Mortal Enemies

by agentpizza

Things don't get any easier for April Preston, especially when moving to a new neighborhood means meeting Rodrick Heffley, a self-proclaimed awesome bad boy who is extremely annoying and stubborn. These two people are mortal enemies. But some things change right? (RodrickxOC)

36. The Answer

CHAPTER 36: The Answer

I froze when I heard him say that.

He raised his eyebrows, clearly waiting for an answer.

"W-What are you talking about?" I tried my best not to stutter. Didn't work.

He heaved a sigh. "Can we talk? Please?"

I gulped as I tried to hide my panic. "I'll be right back."

I stepped back inside the house without waiting for his reply. I breathed in and out, knowing well that Rodrick wasn't going to take no for an answer, that I had no choice but to actually talk to him. As I headed back to my room, I wondered if there was some excuse I could make to avoid this.

Too many thoughts and possible cover-ups came to mind. But the thing was, whether or not I came up with a good lie, in the end I'd still have to face him. And face whatever this is.

I took my coat and wore it over my thin sweater and jogging pants. I grabbed my wallet, my phone, and my key, and then headed back downstairs.

"I'm going out for a while," I announced.

"Where are you going?" mom asked.

I immediately scrambled for an answer. I didn't want to say that it was Rodrick out there because they might ask more questions. "Uh... I just need to buy something. For school."

Mom nodded. "What time will you get back?"

"Not sure yet."

"Bring a key," she said.

"Yeah, because we're going to a dinner party," dad reminded.

"Yeah, I got them," I replied. "See ya." I walked to the door. They both told me to stay safe as I did so.

"Let's go," I said to Rodrick as soon as I got out of the house. I quickly walked to his van and he followed.

Once we were in the car and Rodrick started driving, I took a deep breath. Was I actually prepared for whatever was going to happen?

He started to talk. I was pretty sure he was going to bring up what he last asked me because I didn't answer it. "So—"

"So how are you now? Are you okay already?" I interrupted. To be honest, the concern was real, but I also wanted to change the topic.

At first he just looked at me, then focused on the road again. "I'm fine. Head hurts a little but I'm okay."

I nodded. That was good to know. I didn't ask any more questions after that. He didn't talk either. He didn't even turn the music on. The entire ride was tense and quiet.

. . . . . . . . . .

We sat across each other at the diner.

I had a milkshake for myself. Meanwhile, the lady placed a bowl of soup in front of Rodrick.

He tried to protest. "Uh, the soup is hers. I ordered pasta."

The lady then moved it towards me. I didn't respond, but when she left, I slowly pushed the bowl across the table. "I ordered it for you," I said. "You need that."

"Soup and pasta don't go together." He looked up. I just raised my eyebrows, and he got the message. "But thanks anyway." Then he started eating. A few moments later his pasta arrived.

"So," I cleared my throat and tried not to sound anxious at all, "w-what exactly do you remember about last night?"

He sat up straight and places his fork back on the plate. "Well..."

He started from the top. From when he drank before they performed, to seeing me in the crowd, to eating, to everything we talked about, almost all of it was accurate though not too detailed.

"And then it started to get a little bit hazy when you were talking about which subjects we might be taking at school next week," he said.

"Yeah it was around that time you weren't talking and then you started dan—"

"Dancing, yeah. I told you, I remember what happened. Everything's been correct so far, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but you were drunk drunk after that. How can you remember everything?"

He shook his head. "I remember most of it. I was drunk, but I didn't blackout early on. That crap happens too, you know. Plus, I started remembering bits and pieces ever since I woke up at Ben's place earlier."

Then he narrated what he remembered next—how he kept dancing, and that asked me to dance, and how he talked a lot after that. "...But don't make me get into detail about what I said. It's too... ugh." He groaned.

"Emotional?" I said. He just stared at me. "I'm sorry. I mean, you seem to get emotional when you're drunk."

"You're one to talk," he muttered. He wasn't wrong anyway. "I meant to say embarrassing. It's too embarrassing. At least from what I remember."

I nodded slightly. If I were in his shoes, I'd probably be embarrassed too.

"Then you fell asleep after that," I said.

He shook his head. "Not yet. Not really. I remember hearing some stuff."

Oh no. I took a sip of my milkshake, pretending to just listen to him without looking too suspicious.

"I heard some of the stuff you said," he repeated, this time emphasizing me.

