The rain let up some and we left the house and got into his car after that. I didn’t see Leah during my swift departure, and for that I was relieved. She was stunning, but I had a feeling she hadn’t wanted me at the house. Most of the drive to my house had been silent. Neither of us really knew what to say to each other, but I decided to break the silence by asking about Leah. He almost laughed.

“Leah is a housemate. We used to be really close, but we grew apart. I’m sorry if she was rude to you. She’s always like that, so I hope you didn’t take it too personally.”

“I sense something went on between you two,” I said teasingly with a slight smirk.

Daniel snorted and shook his head. “Far from it. I think it’ll make more sense for me to assume something is going on between you and that guy I saw in your bed. What? Twice?”

I blushed and covered my face with my hands. It was still sinking in that my mysterious visitor and Daniel were one and the same. “There isn’t. But we are very close friends. He is the first friend I made after moving here. So, no, it wouldn’t make sense. Although, hypothetically speaking, if you and Leah were a thing-”

“Ugh, never,” he protested.

“Fine. If you had a girlfriend, she would have more to be jealous about.”

“Oh?” he asked. “How so?”

“I mean, you’ve come to see me almost every night this week, you chased away my ex-boyfriend, and you were jealous the night you saw someone else in my bed.” I looked at him. “I’m pretty sure that anyone would think there is something going on here.” I gestured between the two of us.

“Okay, okay,” he said in defeat. “You have a point.”

It was nice speaking to him so easily. I wondered if he was only closed off before because he was hiding his secret identity. Today was the first time I heard him talk so much, and the more we talked, the more relaxed he seemed and the more at ease I felt also.

When he dropped me off, he gave me one of his hoodies to put on because the rain had started coming down heavier on the journey and he had taken the last umbrella from the car without replacing it. I did remember that we had walked to the car from the house without difficulty. He hadn’t driven off until I had closed the front door.

Leanne must’ve gone out because her car wasn’t parked out front. Her shifts changed so much at the hospital that I couldn’t keep track, so I didn’t know if she was supposed to be working. I heard laughter from the living room thinking it must be Zayne and his friend. I had forgotten all about the new guest we’d have in the house. I followed the laughter to the living room where the first thing I found Zayne and a guy I didn’t recognize watching TV.

He looked older than Zayne, had sandy blond hair, and had a boyish grin plastered on his face as he commented on what they had been watching. He was gesturing to the TV when Zayne held his hand and kissed it. The blond smiled and leaned in close, kissing Zayne’s nose, then cheek, then eventually finding his lips.

I froze as I watched the scene play out in front of me. They obviously hadn’t realized I was there, and I didn’t know whether to hurry past them or turn back around and pretend I hadn’t yet entered the room. Instead of trying to make a smart decision, I coughed and the two pulled apart looking like deer caught in headlights.

“Nina, I didn’t want you to find out like this,” Zayne said quickly, getting up from the couch and walking towards me.

“Find out what?” I asked, looking at him and the boy who looked both worried and frightened. “Are you cheating on your girlfriend?” I whispered.

“Did she just say girlfriend?” the blond asked quietly.

The accent. I’d assumed Zayne had been nervous about bringing a girl home, but seeing the boy, maybe I was wrong. He had to be the friend from London.

“Can I just explain?” Zayne said before anything got out of hand. He sat us both down on the couch, and I hugged my bag in my lap when he begged for no interruptions. “I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said slowly, looking pointedly at his friend then at me. “Baby, I told you I was dating someone back in London, but I never mentioned if it was a boy or a girl. Nina,” he took a deep breath. “I’m gay. Austin is my boyfriend.”

I knew he asked for no interruptions, but even if he didn’t ask, I wouldn’t have known what to say. I was the one who automatically assumed that it was a girl. “Both of us started uni, and I didn’t want Austin to have to pay for the dorms so I figured he could come stay with us. Leanne knows everything.”

I tried saying something, but no sound came out of my mouth. My best friend was gay, and I didn’t know. How did I not know? Why did I not know?

