A hand on her shoulder gently shook Maleena awake. Her long day, Dillion's warm hand on hers as he drove, and the smoothness of the truck ride, had lulled Maleena's tired body to sleep.

      "Hey, mornin', sleepy head." Dillion had a smile on his face when Maleena turned her head, looked at him. They were parked in front of Maleena's house. 

      "Hey." Maleena let out a chuckle, stretching in her seat. "What time is it?" Maleena asked Dillion, who was still intently staring at her.

      "10:55." Dillion replied nonchalantly. 

      "Cuttin' it awful close to my curfew there, Dill." Maleena stated.

      With a shrug, Dillion replied, "Your parents said by 11. It's five till. As long as we get you out of the truck in time, you're golden." 

      Shaking her head, Maleena grabbed her bouquet of wildflowers from the center console, hopping down from the truck, walking up to her front door with Dillion right behind her. With her hand on the door handle, Maleena turned to him, smiling groggily, still waking up from her nap. "Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun, and it was the best first date I could ask for." 

     Dillion stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling at Maleena. "You're welcome, pretty girl. I'm glad you had fun." Stepping slightly closer to Maleena, he added, "I hope you know that I want to take you out again." 

      The comment made Maleena blush. "I would love that." 

       "Good, so when do I get to see you again?" 

      "I don't know. I will have to talk to my parents and see what works for them. Hopefully they will let you help when the furniture gets here tomorrow." Maleena was honestly too tired to continue the conversation. She took a step closer to the door, partially turning to open it. 

      Dillion stepped closer, softly grabbing Maleena's elbow, making her turn to him. "Goodnight, pretty girl." Reaching out his arms, he invited Maleena in for a hug. 

      Maleena fell into his embrace, feeling comfortable in his arms. She was tired enough that she could easily fall asleep wrapped up in him. Making sure that wouldn't happen, Maleena pulled back from the hug, telling Dillion goodnight before opening the door, slipping inside. 

      Feeling like her feet were dragging, Maleena sluggishly made her way to the stairs. With one foot on the bottom step, Maleena heard her name being called from the hallway downstairs. 

      Turning, Maleena saw her mom emerging from their bedroom, appearing next to the stairwell.

      "Hey, momma." Maleena greeted.

      "Hi, honey. How was the date?" Suellen pulled her robe tighter around her. Sitting low on her nose were a pair of marbled gray rimmed, metal reading glasses. Based on her mother's appearance, Maleena concluded that her mom had been up, reading, waiting for Maleena to get home before curfew. 

      "The date was great. I'm exhausted, so I'm gonna head to bed. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow." Maleena said, trying everything she could to keep her eyes open.

       "I understand, sweetie." Suellen smiled. Nodding her head at the water bottle in her hand, she added, "I see he got you some flowers." 

      "Yeah." Maleena turned back to the stairs. "Goodnight, momma. Love you."

      "Love you, too, sweetie. Sleep well." 

     Too tired to turn on her bedroom light, Maleena plugged her phone into the charger, setting her makeshift vase next to her. She kicked off her boots, allowing her exhausted body to fall down onto her air mattress that was slightly deflated after sleeping on it for a few days without pumping it back up. 

      Not long after she settled on her bed, did sleep find Maleena. Surprisingly, as tired as she was, Maleena didn't sleep very well. As much fun as she had with Dillion tonight, something gave her a slight off-feeling. 

                                  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

      The sound of voices, cardboard boxes sliding against hardwood, and beeping noises woke Maleena the next morning. Feeling just as exhausted as she did the night before, Maleena hesitantly rolled over to check her phone for the time, hoping she could get even just fifteen more minutes of shut eye. 

      When she read the time on her phone screen, Maleena shot up in bed. It was after 10 in the morning! Getting out of bed, Maleena hurriedly got dressed, throwing on whatever clothes she could find. 

      Today was the day that the rest of the furniture, and the horses, were supposed to arrive. Practically skipping down the stairs with excitement, Maleena greeted her older brother with a smile. Lifting her hand in a high five, Maleena said to Chandler, "Mornin' broster. How are you?"

