I was in Julian's room. Julian's tiny room that was just big enough to fit a twin sized bed and dresser. While he was down the hall making sure his brothers (mainly Donnie) were in bed I sent a message to my mom, letting her know I was staying over at a friend's tonight. Then I turned my phone off so I'd have a plausible excuse as to why I didn't see her messages that would mostly likely be questioning me about this "friend".

As I waited for Julian to come back I looked around the room. The walls were bare of anything besides a drawing I assume was made by Donnie tacked to the wall. I wasn't sure what it was meant to be. A Christmas tree? Ice cream cone? There were comics stacked on the dresser and a few bottles of cologne. I picked one up and instantly recognized it as the scent he usually wore.

A grey hoodie hung on one of the bed post. It was the one he let me borrow at the beginning of summer. It was crazy to think that we were together now. I was so caught up in remembering that night that I hadn't noticed Julian come into the room until he spoke.

"You plan on stealing that?"

I glanced at him over my shoulder. "Don't you know that I'm now entitled to all of your hoodies?"

"I must've missed the fine print," he chuckled. He walked over to the dresser opening the top drawer and pulling out some pajama pants, handing them to me. "Bathroom is the first door on the left."

I followed his directions to the bathroom, happy to finally pull off these jeans. When it came to putting the pajama pants on I hesitated. He slept in these. I could imagine him lounging around the house in them. Getting chip crumbs in his lap while he watched one of his anime shows. The thought made me giggle as I slipped them on. They were baggy on my hips so I tightened the drawstring.

When I got back to the room, Julian was sitting on a pallet on the floor between his bed and the dresser. I noticed he had changed into pajamas while I was in the bathroom. He moved quick.

He stood and pointed to his bed. "You can sleep there," he told me.

"Okay." I nodded, draping my jeans over the footboard and setting my shoes next to the dresser.

There was a ball of nerves in my stomach. Especially since I could feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. Who knew a sleepover could make a person so anxious?

"Oh," he started as I perched on the edge of his bed. "It gets hot in here at night so I keep the window open, but if you want it closed..."

"It's fine," I said, smiling up at him. "I sleep with mine open, too."

"Alright. Cool." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around the room as if trying to see if he forgot anything. "Do you need anything? Water? Extra pillows?" His gaze shot to me. "Are you even tired?"

I laughed. We were both so far out of our comfort zone and it showed. "Not really. It's only eleven." I never made it to bed before two in the morning.

He let out a sigh, placing his hands on his hips as he looked down at me. "How are you at video games?"

"Ask Jaiden," I said, nonchalantly. "He banned me from playing with him because he's a sore loser."

"Really?" He asked, clearly intrigued. Then he cocked his head to towards the door. "Let's go."

We went back to the living room and I settled in on the couch as Julian started the game. Before joining me he went to the kitchen to grab some juice boxes and cheese crackers.

"You don't cry when you lose, do you?" I asked, popping a cracker in my mouth.

"Do you?"

"I wouldn't know." I smirked. "I don't lose."

He chose a Dragon Ball Z game I faintly remembered from my brother's game collection. I just hoped I could remember the controls.

It took all of two seconds to realize I didn't remember a single thing about this game. Maybe it was a different version? I didn't know. All I knew was that I was losing. In a moment of desperation I covered Julian's eyes with one hand while trying to kick his player's ass with the other.

"What are you doing?" He laughed while trying to move my hand.

"Winning." I sang, just as I did some combo move that defeated his character. I pulled my hand out of his face, smile triumphantly.

"Wow," he drawled, narrowing his eyes at me. "Now I see why Jaiden doesn't let you play. You're a cheat."

"Don't be such a sore loser," I said, taking a sip from my juice box.

Another juice box and countless crackers later we were back in Julian's room. It was weird lying in his bed. Also, I was a little disappointed that his sheets smelled like they fresh out of the wash.

I spent about five minutes staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep, before rolling over on my side and looking down at Julian. He was on his stomach, both hands tucked under the pillow with his head turned away from me, so I couldn't tell if he was asleep.

"You up?"

He rolled over on to his back. "Can't sleep either?" I shook my head. "I thought all that cheating would've tired you out."

"Whatever," I laughed. "You're just mad because you were losing."

It fell silent again. Nothing but the sound of chirping insects and the occasional car filled the room. I still had too much energy to sleep. So, I grabbed a pillow and got down on the floor beside Julian.

"Hi."

"Hi." He laughed, warily. "Got lonely up there?"

"Yes, actually." I turned on my side, propping my head up in my hand. "I heard something interesting today, well, yesterday."

His brow furrowed. "What?"

"Someone told me that one of Sprinklez employees has been secretly lusting after me for years."

He let out a deep laugh, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Who told you that?"

"I can't reveal my sources."

"I don't even know why I asked," he said, bring his arm down to look at me. "It was Ariel, right?"

I ignored his question and asked my own. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"To the girl who couldn't remember my name?"

He's brought that up before, however, this time it stung a little. To think that the last couple of years could've been completely different had I been a little more observant.

"Besides," he added. "You had a boyfriend at the time."

"That's never stopped anyone before." I've lost count of the amount if Adam's "friends" that tried to get with me while we were together. I held back a grimace at the thought.

"I don't steal," he said, jokingly. "And I had a lot going at the time."

My curiosity was piqued. "Like what?"

"Like, a new a job, school and three kids to take care of."

I smiled at that. Moving closer to him, I put my hand on his chest a rested my chin on top of it as I peered up at him. "That's why I like you."

"Because I had no time for extracurricular actives?"

"Because you put the important things first," I told him. "Most people I know couldn't care less whether or not their siblings had dinner."

He had one hand on my back, absentmindedly tracing designs. "Trust me," he said, letting out a dry laugh. "I wish I could've spent more time chasing fast tailed little girls."

I snorted a laugh. Honestly, I was glad things worked out the way they did. How we both became available at the perfect time. It felt like the universe was working with us instead of against us. Everything felt perfect.

I leaned up, kissing his lips. They tasted salty from the crackers. I didn't know how much longer we stayed up after that. Whenever I fell asleep I knew I did so with a smile on my face.

+ + +

Hi! Hello!

Hope you liked this awkwardly cute moment between Elisa & Julian.

Enjoy it. Who knows what'll go on next chapter....

<3