Hello everyone! I have been gone FOREVER. But here I am! Back with another update. This one is pretty long, too, as an apology. Remember when I used to update every week? Wow. Thank you to everyone who's sticking with me as I sort things out and figure out what to put where.

Also, thank you to everyone who favorited this and any other stories I've posted while I've been gone! It has been a huge source of encouragement for me and helped me to keep writing. I won't stop until I've finished this.

In response to Forevershine: Hahahaha your discomfort cracks me up, honestly. I love that I can make you cringe with how awkward they are together. I'll plan to throw in a couple more cringeworthy moments jUST FOR YOU! Thanks, as always for your dedication to reviewing. You are spectacular.

In response to MagentaRuby: Hi! Thanks for stumbling upon this, and then reading my other fics! And hahahahaha I TOTALLY have a thing for long eyelashes OH NO. Haha do I really make that super noticeable? Oh no. Lol. I hope you'll continue to like the characters I add in! I'm trying to find the right balance between too many and too little characters. I don't want to create a multi-ship story, but it seems that I can't add one character without adding another. I'll figure it out, though. :)

Alright! I've kept you guys waiting long enough. Let me know what you think of this one.


"As you all know, we've already launched Oakidex technology to a select group of people." Solidad paced briefly in front of the large banquet-style table that took up the meeting room. The screen behind her was blank, as Sol didn't need the help of a slideshow to gain the attention of the marketing department when she demanded it.

"And…" she trailed, stopping her pacing and making eye contact with the attendants of the meeting. A grin spread across her lips, "it's been a huge success."

Cheers erupted in the relatively roomy space. Clapping hands. Whistles.

Drew twisted nonchalantly in his swivel chair, his arms crossed and a smug smirk on his face. He knew it would succeed. It was his idea to market to a smaller industry, after all. It would only make sense, as this technology would only, you know, revolutionize their scientific field. His private conversation with Solidad seemed to have worked.

His eyes leisurely glanced at May, who was happily joining in on the cheering. Her eyes were lit up completely, as if she knew what Oakidex technology even was. He watched as her dainty hands clapped in what seemed to be slow motion and her cheeks swelled with laughter. Drew felt his own smile soften before he returned his gaze to Solidad, who was smiling knowingly at him. But not because his idea had paid off.

She knew.

She had to.

Drew's heart thudded with slight nervousness and he ran his hands through his hair to avoid her gaze. Time seemed to catch up with him, and the cheering of the room died down to the few awkward claps that lingered before silence.

"The next thing on the agenda," Solidad continued, "is expansion. In what ways can we make Oakidex more marketable? More available?" The salmon-haired woman immediately pointed in Drew's direction. "Dawn."

A raspy female voice began speaking directly behind Drew. He leaned back in his chair, his elbow on the armrest, and listened.

"Well, we'd need a wider audience," Dawn explained. Drew watched as Solidad nodded in support. "Zoologists and archeologists and the scientific community were a fantastic start. But they're not our preferred demographic."

Drew's eyebrow lifted slightly in agreement. He and Dawn weren't very good friends at all, but she was obviously no longer an intern. She'd gone from getting coffee to using the word "demographic" in a sentence, and he was actually sort of impressed.

"Well said, Dawn," Solidad applauded. "So, who is our preferred demographic?"

Young people.

There was a slight silence in the room, so Solidad elaborated on her question.

"Which group of people do we want on board with our product?"

"Innovators," Drew said calmly, since no one else would. "Millennials."

Solidad's eyes flashed to him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because they're more open to new technology," he answered without hesitation.

"Exactly." The head of the department glanced around the room, her hands clasped in front of her. "And how do we reach them?"

Drew watched as Kenny, who sat at the very front of the room, closest to Solidad, raised his hand. Solidad nodded at him, signaling for him to speak.

"Social media," Kenny said.

Drew resisted the urge to roll his eyes. As if everyone wasn't already trying that. As if Kenny himself didn't scroll past hundreds of advertisements a day.

Solidad nodded in acceptance of his answer. "Okay," she said. She pointed to someone else in the back of the room, whose voice Drew didn't recognize.

