It starts sometime around midnight.

It's a Friday night. After a full day of watching Emma, and Danny's game, I'm exhausted. I shower, brush my teeth and fall into bed alone in my apartment. Despite the fact that I am so tired, I can't fall asleep. I can't stop thinking about those Wheeler boys.

Ben, who works at the bar down the street, has been my moon and starts for as long as I can remember. Since the first day I saw him playing with his puppy on the front lawn on the day we moved in, I thought he was the one. We lost contact after high school, but when Danny called me the day Emma was dropped on their doorstep, I was overjoyed. Despite having to come back to that damn nickname, it was nice to see Ben again. It was like we hadn't missed a day. Every day I get to see him, to watch his daughter while he's at work, to sit at the bar and talk to him while I eat lunch, is a great day for me.

Then there's Danny. From the first time I climbed up the rope ladder to his treehouse when we were seven, we've been best friends. Through grade school and high school, field hockey and driveway basketball, braces and first dates, and even through college, we stayed pretty close. We Skyped once a week and most days, we would text and email back and forth several times. Danny has always been a constant force in my life-always there, always reliable.

Only recently did everything change. Danny's pocketdial message had opened my eyes to his interest in me. The signs have always been there, but I never really noticed them until I was looking for them. When I confronted him about it, however, he shrugged it off with a grin before his scantily-clad girlfriend sauntered into the room, beckoning him back to bed. When I left the apartment, I stood in the hallway for a long time after deleting the message, crying silently against the doorframe. If he wanted me for so long, then why didn't he tell me? Why did I have to find it out from an accidental voicemail? After standing outside of the boys' apartment door for an agonizingly long time, I wiped my eyes and walked home.

That was almost two months ago.

Now, tonight, I lay awake in bed, thinking about Ben and Danny. Once block over, I know Ben is probably fast asleep, stretched out on the couch with Emma passed out laying on his chest; Tucker is most likely on the phone with his latest girl fixation-Kara? Kelley? Kimmy?-and Danny has probably just gotten in from some amazing victory party, having beaten the Penguins in a shutout. Right now, he's walking into the apartment, taking Emma gently from Ben's chest and carrying her to her crib before turning in for the night himself.

I sigh and roll over in bed. On my nightstand, my phone buzzes. I pick it up and answer the call without looking at the name.

"Hello?" I yawn, but someone is already talking.

"-know if you don't talk to her?" It's Mrs Wheeler's voice.

"I have! I straight up told her, and she laughed in my face. She thought I was covering for Ben. And then I kissed her and she pushed me away...it was humiliating." It's Danny.

"Well, you need to try again."

"I don't wanna screw up our friendship..." He trails off.

"Do you love Riley or not?" Mrs Wheeler's words are surprisingly biting.

"Of course I do." I can practically see the look on his face as he says, "but she'll never see me that way."

"Oh," I say softly, without even realizing.

"What was that?" Mrs Wheeler asks.

I scramble to press end before they know I've been eavesdropping on them. For a few moments, I lay in the silence and darkness, the echoes of their conversation reverberating through my mind. That's when every memory of Danny comes rushing back. Starting from the day I first saw him practicing slapshots on his driveway, my mind replayed them all. I was up to the field hockey state championship game junior year-getting the pass from Danny, smacking the ball forward for the winning goal-when the cheering crowd began to sound more like a buzzing phone. I roll over and reluctantly press the phone to my ear.

"Riley? Could you come open your door?"

Without letting the voice register, I end the call and slide out of bed. I scuffle to the door and pull it open. When I see who is standing there, I blink in disbelief.

"Can I crash here? It's crazy at home." Danny asks sweetly, a sort of desperately hopeful look on his face.

Unable to speak, I just nod and step aside to let him in. Before I even know what's happening, he has slipped his shoes off and laid down on my couch, asleep before his head hit the pillow. It's been a long day for him. He shouldn't have to come home after such a great victory and deal with the boys and his mom giving him trouble, especially after all he's been through today. I smile as I pull the blanket from the back of the couch. As I unfold it, I thank college-me for buying one long enough for him. He's here now, safe and sound. I'm not going to trouble him further. I gently tuck the blanket under his feet and pull it up to his chest. Absently, he grabs the edge of the blanket and mumbles, "I love you," in his sleep, before rolling over like the six-foot-five baby that he is.

"I love you, too," I whisper before heading back to bed.

Hello, friends. Thanks for reading all that.

This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I'm going to add a couple of chapters.

Review, me please! I'm still pretty new to writing fanfics!