I must've started crying at some point, and blanked out, because I was now laying under layers of covers on the couch. Tears streamed down my reddened cheeks like the water of the Niagara Falls. Except it was silently.

The others weren't in the living room. There was only Ted, on the other couch, reading a book. He looked beautiful, leaning on his back in a casual manner, his usual black t-shirt exchanged for a big hoodie and his sweatpants replaced by jeans. He was deep into the story of his book, so thankfully he didn't realize I was staring at him, enjoying the view.

I wiped away my tears and sat up. That attracted his attention. His eyes flickered from the yellowish pages of his book to me and he smiled instinctively. I blushed like an idiot freshman.

« You're back. »

I raised an eyebrow.

« What do you mean 'I'm back'? »

His face turned somber as he recalled a memory or something. He brushed the feeling off and answered honestly.His mouth twitched when he talked, as if it pained him to talk about it.

« You were so deep in thought  we couldn't snap you out of it. You kept yelling after your mum. I figured you'd need rest. »

My heart sank. I said that out loud? They must've thought I was a hysteric, pathetic excuse of a girl. Everything about what happened was totally wiped from my memory though, it was a strange feeling.

« Oh. »

Ted got up, his hand still clenching the book. It was a Deaver book, one of his favorite authors. Despite him being the typical video game playing boy, he also read amazing books. He wasn't the uncultured swine he depicted himself to be.

He put the book on the coffee table and came to my couch. I scooted to the side to give him space to sit down, but he reached out for my hand. I took that as a signal he wanted me next to him and snuggled against his side.

With my ear against his warm chest, I could hear his heart beat rapidly. It was adorable.

« Are you okay? You worry so much about everyone and I... We've barely talked about you » he asked in a low voice. It was deep and thrilling to hear; like a melody. Since when did I give in that much to my feelings for him?

« I'm fine. Just.. tired. »

His fingers tightened around mine.

« You know that out of all people, you don't need to lie to me. I'm here for you, not to judge you. »

I knew I'd frustrated him. It annoyed him that I didn't always open up about my feelings, the real ones. But I didn't want to make everything about me. Sure, I was part of it, but only part. We didn't have to make me some sort of hero. I'm no hero.

I'm almost a spectator to my own life. And that's the saddest possible thing.

« I know... »

I shifted position to be able to look into his chocolate-like eyes. He smiled softly at me, and I replicated it. He was gorgeous.

« With everything going on, I can't bring myself to moan about myself. » I finally admitted

He'd understand, right? He was one of the only ones who ever really understood me, so this he'd get too, right? I could almost feel the wheels churning in my brain, overthinking every crisp detail.

« You of all people need to vent, Ava. Despite the fact that we might die, your mental health is still important. I'm worried about you...

— Well don't. I'm fine. If there's one thing I want right now... it's to talk about us. We might die before tomorrow. So let's talk about us. »

His face lit up and it made me incredibly happy. It showed a glimpse of his old bubbly self.

« Funny how us becomes a topic when you avoid another one. » he joked

I narrowed my eyes. He didn't have to say it for it to be true. I was good at avoiding subjects when I wanted.

« So we assume there's an 'us', right? » Ted said, his confidence absent, taking a call elsewhere

I nodded. There was always an 'us'. We had undeniable chemistry, a connection I couldn't quite explain sometimes. And of course I was attracted to him, he's a greek god walking around like it's okay to be this gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing.

« And it's a... a platonic us? » he asked, his confidence once again wavering

I knew it was mean of me to let him do all the work. I put my hand behind his neck and looked at him dead in the eye.

« Of course not. I like you... romantically. »

A grin appeared on his face, illuminating the room. My heartbeat sped up.

« Okay, then that's settled. Are we...

— a couple? Probably, yeah. »

His eyes were shimmering. It was a beautiful sight to see for such a dark minded girl like me. It shed a little light on my clouds of doubt and sadness. If I had been in a different situation, I'd definitely get help.

I noticed his eyes flicker from my green eyes to my lips, and I subconsciously bit my lower lip. Was he going to kiss me? I had no idea. I could feel his hands tightening around my waist and him gently pulling me closer to him, slowly. It could almost go unperceived.

Tension was building up.

His eyes didn't flicker back to my eyes this time. They stared directly at my mouth, and I couldn't help but wonder if they weren't just chapped or green or something. And, suddenly, he closed the gap between us.

His lips met mine, and I felt complete. No fireworks exploded around us, no end credits appeared to tell the names of the actors of the movie, no dramatic music filled the room. What did happen was that warmth took over my body, my hands meeting his soft brown hair and his climbing up my back.

It was nice to only feel his lips against mine, the magic of it all, and not think of a single over thing, for one second. But things broke into perspective when Nicolas called from the stairs, staring at us annoyingly:

« There's something you guys should see... »