So, it appears that my mom has got high hopes for Lynn and me. She keeps shooting me 'suggestive' eyebrows anytime Lynn's around. Apparently, my mom thinks she's completely adorable. Too bad she doesn't understand the depth of our friendship, which is all we have, and the fact that my stupid heart hasn't been able to get completely over Penny yet. Lynn's a good, loyal friend, but that's it. Besides, there's no point in a relationship right now because I'll be leaving the moment I get a chance to escape this place.

My dream still remains. I want solitude, especially now with all that I've been through. Some time to myself where I can sit and ponder all the psychological aspects of what I've suffered might do me heaps of good. While my mood has improved, I'm still not the guy I used to be. I find myself living a half-life. Things are all good and fine in the light when I need the world to know that I'm over all that's happened, but when night comes, my mood dampens. That's when the nightmares hit... and they are not pleasant.

It's about that time now. I've learned to take care of myself pretty well these days, and I've just finished massaging my stump when the gloom begins to settle over my conscious. I know sleep will be rough tonight; it usually is... so I try to avoid it.

I've just settled myself against my pillows, hoping to numb my mind with The Walking Dead when my mom hollers that I have company. I groan aloud, not thrilled to have to entertain now that I've removed my fake leg. Everyone's seen it, but it's been awhile. Since I got my prosthetic, I do my best to keep it in place until I know my day is done. I like to appear normal for as long as I can. It seems that nine o'clock is too early to be hoping for no company.

A knock on my door a moment later has me struggling to get beneath the covers before whoever's out there decides to waltz in. It's one thing for someone to see my stump while I'm wearing my shrinker sock, but having eyes on the bare flesh and scars is like letting someone stare at me buck naked. I'm just not ready for that step.

"Come in," I yell, once my comforter is in place.

The door swings open and Lynn peers inside. "Hey," she says, her eyes taking in my relaxed state and the TV paused on The Walking Dead intro.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, curious.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she says, stepping into my room and shutting the door behind her. "I would have called first, but this was rather last minute."

"Oh." I motion for her to come join me on the bed, and she does. "What's up?"

"Nothing serious," she admits. "Both of my parents are sick, and I needed some air. I swear they're working to hack up a lung or something. I just can't handle it. Every time one of them coughs, I honestly worry they're going to throw up—that's how violent they are. And since my gag-reflexes are pathetic, I had to get out of there before I really did start vomiting."

"Well," I say, "I doubt my mom's gonna let you spend the night. She's highly against guy-girl sleepovers."

Lynn laughs, throwing a pillow at my head before kicking her shoes off and getting comfortable beside me.

"So," she begins to say, her voice low—almost seductive, "would your mom freak out if she saw us snuggling on your bed?"

Now it's my turn to laugh. "You call this snuggling?" My eyebrows quirk up as I observe the distance between us.

"Would you like me to move closer?" she asks, peering up at me.

I know she's teasing, but there's a look in her eyes that I can't quite decipher. And while I'm working to read her, she's doing the same to me. We watch each other for a moment, her face serious until suddenly she bursts into a fit of laughter.

"You should see your face," she chuckles, "I swear you almost crapped yourself." She snuggles deeper into my covers as she continues finding humor in the moment. "Like, really? Is the idea of me snuggling with you that repulsive?"

"What?" I'm feeling defensive. "No." The moment the word leaves my lips, I know I should have just laughed along with her and kept my stupid mouth shut.

"Really?" she asks, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "So," she shifts a bit closer, "this doesn't bother you?" She's positioned above the covers, but I can still feel the heat of her body as it brushes mine, the distance between us narrowing.

My mind flashes back to Clarice and the day she tried to make a move on me in the living room... only this is nothing like that day. I was repulsed by Clarice, as awful as that sounds, but I'm not repulsed by Lynn. I'm simply confused. Very, very confused as to why she's doing this. I know she sees the concern on my face, but she doesn't stop.