"Commercials," he said.

Solidad nodded. "Okay. Let's talk about commercials."

Drew glanced once again at May, who sat almost across the table from him. She sat one seat over and was listening intently to whatever was being said about advertisements. Drew was surprised Solidad even let her sit it on the meeting, seeing as she didn't even work for the company.

But there she was. Sitting up entirely straight and wearing a look of pure determination. Her hair fell slopingly around her shoulders, and he wished he could see her eyes. How they resembled rivers and raindrops and absolute clarity.

"What about an app?" an airy female voice said from somewhere behind Drew. "That would definitely increase our accessibility."

It was Daisy Waterflower. Drew could tell by the hush that immediately fell over the room. She had the kind of beauty that could silence the building just by entering it. She used to silence Drew, as well.

Drew watched as Solidad analyzed Daisy's suggestion. He could practically see her running numbers and connections in her mind, but he wasn't sure how Solidad felt about it. Daisy's ideas were always glitzy and more about spectacle than anything else.

Before Solidad could make up her mind, her eyes darted to a hand that was being raised tentatively. Drew's eyes followed and held his breath upon seeing who it belonged to.

May.

She slowly lowered her hand, then seemed to remember to look confident and sat taller in her seat.

The brunette cleared her throat. "What is Oakidex technology?"

A dense, uncomfortable silence overtook the room for what seemed like an eternity. Drew wanted desperately to break it, but wasn't sure it was his place to do so. He watched as May stood stubbornly tall and awaited an answer, though he knew her confidence was cracking. Just as he opened his mouth to speak and rescue her from embarrassment, Solidad answered her question.

"It's a device we've given to zoologists and the like to make research easier," she explained. "You hold it up to an animal and it lists all of its information instantly."

The brunette blinked, her mind racing. "Is it going to be strictly for animals?"

"Well, we're working on expanding it," Solidad said, "so that it would work on anything. Plants. Objects. Maybe even people."

May chewed on her lip, looking downwards in thought. She nodded slowly, reaching an understanding. "So, like Google without having to Google anything."

"Yes," Solidad said.

"An encyclopedia at your fingertips."

"Exactly."

May stopped biting her lip and sat up straight again. "So, why would we use an app?"

Another hush overtook the room as her question was pondered. It directly attacked Daisy's suggestion.

"Accessibility," Daisy said again. "That way, the Oakidex is easily downloadable—"

"But we'd be just like Google," May interrupted, turning towards the table to look at Daisy. "People would have to go out of their way to access us."

Drew entirely failed to keep a smirk from forming on his lips. He adored where this was going and congratulated himself for bringing her here. She was a natural.

"I think that Google is so established," May continued, swiveling back to look at Solidad, who was fighting a smile herself, "that we need to skip a step. Instead of being a photographic encyclopedia, let's just be… photographic."

"What do you mean?" Solidad wondered.

"Cameras," May stated simply. "The Oakidex should be an extension to the camera of a cell phone. So you don't have to go somewhere else."

Drew covered the grin on his face with his fist and listened as the room digested what had just occurred. In a decision to cut the length of the awkward silence in half, he spoke much sooner than he attempted to last time.

"I like it," he said.

Drew watched as May's eyes stayed facing the front of the room, despite the color that began to tinge the tips of her ears. She had to have recognized his voice, and it did wonders for his ego.

"It's risky," Solidad said, beckoning his attention. Her eyes were unsure and calcuolatory.

Solidad looked to him for reassurance. He knew that. She felt comfortable trusting his opinion and often came to him for advice.

"Yes, it is," Drew agreed. "But if we pull this off, it's going to revolutionize the industry."

Sol pursed her lips in thought. "And revolutionize the brand." She paused for a few moments, her eyes to the floor as her mind spun with a new possibility. Then she looked up and made eye contact with the people in the room. "Thank you, everyone. Meeting dismissed."

