"So I'll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine to hold forevermore
And I'll savor each touch that I've wanted so much to feel before, to feel before
How beautiful it is
Just to be like this."
—I Wanna Be with You by Mandy Moore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes widened, and I caught my breath.

Leslie. Sophia. Burke. Was. Sleeping. Next. To. Me.

My face started heating up as I watched her slim body rise and fall. This was something I'd wanted for years: to be able to sleep in the same bed as Leslie.

I looked at her face again. The moonlight was seeping through the window, spilling over her skin, giving it an almost heavenly glow. A few years ago, Leslie had had chin-length hair, giving her a tomboyish look. Now, as her hair cascaded over her waist, it gave her a more womanly look. I smiled softly, taking in how much my best friend had blossomed over the years.

Maybe Leslie didn't notice that many boys started looking at her in awe since freshman year—including Groban. She'd also gained many friends and become one of the famous students at Lark Creek High. But she was still the same Leslie Sophia Burke. Of course, as Leslie's king and knight in shining armor at the same time, I'd always be there to protect her from evil and harm.

Taking notice of our position, I shuddered, taking a small breath. One of Leslie's legs was in-between mine, her head was settled right above my chest. Her fingers were gingerly pressed against my chest, and my free arm was hugging her waist, making Leslie closer to me. I just needed to relax.

But then again, you can't relax when the person you love is sleeping next to you.

The blanket was halfway down from our waists, and I got to see she was still wearing her dress but without the denim jacket to cover her shoulders. Gulping, I reached to caress her shoulder and arm with my free hand. As expected, my queen's skin was so soft. Feeling it against my fingers drove me crazy. She looked so beautiful and fragile at the same time.

I tilted my head downwards, and my nose softly collided with the top of her head. I froze, and my light breathing caught the scent of her strawberry-flavored shampoo. My heart rate sped up. Then my hand went to her angelic face, caressing it, and lightly touched her soft, pinkish lips.

This intimacy, the warmth, the smell of her hair, and feeling her skin with my fingers—I was intoxicated by all of them. I could hear Leslie's quiet breathing, and, for some reason, it made me feel even more comfortable and nervous at the same time.

However, there was still a small voice inside my head saying that I should stop what I was currently doing, but I knew full well I wasn't going to pass up such an opportunity when it was available.

Leslie doesn't love you back, though, said my pessimistic side.

I lightly shook my head and turned to gaze at Leslie again, realizing how close our faces were. Then her green eyes were staring at me all of a sudden. I froze, waiting for her reaction. The expression on her face, however, wasn't one of contempt or discomfort. Instead, she seemed to be amused.

I smiled uncertainly, nervous. "I...um...h-hey, Les." And I didn't find it weird why in the world my best friend was here in the first place, but I still had to ask her later.

Leslie smiled back dreamily. "Hey, Jess." Then her eyes suddenly widened and she sat up straight like she'd been electrocuted. "Er, I'm sorry, Jess. I—"

"It's okay, Les. I don't mind. Lie down again." I didn't know where I was getting my bravery. All I knew was that I wanted her near me.

Leslie did so, but moved a little and rested her head on my pillow instead. I felt a little disappointed that she didn't put her head back on my chest.

I looked at the clock on the wall.

2:39 a.m.

"You slept early," she started.

I'd already expected she'd say that, but I still couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Y-yeah. You know what, er, household chores c-could do to you." And I was lying again.

There was something in Leslie's expression that I saw for the first time, but I couldn't quite grasp it. Did she know I was lying to her? The guilt was bubbling in my chest.

Not now.

I tried to change the subject. "How did you end up here, anyway?"

"Why? Am I not allowed to know what my king was doing yesterday?" she asked in a mockingly angry tone.

A chuckle escaped my lips. "I know that. What I meant was how did you end up sleeping here?"

I noticed Leslie blush slightly, but it was probably because of embarrassment. "Well, May Belle and Joyce Ann insisted that I should sleep here, 'cause there were only three of you in the house, and I relented," she explained. "I asked permission from my parents, and it was fine with them. Your two sisters also said that I should sleep here in your room, since it's more spacious than their room."

A wistful smile slid across my face, and I started stroking my hand slowly on my queen's golden hair. I felt her tense, but relaxed after a second. "Thank you, Les. I really appreciate it. You know what? I had a sweet and beautiful dream."

Her green eyes widened with interest. "Same here, Jess. There was this warmth of light in my dream that I didn't intend to let go."

I grinned. "Really? Whoa! That was also my dream. And it felt so comforting, peaceful, and happy. Don't you think so?"

