Bad only lived about half an hour away. That meant that he didn't have to stay with us. He could just drive back home. That was a relief as we didn't actually have anywhere else for someone to sleep, and apparently it was also a relief for Sapnap, who was quick to ask Bad if he could crash with him. Obviously, Bad being the person he is, said yes.That left me and Dream alone. All the time. The only times we weren't were when Sapnap and Bad came over for dinner. And even that was sporadic. Sometimes Bad would be too busy to drive all the way to Dream's place. Other days they streamed together and Dream and I would watch it in silence on his phone.

Even though we had been left alone multiple times before—sharing a bed, going up to the hill under the stars, even just talking late at night— this time was different. We had never been left alone for a whole day, or three, or a week. Now that Sapnap was gone, there was no one to go to except Dream. And he was intimidating.

I wasn't quite sure how. He was just Dream; the silly dork who shot milk out of his nose when nobody even said anything funny. He was the easiest person to talk to. Mainly because he never judged. At least on actual serious topics.

But as he sat next to me in bed playing on his phone, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. It was almost like I was starstruck despite him being my best friend.

I had an idea of why that was, but I chose not to think too much on it. Mainly because if it were true and I dwelled on it for a moment too long, I'd probably spontaneously combust.

"Why are you staring?" He looked up at me, and my eyes immediately tore away from him and went to anything else I could find in the pitch black house.

"I'm not," I said, my entire body growing hot.

He blinked and said nothing in response for a moment. After what felt like a whole minute, he said,"You know, You've been acting weird lately," and threw the covers off himself and looped around his bed to his his closet. He opened it. "Come on, get up."

“Why?" I asked.

He turned to me and tossed me his green sweater. After grabbing another jacket, he walked over to the corner of the bed and picked Patches up.

"We're going to the park."

I looked over at the digital clock beside me. It was barely past twelve.

"Why?"

He looked at me, although I could barely make out his outline. I could just feel it.

"To loosen up. Come on." He threw open his bedroom door and walked out.

I followed, pulling his thick green sweater over my head as we walked down the hall. It was completely silent. Sapnap's snoring was no longer there. I kind of missed it. At least then I knew he was still there.

"Do you miss Sapnap?" He asked as if he read my mind. He walked me through the living room. Sapnap had taken Checkers, leaving the corner next to the couch empty and lifeless.

"Yeah. He really ditched us for Bad."

He laughed, opening the front door and holding it open for me.

"Wow, so gentleman-like of you," I said, and he let out a soft squeeze.
“​​Only for you, m'lady," He said.

"Oh, my God," I said, laughing. He did the same for the car door.

He did the same thing he did last time. He sat in the drivers seat and placed Patches down in his lap. Except this time, before starting the car, he turned to me.

 the same thing he did last time. He sat in the drivers seat and placed Patches down in his lap. Except this time, before starting the car, he turned to me.

"What's on your mind?"

1"Nothing."He scoffed, "Oh come on. Don't lie to me. You've been acting different since Sapnap left." He traced the markings on his steering wheel.
"No I haven't. You have."

He laughed and glanced at me. "I have not. You actively avoid me. Why?"
"I don't mean to," I said quietly.

He nodded softly and started the car.

"Well I miss you," He said as he drove out of the driveway. He said it in such a quiet way that is was almost like he didn't say it at all.

"You're just clingy."

He laughed, "I'm not, but I feel like I'm living alone again."

"I'm talking to you right now."

"I know, but," He turned down the radio, "You're just acting different. You're okay, right?"

"I guess." I stared out the window, watching everything pass by before my eyes. "I just feel weird.”

“Why?"

I looked over him, the streetlights above finally giving me a better look than his shadow. He had a bomber jacket over his pajamas, and he had one hand on the wheel and the other scratching Patches's head. She purred softly.

"I dunno," I mumbled. Of course aside from the fact that everytime I looked at him my heart raced and my stomach seemed to erupt into a weird tingle. The fact that I could barely talk to him without my chest becoming heavy with all the thoughts that I said something wrong. The fact that I'm experiencing something I had never experienced before and it is scaring me like crazy. Aside from all that, though, I had no idea.

"Well maybe this'll make you feel better. Maybe you're just nervous because it's officially been over a month and we're down to about fifty-something days left until our marriage."

"Maybe." That wasn't it.

He let the topic go after that when a song he liked came on. I rubbed my hands together to find them dampened with sweat. We hit the point where there were no more cars in sight, and he glanced at me before speeding up. He wasn't nearly as fast as he was last time. I wasn't complaining. I didn't fear death in the face this time. It was more enjoyable, especially since Dream rolled down the windows. He laughed as he caught me with a smile.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold the wheel!" He exclaimed.

"What?"
“Hold the wheel!" He took my hand and placed it on the steering wheel. "Keep it straight, kay?"

"There's a reason I don't have my license, Dream!"
"Chill, it'll only be for a moment." He unbuckled his seatbelt and gently placed Patches down on the center console. He took a deep breath before leaning over and sticking his head out the window. He was tall enough so that he could stick out almost half his body and still have his foot on the pedal.

"WOOOO!" He screamed from the outside. The wind blew his hair crazy, and he could barely keep his eyes open. The streetlights gave him a warm glow, and he had a huge smile on his face. We swerved a bit as I remembered that I was in control of the car. "THIS IS AWESOME!" He cried, laughing.

He was insane.

He sat back down, giggling as he buckled himself back up and took the wheel back.

"Your knuckles are white!" He teased. "What? Is this your first time holding a steering wheel?" His hair looked like it had just been swept by a tornado. The look in his eye was almost surreal, like it was all just a fantasy.
“You are such an idiot!"