Immediately, the room erupted into mumbles and shuffled papers. Chairs moved. Jewelry rattled. Drew swiveled slightly in his seat, waiting for the rush of people to leave. He wasn't in a hurry to get back to his cubicle at all. There would just be a mad dash to leave the building. He met eyes with Solidad as she exited the room, and she jerked her head slightly in the direction of her office. Drew nodded back, before turning his attention to the only other person who remained seated.

Frozen as a statue, there was May Maple in her cerulean sundress, staring wide-eyed at the table in front of her. She looked like the epitome of disbelief, and Drew tried his best not to chuckle.

She seemed not to notice that he stayed seated at the table. Ignoring the few people still exiting the room, he slowly extended his foot and tapped it against hers underneath the table.

"Hey, Maple," he murmured.

She looked up at him in the most angelic way possible, her hair tousled around her shoulders. Her face was absolutely innocent, and her eyes were enticingly, electrifyingly blue.

"Hi," she whispered.

Drew felt himself smile softly. "Hi." She continued to stare at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah."

She held his gaze for a second, before her eyes slightly detached from his. He watched as she stared blankly at what seemed to be his shoulder, her facial features stained with muted terror.

Drew watched her warily, eyes wide as he sat still. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she barely whispered.

He paused and waited for her to elaborate before briefly drumming his fingers against the wood of the table. He pushed himself away from it slightly, and stood up.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go home."

In his periphery, he saw May slowly rise from her seat as well and follow him to the exit of the conference room. Her presence behind him was unmistakably identifiable, and he basked in it as he casually flipped the light switch in the room. Darkness filled the corners of his vision, before they were instantly flooded with light again.

The switch was turned back on.

Drew turned around to face the brunette, who had leaned against the wall directly next to the door, her eyes cast downward in worry once again.

"What is it?" he asked, surprised by the own softness of his voice.

Her eyes flicked up to his and searched for answers before a question escaped from her lips.

"Should I have said that?" she whispered immediately, worry etched behind her irises. "Should I have said any of that?"

"Of course," he said. His mind was reeling to remember the unofficial boundaries they'd created, as his hands longed to touch her skin in comfort. His forefinger tapped a few times against his thigh, underneath the pocket of his pants. "Why are you so worried?" he wondered.

"Is my idea even possible?" Her eyebrows knitted together with total concern, and she took a few seconds to think through her discordant thoughts. "I don't even work here."

Before he could stop himself, Drew lifted a hand and tucked a lock of hair behind May's ear. To his absolute relief, she relaxed immediately with an audible sigh. The tension in her shoulders dropped and her eyelids dipped slightly. He let his fingers graze her soft skin and smooth out the wrinkles in her forehead.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "It was innovative."

May said nothing, her gaze unfaltering.

"You were great," Drew mumbled. Again, she was silent. "Say it," he added quietly.

A smile leaked into the corners of May's lips and spread to her eyes. "I was great," she whispered.

"Good," Drew said, his voice a low hum. He smirked. "Now say, 'Drew is the greatest, most—'"

May's laughter immediately rung out into the room, and she pushed him away from her, effectively cutting him off.

"Shut up, Drew," she said, brushing past him and walking through the door of the conference room.

Drew followed close behind her and turned off the light after they'd exited. They were back again in the open floor of the office, cubicles littering the space endlessly.

"Hey," Drew said, stopping May by touching her arm with his forefinger. She turned around to face him. "I have to go talk to Solidad about something."

"Alright," she said, blinking.

"Do you remember where my desk is?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright." Drew grinned at her before walking in the opposite direction. "Don't get lost."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked along the wall until he reached the glass windows of Solidad's office. He rapped on the door with his knuckles before opening it promptly, letting himself in.

Solidad looked up from her computer, smirking slightly and raising an eyebrow upon seeing him.

Slight confusion immediately overtook Drew's mind, and he knew that it was painted on his face. He stared at her, trying to decipher her facial expression. His hand extended slowly behind him to push the door closed. It clicked softly, but still she said nothing.

"Hey," he offered warily.

Solidad rubbed at her bottom lip with her forefinger. She was a hiding a smile. "Hey."