Leslie giggled, and I missed hearing that right in front of me. "Maybe that's the reason why we ended up hugging each other while sleeping, huh?"

I suddenly felt embarrassed. "S-sorry—"

"No, Jess. Don't be sorry," she said softly. "'Sides, you and I know full well that we feel safe whenever we're together, right?"

I closed my eyes, contented. "Right."

"Maybe we should do this more often," Leslie said after a moment of comfortable silence. My eyes widened in shock, but she made it sound like a joke than a statement. I wasn't really sure. I hoped it was the latter.

Before I could reply, I was interrupted by a growling sound, causing her to laugh lightly.

"What, my queen?" I stared at Leslie with a look of innocence. "I haven't eaten my dinner yet."

Leslie grinned, and I did my best not to kiss her on the lips. "Well, my king, there's still pizza left for us in the fridge. We shall eat it."

 ╪ ╪ ╪

I yawned while copying the equations that were written on the board in my notebook. Mrs. McLean, our thirty-five-year-old geometry teacher, wasn't in the room at the moment because she had to get something important from the principal's office.

"You look tired," Sarah stated helpfully.

"Gee, thanks," I deadpanned.

She giggled while fishing something from her pocket. "Here, I have an extra energy bar. Take it."

"Oh, um, no—"

"Really, Jesse, it's fine. And besides, you look like you're going to bang your head on the desk any second now."

What Sarah had said was true, since I felt very lightheaded. All that talking with Leslie while eating pizza until four-thirty in the morning had been so fun that we'd almost forgotten we still had school in less than three hours. Weird, though, because she hadn't brought up anything about her tutoring session with Nigel Groban, like she'd forgotten about it. I hadn't dared ask her about it. I mean, the guilty feeling would resurface, and maybe I'd have to lie to her again. Don't get me wrong, I really did feel guilty that I'd lied and pretended to my queen, but I'd tell Leslie the truth soon—when the time was right for me.

I shyly accepted her energy bar. "T-thanks, Sarah."

Sarah beamed. "You're welcome, Jess." I noticed she was nice whenever Leslie wasn't around. But if I asked her about their rivalry, maybe she'd say that I was snooping around or something.

I sighed mentally. Can't Leslie and Sarah ever get along?

"Um, Jess?"

"Yeah?" I said while tearing the wrapper.

"You're great when it comes to art, right? Oh, heck. Why did I even ask that? Of course you're great at art. I've seen your wonderful works at the school's art room!" Sarah exclaimed.

I rapidly turned to her. "Wait, what?"

"Anyway, have you read The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Um, actually, I've read all of the Narnia books, and I love them." And my queen loves them, too, I silently added.

Leslie had lent her Narnia books to me years ago, and she'd said she derived Terabithia from Terebinthia: a sovereign island-kingdom in the Great Eastern Ocean from the book series.

Sarah started twirling a lock of hair using her fingers. Why did most girls like doing that? "Well, can you do me a favor? Oh, I'm not bribing you or anything because of the energy bar."

"Uh, er, okay," I relented, unsure of what else to say. "And that is...?"

"Can you draw the Dawn Treader for me? I'm sure you know what that is."

"Of course. That's the Narnian ship Prince Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, and the others used to sail beyond the Lone Islands and on to the unknown Eastern Ocean to seek the Seven Great Lords."

Sarah blinked. "Er, I don't know anything about the Lone Islands and the Seven Great Lords, but yes, that's the ship all right. I didn't even know you were such a Narnia fan, Jess. You really are the perfect person for my favor. My younger brother would definitely approve of you."

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"Anyway, it's his birthday this Thursday, and, well, he totally loves Narnia. And one of his favorites in the books is that ship. I thought a drawing of it might be a perfect gift for my younger bro, since he said that for his eighth birthday he wanted something unusual for a gift. My brother's demanding, I know, but I still love him." She giggled. "That's the kind of gift I can think of, so if it's fine by you..."

I smiled lightly. There was nothing wrong with her favor, right? "It's fine by me, Sarah. No problem. I'll start drawing the ship after school."

Sarah smiled back. "Really? Thank you so much, Jess! So, how much?"

I stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

"How much for the drawing?"

Shaking my head, I told her, "No need for payment. It's for your brother, anyway."

"But I'm sure all of your drawings are worth a fortune!"

I felt embarrassed because of her praise. Though my drawings of Leslie Burke were the only ones I considered worth a fortune. "Think of it a-also as my g-gift to him."

Sarah grinned. "Okay, you win," she relented. "Say, can you draw it at my place after school? If you don't have plans later, that is."

