep, she couldn't quite catch her breath.

When the bus finally came to a stop, they were stuck in a small town, surrounded by nature, for four hours. Everyone filed out of the bus. Eli waited momentarily, gingerly tapping Audrey on the shoulder. She stirred, then blinked awake. Pulling her head from his shoulder, she smiled shyly. "Sorry." She giggled, stretching and getting up.

Audrey fed two dollars into the machine and stepped into the tiled shower. It wasn't exactly glamorous, but she was grateful for any shower, bus station or not. A few older ladies chatted at the mirrors, drying their hair and complaining about itchy seats. Audrey coughed and rubbed the palm of her hand over her heart, clearing her throat.

As Eli helped Audrey put her suitcase back into the bus, she noticed his change of clothes, still in a sweater, despite the lovely day. His hair was slightly wet and curled at the ends where he'd showered. "Still cold?" Audrey asked. Eli pushed his hands into his sweater pockets and shrugged.

She was wearing a dress again, green with black polka dots. She grabbed his arm as they started walking, startling him. "Sorry," Audrey said quietly. "I'm just dizzy." She noticed the crinkle in his brow, the concerned look on his face. "I mean, because I'm hungry." She added. Another half truth. He simply nodded and lead the way to a small cafe.

"Still got two hours." Audrey commented as they walked back to the bus. There was no response. "Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked. Eli looked out to the wooded area that she was poised towards, and back to the bus. She frowned. "Aw, come on. After this we have to be sitting forever."

Reluctantly, Eli agreed. "Great! Just hold on." Audrey rushed up the steps of the bus and to the back, discreetly taking another pill and grabbing her second blanket. She brought it out triumphantly. "Now we can find a place to sit."

****

The sun shone through the tall trees in the woods, creating a yellow glow around them. It didn't look real. It looked like a cartoon. Eli shook his head and watched Audrey walking, her steps inexplicably light, her eyes so alive, taking in everything in silence. He smiled to himself, finding out that she actually could enjoy things in silence.

Audrey watched out for a clearing to sit in among the trees and logs and moss. She coughed into her arm and saw a sprinkle of blood, quickly using the blanket to rub it away.

Once Audrey had found it, the perfect spot, Eli helped her smooth out the blanket, and they both sat. Audrey watched him cross his legs to mimic hers. She smiled and couldn't help but watch the sun bounce off of his hair, the sun, she thought, and looking down to his freckled face, and the stars.

"So, what should we do?" Audrey asked. Wordlessly, Eli pulled out a book and waved it in front of her. "Okay," She smiled, laying down on the blanket and closing her eyes. Eli watched in bewilderment, as she opened one eye and stared at him. "What?" He asked.

"You're going to read to me, right?" She asked, as if it were that obvious, as if that was something that he did, that they did now. "Okay." He could only get out that word, "It's just- this isn't the same book. It's a poetry book." He watched her close her eyes and smile again. There was a small pause. "Go on."

Eli drew in a shaky breath and read the first poem he saw. "I see nothing. We may sink and settle on the waves. The sea will drum in my ears. The white petals will be darkened with sea water. They will float for a moment and then sink. Rolling over the waves will shoulder me under. Everything falls in a tremendous shower, dissolving me."

"I liked that one. You have a good reading voice." Audrey commented, and Eli's heart fluttered. "Who was that?"

"Virginia Woolf. She's one of my favorites." Eli said, heart still fluttering in a way that he was extremely afraid of and unfamiliar with. "Can you read another one of hers?" She asked, eyes still closed, hands folded over her stomach.

"Alone, I often fall down into nothingness. I must push my foot stealthily lest I should fall off the edge of the world into nothingness. I have to bang my head against some hard door to call myself back to the body."

Audrey was on her elbows now, propping herself up and staring right into his eyes. He looked up from the book, immediately locking eyes with her. "She's good." A simple statement, breathed out. "I'd never be able to-" Audrey trailed off, sitting herself back up and crossing her legs again.

"Yeah." Eli said, putting the book down. "She- uh..." Eli rubbed his hands together uneasily, "She's gotten me through some bad times. It's always good to know other people have felt the same." He looked down, cheeks red, utterly mortified that he had just said anything like that.

When he finally looked back up, though, Audrey was still looking right at him, the softest look on her face. She was overwhelmed by a feeling she couldn't place, and suddenly leaned forward to kiss him. It was soft, sweet, and quick. She pulled away, eyes fluttering open, only an inch from his face.

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, but despite his nerves, he tentatively leaned forward and kissed her again.