-Revised and Improved from first version-

I didn't dream that night, none of my usual insane dreamscapes or videogame-esque plots. I think I slept lighter than I ever have in my life. When I finally woke up for the last time in a series of attaining consciousness and then losing it again, it was to a finger prodding my shoulder insistently. Blinking and rubbing my eyes, I slowly sat up – and was suddenly nose-to-nose with Lawliet. His proximity didn't worry me in the slightest, as I had gotten used to his unorthodox behavior after years of being friends with the guy, although he was admittedly an unsettling person to wake up to. He stared unwaveringly with those intense black eyes of his, then spoke in a low, even tone; "Breakfast will be served in the hotel lobby in a few minutes. Please proceed to prepare yourself for the day."

Then he leaned back, still perching on his toes and leapt nimbly off the end of the bed, slouched into his normal position, and walked unhurriedly out of the room. Yawning and shaking my head at my friend's incessant strangeness, I swung my feet off the edge of the bed and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Groaning, I realized it was only six o'clock in the morning. Sure, I could easily handle living on two hours of sleep, what with my frequent gaming all-nighters over the years, but waking up before the sun was NOT a practice I particularly enjoyed partaking in, especially not after the emotional upset I had experienced but a few hours ago.

Cursing Lawliet's odd sleep patterns and mourning the loss of my ability to fall back asleep, I decided to stumble out of bed and into the bathroom in search of some possibly awakening cold water to splash my face with. I stared at my exhausted looking face in the mirror a few seconds, frowning slightly at the pronounced bags under my eyes and the insane messiness of my hair. Satisfied that my goggles would cover both of those up pretty successfully, I turned the faucet on all the way to cold and splashed my face, then ran my wet hands through my hair in a futile attempt to tame my fiery locks.

The water did its trick, and I slowly started to take in my surroundings. I nearly fell over when I noticed Mello standing off to the side brushing his hair. Snorting at my antics, he said snidely, " Well someone's not a morning person."

"Shut up…" I grumbled, splashing more of the refreshing water on my face, partially to repel the blush that had started to rise when I took in his disheveled morning appearance. Jesus, that guy could look hot in a penguin suit.

That thought made me burst into giggles, which earned me another strange look and a gratuitous eye roll from Mello.

"You know, you should let me tackle that hair of yours sometime; I could do wonders with a little gel and a flat iron." He chuckled, continuing to tend to his own hair. I swear, the attention he pays to his hair goes beyond the generally accepted amount, even for a girl; he practically worships it as much as his chocolate.

I straightened up, drying my face with a hand towel and considering his offer. I doubted he could really do much, but who knows; not to mention, it might feel kind of nice for him to be running his fingers through my hair to put the gel in – WAIT WAIT BAD THOUGHTS you should not be fantasizing, hair related or otherwise, in his presence, that would be very awkward, especially after last night.

Trying to distract myself, I rooted around in my toiletry bag for my toothbrush. The air had become rather tense while I was busy with my own thoughts, and I didn't like the awkward silence that filled the space between us. I risked glance toward him, only to find him looking at me rather searchingly. He opened his mouth hesitantly as if to say something, and suddenly I was filled with dread; if he was about to mention what it looked like he was about to mention, I needed to change the topic before it comes up. Struggling for something to say, I decided on our absent roommate.

"So… ah… Where did Light go?"

A surprised expression seemed to flicker across Mello's face, falling briefly into one of confusion, before it settled back into a mask of indifference, as if that was not the question he was expecting me to ask.

"Oh Light? He woke up about an hour ago, said something about going for a run." He sounded so nonchalant I wondered if I had imagined the tension before. He waved his hand dismissively and returned to tending to his hair.

"… I see…"

The tension returned almost immediately, although this time, I was the one staring at him questioningly, while he pretended not to notice.

Fortunately, Light took that moment to return from his jog and demanded that we all leave the bathroom so that he could start his morning moisturizing routine. Of course, Mello wasn't even remotely finished with his hair care, and refused to leave, which prompted yet another bitch fight between those two. I swear I have no idea how they are friends; they are constantly fighting! I rapidly escaped into the bedroom to put on my clothes for the day. As I pulled my goggles over my eyes and slipped into my striped shirt, I couldn't help but wonder… could it all have been a dream? Mello didn't seem to be behaving all that differently… but then again, neither had I really, and he is a much better actor… I decided that no, it couldn't have been a dream. It felt way too real, and besides my dreams are only ever in fantasy worlds with insane colors and sounds, nothing like the gripping reality and muted darkness of last night…

But still, the rest of the day went by without any sign from Mello that he remembered or even experienced what I was positive had transpired, and I slowly become less and less sure I hadn't dreamed the whole experience up. It wasn't as if I hadn't had dreams of him before. I discovered over breakfast that I didn't have much of an appetite, and I could even force myself to try the delicious looking waffles the hotel had provided. I barely managed to get through my toast and tea, while watching Mello scarf down three chocolate chip waffles, slathered in chocolate syrup of course.

We got to the beach ridiculously early, and the place was practically deserted. We decided (AKA I picked and everyone else followed for lack of better options) to go to a local arcade, which was surprisingly one of the only places that was open, and played chess for a while. Or, at least they did; I spent nearly all my money on arcade games. Not because I didn't like chess – I actually love the challenge – but because I was finding it difficult to sit across from Mello. Or next to him for that matter. Or just be around him in general. Every accidental brush or sideways glance got my heart racing in ways I might have difficulty explaining. It got to the point that I couldn't take it any more, and left to find refuge in beating pasty nerds with poor complexion at Dance Dance Revolution. I rock at that game, although Mello is better. He's the fucking dance king.

But despite my struggling to keep composure around him, Mello showed no outward signs of change at all from his usual attitude.

A couple of hours later, once it was a little warmer and more comfortable to be on the sand, we headed out, reluctantly on my part. However, once we got there, we all drifted off separately; Mello went in search of some more chocolate, having used up the supply of chocolate chips he had brought with him from the buffet bar at the hotel, and Light and Lawliet decided to buy the chess board from the arcade place, so as not to end their previous game. Once they got it set up on a beach towel, they were once again locked in an intense chess game that began to gather a large group of onlookers. I rented a water scooter and took off across the waves; it was a lot more fun than I originally thought it would be, especially when some more people started to join me out on the waves; I splashed them all mercilessly. We remained separated for the majority of the day, pursuing our own interests, and the times that we did spend together on the beach, I tended to remain locked onto my D.S., although I had only brought one game, that I had already beat several times and usually only played for nostalgia purposes or when I was really bored. Or in this case, when I was attempting to appear preoccupied so that I would be less susceptible to situations in which I would have to interact with Mello which would have likely resulted in more heart-racing, blushing, and unnecessary giggling than I really wanted to deal with right now. Or ever. Why does he make me feel like such a goddamned paranoid lovesick girl all the time?

We met up again right before I had to leave: Lawliet and I decided to go back early, to catch a lecture that was scheduled on Monday morning, while Mello and Light were going to stick around for a little longer to soak up some sun. Awkward is inadequate to describe the way we left things: a half wave and a strained glance over my shoulder was all I gave him, as he waved back, confused by my cold behavior. I paused as I was walking away, and turned back, my lips parting to let loose the questions I had been holding back, ready to search his eyes for any sign he recognized what I wanted; but he was already gone, faded into the crowd, out of my sight.