I walked with Alex across the frosty lawn in the dim light of a streetlight to his car.
"Alex..." I said, stopping him before he opened the car door. I stood there with my arms crossed, trying to keep the cold air from getting under my jumper. "Thank you, for tonight. It means a lot. Not just to Cody, but to me. You being there made it a hell of a lot easier."
"I know..." He said softly and gave me half a smile. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
"I'm going to pick you up with all your shit so you can move into mine, remember?!"
"Oh yeah," I said with a grin. "Call me in the morning then."
"Will do... Goodnight, Nebraska." He gave me a quick hug before getting in his car. I stepped back and watched him drive off into the night.

-

"Uh, Nebraska?" Alex called from the lounge room.
"Yhhh?!" I muffled back, the toothbrush hanging out of my mouth. I had been living at Alex's for a few weeks now and it was great. He kept me grounded I had realised, and it was getting easier to keep going without my mother in my life.
"I uh, just had a call from Jack..."
"Hnggg nnn," I mumbled, which was mouth-full-of-toothpaste for 'hang on'. I finished cleaning my teeth and hurried to Alex. "Continue?"
"Yeah, so, Jack called. His parents are probably sick of him, but he's moving back in..."
"So... He's gonna want his room back?"
"Probably..."
"Oh. Right. I'm sorry for messing all this up Alex. I can move back into Dad's... If he let's me..." I said brokenly and bit my lip.
"No way, you are not going back there. You can have my room."
"Alex, seriously. I'll sleep on the couch."
"No I will."
"I'm smaller, I fit better on the couch anyway."
We laughed a little. "We'll figure it out, don't worry," he said coolly.

-

Soon enough Jack had moved back in and it was like he'd always been there.
"Fuck, Jack!" I swore as the corner of a Lego brick dug into my foot, another of the childish things the boys got up to. I tipped over onto the couch and held my foot.
"What?!" Jack came screaming in.
"You and your fucking Lego!" I said, half laughing, half angry.
Alex came in the room too and both boys started laughing. "See, we have developed the special talent of avoiding Lego pieces. It's skill," Alex said proudly as he and Jack high fived.
"Get out!" I yelled at them. "I want to sleep, seeing as the lounge room is basically my bedroom now." Jack rolled his eyes and bid me goodnight.
"You know you don't have to sleep here. I do have a double bed..." Alex stated.
"It's fine, really," I said and smiled at him sweetly. "You've done more than enough."
"The offer's always there." He winked and walked off to his bedroom.
I sighed and pulled the blankets over me, curling into fetal position. Thoughts clouded my head as I tried to go to sleep. Alex and I were different now. Sometimes it was as if that night had never happened, that we had never had sex. We were pretty much best friends now, yet I still had that feeling of wanting more. But I couldn't risk losing him, he had such an impact on my life that I felt if I lost him, I'd lose it and lose myself.

Hours passed and my brain wouldn't stop. I got up and managed to make my way to the kitchen without standing on any Lego. I switched the light on and sat on the kitchen bench while the kettle boiled. I made myself a cup of tea and perched myself on the seat by the window, listening to the sounds of the night in a suburban neighbourhood. I heard footsteps and turned to see Alex at the doorway.
"You okay?" He asked in a sleepy voice, squinting across the room, trying to avoid the light from the kitchen.
"Mmyeah," I mumbled.
"Sure?"
"Yes Alex, go back to bed."
He nodded, switched off the kitchen light and wandered back to his bedroom.

I sat there for another hour in the darkness and figured that I wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight. Unless...
I got up and crept to Alex's bedroom and closed the door quietly behind me. I bit my lip as I slid under the covers next to him. He stirred slightly.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
We lay there in silence for a while until he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. That night my night terrors didn't bother me.