I coughed, and then cleared my throat. "Stuff I said?"

"No, I remember... You were giving some kind of advice, then you said—"

"It's probably a dream," I cut him off quickly. "I was the last one you talked to. You fell asleep then maybe dreamt about us talking or something."

His face dropped. "Maybe... but I'm pretty sure I wasn't asleep yet," he muttered with a tone of disappointment. Maybe because I didn't let him finish talking. After that, he didn't dig much into it anymore.

"So, that's all you remember?"

He nodded. "Yeah, the rest was a dream, you said. There's no point in bringing it up if you don't even want to talk about it." He sounded and looked annoyed.

I felt bad. What the heck is wrong with you, April? Why can't you just face it?!

I tried to start a conversation about other things like school or his music, but he didn't care to elaborate his answers. He just nodded, shrugged, replied with a single word. I felt worse then. It must have been true that he heard every single thing I said the night before. He only wanted to talk to me to confirm it, hear it once again while he was completely sober.

After paying, we went back to his van.

"I'll drop you off at your house," he said as he buckled his seatbelt. Then he immediately turned on the radio, probably because he had no intention to talk until we get to my house. I hated that feeling, that unnecessary tension. I couldn't take it anymore.

Just when he was about to start the car, I turned off the radio. "I'm sorry."

He just looked at me, probably a little confused. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I lied. You were right. I did say some things when I thought you passed out last night."

"Wait... So what I heard—"

"Yes." I took a deep breath. "Yes, Rodrick. I like you too. That's the truth."

No turning back now.

He leaned back, and just stared ahead for a few seconds, probably trying to process what I just said. "So, hold on. It's not a dream? What I heard last night was not a dream?"

"It's not. Remember how you were talking about this girl you like—"

He covered his face with his hands. "Don't... No need to get into detail about what I said—"

"I was... explaining to you that... she doesn't hate you."

His hands moved up to his head, and stayed there for a second as he tried to process what I was saying. Then he placed his hands on the wheel, and then looked at me. "This isn't a dream, right?"

I couldn't help it. I smiled and let out a laugh.

"Oh no, it's a dream, isn't it? I'm probably still sleeping on Ben's couch—"

I slapped his arm playfully. "You're not dreaming, okay? This is real. And yes, I admit it. I like you."

His cheeks started turning a bit red as he took a deep breath and tried not to smile even though he couldn't help it. It was kinda cute. At that point, my heart was beating so fast because I was nervous that this was actually happening. But at the same time, I felt like something heavy was lifted off of my chest.

Rodrick then cleared his throat. "One question, though, why did you try to avoid talking about this earlier, when I was trying to bring it up?"

"Um, I guess you don't remember every single thing I said."

"What is it?"

I looked down and gulped. "Well, it's because... Because I'm scared."

He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Why? What are you scared of?" he asked, in that gentle and comforting tone.

"I-I'm just..." I took a deep breath, and then continued, "I'm scared that if we get into a relationship and things between us don't go well, we'd lose this friendship, and I might lose you—"

"Hey, hey, hey." He took my hand and gave a warm squeeze. "Why would you say that? Why would we break up?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we fought a lot. We still do, sometimes."

He nodded, and placed his hand back on the steering wheel. "I see your point... But you're thinking way far ahead, and you're not even sure if it's going to happen. Besides, there are good possibilities too."

"That's true," I said.

"So... Maybe... You know, we can give this a shot?"

I thought about it for a moment. While I was scared about losing Rodrick completely if things don't go right, he's no longer just a friend to me. Things wouldn't go back to the way it used to be. Besides, he's right. Maybe this time, I should just think of the present.

Rodrick continued when he noticed I didn't answer immediately. "Maybe we can just try it out, you know? See if it works—"

"Okay," I said, nodding.

"Wait, what?" He probably wasn't sure if he heard it correctly.

"I said okay. Yes."

"Yes?!" He sounded a little excited and confused at the same time.

"Do you want me to take it back?"

He still couldn't believe it. He pointed to me and then to himself. "So that means we're... You're..."

I nodded with a smile. "My boyfriend's so cute when he's confused," I said while fastening my seatbelt.

Rodrick blushed, and a wide smile appeared on his face as he also buckled up. "Boyfriend," he muttered, pondering on the word. He started the engine and started driving back to our neighborhood.