      "Where were you last night?" Chandler said in a fatherly tone, not slapping Maleena's hand in a high five.

      Maleena's smile faded as she draw her hand down. "I was out on a date with Dillion. I was home before 11pm, so Chan, it's okay." 

       Chandler shook his head, picking up a box, walking into the kitchen. "I don't like him, Maleena. I have a bad feelin' about him." 

      "You haven't even met him!" Maleena said, letting out a chuckle. Sure, there were a few things that happened last night that gave her an uneasy feeling about Dillion, but he seemed to really like her, and if she was honest, she liked the attention he gave her.

      "I don't need to meet him to know I don't like him." Chandler shrugged, taking some plates out of the box he set on the counter. 

       Maleena leaned back against the counter, watching her brother. "Please, just give him a chance. He might be coming over today, so take it easy on him." 

      With a sigh, Chandler turned back around to face his little sister. "I just don't want you gettin' hurt, squirt. And from what I have heard about Dillion, I have a feelin' he's the heartbreakin' type. Just promise me you will be careful, please." Just like that, the fatherly tone was gone, replaced with the protective older brother tone.

      "Of course, Chan." Maleena replied, giving her brother a promising smile. "I promise to be careful." Walking forward, she wrapped her arms around her brother's middle. "Love you, bro." 

      "Love you, too, squirt." Chandler pulled back from the hug, turning back to the dishes in the kitchen. 

       "What time are the movers coming? I thought they were comin' at 9?" Maleena looked into the living room, seeing boxes, but no furniture. 

       "They're runnin' a little late, but the horses just got here. You might wanna go check on them." There was a smile in Chandler's voice.

        Instantly, Maleena got just as excited as she was when she woke up this morning. "I thought I heard the beeping of a truck backing up." Turning, Maleena sped walked out of the kitchen. "See ya, Chan." 

       Running out the back door, through their yard, Maleena jogged to the horse barn where there was a large horse trailer backed up to the entrance, and one of the horses was being led out. "Marc, hi!" Maleena greeted the family friend who was leading her horse.

      "Hey, Maleena. You wanna take Stryker?" Marc asked, holding the lead rope out to Maleena. 

      "Yes, please." Maleena walked over to her brown and white Appaloosa gelding, stroking his broad neck. Grabbing the lead rope from Marc, Maleena walked her horse into the barn, choosing the first stall on the left as his new home. Allowing him to sniff the stall and its surroundings, making sure he would like it, Maleena then led him outside since his stall didn't have bedding or water yet. Taking off his halter, Maleena turned out Stryker into the small pen to the right of the barn. 

      Slipping the lead rope through the rail on the stall door, Maleena hung up Stryker's halter and rope, then made her way back out to the trailer to help turn out the other horses.

     Once all of the horses were turned out, Maleena went back into the barn to prepare the stalls. After distributing bags of bedding to each stall, Maleena felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw it was Dillion. "Hello?" She greeted sweetly. 

      "Where have you been all day? I have been tryin' to call and text you the whole day." There was a slight edge to Dillion's words.

      Standing up from cutting open the bedding bag, Maleena focused on the phone call. "I'm sorry. I've been out at the barn all day. I must not have service down here in the barn. Today's the day that the movers are coming with the furniture and the horses just got here." Pausing for a second, Maleena asked, "What's wrong?" 

      Sighing, Dillion said, "I've had a really bad day and just wanted to see you." 

      Maleena hesitated. Sure, she wanted Dillion to come over, but she was also really busy right now, and wouldn't be able to really spend much time with just him. Besides, she understood that they like each other, but they don't have to spend every single second together. "I mean, I really want to see you, too, but-"

      "You're busy. I got it." Dillion finished in a short tone. "Look, I gotta go. I'll call you later, alright?" 

      "O-okay...I'm sorry for upsetting you, Dill." Maleena said, feeling the need to apologize. 

      "It's alright. I'll talk to you later." Dillion replied, hanging up the phone. 

      Maleena looked at her phone screen, staring at Dillion's contact picture: the picture he took of them yesterday at the park. After staring at her phone for a few more seconds, until the screen went black, Maleena wondered how someone's feelings could change so much just over night.