As we approached Meiji's house, Monika spoke up. "What was that about? Any idea?"
I unlocked the door. "This happened in the game too remember? She asked Meiji about walking home with Yuri. She's jealous."
"But how?" Monika asked, putting her bag down on the genkan and removing her shoes. "It's not like it's him doing anything."
"I have the face of her best friend, the man she's in love with!" I shouted angrily. Immediately I realized I'd screwed up. Monika's eyes teared up. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," I said softly, putting my hands on her shoulders.
Monika sniffed as if she was going to cry and leaned into me, head buried into my shoulder blade. I wrapped my arms around her. "What are we going to do…?"
I held her tightly. "I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to save them all, Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and even you."
"But I'm not in danger," she said, looking up at me confused.
I broke the hug. "Don't forget your parents," I replied as we headed into the living room. "And no, you don't get to delete or alter them in any way. That's not solving the issue."
"You know I would never do that," she said, sounding hurt.
"Just making sure," I said. "I'm going to go change. Do you want to watch anything or read anything together?"
"I'd rather get to know you a bit more," she said. "If that's okay."
"That's perfectly fine. I'll be back soon." I walked up to the room and changed into some comfortable clothes, then came back down. Monika was sitting on the couch, now in gray sweatpants and a light blue sweater.
She looked up at me patiently and motioned for me to sit beside her. I did so. "Hey, before we get started, could we go somewhere more private?"
"Like where?" I asked.
"The Space Classroom," she said.
Startled by her request, I frowned. "You want us to go back to school? We wouldn't be able to get in, would we?"
She shook her head. "The Space Classroom is special. I can access it from any door as long as I have this." She pulled out her pink pen and unscrewed it. Part of the pen seemed to have been modified to become a key. "I just need to insert it into any door and I can enter the classroom."
"Meiji?"
Is it safe?
"He wants to know how safe it is," I said.
"The script has no bearing there," she said. "It's not even that full of stuff. Please?"
I smiled. "I'm all for it, but how about you, Meiji?"
I'm not entirely sure, but I think we can.
"Let's do it then." I stood. "The basement door has a keyhole we can use."
She nodded, stood, and headed to the basement door. I followed and watched her stick the key in. The keyhole began to glow a bit and the door disappeared in black and white code text. If Meiji or I needed any convincing about this being a game world, we had it here. Monika stepped in, then turned and held out her hand. Her pose reminded me of the initial one on the main menu screen. I reached out to take her hand…and immediately felt the most incredible pain of my life.
There are differing levels of pain. There is actually a pain system for judging just how much once is feeling. There's obviously zero, where no pain is felt at all. Then there's one to three, where the pain is mild and annoying, but not debilitating and once can continue with their everyday activities. Then there's four to six, which is moderate pain. This can affect every day to day activities and can hinder a person. Lastly there is seven to ten, which is severe pain. This pain can cause total interference in day to day activities.
The pain I felt was a solid twenty-eight on this scale. The moment my hand crossed the threshold, pain shot through my entire body. It felt as if I was being torn apart molecule by molecule. All I was conscious of was the screaming and the bright light that blinded my vision. I tried to move back, but I was unable to move. It seemed like an eternity before silence fell just as suddenly. The next moment I found myself being shouted at and shaken gently by a familiar female voice.
"…iah! Meiji! Josiah! Both of you please wake up!"
I tried to move, but found my body sluggish. I also felt like I had a massive headache and…drunk? I relaxed a bit, then at least attempted to open my eyes. I was greeted by Monika's tear-filled green eyes. I tried to say something, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was a croaking sound.
"Josiah, can you blink?" I responded by slowly closing then opening my eyes again. "Okay good. I'm going to ask some questions. One blink for yes, two for no, understand?" One blink. "Alright, good. Can you try and move your hands?" With a great effort, I managed to move one of my fingers on my left hand, then my right. I was beginning to sweat from my exertion. I felt a cloth being gently dabbed on the sweat. "Okay, now your feet." I noticed then that my feet felt bare. I had been wearing slippers when I passed out, but I assumed Monika had taken them off. I focused again and felt my toes move. "Good, you're not paralyzed. Now tell me, are you in pain?" A deliberate blink. "Damn, I wish I knew where. Head?" One blink. "Anywhere else?" To my surprise, it was only my head that was hurting and swimming. I blinked twice. "Alright, let's see if you can talk. Can you?" Opening my mouth, I attempted speech, but nothing came out but a croak. "Damn…I'll be back." She rushed out of the room, giving me a view of a familiar looking school classroom ceiling. The ceiling lights were on for some reason when normally they'd be off.