Our smiles never disappeared from our faces. I was even caught by surprise when Rodrick suddenly took my hand while he was driving and he just held it, gently brushing his thumb over mine. My face was flushed red as I felt all giggly inside.

"Are you busy today?" he asked, just a few minutes before we got to my house.

"No, not really. I was just going to read a book. Why?"

He shook his head, letting out a little laugh. "Typical April."

"Whatever. Deal with it," I replied jokingly, pulling my hand away from him.

"Anyway, if you're free, do you want to have dinner together or something?" he asked.

I leaned closer to him and whispered, "Is this going to be our first date?"

He paused to think. Then he said, "I'm pretty sure we already had a date before. That time we went to the arcade and ate ramen?"

"Oh, that one." Memories of that night flashed quickly in my mind. "Should we count that? I mean it wasn't super clear that it was a date."

He agreed. "Technically, it was. But good point, anyway. Let's have our first official date later then." I nodded, looking forward to it.

We arrived at my house. From afar, it might have seemed like one of those ordinary moments when his van would arrive and Rodrick and I would just sit there for few more moments. Except now, everything was different. Totally different.

"Are you sure you wanna go back already?" he asked, taking my hand again after I unbuckled my seatbelt.

I squeezed his hand a little tighter. "We can't be out the whole day, Rodrick. It's cold. Plus, my sweater is kinda thin, since I rushed earlier."

"Okay, okay." He let go and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Right. I don't want my girlfriend getting a cold." He smiled, and jumped out of the van.

"Girlfriend," I muttered, and couldn't help but smile.

He opened the door and helped me get out. The he walked with me to my door. He had done that a lot of times already, but this one felt somewhat special. He walked with his hands in his pockets, and I noticed him looking at me with that same warm smile on his face. I swear, the way he stared at me would make me melt.

"See you later," he said.

"See you." I opened the door and went inside, giving him a little wave before totally closing it.

I put my palm over my chest and felt my heart beating fast. I couldn't stop smiling. I wanted to jump out of joy, but I just ended up covering my face. For the first time in weeks, I didn't feel uneasy nor worried. This was the right decision.

I can't believe it. Rodrick Heffley is now my boyfriend.

. . . . . . . . . .

At exactly 7pm, the doorbell rang. I wasn't completely finished getting ready, but I rushed downstairs to open the door.

"I'm right on time," Rodrick said when I opened the door. He was wearing a turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark jeans underneath a thick coat.

"Who are you and what have you done to Rodrick Heffley!" I replied jokingly.

"I've just become awesome-er."

"It's more awesome," I corrected him. He rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. "Come on in first."

He peeked in first before actually going inside. "Are your mom and dad here? Should I go say hi?"

I closed the door behind him. "Nah, they're not. They went to this dinner party thing."

"Oh, okay."

"Have a seat first! I'm not yet done, but I'll be quick, I promise!"

He looked at the time on his phone and acted surprised and suspicious. "Wha—you're not yet done? Who are you?"

"Whatever, Heffley." I started heading towards the stairs.

"What else do you have to add on anyway? You look great already," he said in a lower volume.

I probably blushed. "Just give me 2 minutes!"

All I did was put on my lip tint to add a little color to my lips. Then I took one last look on the mirror. I was wearing a black long sleeve, turtleneck dress. I had a pair of gold earrings on as well as the necklace Rodrick gave me. I made sure to wear a coat as well since I get cold easily. I took my bag and headed downstairs.

"Okay I'm good!" I said.

Rodrick immediately got up from the couch, and stared at me for, like, 3 seconds. I was about to ask what's wrong, but then he snapped out of it. "G-Great. Let's go!"

When we got settled on his van, I asked him where we were going.

"A restaurant." That's all he said.

"Yeah, but what restaurant?"

"Just wait and see."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine." I didn't understand why he had to keep it a secret when I was gonna see it soon anyway. Besides, we've eaten outside together a number of times already. It probably wouldn't be any different.

Except for the fact that we were already a couple now.

I smiled at the thought of that.

"What?" I heard Rodrick say.

I pulled myself together and was able to muster a reply. "Hm?"

He smirked, tilting his head a little. "What are you smiling about?"

"Smiling? I wasn't smiling—"

"Just keep smiling. You look prettier when you do," he said casually, looking ahead as he drove.

I stared at him. Is this the Rodrick I know?

He glanced and noticed what I was doing. "What?"

