Chapter 35- Taunting Sleepovers

[] A M E L I A []

It was when I changed into my pajama's and got ready for bed, that the event's of today kicked in. Instead of heading to bed, I sighed and went over to sit down by the big windowsill in the far corner of the room.

For the first time in a while, I thought of Levi and Brittany.

For once, I tried to remember them as my brother and best friend, and not 'killer' and 'murdered'.

I don't know if that was wrong of me to do so. All I know is that for once, I wanted to reminisce the times before the incident four years ago.

It wasn't hidden that Levi was in love with Brittany since before any of us could remember. Although Levi was a year older than us, we all went to the same elementary, middle, and even high school. And since Brittany was over at our house almost every other day, they had also developed a strong bond.

I noticed that he always tried to impress her. He always did what she liked and always adhered to her requests. Levi was a lost puppy when it came to Brittany.

He told me when when I was 12 and he was 13, that he was in love with my best friend.

At first, I took it lightly. I didn't think that love could exist at such an age. I didn't even properly know what it was. But he insisted it was real. He was so sure that he loved Brittany with all his heart.

So he tried harder. He tried to be the guy she wanted. But she never noticed him that way. For her, Levi had always been a friend, and more than that, just my brother. He was like family to her. So when Levi asked her out just before heading to high school, she rejected him.

The next year came and went by in a breeze. Before we knew it, Brittany and I were in high school. Instantly, Brittany and I were the attention of many people. We had already been somewhat popular in middle school, so that popularity transitioned to high school naturally.

With Brittany's party-like personality, and my preppy one, we were a popular duo in the school. It wasn't anything to brag about, but we were simply known. But what was more important was that Brittany and I weren't involved in any drama. We hated getting in between it and that's why we stuck so close to each other for so many years.

It's quite ironic how we unintentionally created the biggest drama in our city.

I wonder if she's laughing down at me now from above, since I had to deal with it alone all these years. Or maybe she was crying for herself. For all that she had to endure.

Or maybe she was crying because the last person she saw before she was killed, was me.

Her killer's sister.

Or for the fact that the one who she trusted so much, was the one who ended up being the one who lead her to her death.

Levi Harrison. My brother.

A choked sob escaped me and I brought my knees up to my chest. I rocked myself back and forth, trying to get all these thoughts out of my head. To get rid of the aching pain in my chest.

To get myself to be free.

But it didn't work.

The ringing in my ears kept growing and I found myself bringing my hands up to my ears to block out the noise. At one point, I finally got a grip on myself. My sobs simmered down to quiet hiccups, and I finally ran out of tears. I took in deep breaths to calm myself down, something I had grown used to after all the crying I did in the past few years.

After a few moments, I slowly got up and made my way to the bathroom. I splashed cold water over my face and cleaned myself as best as I could. I let out a deep breath when I was done, finally feeling a little lighter. I took a look in the mirror, only to see bloodshot eyes and puffy cheeks staring back at me. I sighed and made my way back into the room.

Before I could make it to my bed, there was a knock at the door. I froze midstep and turned to the door surprised.

Not thinking too much of it, I started making my way to the door. I slowly opened it and the sight before me had my mouth falling agape.

"Miss me, Moonie?"

Leo stood in front of me with a grin on his face. He had a blanket and pillow tucked under one arm, while the other was in his pajama pocket. The light in the hallway shown on him, making him glow.

I stared at him surprised, and he finally spoke after a moment of silence.

"Apparently, my room's heater is broken. And since I don't want to freeze my butt off, here I am," he trailed off.

"Oh. Then you can sleep on the bed, I'll take the floor," I said to him.

As I reached for his blanket and pillow, his hand suddenly shot out and enveloped my own. I turned to him surprised, and I found he was closer than he was just moments ago. He leaned towards me, his minty breath fanning my cheeks.

"That's cute, Moonie," he said with a smirk.

I blinked at him, my mouth slightly agape. His smirk widened for a moment, until he saw my eyes. His eyes shot up in question and I suddenly realised that my eyes were swollen and blood-shot from all the crying I had been doing. I quickly pulled my arm out of Leo's and made my way back inside the room. I stopped by the bed, unsure of what I should do.

After a few moments, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw Leo making his makeshift bed on the floor.

By the time he was done making his bed, I was still standing in the same place, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. At last, he turned to me.

