It was a nanosecond passed midnight when Enzo awoke to the feeling of motion on the edge of his bed.
"Frisket, get down! How many times do I have to tell you you're not allowed on the bed?" Enzo mumbled without opening his eyes.
"It's not Frisket Guardian, it's me." A familiar, high pitched feminine voice whispered in Enzo's ear.
"Andraia!" Enzo shouted as his eyes shot open, "What are you doing here? Is everything ok? Is there an incoming game?"
"Shhh!" Andraia hushed as she placed a finger against his lips, "No, there is no game but you have to be quiet. We don't want Dot to wake up."
"If everything is ok, then why are you in my room, I mean it's passed midnight, shouldn't you be with Phong in the principal office?"
"I didn't say everything was ok Enzo, I just said there was no incoming game."
"Then what's wrong? Is Megabyte and his viral minions launching another attack?"
"No, all was quite at the touar when I left."
"Then what is it?"
"I had a bad dream."
Both sprites were quiet for a moment as Enzo simply stared at Andraia.
"You had a bad dream? You traveled half-way across mainframe in the dead of the night cycle and snuck into my room because you had a bad dream?"
"It may sound silly guardian but yes, that's right. It's not that I don't trust Phong it's just…" Andraia said before trailing off.
"It's just what?" Enzo asked, concerned.
"I don't feel the same way towards the rest of the people in mainframe that I feel towards you. I feel safe with you. I feel happy with you. I feel like things are going to okay when I'm with you. I feel…" Andraia trailed off again.
"Um, thanks I guess. I mean, I just don't know what to say. I really like it when you around me too. I mean, you're practically my best friend now and I can't imagine what life was like before you escaped from that game. That still doesn't really explain…" Enzo fumbled through his thoughts before Andraia cut him off.
"I love you Enzo!" Andraia blurted.
"Alphanumeric! What did you just say?"
"I said I love you Enzo. I've loved you since the first day we met, when you rescued me from the user with your fish-submarine. That's why I risked transferring my backup files onto your icon that day; I couldn't stand the idea of being separated from you forever so I risked total deletion to be with you." Andraia began to cry as she poured her heart out to Enzo.
"I… I…. I hadn't realized you felt so strongly. I always thought you just saw me as a friend. I never even considered the idea you might…"
"Enzo I know you don't love me and that it was foolish of me to come here and tell you how I felt but I just had to. I dreamed that you and I had grown up and you were getting ready to marry someone else and then I got trapped back into the game and… I just had to come here and let you know how I felt."
"Don't cry Andraia, you don't have to worry about that. As long as I'm around I won't let anything harm you, especially not some game!"
"But… you're going to look at me differently now, aren't you? I mean, now that I've bared my code to you."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Oh Enzo, I don't want to lose you as a friend. I'd get nullified inside if that happened. I don't want you to see me differently." Andraia whimpered as she began to cry harder.
"Andraia, please stop crying. You're going to wake Dot! Besides, that's not what I meant when I said I'd see you differently. I'm not going to stop being your friend. What I meant was I don't think I can see you as just a friend anymore. Dot will blow a circuit if she finds out but if you can keep it on a low bandwidth why don't you and I go to Module Park on level 12 together tomorrow… you know, like a date."
"A date?" Andraia said with shock as she abruptly stopped crying, "You mean, like a date date? Really?"
"Really. I want to get to know you better so we can be boyfriend and girlfriend… I mean, if that's what you want."
"Oh Enzo!" Andraia screamed as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Shhh! Seriously, dot will never let us be alone together if she finds out about this so we have to be quiet. Now, you can stay the night if you want cause it's way to dangerous to be out with Megabyte running around but you have to keep your voice down."
"I'm glad I came here tonight Guardian." Andraia said as she quietly slipped under the covers and snuggled up close next to Enzo, "I love you Enzo."
"I love you too."