Sandry was walking through the hallway, when she saw a light on. She didn't normally go up on the roof unless she couldn't sleep, and tonight was one of those nights. And she was always the only one up past ten in the Orphanage, ever since Daja and Tris moved out.

She frowned, instantly recognising the room. It was Briar's, and she was tempted to walk past it in a huff. No matter how hard she tried, he didn't respond to her friendly comments. He insisted on being alone, and Sandry was so exasperated with him that she was ready to give up on him.

But instead, she lightly knocked on his door and opened it. He was lying in his bed, book in hand, and a frown on his face. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing a t-shirt. She blushed, and looked around the otherwise empty room. Normally, four people would stay in one room, but the Orphanage was empty enough that the older kids could have their own room.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked, his tone impatient.

"Well, I was going to the roof and wondered if you want come and join me. The stars are beautiful tonight."

His face twisted, and she was afraid that he would turn her down again. However, he sighed and put his book down. "Ok, sounds cool."

She looked at him in surprised and he raised an eyebrow. "You're really going to come?"

With a bemused smile, he answered, "So you invited me, but hoped I won't come?"

She shook her head. "No, I just assumed you'd say no, 'cause you haven't been very friendly."

His grey-green eyes looked sad. "My mum and I always used to look at the stars," he said softly. She bit her lip, unsure what to say to that. What could you say, anyways? He then jumped out of his bed, and Sandry immediately turned around…but not before she saw that he was only wearing boxers.

He laughed. "Never seen a guy in his underwear before?" He asked, his tone light. She shook her head, her face ablaze. "Well, you could turn around now. I'm all dressed."

When she spun around, she saw that he was wearing jeans and a deep green tee. He grinned cockily at her, and she glared at him. Spinning on her heel, she led him to the ladder that led to the roof.

"So how did you find this, anyways?" He asked as he followed her up.

She opened the hatch and stepped into the chilly night air. She shivered, and wrapped the blanket that she had draped over her arm around her shoulders. "My friend, Tris, showed it to me. She, Daja and I would come up here sometimes at night. But they're older than I am, so they moved out earlier this year. Daj is an apprentice blacksmith and Tris is doing some teacher training. It's kinda lonely without them," she said in a lower voice.

Briar didn't hear the last bit, and whistled as his head popped out. "Wow. Nice view."

She nodded. You could see the whole city from here. However, the Orphanage was far enough from the city that you could still see the stars at night. She lay on her back, looking up at the sparkling lights in the sky. She heard Briar lower himself next to her and felt him shiver.

"Oh, here you go," she said, extending the blanket to him. He shook his head, but he wrapped his arms around his knees, obviously still cold. She frowned at him. "Don't be stubborn. The blanket can fit the two of us."

He gave her an incredulous look. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

She blushed, but she lifted her chin defiantly. "No, why?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because a normal guy would usually see snuggling under a blanket differently from you do."

"And are you a normal guy?"
"Mostly, yes."

She humphed, but let the matter lie…until he shivered again. "Oh, stop being stupid and get under here."

This time, he didn't complain. He lay next to her and wrapped the blanket around himself, a sigh of pleasure escaping his lips. "You should have warned me it'd be cold."

"I didn't expect you to say yes," she retorted.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, and Sandry realised what he meant by snuggling under the same blanket. She was extremely aware of his body heat radiating not one inch away from her. She could feel him breathing, as his breaths became longer and longer. And she really wanted to touch him, for some irrational reason.

He gave a light snore, and she stared at his sleeping face. He looked peaceful in sleep, and younger than he really was. The harsh lines on his face were gone, and she saw that without the permanent scowl, he was quite handsome. The breeze ruffled his short hair slightly, and they shivered at the same time.

Sandry felt her eyes get heavy, and soon enough, she also was asleep.

If you didn't realise, this is a continuation of the previous chapter "Alone." Should I keep going? I actually quite like this arc.