WE ARRIVE BACK at campus right before twelve. I'm beat after the drive, so much so that I've decided to put off my night workout and spend the night with Summer getting rest instead. I'll make up for it at bootcamp tomorrow.

She's drowsy herself, and has spent the last hour yawning and stopping her head from falling back. It's funny watching her trying to fight the sleep.

"Summer." I move a curl out of her face. "We're here."

"We're here?" She slurs her words, dropping her head back against the window.

"Are you gonna make me carry you to your room? I'll do it, but I can't guarantee we won't fall down and bang against some walls on our way."

She sits up and wipes her eyes. "No, I can walk."

I grab our bags and sling them across both of my shoulders. I have to grab her hand and steer us straight due to her dozing off and almost walking towards the side of the building.

"I don't think I've ever looked so forward to that tiny bed," she says, fumbling to turn the key in her door.

She unlocks it and leans forward then pulls herself back. When she turns to look at me, all the exhaustion is wiped off her face in an instant.

"Do you hear that?" She asks.

I lean forward too and put my ear towards the door. I think I hear what she's talking about, it sounds like someone banging on the wall or something.

"Well, let's check it out." I turn the nob.

"Wait."

Summer tries to stop me, but I've already opened the door and begun walking in.

When I turn the light switch, a deafening high-pitched scream encloses the air. Unfortunately, I look in its direction and expose myself to more of Darren and Aleena than I ever wished to see.

"Shit, I'm sorry." I cover my eyes and close the door while I back away into the hallway.

Summer winces looking at me. "I tried to stop you."

"You didn't try hard enough."

I force my mind to erase the image of Darren's bare ass going down on Aleena. When it's gone, I'm able to look at the situation more clearly.

"They're... they're hooking up in there." I motion towards the door.

"Yeah, I guessed it earlier when she Facetimed me naked and I heard his voice in the background."

"You know what the worst thing is?" I say.

"What?"

"I don't know if that scream was Darren's or Aleena's."

"It was Darren's." Aleena yells through the door.

Summer leans against the wall and sighs. "So, we go back to your place I'm guessing?"

"You guys can come in, now. We're dressed." Aleena yells again.

This time I leave Summer to do the entering, and I only follow when I catch a glimpse of Darren and Aleena fully dressed, sitting up on her bed.

"You guys are back." Aleena's voice sounds guilty, but Darren continues to smile with no hint of shame.

"Wipe that smile off your face, big boy." I tease him.

"I'm glad you caught a good look." He laughs. "Don't you ever forget who's large and in charge."

"Oh, I've been known it's me. This incident has just confirmed it." I shrug.

"I mean, we can get a measuring tape if you really wanna go there." He stands up and faces me with a competitive look.

"It's twelve in the morning and our guys are having a dick-off. Can you believe it, Aleena?" Summer crosses her arms.

Aleena takes Summer's side. "Like middle schoolers."

I feel a little embarrassed and try to change the subject. "Okay, it is late. Summer and I will just crash in my room."

"No, we can all just stay here, obviously. What's the point of going all the way back to Mitchell?" Aleena says it like it's a no brainer and Darren nods like he agrees.

Summer and I both turn to each other and cringe at the idea.

"That's a nice idea and all," Summer says, "but after what we've walked in on, we really don't wanna hear you bumping and sucking all night."

"We don't wanna hear you guys bumping or sucking either, so how about we all agree to keep it PG and get some rest?" Aleena says.

We can't argue much, especially running on negative energy, so Summer and I reluctantly drop our bags and get into her bed.

Trying to fit on a twin sized bed is doable, though with my size, it takes some maneuvering for us to find a comfortable position. I flip Summer over so she's up against the wall and I'm close to the edge. If anyone's gonna slide over and fall in the middle of the night, I'd rather it be me. I scoot up against her and she basically lays on top of me, so I have more room to fully lay down.

We've slept this way before, and even though my left arm goes numb from her head, I find it mostly comfortable. There's just something about feeling her warm body against mine, feeling her every breath against my chest. It helps me sleep better, helps me dream better even.

Summer leans into my ear and whispers. "Look at them."

I turn myself over and watch Darren and Aleena on her bed across the room. She's in his arms and they're doing what Summer tells me is an eskimo kiss. It's when two people lean into each other and just rub their noses together. I'm whipped for Summer, I'll admit it, but even that is going a little too much into the barf category.

"They're weird as hell." I whisper back to her.

She lightly pushes my chest. "You think everything is weird. I think it's adorable."

"We can hear you guys," Darren says.

"Good," I say. "Now turn the damn lights off already, we have to leave at five."

With the lights off, I fall asleep in no time.

When I shoot back up, awake, I anticipate the clock telling me it's almost time to leave, but only an hour and a half has passed since we've gone to sleep. The next thing I notice is the hundred and fifteen pound missing weight that should be pushed against me.

