hey guys :D

ARTIE POV:

Our plan was not very good. Not at all. Even as I heard Tina's breathing slow and relax a little, I still knew our plan was awful. Tina has told me countless times that I was the only one that was able to calm her down, probably because I didn't scream at her and make her hide under the table when a thunderstorm struck. I guess all she wanted was to be tight in someone's arms and for someone to tell her everything was okay. I half-smiled to myself as Tina shifted her head up to kiss me. Suddenly, I felt as if I had been petrified. Squeaking sounds coming from my mom's creaky bed. I looked around frantically, trying to come up with a solution.

"What?" She whispered, completely still, as well. She glanced around desperately, searching my eyes for the answers. Her hands stayed frozen in place, curled up, pushed against my chest.

"I hear my mom. She's getting up," I hissed, staring at the door. Tina's eyes followed mine.

"What should I do?" She panicked, staying close to me.

"Artie? Is everything okay?" My mom's voice sounded from her room, "I thought I heard something." My ears pricked at the sound of my mom opening and re-closing the door.

"Tee, quick, get into my closet and shut the door, okay?" I whispered quickly, not really thinking about what I was saying before I said it. It seemed as if Tina didn't really care about the ridiculous request as she jumped off of the bed and with a couple of swift movements, made her way across the room while kicking her drenched clothes under the bed. She shut the door behind her, shuffling around in there for a second before settling down. I flopped my head to the side, attempting to look like I was asleep as the door creaked open.

"Artie?" My mom asked, peeking her head in the door. I pretended to crack open my eyelids for the first time, forcing a yawn. I coated my voice with a fake sleepiness.

"Hmm?" I groaned, yawning again. My mom furrowed her eyebrows.

"I could swear I heard you rolling around in here," She accused, folding her arms across her stomach. I snapped my eyes open, digging through my brain for a good lie.

Lies, Artie. Come up with some. Come on. It's not that hard. LIE.

"Uhh...I was getting a drink of water," I stuttered a little, nodding feverishly. My mom raised her eyebrow, looking over at my desk. She looked back at me skeptically.

"You don't have a glass of water in here," My mom said, shifting her hands to her hips.

"I-I finished it...and it...flew out of the window..," I replied, chewing nervously on my lip. She pursed her lips and sucked in her cheeks a tiny bit. Shaking her head, my mom told me to go to sleep and walked out, shutting the door behind her. I could hear Tina stifling giggles from inside of the closet, shuffling around again.

Nice one, Artie. You're a great liar. Keep up the good work.

"Don't laugh at me!" I whispered, chuckling breathily. Tina hopped out of the closet, taking her position back by my side. She cuddled up close to me, one arm hooked around my waist and the other resting by her side. Her head was laying on chest, listening intently to my heartbeat.

"Do you feel that?" I asked her, rubbing her back a little bit nervously.

"Feel what?" She questioned, drawing her eyebrows together and lifting up her head to look at me. I bit my lip again as she put her head back down, tightening her grip.

"My heartbeat," I responded in a hushed tone, my steady breathing picking up a little bit. I could see her smile through the dark as she nodded. I smoothed her hair with one hand, gently and absent-mindedly. I was actually trying to distract her from the fact that I was extremely nervous.

"What about it?" She whispered back, shifting her hand over my heart.

"It's beating really hard for you," I half-laughed, waiting awkwardly for her to respond. She looked at me again, her eyes softening.

1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4.

I could see her mouthing numbers with each beat of my heart, pressing her lips together a little. I began to reach up when the lamp in the corner of my room fizzled out. The power.

"Oh my god, oh my god, Artie," She whined, plastering herself to me as the thunder boomed. I shook myself from my nerves and tightened my arms around her, hushing and leaving kisses on the top of her head.

"It's okay," I soothed, "We're going to be okay." That's when I heard the floor creak again. At the same time, a lightning bolt touched down and lit up my entire room, causing Tina to release a quiet scream and throw herself off of the bed.

"I'm going to die!" She whimpered, rolling down under the bed.

"What are you doing?" I whispered harshly as the footsteps became closer, "Tee!" She was shivering and crying under my bed, attempting to be quiet. I didn't even try and make it look like I was sleeping when my mom popped her head back into my room with a flashlight.