I shook my head with a smile. "Nothing, nothing."

Before I knew it, Rodrick was parking in front of a restaurant I've never been to before. There were a couple other restaurants nearby, but this one looked the fanciest.

"We're here," he said as he unbuckled his seat belt. He hopped off the van and went to open the door on my side.

"Hmm. You're becoming more of a gentleman lately," I told him while he helped me get out.

He frowned. "Wasn't I always like this?"

"You know very well that you weren't." I snorted.

We had no problem getting in since, apparently, Rodrick had already made a reservation.

"Wow. This place looks amazing," I said after the waitress gave each of us a menu. There weren't a lot of people, but the interior looked like that of a five-star hotel, or a high class michelin restaurant.

"Yeah. I've never been here before, too. Just found it online."

"Woah," I couldn't help say when I scanned the menu. "The food, and the prices are..." I gulped, "amazing too." It was indeed a fancy restaurant.

"Have you picked something?" he asked casually.

The problem was, I couldn't pick. I leaned a little closer to him and whispered, "Rodrick, everything is so expensive here."

"Don't worry. Just pick whatever you want."

"But—"

Before I was able to continue, the waitress came back and asked for our orders. Rodrick ordered steak. And I just picked out the cheapest pasta I could find on the menu. Afterwards, she took the menus with her and left.

"You look great today," Rodrick suddenly said out of the blue.

"Oh, thanks. You too." I kept my hands on top of my knees, so he wouldn't see that I was shaking.

Then after that was a moment of silence. It was quite a long one. I looked around, observing the place and the people. Rodrick did the same, except that he was lightly tapping the table with his fingers.

"Are you sure it's okay that we eat here?" I asked. I couldn't help it because I honeslty felt uncomfortable, knowing we were both just students who only saved up with our allowances. "It's really expensive."

"Okay, I'm gonna be honest." He looked to his left and right, before slightly leaning towards me. "It shocked me too. I actually didn't check the prices before I made the reservation—"

"What?!" I whispered. He sat up again and scratched the back of his head, giving me a sheepish smile. "Don't you usually check the menu and the prices before making a reservation?" I asked, leaning in.

He shrugged. "Well, it looked cool for a first date so I just booked it."

I looked through my bag and checked my wallet. "I don't think I brought enough cash—"

"I told you, don't worry about it, okay?" he replied in a comforting tone. "It's our first date. It has to be special."

He's getting sweeter day by day.

He continued, "Besides, I got to exchange the Mom Bucks I saved recently."

"Mom Bucks?" I almost laughed. "What's that?"

"I haven't told you about it?" he asked. I shook my head. "It's this thing my mom made up at home. Whenever Greg and I spend time together, she gives us Mom Bucks, which we can exchange for real money. It's pretty stupid."

"Wow... Creative parenting, I guess?" Rodrick just rolled his eyes when I said that. "So you must be spending more time with Greg if you got to save up some Mom Bucks?"

He shrugged. "Hmm. Yeah I guess. More often than before."

"That's great then." It made sense why he and Greg were playfully teasing each other the last time I saw them together. It seemed that they have bonded more over the past few weeks.

The food came quicker than expected. Rodrick and I both stared at our plates. The serving was... not that big. The amount of pasta was less than half of the plate's size. Rodrick's steak looked appetizing, but it wasn't as big as expected. From the look on his face, I could tell he was disappointed.

I didn't bother to comment anything that had the slightest bit of negativity. It's our first date. It has to be special. I didn't want Rodrick to feel bad for choosing this restaurant. "Well, let's dig in!"

In all fairness, the pasta was delicious. The steak was good too. Rodrick gave me a few slices while he ate. In return a gave him a bit of pasta, too.

Unlike the other times we were together, we were both, surprisingly, quiet all throughout dinner. In such moments, Rodrick would have already said something to start our conversation, but he just ate, glancing at me from time to time and smiling a little. We finished quickly, too. Soon the waitress took our plates and fetched the bill.

It all felt too... stiff. Was it the place? The situation? The prices of the food? Was there something wrong with us? Those were some of the thoughts running in my head.

After Rodrick had paid, we both got back to his van. Just like that, the date was over already. Are dates supposed to be like this?

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "You?"

He nodded too.

"The... The food was great," I said.

"Yeah. It was awesome," he said. And we both just sat there in the van for a few moments.

