"Ok, Tawni, you've got your hot coco, it's hot the way you like it, anything else?"

I looked at Tawni Hart, who had fallen asleep on my couch and thought, "She looks even more beautiful when she's sleeping."

At that moment my mom came out of the kitchen to say, "Sonny, you should get ready for bed."

"Shh, she's sleeping." I whispered pulling her to the hallway leading to our bedrooms.

"Sonny, you have to stop doing everything for her or she's never gonna ever leave." I nodded wordlessly and she continued, "I know you don't want her to but we can't keep letting her."

"I'll talk to her, Mom."

"But do it in the morning, for now get some sleep."

"Yes, Mom." I replied smiling. I watched her walk back into her room before walking into my own room to change my clothes and climb into bed. After laying in my bed for half an hour I realized I wasn't falling asleep so I got up and walked quietly toward the kitchen to make some warm milk. When I entered the living room I saw Tawni sitting up in the dark; almost causing me to scream, but I caught myself. "Tawni, are you okay?" I whispered as I stepped closer. She looked at me and even through the dark I could see a vulnerability I'd never seen before. "Come with me." I ordered leading her into the kitchen. "What's wrong?" I asked after I turned on the light and faced her. She looked close to tears and before I received an answer I pulled her toward me into a hug that she didn't fight. I held her and rubbed her back as she silently cried.

Eventually she stopped and pulled away so say, "I'm sorry." Through ragged breathe.

"Why are you apologizing?' I looked into her eyes confused and still saw the vulnerability.

"I shouldn't cry on you. I'm a Hart. I'm not weak."

"Tawni, just 'cause you cry doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you're human."

A small smile turned up the corner of her mouth as she said, "But you never cry."

"Not at the studio, you should have seen me the first week I was here, I cried myself to sleep every night."

"Why?"

I felt a pang of longing as I looked into her eyes before answering, "I was so far away from Wisconsin, I missed my friends and . . ."

I stopped myself but she asked, "And what?"

I looked up at her and before I could stop I found myself answering quietly, "I missed my girlfriend."

"Oh." She said and she took a step away from me.

"Tawni, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, I asked." Her eyes told me differently as I looked into them and walked closer.

"What are you doing?" she asked seeing my face an inch away from hers.

"We broke up two weeks ago." I explained before pulling her lips to crash with mine. Our lips moved together as one until air became a problem. We pulled away but didn't let our eyes draw away from each other.

Her eyes showed worry so I asked, "What?"

"I'm worried about my mom." She said in a voice so childlike and quiet it made my heart hurt.

"Is that why you couldn't sleep?" I asked and she nodded. "Do you want to come lay in my bed." I felt nervous after I asked realizing I was going really fast and might scare her. "It's okay if you don't want to, I don't want to rush you or anything."

"It's okay, Sonny, I want to." We walked back to my room and laid underneath the covers with her in my arms.

"I'm gonna talk to my mom tomorrow, will you come with me?" she asked quietly after a few moments.

I smiled and replied, "Of course." Soon we both fell asleep knowing everything would be okay.