Her apartment felt emptier than usual when she stepped inside. She had stayed with Mark for as long as she possibly could, right up until he was practically pushing her out the door insisting that she get some sleep. But Harmony didn't care. It didn't matter that she was behind on sleep from the previous night. She was not in the mood to be alone. She was dreading tomorrow and would dread it even more once his plane took off at 9:30 in the morning. He was only going to be gone for a week, but next Tuesday felt so far away she could barely stand it.

Her gaze idly trailed over towards the kitchen, and even in the moonlight through the blinds she could make out the cheery little sticky note Mark had left on her coffee machine. She knew she should be happy right now. And she knew somewhere inside she was, deep down. She was glad he was getting an opportunity to see his family and hang out with his friends, but on top of that her heart was hurting in a way it never had before, and it was overshadowing anything else.

She screwed her eyes shut for a moment. No, nothing was wrong. Everything was fine. Great, even. He had his life to lead and she had hers. They were friends, that was all, right? Or was that something she was just trying to make herself believe?

Her phone gave off a brief jingle, nearly startling her out of her skin as it yanked her out of her thoughts. With a huff she pulled it out of her back pocket, and her eyes immediately focused sharply on her best friend's name glowing on the screen.

Good night, friend! I'll miss you this week!

Friend. That stupid twinge came back and her mind couldn't tear itself away from that word. But why? That was exactly what she was to him. Best friends, right?

"Like a sister," she spat out, echoing his words he spoke earlier during dinner.

Ugh. She shook her head and made her way towards her bedroom. She just needed to go to bed.

Pajamas on and teeth brushed, Harmony buried herself under all of her blankets, abandoning her phone on the nightstand. With a heavy sigh she closed her eyes to try and sleep, but the words "friend" and "sister" kept coming to the surface of her mind, loud and clear. She couldn't ignore it or brush it off. The discontentment was there.

Why? she asked herself, closing her eyes tighter as if that would make it all go away.

She had always been perfectly happy with her friendship with Mark. It was perfect in its own imperfect, nerdy way. She had been content. Why had that changed now? Why did she feel like she wanted more?

No, she was just being silly... maybe even overthinking things. She just needed to meet a man, that was all. It had been several months since she had been on a date. Maybe it was just her heart telling her to get back out in the dating world again. She couldn't have feelings for Mark. She didn't have feelings for Mark. That just wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Feelings would ruin what they had. She couldn't lose him. He was her best friend. He was like a brother to her, right? Right?

Yes, she decided as she rolled over in determination, burrowing further into her sea of navy blankets. She was just going through a phase, that was all. She wasn't falling for her best friend. She just wasn't.

"Hi, Leah!" Harmony exclaimed when she opened her door one evening to find a short brunette standing excitedly on the other side.

"Harmony!" Leah cried in returned as she threw her arms around the blonde's neck. "So good to see you!"

"Come in!" Harmony offered as she ushered Leah inside. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please," Leah replied as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

"You staying the night tonight?"

"No, sorry, I have to be at work early in the morning. Just wanted to drop by for a quick visit."

Harmony nodded, humming faintly to herself as she pulled down a vanilla coffee pod from the cabinet to start the Keurig for Leah. Leah used to work as a columnist at the same office Harmony was at. Harmony worked her first project with Leah and their boss had been so pleased with their work that he started encouraging them to co-write several large articles together until Leah was offered a job she just couldn't turn down in Santa Ana. However, with Leah's family still living in LA, she still came to town at least once a month to visit them, and always made sure to visit Harmony as well. Harmony tried to visit Leah as much as she could, but balancing her two jobs often made it difficult. She felt bad but Leah didn't mind. Today, she was extra grateful for her friend's visit. Between work and missing Mark (though she wouldn't admit that) things had been rough. Her meeting with her boss went incredibly well today, but she couldn't deny the nervousness she had felt this morning dealing with such a big article. Then after coming home to record two videos for her channel, her mind was exhausted and she most definitely was not in the mood to be alone. Leah couldn't have picked a better time to drop by.