Drew felt like he was a specimen under a microscope. And he hated it.

"Why'd you… want to talk to me?" he asked.

Solidad shrugged in an ironically certain way and maintained eye contact. "You know…" she trailed. "Just—"

And then it clicked. He rolled his eyes and sighed, making his way to the chair that sat directly in front of her desk.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, lowering himself into the seat by the armrests.

"What?" Sol wondered defensively.

Drew clenched his jaw, his gaze stony. "I just don't want to talk about this."

Their eyes clashed dangerously, and he was hoping Solidad would back down because he sure as hell wasn't going to.

She confidently held his gaze, her forefinger still pressed against her lips. She was analyzing him. Calculating the best plan of attack. Locating his defenses.

She searched his eyes before speaking. "The way you look at her is ridiculous."

"Stop," Drew said. He could feel his cheeks threatening to burn.

A grin immediately spread across her face, although it was covered by her hand.

"Is this what you called me in here for?" Drew questioned, mildly annoyed.

The salmon-haired woman sat up straight in her chair and grabbed a stack of papers, straightening them against the desk.

"I actually wanted to see what you thought about her—" Solidad's eyes flashed to his, "May, right?"

He nodded slightly.

"I wanted to see what you thought about her working here."

Drew paused before speaking. "Weird. I was actually going to ask you the same thing."

Solidad smiled warmly. "Really."

"Yep."

He felt his face mimic hers, and silence existed in the small office for a few seconds. Drew genuinely loved talking to Solidad. To him, it seemed that they understood marketing on an entirely different level, and understood each other on an entirely different level, as well. Other than Gary, she was the closest thing he had to a best friend, although she was a few years older than him.

"I mean you already told her about Oakidex," Drew joked.

Solidad's eyes widened in remembrance. "I did, didn't I?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed.

She shook her head in playful disbelief at herself. "I'm so bad at my job," she said playfully.

Drew scoffed. "You're the best in the business. And everyone knows it."

Resting her clasped hands on the desk, she blocked the grin that crossed her features. Drew stared back, his mind racing with thoughts of possibility. With thoughts of the near future. Of making decisions. Of change.

"Sol," he said.

She hummed in response.

Drew averted his eyes and brushed at the tip of his nose. "Do I really look at her like that?"


This was the office at its finest: empty. Every desk was abandoned, every computer screen darkened. There were no ringing phones, no distant conversations. In the silence, he felt more like himself.

Drew made the brief walk from Solidad's office to his cubicle so many times that he could probably do it blindfolded. As he approached his chair, he could see the top of May's little brunette head peaking over the cubicle wall. She didn't look up, even though she should have definitely heard his footsteps, and as he got closer, it was revealed to him that she was looking down. At something in her hand. A picture frame. The one that was on his desk.

He rested his arm over the top of the cubicle, and still she made no movement. He watched her eyes analyze the photograph, her breathing softly raising and lowering her shoulders in steady waves. Her thumb brushed slowly over a section of the photograph as her eyes flitted across the image. He did his best to memorize the serenity of her facial features before interrupting her thoughts.

"Hey," he said softly.

May's entire body immediately jumped, despite his gentle greeting. She looked up at him in absolute panic, her eyes wide with surprise. In an attempt to hide the picture from him, she clutched it close to her chest, then realized she shouldn't have had it at all and quickly placed it on the desk without breaking eye contact.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, she spoke. "Hi," she said.

"Are you…" Drew trailed, smirking. He could practically hear her heart hammering in her chest. "…ready to go home?"

"Yeah," she said, still shocked.

"Okay," Drew said, trying to keep from laughing.

"Okay," May repeated, frozen.

The walk home was statistically better than all of the other walks home he'd previously done. The street didn't seem as mundane. The buildings didn't seem as routine. And his apartment didn't seem too far away.

It actually felt a bit too close.

Drew was pampering himself. With the sound of her laugh. With the scent of her shampoo that the occasional breeze would graciously gift him with. He watched as the evening sky tinged runaway strands of her hair with a beautiful golden brown, and tried to look like his mind was elsewhere. Tried to look like this was just a normal walk home.