At her house? Maybe Leslie wouldn't mind if I told her the reason why I'd go to Sarah's house after school. "I don't have plans later. Sure."

Her eyes brightened. "That's great! I'll see you in front of the building after school, all right?"

"All right."

  ╪ ╪ ╪  

"Princess! Oh, Princess!" the queen called for me in a girly tone.

"Y-yes, Mother! What is it?" I asked, my voice unusually higher and embarrassed.

"Tonight is, um, your sixteenth birthday party. Hurry up and get, er, dressed."

Despite my embarrassment, I hid a smirk. "Yes, Mother."

The queen exited the scene, and the narrator, who was Alice, told her lines. After that, she nodded at me, indicating that it was my turn to speak. I was pretending to sew clothes while sitting in a chair, and then I noticed a spinner. I went to it, clearing my throat. "My! I w-wonder what t-t-this i-is..."

I touched the spinner's needle. "Aaahhhhh," I said in a monotone and flopped onto the floor.

"What's my line here again? Oh, right." The queen coughed. "My princess is dead! My darling Princess Aurora!" The queen kneeled down and pretended to sob. "Hu-hu-hu!"

I took a peek to see the queen, and I couldn't help chuckling to myself. Seeing this person like this was so awkward. But then again, we were currently in the same situation.

Joenabie Wolff, Kezia Randall, and Chaelly McGuire—who were the Three Fairies—appeared and came to our side.

"No, your Majesty," Kezia said. "Princess Aurora is only asleep..."

"Just like my gift from sixteen years ago," Chaelly continued.

"Now, all we can do is wait for the right prince who will awaken Princess Aurora," Joenabie finished.

"And cut!" Ms. Thompson declared. "Great job, everyone! Though, Jesse, dear, put more emotions in your lines and practice more so that you'll not stutter in what you're gonna say. And, Scott, dear, you should really memorize your lines. You always keep forgetting them. But overall, a job well done. Props team, please come forward!"

I just nodded while Scott said, "Yes, Ms. T-Thompson."

I smiled teasingly at Scott Hoager. Yep, he was the queen. "How come you agreed to this? Is it because of the fifty points deduction?"

Scott glowered at me. "Shut up, Jesse. Even I can't do anything about it, can I? We're being blackmailed by that no-good teacher."

Gary Fulcher was suddenly by Scott's side. "Actually, Jess, Scott didn't back out because he has a crush on Ms. Thomp—"

Gary didn't get to finish his sentence, because Scott got a random book from someone's desk and slammed it into his face. I winced at the impact. "Watch your mouth, Gary. How many times do I have to remind your stupid brain that I don't have a crush on her?"

Gary snickered while rubbing his nose. "Yeah, right. We can perfectly see your invisible pink cheeks."

"Scott, dear, can you come here for a second, please?" Ms. Thompson called before Scott could reply. He gave Gary and me a death glare before walking away like a robot.

Gary smirked at me. "Well, what do you know? He really does have a crush on her."

I smirked back. "Yeah, but it's not his fault that Ms. Thompson's beautiful. She's not my type, though."

"I guess I have to agree on that," he said, then walked away to join the discussion of the props team, since he was one of them. I suddenly remembered Ms. Edmunds, my former crush when I was in fifth grade. She was still teaching at Lark Creek Elementary School, and Leslie and I visited her sometimes.

"What's your type on a girl, then?" someone whispered in my ear. I suddenly backed away, and then realized it was just Sarah.

She giggled. "You're so cute whenever you're surprised, Jesse. Sorry 'bout doing that to you, though. So, what's your type on a girl?"

I blushed furiously. This was the first time someone had asked me that kind of question. What's my type on a girl? Intelligent, creative, beautiful, and can make the sun's rays pass through the dark, gloomy clouds. Hey, that's Leslie Burke! "Um, I-I don't k-know..."

Sarah's eyes were weirdly twinkling. "Hmmm, really? Anyway, don't forget 'bout after school."

"D-don't worry. I won't."

The bell rang, and then Ms. Thompson dismissed us.

"See you later, Jess," Sarah said cheerfully and winked at me before heading out of the door. What was the wink for? I just nodded and smiled a little.

I noticed Leslie was following Sarah with her gaze, frowning. Then she turned sharply to me, her green eyes narrowing. "Is there something I should know about, Jesse?"

I cringed at her tone, which seemed like she was accusing me of something I didn't know. Oh, right. I still didn't tell her about Sarah's favor. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Well..." I faltered. Suddenly, I had a good idea.

Well, I really hoped it was a good idea.

"Les, I have something important to tell you."