“Nina, please say something,” Zayne begged, and I could’ve sworn his voice had cracked.

“I don’t have a problem if you’re gay, Z,” I started out to put him at ease. “I just… I’m wondering why you never told me. We’ve been friends for years. Have I ever done or said anything to make it difficult for you to talk to me about this?” I asked, concerned. In my mind, I tried to go through all our conversations and messages, but it was impossible.

The two exhaled the breaths they’d been holding. Zayne leaned forward to hug me tightly. “I’m sorry, baby. I overthought coming out to you. I won’t hide anything from you again. I promise. My parents didn’t take it well and I let that scare me into not telling you.” He gestured for Austin to come closer. “Austin, this is my best friend in the whole world, Nina. Nina, this is my boyfriend, Austin,” he said, finally introducing us properly.

“Nice to meet you, finally,” I said. “I have no idea why I thought you were a girl. If I had known you were a guy, I’d have teased Zayne properly.”

“Watch out for this one,” Zayne warned Austin. “Don’t give her any ammunition.”

We exchanged funny stories and England experiences, ate our Indian food, and watched movies as Austin and I got better acquainted. Zayne asked me about the sweatshirt, and I just told him that I borrowed it from someone because it was raining, but I could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out whose sweatshirt I could have borrowed since I didn’t have that many friends.

Drunk on shrimp biryani, masala chai, and anything we could find for snacks in the kitchen, I was yawning my head off by half past midnight. I’d gotten up hours earlier to shower and change into something more comfortable after eating so I was already dressed for bed. Cris had come down for a few hours but had retired before the clock struck twelve.

“Bedtime, Nina baby,” Zayne teased.

“I’m not a baby,” I countered.

“Don’t argue. Let’s get you to bed,” he said, lifting me up bridal style and carrying me to my room. Placing me on my bed, he thanked me for being so okay with his relationship.

I smiled, reaching up to smooth the lines between his eyebrows. “Are you worried about something?”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m scared. Austin is my first real boyfriend, and even though I’m attracted to him in every way possible, it’ll take me a while to be open about our relationship.”

“How long have you guys been dating?” I asked, sitting up and leaning back on my hands.

“Three months and five days,” he said quickly, and I thought it was great how he seemed to be counting. Most guys at my school couldn’t tell you if they had been in a relationship for three weeks or three months, much less down to the day.

“Were you open about everything when you were in London?” I asked, pulling my knees up to my chest and looking at him. I could almost see his internal battle.

“I didn’t care if anyone saw us. Those people didn’t know me, and I wasn’t going to stay in London forever. But here…” he paused and sighed. “Here, I know almost everyone around. My parents didn’t take it very well. And you know how they are. They blamed me having grown up in America and threatened to send me to London or Sana’a. They used to threaten to send me back to Yemen whenever I misbehaved. If I came home with a boyfriend, they’d ship me off in no time.”

“Zayne,” I started, resting my head on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I love you and so does Leanne. In fact, I love you even more now that I know another part of you. If someone says anything to you, tell me and I’ll break their kneecaps.” He smiled at that. “They’d just be jealous that you’re taken. Shit, even I’m jealous.”

We sat there in comfortable silence for a little while. I was happy that Zayne came out to me. After a few minutes, he stood, stretched, and decided to go to bed. He left me with a kiss on the forehead and a goodnight.

As soon as he left, I found myself looking at the window for any sign of Daniel. It felt strange knowing that he was the one who had been visiting me at night. I lay in bed and tossed and turned for an hour. The neighbors were yelling again. This time about who wore their wedding ring more, and who thought who was ashamed of their marriage. The squabbling had gotten too much, and I had long tuned them out.

Taking out my phone, I checked my e-mail and socials, anything else to keep me occupied while I waited for sleep to come. It was odd since I was so tired before, but suddenly couldn’t fall asleep. The only new thing was an email from my manager about work which reminded me of how much I didn’t check my emails. It was another result of having been drifting along for months without taking active part in my own life.