She was saying something and laughing so hard about it that she couldn't complete her sentence. And so she stopped, doubling over and resting her hands on her knees to help her contain her laughs. The wind blew the hem of her dress around her thighs, effectively hiding her fingers in the cloth.

Drew found himself laughing, too, although he was only half-listening to what she was saying. The rest of him always wandered somewhere else when she was with him, and he prayed that she would never notice.

May stood up and wiped the tear from her right eye with the back of her finger and walked to catch up with him before they continued on their journey home.

Drew could see their apartment building approaching, and to his surprise, he felt a slight panic set into his heart. His time with her was almost up. The day had gone by too soon. Suddenly, he was concentrating on actively enjoying every fleeting moment, but each one seemed to pass through his fingers before he could process it.

Before long, they reached the steps of the building and she doubled over in laughter again.

What were they even talking about?

His heart warmed as his mind captured only the echoes of her laughter that sounded through the city streets. He was entirely grateful for the extra seconds of her company that she provided him with.

"Come on, Maple. We're almost there."

Why did he say that?

The brunette caught her breath and apologized jokingly before ascending the steps before him.

He stared at her elegant hand as it brushed against the concrete banister of the steps. He stared at his feet as he followed close behind her. Anywhere but her form in front of him.

After reaching the top of the steps, Drew reached around her to open the door for her. She thanked him and he nodded casually, his heart ticking like a time bomb.

One more flight of steps before they had to say goodbye. Their footsteps resounded in the empty lobby of the building and he tried to reassure himself that he wouldn't miss her nearly as much as he thought he would.

She began climbing the steps and he quickly followed.

They'd spent the entire day together.

Step two. Step three.

He saw her this morning when sleep was still weighing on her eyes.

His stomach ached.

Step eight. Step nine.

She was at his cubicle for seven hours today. He'd even had the opportunity to tease her about her granola bar.

They rounding the landing at the middle of the staircase and began their ascent again, their apartments steadily approaching.

He'd seen more of her today than he ever had before. He should be fine with that. He should be content.

He exhaled to release some of the anxiety building in his stomach.

He would see her tomorrow.

He would see her tomorrow.

She stood in front of her door, and he went to stand in front of his, facing her completely.

He exhaled silently.

He would see her tomorrow.

May stared at the ground in front of her, her fingers fiddling with the cloth of her dress. She chewed on her lip, and he blinked, his heartbeat flooding his ears.

It didn't make sense. Feeling this way didn't make any sense to him. All he had to say was goodbye. That's it. Goodbye.

But he didn't. His lips were sealed.

She opened her mouth and looked up at him. He braced himself.

"Can I come inside?" she asked.

Drew stared at her, shock and relief immediately flooding through him.

"Yeah."

He watched her visibly exhale and smile before he stuck his key in the door. He opened it, to reveal Gary making a sandwich at the kitchen counter. Drew put down his satchel on a chair and ran his hand through his hair.

His roommate looked up briefly and saw May before immediately looking down again.

"Hey, neighbor," he said.

"Hey," she replied lightly.

Gary topped the sandwich with a slice of bread and took a bite. "Did you run into each other on the way up here?"

"No," Drew said, moving to grab glasses from the cupboard. "She went to work with me this morning." He retrieved the glasses and set them on the counter. "Water?" he asked May.

"Yes, please."

Gary sighed. "Good old Oak Enterprises."

Drew placed the glass down in front of where May sat at the counter and took a seat next to her. She grabbed the glass and took a sip.

"Apparently you used to work there?" she asked.

"Yeah," Gary said, before taking another bite of his sandwich. "My grandfather owns the company."

May paused immediately, her eyes widening with absolute surprise. Gary looked taken aback by her surprise and paused as well, before swallowing the food in his mouth.

"You didn't know?" he asked.

"No!" she exclaimed.

"Was I not mentioned at all today?" Gary questioned lazily.

"Well, yes, actually," she said. She took another sip of her water. "I talked to Ash and—"

Gary sighed again, interrupting her. "Good old Ash."

