When I returned home that same night, I didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead, I headed straight to the kitchen, a route I had memorised for years. Opening the fridge, I grabbed the milk and drank straight from the carton. But although I was physically doing things, I was mentally elsewhere.

Flo.

I liked how we didn't have to kiss to establish our relationship and how words were more powerful between us. It was refreshing.

Placing the milk where I had got it, I closed the fridge; the small yellow light that illuminated from inside slowly disappeared until I was facing complete and utter darkness. Navigating my way through the house was pretty challenging from then on. Once I left the kitchen, I had to grope the walls to find my way to the stairs, just because I was too lazy to flick a light switch.

It was difficult, but with some struggle, I managed to climb the stairs. But before I went to my room, I checked if everyone was okay. It was something I did almost unconsciously before going to bed, especially when my mum died and dad was going through a rough time.

Everyone seemed to be in their corresponding bedrooms though. Except for Jace, who wasn't usually home at that hour anyways and Tess, which was odd because it was way past midnight when I got home and her shift should have ended ages ago.

But when I gently nudged my door opened, I saw her there, sitting in the middle of my room with her sloppy ponytail and oversized shirt, looking tired as she played a game of solitaire with the deck of cards from my drawer. She looked up and smiled meekly.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I answered. "Are you okay?"

"Nightmare."

I half closed the door and dropped next to her, grabbing her in one of those awkward floor hugs where your legs are in the way and you have to stretch so it's kind of uncomfortable. But Tess didn't seem to mind as she wrapped her arms back around me and buried her face on my shoulder.

"You smell like your Tripper Decker Monster special," she mumbled. Then added, "And sex."

"Tess." I shook my head, but I was smiling. "No."

"But I'm guessing it went well with Flo?" she asked and I could almost hear her grin.

"It did."

"So there's a Floden?" She leaned back at looked at me seriously. "Because if you didn't seize the opportunity with that amazing girl next door I'm going to have to punch you."

I placed my hands up in surrender. "Easy. Wouldn't want to hurt part of Floden now, would you?"

"No way," she said, eyes widening.

I just smiled.

Then she pushed me and went 'Holden, you're a beast' and fell onto the floor in a crumpled heap of emotions. I laughed at her overdramatic reaction and joined her on the carpet, crossing my arms behind my head and looking up at the ceiling.

"What about you?" I asked, nudging her with my foot.

"I'm a woman dedicated to good music and epic food," she said. I could hear her smile.

I turned and looked at her properly. "Tess."

She didn't look at me. Instead, she just sighed. "This isn't a cliché movie, Holden."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, just because you and Flo are an item, doesn't mean Quinton and I are obliged to get together," she explained. "Besides, our relationship is a lot more complicated and will only stir up more trouble."

"You know, the reason you aren't a couple is because you both keep questioning the future," I said.

"That was deep."

"I know. My girlfriend is basically a bible."

We stayed quiet.

"Bottom line is, quit worrying about might happen and concentrate on what's happening," I said, surprised to hear myself giving advice. It was always the other way around with Tess and I.

"What if I screw up?"

"Some things are just out of our hands," I quoted.

She smiled at me. "Don't use my words against me."

"You wouldn't have said it if you didn't believe it."

She gently pushed me. "Chlorine must make you smarter. Remind me to take a dip before exams roll around."

But despite her characteristic mischievousness, a serious undertone coated her words. Tess looked away and stared emotionlessly at the ceiling, unblinking.

"Want to stay here tonight?" I asked.

"Yes," she muttered. "Yes please."

We didn't talk about her nightmare; it was just something we didn't discuss. Because whatever she had dreamt about, it was a figment of her unconscious imagination and we both understood that. So her description of whatever had frightened her would have been accompanied by the generic 'it's okay' and 'it was just a bad dream'. We decided we could easily skip the pep talk.

Before I could say anything more, I heard footsteps. They weren't very steady and kind of slow; an indication that Jace was home. He flicked the upstairs light on so he could navigate his way through the house so when he paused at my door, I could see his shadow against the sliver of yellow light that shone through my half opened door.

He poked his head in, blinking furiously to adjust to the lighting. At first, he seemed confused, probably wondering if he was so drunk that he saw two people on my bedroom floor. But realisation swept over his face and he gave me a scowl, half a grunt, and walked away.

Once he crossed the hall, the light was switched off and the click of his door being shut indicated his departure. The room was once again silent and dark. Tess and I had remained unnaturally still through the whole sixty seconds since we realised he was home.

"Operation sweet dreams?" I asked, as if Jace hadn't interrupted.

"Sounds good," she answered.

Tess grabbed the two beanbags resting in the corner of my room and pulled them over while I got the sheets from my bed and tossed them to her. As she made the giant human nest on my bedroom floor, I opened my drawer of 'sweet dream sleeping pills' as Tess called them.

In other words, they were chocolate buttons.

When my mum was still around and I had nightmares, she'd take me to the kitchen, despite the unearthly hour, pour me a glass of warm milk and give me a chocolate from her secret stash she kept in a small vintage box. Tess slept over a lot back then and since I knew where my mother kept the best tasting chocolate in the house, I'd taken care of Tess the exact same way.

It seemed to work every time though. A small sweet treat meant sweet dreams.

I handed her the button and watched as she placed it on her tongue and settled into her beanbag pillow. Then I dropped onto mine and closed my eyes, not falling asleep but listening to her breathing slow down.

"Holden?" Tess said, once I thought she had fallen asleep.

"Hm?" I mumbled.

"Thank you."