I woke up to sunlight hitting my face and for a second, I forgot where I was.
The ceiling was different from my room. It was white and had a small crack in the corner that I didn't recognize. The walls were a light cream color, not the pale blue of my bedroom. And there was a blanket over me that I didn't remember putting on.
Then I remembered.
Luke's house. The cupcakes. The movie. I fell asleep on his shoulder like an idiot.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. My neck was stiff from sleeping on the couch in a weird position. I looked around the sitting room. The TV was off now. The empty cupcake plates were still on the table. Someone had put a pillow under my head too. I didn't even notice when that happened.
I heard footsteps and then Luke walked in with a glass of water in his hand. He stopped when he saw me awake. His brown hair was messy like he just woke up too. He was wearing a plain gray t-shirt and sweatpants.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," he said with that small smile on his face.
I rolled my eyes. "How long did I sleep?"
He checked his phone. "Like four hours. It's almost evening now."
My eyes widened. "What?!"
He laughed a little. "Relax. I told Sophie not to wake you. You looked really tired."
I rubbed my face, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry I crashed like that."
"It's fine. You needed it."
He handed me the water and I drank it fast. My throat was so dry. I looked around the sitting room again. It was quiet. Too quiet. "Where's Sophie?"
"She went out. Said she had to get something for work. She'll be back later."
I nodded, standing up. My legs felt a little weird from sleeping in the same position for so long. I stretched my arms above my head and Luke watched me with that small smile he always had. It made me feel a little self-conscious.
"You hungry?" he asked.
"Starving."
He led me to the kitchen and I sat at the table while he made us toast with butter and jam. The kitchen was small but cozy. There were pictures on the fridge and a plant on the windowsill. It felt like a real home.
He put the toast on a plate and sat down across from me. We ate in silence for a while, but it wasn't awkward. It felt nice actually. Like old times before everything got weird between us. Before Betty. Before the scar disappeared. Before my whole life turned upside down.
"Hey," I said after a while, breaking the silence.
He looked up from his toast. "What?"
"Thanks. For yesterday. For forgiving me and for being... you know. Nice."
He shrugged. "I was the one who acted like a jerk."
"Yeah, you did."
He laughed and threw a piece of toast at me. I caught it and ate it. We sat there for a while longer, just talking about nothing important. He told me about a video game he was playing. I told him about the stupid project I had with Aiden. He listened without interrupting, which was rare for him.
After a while, I checked my phone. It was almost 7pm. The sun was starting to set outside the kitchen window.
"I should probably go home," I said.
"I'll walk you."
"You don't have to."
"I know. But I want to."
So we walked back to my house. It was only next door so it took like two minutes. The air was cool and the sky was turning orange and pink. I could hear birds somewhere in the distance.
At the gate, I turned to him. "Same time next week?" I asked.
He smiled. "Yeah. Same time."
I walked inside and closed the door behind me. The house was empty. My parents and Betty still weren't back. I went up to my room and lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
For the first time in a while, I didn't feel completely alone.