"Artie? Are you okay? The power went out," She said, tossing the flashlight on my bed. My mom walked forward, sitting on the corner of the mattress. I could feel Tina squirming under the bed, closing my eyes.

Tina, stop moving...Wait, these are your thoughts. She can't hear them.

I looked up, nodding. My mom pursed her lips again and patted my arm, standing back up to leave. She lunged forward like she had tripped over something and I could swear I heard Tina groan a little. My eyes widened, hoping that my mom didn't hear anything. She just brushed off her pajama pants and left, so that had to count as some kind of good sign. She shut the door, Tina rolling back out from under my bed. She squeaked a little and jumped back up, the breath hissing out of her as the thunder clapped again. Smushing herself in the spot next to me, Tina's breath was shaky and frightened. I ran my hand up and down her back, tracing little hearts on her spine.

"What are we?" Tina asked abruptly. I raised an eyebrow at her, honestly not knowing what she meant. I blinked in confusion, getting an almost flustered type of sigh in return, "What are you to me? What am I to you?" I had to think about that for a second.

Was she my girlfriend?

I couldn't answer that question honestly. She may have been. It was never a formal presentation. I didn't come sweeping into her room and yell, "TINA COHEN-CHANG, WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?" and it's a good thing I didn't. Tina never liked huge gestures. She didn't like when I tapped my fingers, either.

She didn't like that one blue bow tie because it reminded her of bad memories.

She didn't like oatmeal cookies.

She didn't like water that was too hot.

We might as well have been dating. I knew everything. Everything she loved, everything she hated.

She liked that red bow tie.

She liked the peanut butter cookies I made...well, burnt.

She liked the feeling after a perfectly hot shower.

I didn't know what she actually felt about me. All I know is that I loved her. Every single little part of her. From the way her skin would prickle when I ran my fingers across her arm, the way she squinted a little when she was trying to figure something out, the way her laugh was so contagious, she could get the whole world to smile along with her...even the way she would press her lips together in disapproval. I didn't know how many ways you could love a person, but I bet I covered them all.

Was Tina just my friend?

I didn't know how to answer that one either. Friends didn't kiss each other and spend countless nights cuddling. They also didn't feel that unique burst of energy each time they left a kiss on each other's lips leaving each other starving for more. Friends didn't hold hands and silently plead with their eyes to never let go.

Were we...friends with benefits?

It couldn't have been. No way. By definition, it was. By heart, it wasn't. It was way more than that. It was...love. No labels. Just love.

"Tina, you're my world, honestly. I love you more than I could ever scream, say, write, promise, kiss, anything. I love you more than everything. After all that happened, I really realize it. I'll always love you, okay?" I admitted, probably using too big of a gesture again. Instead of freaking out, Tina just smiled. She smiled brighter than I had seen in such a long time.

"Really?" She whispered excitedly, "You really mean that?" Her eyes were hopeful, screaming at me with joy.

"Of course, I do. I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. I just have a question that I'm really extremely nervous about, Tee. Seriously, I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest," I laughed, grabbing her hand and putting the palm over my heart again, "See?"

"What?" Tina said airly, acting like she didn't know what I was going to say, but her eyes gave her away. I knew she knew exactly what I was going to ask her and it made me smile to myself that she was anticipating my words.

"Well, you probably already know, but I just really, really want to ask if you would do me the extraordinary pleasure of being my girlfriend again," I said dramatically, trying to take some of the awkward pressure off of the situation. Tina giggled and rested her head back on my chest. She didn't say anything, but nodded excitedly, expressing anything she could have said without saying a word. That's when the storm started to worsen again, the thunder pounding hard outside. Tina plastered herself to my side once more, the breath hissing in and out between her teeth. Lightning struck again, a tiny scream bursting through Tina's lips. I tightened my grip around her back, kissing her forehead once more, "It's okay, Tee." I hushed her, tracing up and down her spine again.

That time, when the floor creaked and the door shut, I guess I didn't hear it. This realization was apparent when my mom opened my door, gasping in almost an offended manner.

You're dead now, Abrams.

WHOA. How cheesy? haha