"Go on, Moonie. I promise I won't try anything," he said.

He suddenly took a step towards me then and leaned down, his eyes locking on my own. I watched him mesmerized, the moon glowing through the window illuminating his face.

"Not unless you want me to, of course."

His words took a moment to sink in, and when they did, my cheeks burst with color. In the next second, I instantly turned around and dove into the bed, his quiet laughter following me as I got settled in.

After a few moments, we were both in our respective beds. It felt weird lying on this ginormous bed, since I was used to my small box-sized bed in my dorm. I stared up at the ceiling, my heart still racing a mile a minute. I wasn't used to sharing the room with anyone, let alone a guy like Leo. Someone who knew me better than anyone else. It felt weird, but somehow, I wasn't uncomfortable with him.

I felt safe with Leo.

After a few moments of silence, I finally spoke.

"Leo," I whispered.

"Mhmm?" he murmured.

I turned onto my side to face him. He was staring up at the ceiling, his arms tucked under his head. I noticed that he had no blanket to cover himself with and I frowned seeing this.

"Thank you. I had a lot of fun today," I said.

He turned his head my way, a small smile on his face.

"Anything for you, Moonie."

My breath hitched in my throat and I stared at him.

He needed to stop saying things like that.

We were both silent and I looked away from his intense gaze first. I turned onto my back again, my eyes on the ceiling. I cleared my throat and quickly thought of another topic to talk about.

"Why did your family look so surprised when you played the guitar?" I finally asked.

I heard him sigh and as much as it was itching me to see him as he spoke, I didn't look his way.

"I haven't played in five years. Not since my father was arrested."

At this, I let out a surprised breath and finally tilted my head towards him.

"Five years?"

I frowned in confusion.

"Then the time you played at The Pub..."

At my unsaid question, Leo turned serious. In the dark, I caught the small glimmer in his eyes as he spoke.

"It was for you Moonie. I couldn't think of any other way to apologize to you."

And that was it.

Whatever control I had over my heartbeat just deceased.

A blush crept up my cheeks as I stared at Leo with my mouth agape. He didn't say anything further which caused me to feel even more breathless.

"I told your mom about my brother," I blurted out.

This caught his attention and he then turned towards me, his head resting on his folded elbow.

"You did?" he asked curiously.

He thought about it for a second before looking up at me again.

"Is that what you two were talking about in the kitchen?" he asked.

I nodded.

"She offered first. She told me it was safe for me to share whatever was happening with me. I thought she should know, too. She was really understanding about it," I said.

At this, he let out a small chuckle.

"I didn't do anything Moonie," he said with a shrug.

For some reason, his voice was lulling me to sleep. All the fun I had today was catching up to me and I felt absolutely tired.

I shook my head at Leo, letting out a yawn as I did so.

"Your family is as beautiful as you are. So thank you for letting me meet them."

And with that, I fell asleep.

* * *

[] L E O []

I woke up slowly, a yawn escaping me as I did so. Although I didn't have a blanket last night because I forgot one like an idiot, I still didn't feel cold at all.

I opened my eyes and immediately came in contact with the bright ceiling above me. A soft sigh escaped me and I slowly turn my head over to check up on Amelia.

However, unlike where I last saw her on the bed, she was now nearly face to face with me.

I did a double take as I saw her lying beside me. The blanket that was on the bed before, was now draped over the both of us. Underneath the sheets, I could feel the heat radiating off of her, making me feel warmer than the blanket did. Her hair was falling all over the place and her hands were gripping the top of the blanket loosely.

I almost forgot how to breathe.

I briefly wondered what she was doing here, but seeing the blanket on me, I realized she probably didn't want me to freeze so brought hers down to share with me.

And that was it.

My heart was beating out of control and I couldn't help the round of emotions that ran through me. All because Amelia Harrison was sleeping soundly beside me. Without realizing what I was doing, I turned to my side, slipping a hand between my head and the pillow.

I stayed like that for the longest time, staring at the sleeping girl beside me. There was a certain comfort in her breathing that calmed me down. There was something about her actions that caused my brain and body to go absolutely haywire. I couldn't think of anything else but her.

It was as if Amelia Harrisom consumed me.

And I didn't know how to get rid of it. I don't know if I wanted to.