Monika returned a while later and lifted me up, pressing something cool to my lips. On instinct I opened and water slowly poured down my throat. I tried to swallow, but at first, I was unable, coughing and sputtering everywhere. She didn't give up, and tried again. After a little while, the cool liquid flowed down my throat. My throat wasn't constricted anymore, so I made an effort to clear my throat. "Whu happun…?" I slurred in a voice that didn't sound normal.
"I…don't know," she said. "You don't sound well. Maybe that shock affected your vocal cords?"
I tried to look around a bit, but any movements caused my head extreme pain. "Feel dizzy…head hurt too," I said again and attempted to speak more clearly. This time I was sure of it, this wasn't the voice I'd been speaking with for the past few days.
"I'll get some pillows," she said, gently laying me back down before rushing out of the room again. In the silence, I listened. At first, I heard nothing, but as I strained, I thought I heard someone breathing nearby, like they were asleep. I tried to move my head, and after a while I managed to turn it in the direction where I thought I heard the voice. I got the shock of my life. There, lying perfectly still on his back with his eyes closed, was Meiji. He was wearing the clothes I'd gotten dressed in earlier. His breathing was steady. I looked down at myself slowly. I was wearing nothing but a gray and yellow t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts, the same clothes I'd gone to bed in before I woke up in Meiji's body. I tried moving, and this time seemed to have more success than before.
When Monika came back, I had managed to prop myself up against the wall next to the door and was getting a better lay of the room. It greatly resembled the Space Classroom from the third act. The windows, however, were blank and had no light coming in. There were, however, a few differences. In one corner near the window and chalkboard a large grand piano stood next to a desk with a desktop computer on it. In the center of the room the two-person desk sat. The pegboards were bare as were the shelves on the back wall. I couldn't see inside the closet, but I assumed it was empty as well. "Josiah?"
"Yeah?" There was no doubt about it, that was definitely my real voice.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, putting the pillows down and rushing to my side, kneeling and looking me over.
"I feel like I got hit by a shemi full of booze that I shomehow managed to shwallow," I replied in a less slurred voice than before. I was slurring my S's but the rest seemed better.
She felt my forehead. "You're not sick, so how can you be drunk?" she asked, placing a few pillows down and helping me lay my head on them.
"I did go to bed drunk in reality before waking up here," I replied. "Ugh…how did we sheparate?"
"I don't know," Monika said as she tended to Meiji. "But you should try and get some rest."
I wasn't about to argue, so I closed my eyes. Monika came back to me and put a blanket over me. "What about Meiji'sh parentsh…?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I made up his bed so it looks like he's sleeping if they come home," Monika said. "It's early still."
"Alright…" I replied and quickly nodded off.
When I woke next, I felt a lot better. The headache and drunken stupor were both gone. The lights were out now and I thought I heard someone next to me breathing softly. I slowly sat up and stretched. This must have woken the person next to me because the lights came on. Monika was sleepily sitting up, rubbing her eyes as she did. Meiji was a little way off, covered in another blanket and sleeping peacefully. "Josiah? Are you feeling alright?" Monika asked.
"Much," I said, then cleared my throat. "What were you doing?" I asked, pointing at the ground between us.
Monika looked at where I was pointing. She had covered herself up with the same blanket as I'd been using, but to her credit wasn't too close to me. She blushed. "Ahaha, I was wondering what sleeping next to the person you love felt like, so I did it. Are you mad?"
"No," I said as I attempted to stand. Monika was on her feet immediately and helped me get to a standing position. I was a head taller than she was, unlike Meiji who was a little shorter than me. After I steadied myself, I made my way over to Meiji and gently shook him. He stirred and turned over, murmuring softly. I shook him again and this time he shot up; eyes wide with terror. He almost screamed but I covered his mouth. "Whoa there, don't want to wake the whole neighborhood, do we?" I asked.