Then as he started driving, Rodrick cleared his throat. "Well that's... that was all awkward, huh?"

I nodded slowly in agreement, lips pressed together hiding an awkward smile. Somehow, I was relieved that he was the one who brought it up.

"I'm sorry it sucked." He shook his head, looking all disappointed. "I should've just chosen another res—"

"No, no, no, don't apologize! It's not your fault," I interrupted him immediately. He shouldn't blame himself about it. I knew he just...

"I just wanted it to be perfect." He gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"I get that. But maybe we pressured ourselves too much on this? Or maybe we're both just... not used to all this yet."

He nodded, loosening his grip on the wheel a little. "Right, maybe we're still adjusting?"

"Yeah, and we don't usually hang out in places as fancy as that—"

"That's why felt a little uncomfortable."

"And that's all normal."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's right." He nodded, exhaling as if some weight and worry had been lifted off of his shoulders.

I did appreciate all of his effort though. Our first official date may not have been as perfect as we expected it to be, but knowing he prepared and did his best to make it amazing was all enough for me.

"Are you still hungry?" Rodrick asked. "'Cause I am."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Really?"

He groaned. "What, you aren't? That steak was small as heck. Even your pasta was!"

I nodded in agreement. Despite the great taste, I didn't feel so full after having that meal. "Wanna go for a drive-through?"

"I'm glad you asked."

We both ordered burgers and fries, plus coke and iced tea at the nearest fastfood drive-through we could find.

"Thanks," Rodrick said to the person who us gave our food. I held on to the bags since he had to drive.

Rodrick continued to rant about the restaurant we ate at. "I mean, what is it with those fancy restos? Great food but very little serving? What, do they not have enough ingredients?"

An amused smile appeared on my face as I watched him babble and complain about it. "It's a thing in restos everywhere. I don't know why," I commented.

"Doesn't it make more sense to have a bigger serving when the food is good?" He sure had a lot of questions.

"Ah whatever. We have burgers anyway. That'll make us full." I stared at the window and got a glimpse of the night sky. It wasn't too cloudy so the pretty stars were visible.

We were on our way home. But the date felt so short, and I didn't feel like parting with Rodrick yet.

"Are your parents there already?" he asked when he noticed that I checked my phone.

I shrugged. "No idea. They haven't looked for me though, so maybe not yet."

"Ah." He glanced at me, then at the paper bags of food, and then focused on the road again. "I was wondering if we could eat the burgers at your place? If that's cool with you."

It was as if he was reading my mind. "Sure, why not?"

"But if your folks are home already, I don't want to disturb them."

"Yeah, no problem."

A few minutes later, we arrived at my house. Rodrick helped me carry the paper bags, while I opened the door and checked if anyone was home.

"Mom? Dad?" There was no answer. I turned and opened the door wider for Rodrick. "Come on in. They're not home yet."

He stepped inside and went straight to the dining table and placed the food there. "Hey, I'll just park the van at home first, then I'll come back," he said, heading back to the front door.

"Go ahead." I waved as he left, and went straight to the kitchen to get two plates.

As I was setting up the table, I had an idea. I went up to my room. When I got there, I removed my coat because it was a hassle to wear one at home. I took my laptop and brought it downstairs. And then I set up the food on the living room table instead.

Soon after, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and let Rodrick step inside.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile. He was about to head to the dining room, but I tapped his shoulder.

"The food's here." I led him to the living room. He followed behind me. "I was thinking. Maybe we can watch a movie? If that's okay with you?" I sat on the floor, right in front of the couch. The table was pretty low, so it would be hard to eat a whole meal if we sat on the couch.

"Sure, that sounds great." He took off his coat, placed it on the couch, and then bent down to sit beside me.

"Your parents aren't looking for you yet?" I asked once he had already sat down, keeping enough distance between us.

He waved his hand, dismissing the thought. "Nah. They know I'm going home late."

"Did you tell them we're on a date?" I was a bit worried that he might have told them. I haven't even told my parents nor my friends.

"They didn't ask, so I didn't need to say anything." He took a french fry from his plate and ate it. I nodded, somewhat relieved. "So what are we watching?"

"You pick." I gestured to the laptop.

He shook his head. "No, it's okay. you go ahead and pick." It seemed like he wanted to eat already.

"I browsed it earlier and I couldn't decide." I picked up the laptop and handed it to him. "Help me?" I pulled up a puppy dog face in front of him.