I let out a deep breath and slowly lifted my hand up. I reached over, now impatient with her hair, and slowly brought my hand down to push strands away from her face. I was almost there, I was so close to her, but suddenly, I froze midair. My breathing came to a halt as I stared at Amelia openmouthed. Because it was in that moment that Amelia spoke.

"D-don't do it, L-Levi. Don't."

I let out the breath I had been holding and brought my hand back to my side.

Amelia's eyes were glued shut, and a small tremor racked through her body. Small beads of sweat trickled down her forehead and the creases between her brow increased. I watched helplessly as she relived the worst night of her life again, this time, in her dream. A small whimper left her lips, and that was when I couldn't take it anymore.

I couldn't hold back.

Before I could stop myself, I reached out for her and brought her in my arms.

At first, I was too numb to decipher what I was doing. By the time I snapped back into reality, Amelia had already settled against my chest, her small hands gripping the front of my shirt. My arm was wrapped around her waist, and the other came under her head to pull her against me. After another inner debate, I finally brought my hand up and slowly caressed her hair down.

This action finally did what I was going for. Her murmurs finally came to a standstill and she let out a small content breath against my chest. To my utter surprise, she snuggled further into my chest, her head tucked under my chin.

After a few moments, I swallowed the lump in my throat and finally let out the breath I had been holding.

I held her as she was resting against my chest, the only blanket in the room wrapped around us.

And all I could think while this beautiful girl was with me, was:

'You're still in there, aren't you? You're still stuck with the guilt of the past.'

* * *

At 9 o'clock, I finally decided to get up from my comfortable spot. In the last hour, neither Amelia or I moved. I simply stayed caressing her hair, and she breathed evenly on my chest. She relaxed further as time went by, and I was glad I could provide some sort of comfort for her. Now, her arm was sprawled across my waist, while I had mine around her upper arm and to her back.

I didn't want to get up, but I had told her we would leave before 2pm to give us enough time to get home. I sighed and stared at her for one more minute before finally making a movement. I slowly moved her arms back and carefully pulled out mine from under her hair. She made a small grunt of disagreement as I got up, and I froze in my spot. After she settled down, I let out the breath I had been holding and finally sat up in my spot. Here, I stopped again. With my arms sprawled out behind me, I looked down to Amelia once last time.

God, that was a mistake.

She looked surreal as she lay here. The morning sun was casting a glow on her face, making her look like an absolute angel. However, her eyes were still puffy, reminding me that the night hadn't been easy for her. Somehow, somewhere, I messed up. I couldn't make her forget her past.

There was a crease between her brows now, and a small frown lined her lips. I slowly reached forward with one hand and caressed her forehead with my thumb. Immediately, her brows evened out and her frown vanished.

A small smile graced my own lips and I found myself sighing in content at her reaction.

I sighed and finally pulled my thumb back. It surprised me that she slept through everything, but on the other hand, I was glad she didn't awaken. I wouldn't know what to say. I didn't want to tell her the truth that I just wanted to hold her. I couldn't risk our friendship like that.

On the other other hand, I wanted to shout it in her face.

'Hey, remember how I held you in your sleep and you liked it? Yeah? Good. Cause' I did, too.'

Yeah, no. I had to keep myself under check for now.

After one last lingering look at her, I finally got up from my spot, making sure to tuck her in before leaving. I headed to my own room and made a beeline for the shower. Once I was done getting ready, I decided to head back to Amelia to wake her up.

I knocked before entering, and to my surprise, I heard a small "come in." I made my way inside and saw Amelia standing in the middle of the room, already dressed for the day. She was in the middle of folding the blanket I was laying on when I walked in.

"Morning," I said.

In response, Amelia only hummed and quickly looked away from me. I hid a smile as I made my way over to her.

"I was just checking to see if you were awake," I told her.

She nodded, still facing the other direction. I finally reached her and came to a stop right behind her. She tensed as I came nearer, and I slowly leaned down to bring my mouth next to her ear.

"Don't worry Moonie. I kept my hands to myself. You, on the other hand..." I trailed off then, hoping for some sort of reaction from her.

Just as I expected, Amelia gasped and turned to face me.

"What did I do?" she asked timidly.

I leaned away from her and tapped a finger on my chin.