"Mmmph?!" he looked back at me, then down at himself. After I felt him relax, I slowly released him. "What the…how did…? I have control back…but how?" He clutched his still bandaged head. "Ow…"
"That's what I'd like to know, and take it easy," I said, slowly helping him to his feet. He seemed a bit shakier than I was, but I chalked that up as being related to the injuries his body had sustained, so Monika and I held him while he regained his composure. I helped him to one of the seats at the desk where he gratefully sat. Monika rushed over to the computer which came to life immediately. She typed something in and a third chair appeared in the same black and white sparkle of code. She came back and sat opposite Meiji. I sat between the two. "Alright, let's see if we can get some answers. Let's compare notes. I'll start." I began describing what had happened in as much detail as I could.
When I was done, Meiji was nodding. "I felt the same thing but I just lost consciousness. Next thing I knew you were waking me up," he said to me. We both turned to Monika. "What about you?"
"I'm not sure how to describe what I saw," Monika said. "When your hand crossed the threshold, I saw, well I don't know what I saw. It looked like there was some sort of barrier blocking your entrance, but when you tried pulling your hand away nothing changed. It almost dragged you in. Then you began to glitch like crazy. I don't know what happened next but I thought I saw Meiji's skin peeling and a second person emerging. Then you both fell."
Meiji and I looked at each other. "That's terrifying," I said.
"No kidding," Meiji added.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "So, what now? How are we going to explain me? I don't exactly have any kind of paperwork with me. I don't exist here. And staying in this room for eternity isn't an option."
"Maybe you should look in a mirror," Monika said. She went over to the computer and typed something in. A large mirror appeared on the wall. I walked over and looked at myself. I was still wearing the same clothes, but my features appeared younger, almost like I was eighteen again. My hair was a bit longer and I was definitely a bit skinnier than before.
"What the hell…? I look like a teenager again."
"That's not all. Follow me." She stood and headed over to the computer. I walked over with Meiji, each of us grabbing a chair. We all sat and watched as she opened up the character files. There I saw that mine and Meiji's files were faded.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"Your files were hidden. I had to reveal the hidden files in order to see these," she replied.
"Alright, so why aren't the others hidden?" Meiji asked.
"I don't know!" Monika snapped at him. "I just got into programming, so I won't have all the answers!"
"No need to get snippy at each other," I said. "We're all scared, but we won't get anywhere if we argue about this. Let's think. Our profiles weren't always like this, so what changed?"
"We entered this room?" Meiji asked.
"Yes, that's a big one," I said, "but what about Monika? Her character profile's still highlighted."
"Mine never changes," she said. "But I think you're right," she added, looking at Meiji. "The last time I checked, your files were separate but still able to be opened. Now, all I get is an error message asking me for a username and password."
"I wouldn't make too many attempts to log in," I said. "It might lock you out and ask for a reset, and we don't know where they'll send the new password. Trust me, I've had to reset passwords a lot."
"I wasn't planning on it," Monika said.
"Is there anything else we need to worry about?" Meiji asked.
"Yes. Have a look." She opened Sayori's character profile and scrolled down the unreadable list of codes until she found what she was looking for. "You two noticed how Sayori was acting a bit distracted, right? Well, her depression stat has gone up, and I can't figure out why."
"Could it be the script?" I asked. "I've noticed that the dialogue at certain times has been nearly identical to the game itself."
"I don't have access to the script," Monika said sadly.
"Damn." I leaned back in the chair. "So, whose computer are you accessing?" I asked. "I mean, in the game, you can get access to the player's Steam account and find out their Steam username."
"I could? Well I haven't found out that yet either," she said.
"Wouldn't it be your computer?" Meiji asked. "You're the player, right?"
"I don't have internet access on my laptop," I said. "I don't know the WiFi name and password for the house."
"Maybe that's what's missing?" Monika asked. "One second." She ran out of the room and came back carrying my laptop. I brought the other desk over to the one with the desktop, turned on my laptop and let it boot up. After that, I opened the WiFi icon and let Meiji look over the names. He pointed to one and typed in a password when prompted. The moment I was online, a popup appeared on Monika's computer. She selected it and Steam popped up. My Steam homepage. We all gathered around again. "Well that answers that," I said.
"But what does this do for us?" Meiji asked.
