‍‍‍‍‍She had been there all weekend. The house an hour or so away got lonely and the nightmares had picked up. She didn't have many places she could go in all honesty. So here she was, wrapped in a comforter and surrounded by pillows way too big for her. Her hair was a mess, falling in her face, illuminated by the string lights he hung up above the bed for her. He hadn't been too keen on getting close or letting her stay but, damn did it feel good having someone to share his bed with.

He reached out his fingertips and ran them down the side of her flushed face. He rolled over roughly, glancing at the digital alarm yelling out bright red dashes that morphed together to read out 4:29am. It was early, the sun hadn't even decided to show its face and make a bubblegum sky behind the hordes of buildings. He blew out a sigh and rolled onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling as though it'd answer his dilemma. "Why can't you just stay? Why do you even want to go back? They abandoned you."

He paused. "I think I love you. I mean hell I wouldn't want you to stay this bad if I didn't love you, right?" Her body tensed listening to him speak his mind.

He yanked the pillow out from under him, smashed it over his face and groaned. Her quiet voice disrupted the silence. "I'm sorry...".  She said faintly while turned away from him.

He shot up, panicked mind screaming, bounding to the bathroom door where he hid himself. He shut his eyes and slid down to the floor. The cold tile against his fingertips was a harsh contrast to her warmth earlier. He fucked up. She knew he loved her now. There was no way she would stay, no way she would ever trust him again.

He heard it-- Faint steps got closer and a knock on the door brought him back from his worries.

"Please open the door..." Her voice struck a nerve in him. He rose, denying to look at her as he spoke

"I didn't mean for you to hear me. I-...uh.. Im sorry". Her brows furrowed and she caved in on herself. Vulnerability wasn't her strong suit, he knew it, neither was it his.

"I can't stay, you know that, Ace. It's not like I don't care, cause I do, I just..can't stay". He knew she had a house to keep up and a life of her own in that town. Hell, he wasn't even home a lot during the week with work and concerts but he liked to dream.

"I love you,” she suddenly blurted out with a shaky confidence. He wanted to believe her so bad. She liked to run though, from herself, from problems, and from her past. She could leave and never come back one night and he would be none the wiser of her whereabouts. He wanted to live out this childish dream of his, he wanted to make it work more than anything. He knew it never would though.