He looked at me weirdly, and couldn't help but laugh. "Fine. No need to act cuter than you already are." He took the laptop and started browsing the films.

What he said made me blush a little. Good thing he didn't notice.

"Hmm. What about Zombieland?" He moved closer so I can see the screen and what he was pointing at.

"I've watched that already. But if you haven't, it's okay."

"I've watched it too. But I kinda wanna see it again."

"Okay. Zombieland it is!" I placed the laptop back on the table and started playing the movie. We both started eating as well.

I wasn't sure we made the right decision to eat while watching, realizing that the film was actually gory. Rodrick had no problem with it at all. He ate fast as usual, finishing within the first few minutes of the movie. On the other hand, I managed to finish my meal halfway through it.

Since we've both already seen it before, we both knew what was about to happen in the next scene. Both Rodrick and I went "Oh this is the part where..." on different parts of the movie. It was still hilarious and somewhat refreshing to watch.

I was busy being entertained by the whole story that I didn't realize Rodrick was so close to me already until his arm was hanging on the edge of the couch and wrapped around my shoulder. When I noticed it, I glanced at him. He was completely focused on the movie. I hid the smile that was forming on my face. Needless to say, my heart raced again. I had gotten used to his presence already, but who knew if I could ever get used to being this close to him.

I leaned back, resting my head on his shoulder. He moved a bit. Maybe he was startled that I was leaning on to him. But soon enough he relaxed, and I did too as we continued enjoying the movie. It would have been great if we could stay like that longer.

My phone suddenly beeped, just when we got to the climax. I sat up straight checked out the text message I received. It was from my mom: April sweetie are you still awake? Just letting you know that we're almost home. Maybe in 2 mins or so?

Rodrick paused the movie. "Everything okay?"

I turned to him and gulped, internally panicking. "My parents are gonna be here in 2 minutes."

"Two minutes?!"

We both got up immediately, and started cleaning our mess on the table. Rodrick threw the paper bags in the trash can in the kitchen, while I wiped the table and then brought the plates to the sink.

"I should go," Rodrick said, panting as he got back to the living room.

"No, no. They're almost there. They might see you coming out of the door," I replied, panic in my voice as I slammed the laptop shut.

He scratched his head, probably thinking of a solution. "Should I just say hi to them then? I could say we're just hanging out—"

I shoved the laptop into his arms. "Are you crazy? It's half an hour to midnight and we're hanging out here dressed up like we went to a fancy restaurant, which we did!" I handed him his coat and pushed him towards the staircase.

"But I—"

We heard a car arriving in front of the house.

"Hide in my room. Go!" I whispered-shouted. He scrambled up the stairs then.

I rushed to the kitchen and washed the dishes quickly. I finished just as the front door opened.

"Hey," I greeted my mom and dad as I walked to the living room, trying to act like no one else was here but me.

"Oh hi, you're still awa—" my mom paused upon seeing me. "Ah you went somewhere?" she asked.

That's when I realized I was still wearing a dress which I definitely don't wear at home. "Uh. I bought dinner a while ago. Nearby." I smiled, hoping they'd believe my alibi.

She eyed me from head to toe. "In that?"

I gulped. "Yeah, mom. Just because it's a dress, doesn't mean I should only wear it on special occasions."

"Better get some rest then," my dad said before my mom asked anything else. She just nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. You too!" I gave them both a kiss on the cheek and headed up the stairs. "Good night."

I heaved a sigh of relief once I got to my room. I closed the door and leaned on it. That was close.

Rodrick was sitting on my bed. He stood up once he saw me come in. "Are you okay?"

I walked towards him. "Yeah. They don't suspect a thing. But they're still down there, so you might not be able to leave just yet."

He nodded. "That's okay. I like it here anyway." He stepped closer and spread his arms, about to give me a hug.

I put my hand up in front of me, lightly pushing him back. He raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Suddenly it felt hot, not because Rodrick was in my room. No, it definitely wasn't that. It felt hot, probably because of all the running and panic I went through earlier. I turned away from Rodrick, deciding to ignore what he was about to do, since I was preoccupied with another thought. "I have to change," I mumbled as I went to my closet.

"Here?" Rodrick only followed me behind, a hint of excitement but also nervousness in his voice. "Now?" A naughty smirk spread across his face as he peeked over the closet door, while I chose a decent set of clothes to wear.