I returned to my computer and opened the character files. Sure enough, they were now the same as the ones that Monika saw. I unhid the files and Meiji and my files appeared in the window. "Boy, were we lucky," I said. "If we'd had internet access, we might have deleted you instead of the other Monika. The non-real one."
She sighed. "Please don't remind me…I had nightmares about that all that night."
I immediately felt terrible. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"Why…why don't we all get some sleep?" Meiji suggested. "We can figure this out tomorrow."
"We've all had a very long day," I agreed. I put my hand on Monika's shoulders and helped her to her feet. She immediately wrapped her arms around me, burying her face into my chest. Surprised, I held her and rubbed her back. Meiji stood a little way away, waiting patiently. After she released me, I looked down at her warmly. "Meiji's right. We can figure this out tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded and the three of us headed to the door again. Monika went through first, then I did. The moment I tried, however, I felt something being pushed against my back. Turning I saw my left arm disappearing inside Meiji's chest. I tried to pull out again but I felt myself being pulled back into Meiji. I resisted but it was too late. I lost consciousness again.
When I woke up, I was lying in a soft comfortable bed. I looked around and saw that I was in Meiji's room again. The light was on and the door was open. I unsteadily reached over for the phone and looked at the time. It was only 8:13 PM. Looking down, I saw Monika was sleeping nearby, sitting next to the bed with her head slumped over on the bed itself. I sat up and felt the all too familiar pain that Meiji's body had suffered during the fight with Yae's goonies. "Oh, come on…" I said, now in Meiji's voice.
I'm back to being an observer… Meiji said sadly.
Monika stirred and woke up. She looked up at me and asked, "Meiji? Or is it Josiah?"
I moved closer and put my hand on her head, rubbing it gently as I began to sing.
"Look up at the sky, like a bird without wings.
If you want to fly, feel your breeze, release yourself.
Why do you sigh? Just count your blessings.
Every time you try, find something, believe yourself.
"My mission is gonna be a tough one,
I know it's not a game anymore.
I swear that I'll never fail again,
'cuz don't wanna regret any more.
Can you hear I'm calling you?
I just wanna feel you.
Don't forget to remember so please remember.
I hear you are calling me,
I want you to feel me.
You know I won't surrender, never surrender.
"My mission I've got to execute,
I know it's not a game anymore.
I swear that I'll never fail again,
'cuz don't wanna be regret any more!"
She smiled at that. "So, it's you, Josiah."
"Correct," I said as I stretched. "Well, I guess that answers that question of where I'd be staying."
Monika stood. "This isn't funny."
"Sorry, I just wanted to try and lighten the mood," I replied. Slowly I got to my feet. "Alright, so what happened this time? I saw myself being dragged back into Meiji."
"That's what I saw too," Monika said. "The moment you were gone, Meiji collapsed. I brought you here so you could rest. That was around…an hour ago?" She looked at her phone. "Yeah, an hour."
So…we can only be separated if we're in the Space Classroom? Meiji asked.
"It seems that way," I said, then explained to Monika what Meiji had just said. "Although, when we came back through there wasn't nearly as much pain as before."
Monika looked relieved. "I'm glad. So…what do we do now?" she asked.
"We should prepare for tomorrow," I said. "As in, we write poems and go to sleep. We all need it. We'll talk more sometime tomorrow."
Monika smiled a bit. "Yes please. And you're right. I'm tired, but I do need to write a poem. It is my duty as club president, after all."
I chuckled. "See you tomorrow, then."
She nodded. "Goodnight."
"Night."
The moment she left, I slowly sat up and went over to the desk. Grabbing a few sheets of paper from his drawer, I grabbed a pen and got myself ready. "Same as last night."
I almost heard a sigh. Really? After everything that's happened?
"Dude, I know your mind isn't really on it, but we need to."
Fine, I get it. And with that, he began constructing a poem.
Of Two Minds
We are of two minds of everything.
What should we eat today? Meat or plant?
You say that meat is good,
the other says "I can't!"
We are of two minds of everything.
The fair comes, and do we go?
He says yes, and I say no.
We are of two minds of everything.
A pleasant afternoon walk or a run?
He asks if I am up for that,
but I'd rather be inside having fun.
I am of two minds of…anything.
I nodded when he was finished. "You can sleep now," I said.