"Where's Markiplier?" Leah wanted to know, glancing around the apartment as Harmony set a ceramic green mug in front of her.

Harmony raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Who're you here to see? Me or Mark?"

Leah laughed. "You, of course, you doof."

Harmony snickered from her place beside the Keurig as she waited on her usual hazelnut coffee, only this time it was decaf.

"I'm pretty sure he's been hanging out here almost every time I've visited," Leah went on, a slightly mischievous glint in her eyes.

Harmony grinned. It was true; Mark was always here whenever she would come by. Leah would usually end up kicking Mark out so they could have some "girl time," she called it, which was always pure entertainment for Harmony to watch such an exchange between the two. She was still smiling when she sat down across from the brunette, setting both her phone and her coffee down on the table.

"Mark's out of town," Harmony finally answered. "He left Tuesday. He has a convention this weekend and left a little early to stop and see his family."

"He left Tuesday?" Leah echoed, eyebrows raised. "Good for you, girl, you've made it to Friday!"

Harmony gave her friend a funny look. "Well, yeah," she said slowly, "of course I've made it to Friday. It really has been a crazy week, though."

"Oh come on, Harmony, you forget that I know you. I'm not talking about work. You and Mark usually see each other everyday."

"We do not," Harmony tried to argue. Well, that was basically a lie.

"Practically!" Leah exclaimed. "I know this must really suck for you."

"Leah, I'm fine. Really. He does his own thing and I do mine."

Leah regarded her blonde friend as she took a long sip of her coffee. When it came to Mark, she could see right through her. During her visits over the past few months, Leah saw Harmony change. It was as clear as day, from the way the blonde's eyes would trail him when he walked by, to the way she would light up when he called her name, to the way she would linger when he gave her a goodnight hug. It was painfully obvious that Harmony felt more for her best friend than she used to.

Harmony started growing a bit restless under her friend's intense gaze as she set her mug down. "What?"

"Why are you in denial, hun?" Her question seemed to come out of nowhere. "You know it would take a load off your shoulders if you would just be honest with yourself."

"About what?" Harmony snapped, a little too quickly.

"About Mark, duh," Leah replied, resting her arms on the tabletop as she leaned forward. "I know you know what I'm talking about."

Harmony could feel her face heating up and she had to look away from her friend, biting on her lower lip. "I don't have feelings for him," she defended herself. "It's just... been a long time since I've dated anyone and I think I just need to get my head on straight and get back into the dating scene again. It's just a thing I'm going through."

Leah narrowed her eyes. "Bull," she declared.

"Leah," Harmony warned.

The brunette held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, okay. Whatever you say, hun. I'm just saying-"

Harmony's phone buzzed there on the table, drawing the immediate attention of both women. Leah watched as she snatched up her phone to read a text message. With rapt attention she watched Harmony's expression soften and her eyes seemed to sparkle even in the apartment's artificial light. A smile was fighting hard to spread itself across her lips as her thumb flew across the phone's screen in a return text. Leah waited until Harmony finished her reply, locked her phone and set it back on the table.

"What?" Harmony squeaked again when she looked up to find Leah staring at her with an impish grin.

"Who were you talking to?" the brunette inquired.

This time Harmony knew she was blushing and she couldn't hide it. Leah could tell and she was loving it.

"Mark texted you, didn't he?" She paused for a moment, thinking. "Shouldn't he be busy at a convention tonight?"

"Yeah, he's there right now," Harmony answered slowly. "He just..." She couldn't help but smile. "He just sent me like 5 selfies with his friends and some fans."

"He took time out of his busy day at the con to text you and you loved it."

"Well, I always like hearing from him."

"Oh my goodness, Harmony!" Leah groaned, tossing her hands up in the air. "Stop being so complicated, woman! You say you need to get back in the dating scene - just go after him!"

