"hav?" i asked, breaking the comfortable silence. he sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, no longer taking refuge in the little corner of my ward.

"yes, ava?" hav replied, lifting his head and catching my eyes. i shivered at the intensity of his glowing eyes, still not used to how bright they were.

"are you feeling better?" i asked quietly. the nightmare i had the night before after hav left really shook me up, and i was beginning to question and doubt the real intentions of the nurses and greg. were they really poisoning us?

it would explain why i never seemed to really get better. i was always weak and tired.

"a little," he said. "i stopped taking the medicine. but it's only a matter of time before they realise."

unconsciously, i nodded. it was only a matter of time. i just hope i don't get scolded again. i don't mean to be bad.

"hav?" i said again, a little more hesitant. he seemed to hear the uncertainty in my voice, and i heard him close the book. he lifted his head again, gracing me with his eyes.

"yes, ava?" he said softly, his voice so soft it felt like a gentle caress on the skin. i swallowed, feeling my palms get sweaty. he made me so nervous!

"can you let me see how you look like?" i mumbled under my breath, staring down at the blanket. hav was so quiet that i was almost certain he somehow teleported out of the room, and when he finally spoke i jumped in fright from the sudden noise.

"i look weird," he muttered. "you won't want to be my friend if you saw how i looked like."

"we're...friends?" i said, eyes widening slightly. the word alone sent butterflies into my tummy, a warm feeling spreading across my chest. hav thinks we're friends?

"aren't we?" he replied, hesitantly. immediately, i quickly nodded my head and smiled widely even though he probably couldn't see me in the dark. 

"we're friends," i said loudly, the grin on my face spreading further. i felt so happy, like i was on top of the world, because i finally have a friend! and he was real too, a real friend.

"friends," hav said softly, gently, as if he knew exactly how i felt right now. giddy and full of warmth.