Thanks…I need it.
"I know." And with that, I felt Meiji fall asleep. I carefully copied his poem into a composition book and then stared at another blank page. "He has the right idea…" And I began to compose my own poem.
Intriguing Duality
Fading dreams and fading reality, which am I?
A slipknot in space/time appears
a dream's walk away.
The campfire light around me flickers
like the thoughts racing in my dual head.
A faded figure, ghostly white steps through,
aging and de-aging as it steps through
screaming and whispering as the faceless approach.
Two faced, two faced, two faces merging and separating.
One face smiling, the other frowning.
One hand is clenched, the other outstretched.
And all for what? Where is it looking?
The wind picks up, the figure vanishes in black and white wings.
A small house appears in its place; a toy from my childhood.
It has no meaning to me, it has all the meaning in the world.
Rain falls, it dries the ground.
I can no longer hear myself.
What happened? Who am I?
Where am I?
…What am I?
I copied the poem into the notebook and placed it in Meiji's backpack. As I was getting everything ready for tomorrow there was a knock at the door. "Meiji dear? It's Mom. Could you come downstairs?"
"One second, Mom," I replied as I finished putting the books away. When I was done, I headed down. Meiji's parents were sitting at the kitchen table, looking serious. Monika was sitting there as well, looking a bit scared. "Um…did I do something wrong?" I asked nervously as I entered.
"Meiji, what happened to you?!" Meiji's mom asked in a worried tone the moment she saw me bandaged up. "Who did this to you?!"
"Oh, um, I'll explain later. I'm guessing this meeting is about Monika?"
"Yes it is. Take a seat, and you will explain what happened after we're done," Meiji's dad said somberly. I did so without saying another word. He sighed. "Alright, you two, we've thought long and hard about this. And we've gone over every option, from calling your parents, Asano-san, to asking Sayori's family if they'll let you stay with there. But we haven't made a decision yet, so we need more information on your situation."
"Asano-san sweetie, could you tell us, in your own words, how you ended up homeless?" Meiji's mom asked kindly.
I had never seen such a masterful performance from the green-eyed club president as she launched into a more detailed explanation of her home life and the reasons behind her expulsion from home. She even shed a few tears and even I couldn't tell whether she was faking it or not. "I know the decision is in your hands," she concluded through tears, "but please don't send me back. I've felt freer and happier here than I have before. I don't mind going to spend time with Sayori's family instead of here, but I can't go back to my parents."
Meiji's parents remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. "That is…a lot to take in, frankly," Meiji's dad said. "If what you're saying is true, and I believe you're telling the truth, well, we can't exactly send you back."
"Heavens no," Meiji's mom said.
"We can't even take any legal action against them either," Meiji's dad added. "You're legally an adult. Also, I'm not sure what we can do about getting your belongings back either."
"My belongings aren't important to me," Monika said. "I'm just glad to be away from that house."
"Are you sure? Everyone has something they treasure," Meiji's mom asked.
"The only think I treasure is something they won't find even if they get rid of all my things," Monika said. "I could sneak back and grab it while they were both at work. The other things don't hold any special meaning to me."
Meiji's dad nodded. "Well that's a load off of my shoulders. But there's still the issue of what we do. Obviously, you can't go back to your home, but my wife-"
"Okay honey, that's enough out of you," Meiji's mom interrupted. She turned to me. "Meiji, can you promise to me that you will treat Asano-san here with the respect a woman deserves? And to not try anything funny?"
"You have my word," I said immediately.
"Then it's settled." With a deep breath, Meiji's dad looked at Monika. "You can stay here as long as you need to. Aiko's already agreed to letting you stay in her room for the time being. She doesn't need to come home for a while."
"If she does, is there room in the basement?" Monika asked.
"We wouldn't make you sleep down there," Meiji's mom said.
"You could sleep in my room and I could sleep on the sofa," I volunteered.
"We'll think of something if it becomes necessary," Meiji's dad said. "But for the time being, Asano-san, you are most welcome."
Monika teared up. Meiji's mom handed her a tissue which she used to dab at her eyes. "I…I don't know what to say…I feel so relieved."
"Well, in a way so am I," Meiji's dad said. "You could keep an eye on Meiji when we're not here."