"Well, aside from tackling me to death, holding onto me for dear life, and snuggling-"

"Okay, okay, stop," she said, holding her hands out.

I turned to her, waiting to hear what she had to say. She looked away from me, her fingers wringing together.

"I only wanted to share the blanket with you so you wouldn't be cold," she murmured, looking anywhere but me.

I chuckled at her, and that's when she turned to me, her eyes wide.

"Leo! Don't joke like that," Amelia squealed, blushing madly.

I smiled at her.

"Who said I was joking?"

"Leo!"

* * *

After we cleaned up our room, we finally made our way downstairs. Amelia followed after me and when we entered the kitchen, I was surprised to see James, Clara and my mom leaning over a fresh batch of muffins.

I moaned in delight once I caught a whiff of my favourite chocolate chip muffins and that caused all three heads to snap our way.

"Good morning," Mom sang once she saw us enter.

Once greetings were passed around, mom ushered us all into the dining room, insisting that no one help her with breakfast since she was almost done. True to her word, nearly 5 minutes after we sat at the table, mom brought in a trolley full of delicious foods. She set it up herself, humming a tune as she went along, and I was surprised to see the small bounce in her step as she did her routine.

She was happy.

It was then I realized how much I missed being home. I missed being with James, Clara, and my mother. It was truly a relaxing time. However, I couldn't remember it being so much fun any other time. Maybe it was because of the girl siting next to me.

Maybe she made it this way.

We all ate breakfast in peace. Conversations were going around, and often I found it hard to keep up with all of them. My mother and Clara couldn't stop gushing as they spoke to Amelia, and Amelia couldn't stop smiling when she replied.

At last, breakfast came to an end, and sadly, we had to leave. When I brought it up at the table, Amelia's face visibly fell, as did my mother and Clara's. James only smiled sadly and gave me a small nod.

We all left the table and headed for the door. Slowly, Amelia and I put on our heavy coats and scarves, and eventually our boots. I had already dropped Amelia's bag in the car earlier, so we didn't have to worry about picking it up. Without another word, we all made our way outside and stopped on the porch.

It was tougher to say goodbyes this time. For some reason, I didn't want to go.

I awkwardly shoved my hands in my pocket as Amelia said goodbye to my family. She hugged my mother, then moved to Clara, and lastly said bye to James. Gratitude dripped from her words as she endlessly thanked them for letting her stay, and a small smile appeared on my face realizing that the pleasure was ours.

Completely ours.

Once she was done saying goodbye to everyone, she turned to me with a small smile.

"I'll be in the car," she simply said.

I nodded and watched as she left. Before she got too far, Clara suddenly called out her name and went after her. I watched as Clara caught up with Amelia, and Amelia's eyes widened in delight once Clara said something to her. Then, she pulled out her phone and handed it over to Amelia and waited as she typed something into it.

Suddenly, James' voice pulled me out of my reverie.

"So when's the wedding?"

My eyes bulged out of my head and I snapped my head over to James in shock. He was standing in front of me now, my mother beside him, and both were grinning slyly at me.

I shook my head in embarrassment, my hand reaching the nape of my neck in no time.

"Uh... we're not... she isn't my..." I frowned as I thought of what to say to them.

How can I tell them that Amelia and I are nothing but friends.

James' smile suddenly fell.

"Wait a second... you haven't asked her out yet?" he asked surprised.

I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, mom cut in between.

"Oh don't be silly James. He's probably afraid to mess this up. But don't worry Leo," she said, turning her attention to me, "-she won't say no to you. The way she looks at you... there's just no way she doesn't feel the same way."

I frowned at her words.

"How exactly does she look at me?" I asked, curious to hear what she has to say.

"Actually, you look at her the same way too. It's kind of crazy. I never thought that I'd see you open up to someone after the incident with your fath-"

My mom froze mid-sentence. Her words died in her throat as she stared at me open-mouthed. I stole a quick look to James, and he sighed and threw an arm around my mother's shoulder comfortingly. I turned back to my mother and shook my head at her.

"Keep going, mama. I'm not afraid to talk about it anymore," I said sternly.

At this, my mom snapped her head up to me, her eyes wide with surprise. After a moment of silence, she smiled genuinely at me.

"This is what I mean Leo. You both look and feel the same way about each other."

She gave me a sad smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"She looks at you as if you're her saviour. And you, with her."