"He said," she continued, "that you wrote 'Ash is a loser' all over the building."

Gary immediately burst out in laughter, his palms flat against the counter. "Classic."

Drew drank from his glass to stop himself from chuckling, because May clearly didn't think it was funny.

"Ash is really nice," she said defensively.

"I know," Gary said. "I did it out of love. Out of brotherly love. I swear." He took another bite of his sandwich. "How's Leaves?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

"She's fine," May answered warily. "Haven't you talked to her?"

Gary didn't answer for a very long time before saying, "No," at the same time May said, "Gary."

He shrugged defensively. "What?"

"You haven't talked to her since she left?" May asked.

"No," Gary reiterated.

"You didn't get her number?" Drew asked.

Gary's eyes fastened on Drew for the first time during the conversation. "It didn't come up."

"How—" May wondered.

"Do you have May's number?" Gary asked his roommate.

There was a slight silence, and Drew turned to look at May, who was already staring at him.

"No," Drew admitted. "It hasn't come up." Gary's eyebrows shot up and Drew cut him off before he got the chance to rub it in. "We talk through the wall."

Gary stared at them, his face the epitome disappointed disbelief. He took a gulp from his drink. "That's the most barbaric thing I've ever heard." His mind struggled with this concept briefly. "What if you need to get in contact with each other? What if neither of you are home?"

Drew shrugged and brought his glass to his lips. "Smoke signals."

His confidence soared when he received a few giggles from May.

Gary feigned offense. "The advancement of technological communication isn't a joke, Drew." He broke into a grin before taking out his phone. "Alright, Cottontail. I'm going to need that number."


May changed her position on her bed for what must have been the fortieth time that night. There was a knot in her stomach that she was attempting to ignore but couldn't. She lay on her back, her hands clasped over her stomach, and stared at her ceiling in the darkness.

This was ridiculous.

He was only on the other side of the wall.

Her mind was telling her that she'd forgotten what he looked like and needed to see him immediately to update her memory. She was telling herself anything she could that would cause her to get out of bed and find her neighbor.

What if he was in danger?

That's stupid. He's not in danger.

But what if he was?

Hm… That's a really good point.

She sat up in her bed and wrestled with her mind. She didn't need to see him, no matter how pleasantly comforting it would be.

She checked her phone. 1:07. If she went over there now, she would look absolutely desperate.

But if she didn't, she would never go to sleep.

May gave in and slipped off of her bed before digging in her bottom drawer to find a pair of socks. Before long, she found herself maneuvering through the darkness of her apartment to her front door and entering the hallway.

May stood outside of apartment 214, her tired eyes screaming at her to go back to bed but her feet planted firmly on the ground. She let her eyes analyze the dents in the door, as a way to waste time. Hopefully she would lose the courage that led her from under her blankets. Hopefully she would swallow the nagging aches in her stomach and find a way to fall asleep anyway.

The brunette felt especially vulnerable standing in the hallway in an oversized t-shirt and socks, and she hugged herself for comfort.

Let's just get this over with, she thought.

She raised her fist and knocked quietly on the door. If he was meant to hear her, he would hear her.

May waited in tense silence in front of the door, rocking on her heels. She heard no commotion going on inside the apartment and attempted to keep her heart from sinking.

He's probably sleeping, she justified. I should probably be sleeping.

Just then, the locks behind the door jostled and clicked, along with her nerves. There was almost not enough time to prepare herself for whom she had come to see.

Drew opened the door slightly slowly, and she could feel a silent breath escape from her lips. It was like the storm inside her was calmed. It was like her fever broke.

He was wearing a grey t-shirt. His hair was slightly tousled. His eyes were soft and examining. Drew watched her for a few seconds before leaning on the door frame.

"Is everything okay?" he questioned, his voice a nighttime murmur.

"Yeah," May breathed.

Drew's eyes slowly shifted to the distant, distracted state she was so used to seeing now. May wondered what could possibly be occupying his thoughts so as to buffer his piercing gaze.

"Did you just want to see me?" he asked.