"Now who's the overprotective one?" Meiji's mom said teasingly. "Now that we have that settled, what happened at school today, young man?"
I sighed. "Well, um, you see, it's like this…" and I explained everything that had happened earlier.
"You could've seriously been hurt," Meiji's mom said sternly.
"Is the school going to do anything about it?" Meiji's dad asked.
"I don't know. I guess we'll find out." I stood slowly. "Mom, Dad, thank you again for letting Monika stay here until we get her situation figured out."
"What kind of people would we be if we just left her alone in the streets?" Meiji's mom said. "But it's late. You two should be heading to bed. We're not going to bed yet."
"Yes Mom."
"Of course, Chizu-san," Monika added. We stood and headed upstairs. The moment we reached our rooms, I felt a hand take mine. Turning, a pair of slender arms wrapped around mine tightly. Monika was trembling.
"Monika…?" Confused, I returned the hug.
"I'm just so relieved," Monika said, her voice wavering as if she was about ready to cry. "I was so worried they'd call my parents or send me away. But…I'm glad they let me stay here…with you."
I rubbed her back gently with one hand and held her head with the other. "One of these days, I am going to take you on a magnificent date. The date of your dreams."
She hugged tighter. "But…a date with you is a date of my dreams."
"Now who's the one using corny lines?" I asked. I lifted her to face me. I'm not sure what it was about that moment. Maybe it was the emotions that I'd felt all that day, maybe it was the physical proximity to an incredibly attractive woman, maybe something else, but I found myself staring not just into her eyes, but so much more. I saw only her. Just Monika. My heart began to race and time seemed to stop at exactly the same time. Her face seemed to get bigger, and at first I thought she was moving closer, but I realized that we were both moving closer. Monika's eyes began to close and her lips parted. I began to do the same.
Josiah!
My eyes shot open and the spell was broken. Monika was still moving closer. Quickly I brought my fingers up to her lips and stopped her. "No, this isn't right," I whispered. "The time isn't right, and I…I'm not sure what I feel for you. But we can't do this right now." I removed my fingers from her lips.
Her face fell, but she nodded silently. "You're right," she whispered. "I'm sorry."
"I should be the one apologizing. I was moving too. Meiji was the voice of reason this time."
Hey!
Sorry.
Monika nodded. "You're right."
I brought up the fingers I'd placed on her lips earlier and brought them to my own. "For now, this is all we can do."
She blushed immediately. "Ahaha, you're such a tease."
"Believe it. Now, we should really get to bed."
"Yeah…see you tomorrow," she said with a smile and a wink. "I love you, Josiah."
I smiled kindly at her. "Thank you, Monika. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." And with that she went into Aiko's room and shut the door.
What the hell happened just now? Meiji demanded to know the moment I shut his door.
"I don't know," I said softly as I began to prepare for the next day. "I just felt something when I looked at her." I did my best to recall what I'd been feeling when I made a move to kiss Monika. "It was like…she was my whole universe in a single moment of time. That's the best way I can describe it. It was…Just Monika."
That's terrifying. Just Monika? Remember the playthrough?
I nodded. "You're right, you're right. Or maybe we're looking too much into this. I've never had a girl care about me like Monika cares for me or Sayori cares for you. Maybe I got swept up in the heat of the moment. Let's just sleep. Tomorrow is the last day of the club meeting before we have to choose who to help for the festival preparations this weekend."
Who are we choosing?
One of the mods I'd watched was one called A Brand New Day. In it, the protagonist spent the weekend with everyone. However, in that mod, there had been three days, and the circumstances were different, so I had to come up with an altered plan. "Simple, we choose to help them all. Tomorrow we can help Sayori and Monika with the posters. Meanwhile Yuri can come over and help with the mood and atmosphere on Saturday. On Sunday Natsuki can come over. Since Monika's here already, she could help a bit too on both days, same with Sayori. Or we could all do it in one day."
Does this mean you trust her now? He asked.
"I'm beginning to. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm beginning to."
Josiah and Monika, sitting in a tree- Meiji began.
"Don't you start," I said, face flushing as I climbed into bed. I sighed. "We've already got enough…on my plate…" I yawned and closed my eyes.
We do, sorry. Goodnight.
"Goodnight." We both fell asleep at the same time.