4

"Don't knock it 'til you try it, George," He said as he rolled the windows back up. He slowed back down before rounding the corner into the empty parking lot.

180

We got out and he immediately grabbed my hand and dragged me into the park. The September air settled in. Autumn had arrived. A chill went down my back despite having on Dream's oversized sweater. Before we even got to the hill, I looked up. All the stars sparkled and twinkled. It was a new moon tonight, and it seemed to bring the stars out even more. I couldn't even bring myself to look away. Even with the clouds fogging up the skies, the stars still persisted.

We eventually made it up the hill and Dream laid down with his cat as if it were routine— although, it probably was. He looked lovingly at the stars, and his eyes twinkled like them too.

"Hey Dream?" I said.

"Mm?"

"Why'd you take me here again?"

He glanced at me and softly bit at his lower lip. "I just thought we needed to get out of the house for a bit."

I gave a short nod and laid down next to him. I didn't know any constellations, and I knew I wouldn't be able to find one on my own. The wind swept the hair in my eyes out of my face, and it gave me another shiver.
"It's cold out," I said.

"Yeah, a little." He turned his head to look at me. "Are you bored of me?"

"How could I be bored of you? All you do is annoy me."
He laughed, but it was small, maybe even a little forced.

"I'm not bored of you, Dream," I reassured. "I've just been feeling weird."

"Like sick?"

"No, like something I've never felt before."His eyes flickered and he took a deep breath, "Really? Like what?"

"Like..." I wasn't sure how to describe it, nor did I really want to. But when I looked in his eyes, it looked like a tiny child's eyes when they lost their mom in the mall. "Don't judge me, okay?"
“Of course not."

I hesitated. Was I even ready? Was I really about to tell Dream of all people about everything? About my feelings, about my thoughts. What if he felt the same way? At least if he didn't then that would mean none of this was real. That it was all just in my head. But something in the back of my mind told me it wasn't.

"I get nervous... around you," I said. "But I always want to talk to you as well. I can't describe it."

"R-Really?" He sat up, he was breathing heavier than usual.

"Yeah."

"Is it... do you like the feeling?"

"Um, I guess? It's a nice feeling, but it's an overwhelming feeling." The more I talked about it, the more real everything became. My stomach squirmed. "I just feel really really happy, I guess. That's how I feel, anyway."

"So happy it overwhelms you?"

"I guess."

He grinned sheepishly and stood up holding his hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me up on my feet.

"Look out there," He said, pointing forward to the panoramic view of the entire park. The baseball field lights were shining brightly, and it was blinding even from here. The trees swayed with the wind. It was truly a breathtaking view, even in the night. Dream wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his head on top of mine. He was so warm, and I felt so engulfed in the smell of the ocean. I let the tension go in my shoulders. I didn't even realize how tense I actually was until I just let go.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" He asked, swaying us both back and forth gently.

"Yeah." I didn't quite understand where he was going with this. I could feel him breathing, it was slow and deep.

"Can I tell you something?" He asked.

"Sure."

He took a deep breath. "I feel that way too."

My eyes widened, and my pounding heart jackhammered against my ribcage. "Wh-What?"

"I—uh—I feel the same," He repeated, as if I didn't hear it the first time.

"Oh, my God," I said, my mind whirling like crazy. I could feel all the stars rain down. That all the stuff Bad was spewing about the different degrees of love actually mattered. I could not be in love. I wasn't ready.

I broke out of his arms and turned around to face him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close. Our faces were only inches apart. I could feel his breath brush against my cheeks. I looked up at his eyes. He wasn't looking back at mine.

"George?" He mumbled.

"Yeah?"

He let a small smirk pull at his lips and he lifted his hand. He placed his index finger on the edge of my chin, and lifted my head slightly. Slowly, he pushed his lips against mine.

My stomach erupted into thousands upon thousands of butterflies. A tingling sensation crawled up my back. My entire brain became clouded and all I could think of was "Oh my God Dream is actually kissing me right now."

When he pulled away, he stayed close. Close enough to kiss me again. Our lips were only centimeters apart. But he smiled instead and laughed.

"What?" I said.

"Nothing." He backed up with the widest smile I had ever seen. "It's just that you're really cute when you blush."

He couldn't really talk. His face was so red that I could see it from here across the hill. Nonetheless, it still got me flustered, and I covered my face with my hands.

And then it settled in. Everything that had just happened. He kissed me. Dream actually just kissed me. But not just that. I liked it. This one was, and this is cliche, magical. It was like the stars aligned. Like nothing else in the world mattered.

That was absolutely terrifying.

Everything I had been trying to avoid came and punched me in the face. The quick glances, the blushing, him giving me his sweater— me wearing his sweater. All the things that I brushed off,
telling myself that he was just joking; that I was just joking. They weren't jokes anymore, nor was I sure if they ever were.

I liked Dream. I couldn't deny it anymore. I really really liked him. Just thinking about it made my head spin. I broke the one promise I told myself before getting on that plane a little over a month ago.

The moment ended, and we both stared at each other. This time I was the one to cut into the silence.

"Take me home?"He hesitated for a moment before letting out a brief, "Yeah." He scooped Patches up and led me down the hill.

My lips were still tingling, and it tasted of mint. I brought my fingers up to touch it, and he noticed.

But he didn't say anything. Was there anything to even be said? Everything was out in the open now. He loved me, and I just really really really really liked him. I didn't love him. I couldn't.

But if I did, then I had a hell of a storm coming for me, and I didn't have an umbrella.

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