"Summer?" I turn my head, trying to see if she's still here.

"Shh." Darren shoo's me across the room. "They're outside and they're talking about us.

I turn over and sit up on the edge of the bed to find Darren doing the same. I can see the shadows of their feet outside the door and their voices ring clear and crisp even though they're trying to whisper.

"Before I tell you anything about my spring break, you need to tell me about yours, Mrs. Darren Blackburn." I recognize Summer's voice.

"Stooppp." Aleena whines in a girly way. "Okay, so, remember when I told you Darren wasn't my type and I'd never go for him?"

"What!" Darren whisper-yells.

They don't hear him, thank god, and continue without missing a beat.

From the times I've spoken with Aleena, she's always talked in a more hurried tone, and this time, the words fly out of her mouth a mile a minute.

"Well, I kinda lied. I did like him a lot. It's just, I don't know. I didn't want to get into another thing after Nelson. You know I didn't, but he's so endearing, and sweet, and he just makes me laugh, and he's basically saving my career with his talent. I mean, who learns an entire play in two weeks while also playing in a D1 tournament? But anyways, we've spent every second of every day together this last week practicing the routines and going over our lines, relaxing and watching our favorite movies. Two days in we kissed, three days in we banged, and just this morning he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes. Can you believe it, I said yes. It all happened so quick, but it feels so right. He makes my legs shake, Summer, my legs!"

I have to put my hand over my mouth to hold in my laughter.

From the moonlight outside, I can see the outline of Darren's face and he's diligently listening to every word. He looks like someone just gave him a million bucks.

"Good job with that one," I say to him, genuinely happy to see my friend happy.

She's the type of girl he's wanted all year. I think he's found himself his Gabriella. With the squeaky voice and everything.

"Let's just wait and see what your girl has to say about you," Darren says.

Summer follows up after her, albeit with way less energy and speed.

"Well, he told me he loved me while we were having sex," she says, and it kinda makes me want to shoot myself in the head.

I didn't intend to say it while I was inside of her, it just happened to slip out during that time.

"I'm gonna need to teach you how to get your shit together, brother," Darren says. "You gotta do better."

I give him the finger and he gives it right back, laughing.

"No," Aleena gasps. "Did he actually mean it or was he just pussy whipped?"

I feel guilty eavesdropping, but to hear women in a conversation unfiltered? It's interesting as hell.

"He actually meant it and it scared the crap out of me at first. I couldn't even look at him the next morning. All my fears about our relationship just rose up to the surface," Summer says.

Fears? I can think of one fear she has in regards to our relationship, but she said fears, plural, more than one. What could the rest be?

"Did you say it back, though?" Aleena asks.

"Not at first. I knew I loved him back, I just couldn't say it. During that time though, his reaction just solidified my love for him even more. He was so relaxed about it. He just said he'll wait til I'm ready to say it. And he said it in such a cute way, he was like, "When you get to the point where you can say those words with me, we'll sing it together, until then, I'll continue to love you no matter what."

"Nooo!" Aleena nearly screams. "My back would arch, the wedding would be June, and his dinner would be ready for him hot and tasty the minute he came back from a hard day's work."

I didn't think much about it when I said that, it came out the same way the words "I love you." came out in the middle of sex. Now I mentally pat myself on the back for it.

"Shoot, let me write that down, then." Darren grunts, sounding a little jealous at this girlfriend's declaration.

"Don't jack my shit, come up with your own." I laugh.

"Come up with your own." He mocks me. "At least my dick is bigger."

"It's really not, bro. And we've gotta end that conversation here before things start getting weird."

Summer speaks up and Darren and I go quiet again.

"It took some time for me to come to terms with the words, I think I just needed to create a new meaning for it completely away from my family and when I did, I told him. I was so relieved too, I didn't want it to be something that strained our relationship. Now every time I look at him I just want to blurt it out. "

"Who would have thought, the two of us in happy relationships. Let's cross our fingers and hope it goes well." Aleena says. "Before we move towards the future, let me check one last time. You're not secretly in love with Cory, right?"

I go cold at Aleena's question. What? Why the hell would she even ask a question like that?

"I already told you that answer. If anyone would be the one, it would be Carter. " Summer says.

I guess I should be happy with that, she said I'm the one. She just said she loves me and wants to tell me every time she looks at me. I find comfort in that and I feel confident in where we stand. There's just something about her relationship with Cory that gets under my skin.

A connection can bond you, but history can bond you even more, and Summer and Cory have history on their side. Now with Aleena having to ask her if she loves him this deep into our relationship, I don't know.

We can tell their conversation is coming to an end, and Darren and I simultaneously lay back down and pretend to be asleep.

When they come back in, Summer shifts back into our sleeping position.

She lightly kisses me on the cheek and whispers "I love you." before she drifts back to sleep. 

I wish it were that easy for me as well.