Most of the time, I had my eyes closed throughout the movie. Looked like I wasn’t getting any sleep tonight. It was past midnight when Lexy and Seth left. Turning on all the lights in my room, I plopped into bed after I washed up.

Unable to sleep, I decided to check my phone. I had missed a call and a text from Liam. Watching the movie with my friends helped me forget about the fight we’d had, but seeing his text brought it all back; and I didn’t know what I was feeling at this moment.

I’m sorry I took off like that. I didn’t have the right to tell you what to do. I miss you. I’ll come by next weekend.

I texted him back. See you next Saturday. The best part of texting was that even though I was still mad, he didn’t know it. I would cool off by the time we saw each other again anyway. What was the point of arguing when I knew I couldn’t make Liam see my point?

The next text was from Emma. What are you doing? Hope you’re not having too much fun with Ellie. Just kidding. Miss you.

Miss you, too. Just saw a scary movie. I know. I’m crazy, but I did. Now I can’t go to sleep. Are you up?

With no response from her, I tried falling asleep while listening to music, but all I could picture in my mind was that girl in a white long dress. With long, black hair and dark evil eyes, she was all I could see when I closed my eyes. Popping my eyes open, I thought about sleeping in the living room. Maybe knowing Elijah was closer, I could fall asleep.

Taking my blanket and my pillow, I laid down on the sofa, but that didn’t make it any better. The humming from the fridge and noises I never noticed during the daytime were very evident now. A shadow that was most likely cast from the tree outside didn’t help the situation either. Looking at the clock on the microwave, I saw it was after three in the morning, so I resorted to my last option. I knocked on Elijah’s door with my pillow and blanket.

“Al…ex?” My name was drawn out in a question.

“Elijah, are you sleeping?” I asked timidly.

“Would I be answering if I was sleeping?” he asked, slightly chuckling.

Duh! “Umm…do you think you could sleep on the sofa? I mean…I can’t sleep.”

“Are you scared?”

I didn’t know how to answer. I sounded like a little girl. “Yes.”

“I’m not sleeping on the sofa. You can come in here.”

I pushed the door open and stepped inside his room for the first time. Elijah was laying on his bed, but his eyes were wide open. Though it was dark, the open blinds allowed the light from the streetlight to penetrate through.

Elijah’s room was about the same size as mine. It looked pretty much the same, except for different type of furniture. He had a desk and a dresser, and it was simple and clean for a guy’s room. There was nothing hanging on the walls—no posters, no paintings—just like mine. I assumed all of his clothes were hung up since there were none on the floor. He had some photos on top of his dresser, leaning against the wall without any picture frames. I’d planned to look at them in the morning.

“I didn’t know you were this scared,” he said, placing his arms behind his head. I could tell this was a mistake. He was giving me funny tingles just by the sight of his biceps flexing, and he was looking all dreamy.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I keep seeing that girl in my mind,” I said with a snort, as if it was the silliest thing to be said by a grown person. “Is it okay if I sleep on the floor?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I have a king-sized bed.” He patted the bed, gesturing me to come. “It’s large enough for the two of us.”

“A king-sized bed?!” I said a bit too loud. “Mine is only a full. You’re only one person. Why do you need a king-sized bed?”

“You really want an answer, Alex? You may end up dreaming about it.”

His naughty tone already told me I didn’t need to know. “Nope. No thanks,” I said quickly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite. Place your blanket on the edge of my bed and use mine. It’s not that cold tonight. You can use your pillow if you’d like.”

“O-kay.” I was hesitant, fidgeting, wondering if I should take up on his offer. “Thank you. I promise I don’t snore,” I giggled, trying to make this awkward situation better as I lifted my side of the blanket.

“I can’t promise you I won’t,” he said playfully. “If I do, just shift my head to the side.”

“Good night, and thank you,” I said softly.

“Good night, Alex. Think happy thoughts.”

Chapter 17

Elijah

I don’t know why I couldn’t fall asleep, but when I heard noises in the living room, I knew Alex was having a difficult time falling asleep, too. I was just about to go out there and ask her if everything was all right when I heard a soft knock at the door.

When Alex came in, she looked like a lost little girl. I wanted to comfort her. When she wanted to sleep on the floor, I’d offered her my bed. Big mistake. Now I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep for sure.

Closing my eyes, I tried to pretend she wasn’t here, but it was impossible when I felt her body shift from side to side. Turning to her, I could see her shuffling in and out of the blanket, trying to decide if she needed it.

“Alex. Are you asleep?” I whispered, trying not to wake her up just in case she was on the verge of falling asleep when she was finally laying still.

Alex turned to me, peering up to catch my eyes. “I can’t sleep. Do you think you could sing me a song?”