Harmony giggled at her very animated friend in spite of herself.

"Seriously!" Leah cried, but Harmony was shaking her head. "Why not?"

"I can't date Mark, Leah," Harmony told her. "He's my best friend and he doesn't see me in that way anyway. We're like brother and sister-"

"Are you sure?"

"-It just doesn't fit. It would ruin everything."

"You don't know that for sure."

Harmony sighed and gazed out the window at the twilight sky as it gave way to the dark of night. "I just can't, Leah. We're friends. Always have been and always will be. I don't wanna lose what we do have."

Now it was Leah's turn to sigh as she gazed absently down at her empty mug. "I sure don't get you sometimes, girl," she said, "but I sure do hope you get things figured out for your sake. And maybe his sake, too." She stood and carried her mug over to the sink. "I gotta go before it gets too late."

Harmony stood as well and gave her friend a hug. "Thank you for stopping by. Maybe next time you can stay longer. I would like that."

Leah smiled as they both headed to the front door. "I don't usually have to work so early in the morning, but I'm covering for someone else tomorrow. Next time we'll have the whole day to hang out. Maybe I'll stay the night."

Harmony smiled and nodded, giving Leah one more hug and they said their goodbyes. As she closed her door and silence fell into her home, Leah's words turned over and over in her mind. She did not think on them, nor did she try to analyze them. She simply stood there for a while, letting her friend's words resonate over and over. She lost track of how long she stood there replaying the evening's conversation until a different feeling came over her, hitting her hard like a sledgehammer.

She missed Mark badly.

No, she didn't.

Yes. She did.

With another sigh of discontent and rattled thoughts and emotions, she closed the blinds and turned off the lights to head to bed. It wasn't that late, but she was tired. She was done with this day - with this week. Her brain needed something else to latch onto for a while. Maybe she would read for a while.

Trying her best not to fall into the whirlpool of barely-contained thoughts about her best friend, she went through her nightly routine of washing up and changing into her pajamas to climb into her thick navy blankets. She left the lamp on the nightstand on and fussed with her pillows until she was comfortable with her iPad in hand. Automatically she logged into YouTube and maintained her channel for a while, checking views, likes, and replying to a few comments that particularly caught her eye. But then after a while she found herself on her homepage, staring at her news feed. Mark's channel was at the top, because of course she was subscribed to it. He had posted a video while in Ohio - it looked like a vlog, probably a quick update on his weekend - she didn't know. She hadn't seen it yet. She didn't want to watch any of his videos until he was at home, where she could easily see the real him right afterwards by walking to the next hall. Or walking into her living room. Either one. He frequented both.

Why, though? Why close out of YouTube without seeing what he was up to back home?

Because she missed him terribly, and doing that would only make it worse.

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that day, she flipped over to her Internet browser and thought she could do a little research on the next video game she was going to review for her own YouTube channel.

She didn't realize she had dozed off until some sort of strangely upbeat music startled her out of her sleep. She laid there blinking for a few seconds before she finally noticed it was her phone ringing. She sobered immediately when she recognized that it was his ringtone. She had set it long ago to the outro music he used in his non-horror gaming videos. She thought it was clever and he laughed when he found out about it.

"Hey you," she answered with a wide smile, hoping she didn't sound groggy.

The background noise on the other end was full of laughing and playful shouting, but that voice she knew so oh-so-well cut through everything. "Hey, pretty lady." It was music to her ears.

"What are you up to?" She leaned over to glance at her alarm clock. It was half past 11.

"We just left the con," Mark replied. "We're getting food right now and I just wanted to call and say hi before you went to bed."

Harmony was grinning and blushing, but her smile turned a bit sheepish when she decided that he didn't need to know she had already been asleep. "You didn't have to do that," she said a bit bashfully. "I know you're super busy... I don't want to take up your time."

"I always have time for you! How are things over there?"