Her fingers make a slow trail up my hoodie-covered chest, and then skim the edge of my jaw. I'm watching her movements as her face slowly morphs from teasing to focused. I fear that she's suddenly taken this playfulness too far. My worries are only confirmed when her gaze stops following her hand and shifts to meet my own. We watch each other for a moment, and I know that we're about to cross a boundary that I'm not ready for when I see her eyes flicker down towards my mouth.

So, without much thought, and knowing that something needs to be done, I do the only thing I can think to do... I shove her off my bed.

I hear the thump of her body against my carpeted floor, followed by a grunt as the air leaves her lungs. I wait a moment, thinking she'll jump up to get her revenge, but instead I hear the sound of her laughter. I slowly crawl towards the edge of the bed and peer over, finding her with tears leaking down the side of her face as she laughs hysterically.

"I was... wondering...w-when..." She's laughing so hard she can barely form a logical sentence, "you'd do something... I thought—I thought I was going to have to end up kissing you or something."

"Oh, and that'd be such a horrible experience?" I ask, watching her with amusement dancing on my face.

"I don't know," she says, her laughter fading as she pushes herself off the floor. "I've never kissed you."

"Hmmm..." I lean back against my pillows, my hands behind my head as I turn my attention to the TV. "Guess you'll have to try a little harder then."

The room falls silent, which is not at all what I'd expected. Feeling disturbed by the sudden shift in the atmosphere, I turn my gaze towards Lynn where she stands staring at me from the side of my bed.

"What?" I ask, clueless.

"I just—"

And for the first time, Lynn is speechless. I watch her mouth struggle to find the words, but she finally gives up. I've clearly said something wrong because the playfulness from earlier has been sucked out of the room. A thick sensation crawls up my throat, suffocating me as I realize what I've just done.

"Do you want me to...?" She leaves the question open-ended, hesitant to vocalize what my previous words might have implied.

"Oh, jeez." I rub my hands through my hair, suddenly realizing that maybe Lynn's feelings for me never changed. She fully admitted to liking me not too long ago. So, the fact that I basically invited her to try and kiss me has her all kinds of confused. "Look, Lynn," I pause to collect my thoughts, "I think you're pretty cool, and I'm sorry if what I said made you wonder if maybe, you know, I like you, but—"

"Oh, shut up!" she says, jumping onto my bed and then giving my arm a light swat. "All you had to say was 'no'. I'm not a baby." She laughs at her own words. "Seriously, if you don't like me like that, and you don't want anything to ever happen between us, then just say it!"

She's not mad, but there is a level of seriousness in her words. If I've learned anything about Lynn over the last few months, it's that she doesn't like the truth to be dumbed-down, twisted, or sugar-coated. She likes blatancy, which is something I haven't seen in many people before.

"Okay, okay," I mutter, throwing my hands up in defense. "Sorry." I try to hide a smile at the offended scowl on her face. "No, I would not like a kiss. No, I don't want you to snuggle with me. And yes, you're an amazing friend that I don't want to lose."

"I never asked if you thought of me as an amazing friend," she tells me, one eyebrow lifted in question.

"I know," I say, picking up my remote from beside me and pressing play, "but I felt it was necessary to add that part." I glance her way, my face sober. "You're a good friend, and I think that's the best thing for us."

She nods once and then settles in beside me. I'm startled when I feel her arms wrap around my torso, and I stiffen beneath her touch.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbles. "You don't wanna snuggle. Well, guess what, I freakin' love to snuggle, and if you're gonna make me watch horror shows with you, you best get used to it."

She doesn't lift her head from my chest as she says this, and I can't stop myself from smiling at her bullheadedness. If I'm being completely honest with myself, it's cute. And as much as I hate to admit it, the feel of her little body nestled beside mine feels kind of nice.

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Oh gosh! The feels!! I had so much fun with this chapter. Seriously, I think Lynn is freakin' awesome. Anyone agree??? :p