When I opened my eyes again, John was sitting on the floor next to the bed, asleep.

I had no idea what time it was, but it was completely dark outside. I reached out to wake him, but stopped halfway.

I watched him for a moment.

This guy was taking care of someone he did not even know that well, to the point of bringing me food, and even falling asleep while waiting for me to wake up, probably to make sure I ate what he had brought.

I could not remember anyone ever doing anything like that for me before.

How curious he was.

Just now, as I watched him sleep, it struck me as odd to see him so calm, so different from usual. He was almost always smiling and talking to everyone he could.

I tilted my head to get a better look, but when I did, I accidentally moved my knee and hit him on the head, making him fall hard forward.

I covered my mouth with both hands and opened it wide.

John whimpered and brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing it.

I could not help but burst out laughing, covering my mouth with the sheet to muffle the sound.

I pulled the covers over my head, unable to stop laughing.

When I finally stopped, I poked my head out from under the covers, wiping away a tear, and saw John taking what he had brought out of a cooler bag with a smile.

He looked up at me and smiled even wider.

"Finally, I hear your laugh. It's... like music to my ears," he said suddenly. "I like it."

I stopped smiling and lowered my head, embarrassed.

"Thanks, I guess," I replied.

"But it did hurt," he added, making me laugh again.

"Sorry, it was an accident," I said, trying to stifle a laugh.

He smiled and handed me a tupperware with food, but took it away before I could take it.

"You should sit down, I'll turn on the light." He stood up and went to turn it on.

I followed his advice, but not before setting Matt's jacket aside so it would not get dirty.

When he came back to me, I took the tupperware and held it close to my face so the smell would reach me directly.

It was chicken curry, and it smelled delicious.

John moved his hand near my feet as he watched me, waiting for me to fold them so he could sit down. I folded them, and he did.

We began to eat in silence.

"Do you always have chicken for dinner?" I asked, remembering that they had also made something with chicken the other day.

He had just put a bite in his mouth, so I waited until he finished chewing before answering.

"Not always, but it's easier to prepare."

"Is that so?" I replied, remaining silent again.

John finished before me and waited for me to finish too. When I took the last bite, he reached out and I handed him the tupperware.

"It was delicious." I paused. "Thank you, John."

He smiled and took it.

"I'll tell Mom." He placed it on top of his own and bent down to get the insulated backpack, putting them inside and closing it.

I had thanked him for everything he was doing for me, but I did not say anything.

As soon as he finished, he leaned back, lying down on the bed.

I smiled and drew my knees to my chest, hugging them with both arms. I rested my chin on them, still watching him.

My eyes drifted to Matt's jacket, and my smile slowly faded.

Thanks to John's visit, I had put what had happened behind me, but right now, in this silence, it all came flooding back.

Memories flooded my mind, blurring my vision, and I felt hurt, weak, and sad. So many negative feelings overwhelmed me; it felt like my heart could break at any moment.

I hated feeling this way.

I was not crying anymore, but the emptiness I felt was much worse.

"Is it... painful?" I suddenly heard.

I blinked a couple of times and fixed my gaze on John.

He was staring at me.

I had no idea if seconds or minutes had passed. His question had caught me off guard. If he had asked me that a few months ago, I probably would have told him to get lost for being nosy and asking silly questions. But now, I knew him well enough to know that he was not asking lightly.

His question was deadly serious, and he seemed genuinely concerned.

I tightened my grip on my legs and buried my head slightly in my arms, staring into space.

"Yes," I simply replied.

I could hear him sigh.

"I'm sorry...  I can't be of any help to you, Alex."

I turned to look at John, and he had a sad expression. I did not know what to say, so I did not.

We remained silent for several minutes, until I felt the urge to say a few words.

"It hurts... more than you can imagine." I clenched my teeth tightly. "I had everything, I was so happy."

I could see the future I had planned for myself crumbling into pieces.

John watched me, still lying down.

"Destiny is... Trash," I blurted out as my final sentence. I did not want to say anything more.

John sat down and leaned toward me, placing a hand on my head and gently stroking it in a comforting way.

"You don't mean it's a piece of shit, do you?"

My eyes widened at that. It was a rather strong word, but it definitely described it better, so I smiled slightly and nodded a few times.

He smiled back.

"If you say it's a piece of shit, then it is."

I smiled at that and then let out a small, dry laugh.

"It is," I declared.

We stayed in that position for so long that my legs started to go numb.

I let out a groan, and John abruptly stopped caressing me.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" he asked, alarmed.

I looked at him for a second, then smiled.

"It's just my legs, they went numb," I said, stretching them out until they touched his leg.

"Oh."

He pulled back the covers and stretched my legs over his.

"H-Hey..."

"Relax, I'll move them so it goes away."

Right now, John looked like a mother taking care of her little boy.

He started stretching and contracting my right leg, and as soon as he did, that annoying tingling started all over my leg.

"Oh my god. Stop, stop!" I whimpered.

He stopped immediately and looked at me.

"What is it?"

"The... tingling..." I said, not knowing if it had a proper name.

"Tingling...?" John pondered. After a second, he seemed to understand, and his expression changed from worried to playful.

"No..." I warned him, stretching out my hand and pointing at him. " Don't you dare."

He ignored my complaint and began to move my leg, making me let out a small yelp.

"Stop, stop it! Please, John!" I complained, laughing at the strange sensation in my leg.

I kicked to make him stop, but that only made it worse, so I stopped. I leaned forward and started hitting his arm, while he laughed and continued what he was doing.

"God, I'll kill you!" I said, still laughing involuntarily.

I leaned even further forward and curled my legs, using John's arm for leverage, managing to escape his grip.

I ended up with both hands on John's arm and my head pressed against it, catching my breath from laughing so hard.

I moved my leg slightly and the sensation returned, so I turned toward them and slowly started moving both feet until it passed.

Just in case, I stood up and walked in place. I sighed with relief and sat back down.

I looked back at John, who was forcing an innocent smile.

I looked at him reluctantly.

"You'll pay for this, remember that."

"You sound like a total mobster, how scary."

I lowered my head and laughed, shaking my feet, which were now dangling beside the bed. We had ended up sitting side by side.

I stared straight ahead.

When John went home, I would be alone again, and all those thoughts would come rushing back into my head like knives.

I did not want that at all.

I considered asking him to call his mother to come over, but I knew she would worry if she found out I was living here.

I glanced at him and swallowed.

"John."

He leaned forward, pushing himself up on his knees and turning to face me for a better look. I took a breath and met his gaze.

"Yes?" he asked, a little nervous, probably because of the way I was looking at him.

"Can you stay with me today?"