"No," May answered guiltily and vaguely.

A smile crept over Drew's features. "So, what's up?"

Her mind attempted to grasp at any excuse she could find that would suffice for why she would knock on her neighbors door past midnight. One of their first encounters appeared in her mind.

"Theres… a spider—" she began.

Drew's eyebrows shot up. "Oh."

"—in my…" she maintained eye contact while she struggled to find a spider-plausible location, "…bedroom."

Drew's expression did not change, and she realized what her answer could insinuate.

"I mean—" she started.

They spoke over each other.

"Are you—" Drew said.

"No, no, no! That's just—"

"—trying to seduce me?"

"—where it happens to be."

May cleared her throat and pretended not to notice how badly her cheeks were burning. Otherwise, she maintained her composure.

"Can you get it?" she asked him.

He waited for a few seconds before responding. "Yeah."

He didn't move. She didn't, either.

"Okay," she confirmed.

"Alright," he replied.

She maintained cautious eye contact before turning left and walking towards her apartment. Her traitor heart beat faster as she heard the front door to his apartment close quietly. As she felt Drew's presence following close behind her.

May concentrated on steadying her fingers as she inserted the key into the lock. Why was she so nervous? She wanted to see him and that's exactly what was happening. She was seeing him. What was the problem?

His breathing echoed in the long, empty hallway, and every exhale seemed to pump serenity through her veins. It was reassuring that he was here, living, with her instead of existing behind a wall.

The door opened in front of her, and she flicked on the light switch beside her door. Drew was quiet behind her, and the click of the closing door was the only noticeable sound in the apartment.

She turned around to face him and watched as his eyes glanced around the room intently. It occurred to her that he'd never seen her apartment before. He looked to his right briefly before locking eyes with May and pointing in the same direction.

"Is your room over there?"

"Yeah," May confirmed.

She let him walk past her and watched as his socked feet made muffled steps across her hardwood floor. The way he moved in her apartment was comforting; he seemed to exist in the place naturally.

May followed him down the short, dark hallway and watched as he illuminated her room with a light switch that mirrored the placement of his.

"Where's the spider?" he asked.

Oh.

"Oh," May said.

Drew turned around to look at her expectantly.

"It was," she continued, pointing to her left, "on that wall."

Drew turned to examine the wall for the small, imaginary creature. "You don't seem very urgent about this," he said nonchalantly.

Her mind raced to find a suitable reply. "I'm just… tired."

Drew hummed in response, his eyes still scouring the wall for the spider. "I don't see anything."

"Oh," May said. Drew turned around to face her completely, his face entirely skeptical. "Did I say bedroom?"

"Yes."

"I meant…" the brunette trailed, "my… closet." She paused slightly. "Or something," she mumbled quickly.

Drew stared at her in disbelief, a smirk crossing his lips. She couldn't stop herself from grinning. He understood her game.

"Your closet?"

"Yeah."

Drew didn't break eye contact. "You really want me to check your closet."

"Yes."

A few more seconds passed by. "Okay."

She watched as he went to open her closet door, before turning on the light. He checked the walls. The ceiling. The floor.

"Nothing," he said, turning to face her.

"Oh," she said. "Weird."

"Weird," Drew replied softly, a distant look once again clouding his eyes.

"It was probably just the wind or something," the brunette mumbled. She basked in the feeling of her heart being full and at ease at the same time.

"Yeah, probably," Drew responded, grinning. Dazed.

She pursed her lips, unsure of how to fill the heavy silence.

"Go to sleep, Maple," Drew said. "You're going to want to be ready for that phone call tomorrow."

The brunette's eyebrows immediately furrowed. "What phone call tomorrow?"

Drew continued grinning, as he turned around to leave her room. He made his way through the hallway and to the front door without answering her question.

"Drew," May pleaded.

He opened the door to exit the apartment, and looked back at her smugly. "Goodnight, Maple."


That was a bit longer than usual. Possibly the longest chapter to date. As always, don't be afraid to let me know what you think so far. Thanks, everyone. Remember to review!

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