“Photo shoot on Wednesday at 1:45. You’ll meet your partner then. –Louis”

Confusion washed over me at first but then dissolved as I recalled having a related conversation with Louis. He was thinking of having me work alongside an up-and-coming model for a few shoots for extra publicity for the both of us. I wondered what the person would be like.

Most of the models I met had an arrogant and entitled air about them that I didn’t like, so I tended to stay away from them. There were rare ones that were incredibly shy, and then there were those who were very confident, and outgoing, and proud who I got along with well. I had hoped to reach their level of confidence while modeling, but I wasn’t quite there yet.

“Hey.”

I sat up quickly, ready to reach for anything I could get my hands on to defend myself. But I had nothing to fear. It was Daniel.

“Hey,” I greeted, glancing at the clock. It was very late.

Daniel pushed back the hood of his jacket for the first time since he’d been coming to see me. He smiled slightly, breaking his usual nonchalant façade, and crossed his arms over his chest. A glint just above his folded arms caught my eyes. Pendants on a chain around his neck reflected the moonlight. They looked antique. “You always had that?” I asked, pointing at the necklace.

He glanced at it, lifting it from where it hung around his neck. “Yeah, I always have it on.”

“May I?” I asked.

Daniel hesitantly undid the clasp behind his neck and dropped the necklace in the palm of my hand. The chain was silver and had two pendants hanging from it. One was a cross that was intricately carved with a dark gem at the top that had a blue-green shimmer in the moonlight. The second pendant was a pointed shield crest with writing in a language I didn’t understand. The complex design in the middle was of a tree. The name ‘Catalano’ was etched into it at the back.

“Family heirloom?”

“You can say that,” he said with a shrug. I shivered a little, and he went over to close my window. “Damian has one too.”

“It looks ancient, but I like it,” I said, giving it back. I pulled the covers closer to my chin and pat the space beside me.

“Nina-”

“I think I would be less freaked out by what you told me today if I got to know you a bit better. Don’t you think?” I asked. It was a very informal and albeit odd way to get to know someone, but it was the only thing that came to mind in the moment.

“There’s really nothing to know,” he said.

“I doubt that. Come on, I can’t sleep and you’re already here.”

“You should try to sleep. It’s late.” The look in his eyes told me there was no way he was going to give me what I wanted easily so I was already mentally preparing myself to work for it. “It’s late.”

“I’m aware,” I said to him. “Just like I’m aware the person who has been coming to see me is not a complete stranger. And I should be grateful. The thing is I don’t know what the difference is.”

“Ouch,” he muttered. “I’m better than some stranger.”

“But I don’t know that though because I don’t know you as well as I should to feel at ease that you’re the one I am to thank for the brave rescue. Common sense is telling me I should lock my windows at night from now on.” When he got quiet, I added. “You could have gotten seriously hurt and I never got a chance to thank you properly that night. So, thank you, Daniel.”

“You’re welcome,” he said softly, toying with the pockets of his jacket. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“I want to be your friend, but I can’t do that if you won’t let me.” I tucked my hair behind my ears and wrapped my arms around my knees. “The only thing I can think of when you cross my mind is that you’ve watched me sleep. Is that all you want me to remember?”

He swallowed audibly. “And if I talk to you, I’ll be more than that?”

I nodded. “It doesn’t have to be too personal. I’m not asking for your deep, dark secrets or your life’s story.”

He had a look of contemplation on his face for a few silent moments. “I’m from Italy,” he started.

I changed my position so I was sitting up against my headboard, patting the spot next to me again to invite him to join me. I listened as he told me a few things about himself, a bit distracted by his lips. I’d never noticed how pink they were until I could make them out even in the darkness with only the moonlight casting its glow into my room.

Soon, I was falling asleep to the lull of his voice. I didn’t have the same nightmare that I usually did. Instead, my dreams were filled with the sound of broken glass zipping through the air.