"Good. Quiet. Too quiet. There haven't been any rowdy 5'10" guys with glasses letting themselves into my apartment lately."

"Oh trust me," Mark chuckled, "I'll remedy that in just a few more days."

"Good," she replied. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. I wish you were here. You'd love it."

"Next time, right?"

"I'm holding you to that." She heard him say something she couldn't quite pick up and a roar of laughter followed. "Sorry," he said amongst a laugh of his own, "Bob and Wade are making fun of me."

"Oh, do you need to go?" she wanted to know.

"No, not yet! We're about to eat, but I need to hear how your project is coming along first! Then I'll go."

Harmony couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't imagine how busy he had probably been all day, yet he made time for her. It was making her giddy. "So far so good. My boss is really excited about the final draft. My co-writer Dani is strong, too."

"Nice. Is this gonna be another epic duo like your partnership with Leah?"

Harmony laughed. "No one will ever compare to Leah..." Suddenly she stopped as Leah's words from earlier came hurtling back at her and she sat up in an instant. For the first time, she saw everything clearly. There was no other way to see it. There was no other way around it. It demanded acknowledgement; no more denial. No more hiding. Her mad blushing, her rapid heartbeat, her need to be around him, hanging on every word he spoke, feeling like she was in middle school again talking to her first crush on the phone... It all pointed to one thing. Just one thing.

She realized Mark had been calling her name. "Harmony? Hey, Harmony, are you okay?"

She shook her head as if to clear her mind, feeling dazed. "Yeah, Mark, I'm here. I'm okay."

"What happened? I really lost you for a minute there."

"I thought..." What did she think? Her brain wasn't processing anything correctly. It was hung up on just one thing. She was panicking. She tried to think of an excuse. "I thought... I thought I heard something."

"Heard something?" Mark echoed, and she could hear the concern in his voice. "Are you alone? Do you need help?"

Harmony rubbed her eyes with her free hand in aggravation. Way to go, genius. You heard something? Really? Now he's worried for no reason. "No, I'm fine, I promise," she reassured him. "Pretty sure it was just the neighbors being stupid." Wow. How lame can I get?

"Okay," he replied, "well, if they get too weird or something don't hesitate to go over to my place. You can stay in my room. Matt and Ryan won't mind."

"O-okay," she mumbled her response, her mind now filled with thoughts of sleeping in his room.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah!" Harmony exclaimed, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

But he seemed to be satisfied. "Okay. Well, I gotta go eat before the guys leave me here. I'll call you tomorrow night."

Harmony nodded dumbly.

"Have a good night, friend!"

"Goodnight, Mark."

Her hands were shaking when the call disconnected and she stared down at her blank phone screen, the phone call seeming like a dream even though she hadn't felt this awake in a few days. She felt like she had just had some sort of epiphany, although it felt like it was an epiphany about something part of her had already known the answer to, yet she didn't know how to process it. She had to do something. If she remained idle she was going to go crazy. Her phone was in her hand again and she was calling Leah.

"Please answer," Harmony whispered shakily, closing her eyes. She didn't know whether she was going to cry or faint or what.

"Harmony?" came Leah's sleepy voice. "What... what's up?"

"I'm so sorry for waking you," Harmony murmured, her voice thick with quarreling emotions.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Leah brushed it off, suddenly sounding much more awake when she caught the hitch in her friend's tone. "What's wrong? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm really not sure..."

"You sound like you wanna cry. Talk to me. What happened?"

Harmony took in a deep breath to try and calm down. "You were right," she confessed. "I see that now and I didn't know who else I could talk to. I don't know why or how I was able to deny it for so long but I can't now. Even I can see it. I see it all. And I'm scared, Leah. This wasn't supposed to happen."

There was a pause on Leah's end. "Harmony... are you talking about...?" She trailed off.

Harmony took in another breath and steeled herself to say it out loud. "I'm in love with my best friend."