I closed the doors of the closet and shot him a glare. And he instantly got the message. He stepped back, arms raised in surrender as he mouthed "Sorry."

"Keep quiet and don't open the door. I'll be right back." I headed to the bathroom, carrying my clothes and my towel.

I had only intended to brush my teeth, wash my face, and change my clothes, but since I had my towel with me already, I decided to go for a quick shower as well. I did all those quickly so I could get back to my room. One of my parents might look for me or something.

When I stepped out of the bathroom in an oversized white shirt and pajama pants, with a towel wrapped around my head, I saw my mom knocking on my bedroom door.

"Mom," I said. She turned to me, a little confused.

"Oh you were in the bathroom?" she confirmed. I just nodded with a smile. "Hm. I'm pretty sure I heard some noises coming from your room."

I took a quick look at the door. I had no idea what Rodrick was up to, but it was probably him who made the noises. "Really? I must've left my laptop on. I was watching a movie." I tried to act all casual in front of my mom.

Good thing she believed it. Nodding, she said, "Okay. Good night then."

"Good night mom." I went to my door, and waited until she disappeared to her and my dad's bed room before I entered mine.

I saw Rodrick lying on my bed and watching on my laptop. The noises surely came from there. He paused it as soon as he saw me. "What took you so long? I thought you were only going to change your clothes."

"I told you to keep quiet!" I whispered, and tossed my dirty clothes in the laundry basket. "My mom heard noises. She was about to get in here."

His eyes widened for a second. But then he immediately masked it with a laugh. "Can you chill? I would have hidden somewhere if I sensed someone other than you would come in here." He was all relaxed on my bed as if it was his.

I rolled my eyes. "And are you watching the movie already? Without me?" I sounded so petty, but whatever. We almost got caught, and if that happened, we would have been dead meat by now. I removed my towel from my head, dried my hair a bit more, and hung it back to its place. Then I brushed my hair.

He looked a little guilty. "I watched a little more only because it took you so long to get back. And it's not like you haven't watched this befo—Ow!" I threw a pair of earphones at him and it hit his face. "What's this for?" he asked.

"Go ahead and plug it in. Watch all you want since you can't wait." I wasn't able to hide the annoyance in my tone.

He simply cackled, then looked at me with his melting stare. I shook my head and turned away as I continued to brush my hair. You're annoyed at Rodrick, I convinced myself, You're annoyed at him right now even though he's cute as heck. You. Are. Annoyed. At him.

Next thing I knew, a pair of arms were wrapped around my waist. Rodrick was hugging me from behind. He was a strong guy who towered over me, so breaking free wasn't an option. And he was so close. He felt closer than he was downstairs by the couch.

He rested his chin on my shoulder, taking a peek at my face. "You look irritated."

"I'm not," I lied. I was indeed irritated. But I also felt butterflies in my stomach. We have hugged a number of times before, but not like this. "Now get off of me before I hit you with a brush."

Of course he did the opposite. He only hugged me tighter and tilted his head. Now his cheek was on my shoulder, and he stared at me with his big, beautiful eyes as he pouted. My heart was beating so fast I might have melted, but I did my best to hide that. "Let's go watch the movie now, okay?" he said, sounding apologetic.

"I'm not kidding about this brush." I raised it for him to see. It was a feeble attempt to threaten him.

He swiped it away from me with one hand and then tossed it to my desk. "No more brush." He wrapped his arms around me again, his lip almost touching the skin of my neck. I crossed my arms and sighed. You're annoyed at him. You're anno—

Suddenly, he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I was startled, and looked at him. He had this sweet smile on his face and a melting gaze. I gulped, feeling the heat on my cheeks.

"Come on, let's finish the movie. I'll keep quiet, I promise." He pulled away, took my arm, and led me to the bed.

I followed without any complaint, still stunned. It took a second for me to snap out of it. I haven't seen this side of Rodrick before. Sure he had been a lot kinder and sweeter to me in the recent weeks, but there wasn't much physical contact then, unlike now.

He plugged the pair of earphones into the laptop, wore one bud in his right ear, and offered the other to me. Then he rewinded the movie to the part where we left of. "See, it's so easy to move it back to the part where we left off. I don't see the huge problem here," he muttered.

"Shut up," I replied jokingly to his sarcasm, hiding a tiny smile. He grinned, as if he was so amused at everything that just happened.

There was only about 15 minutes of the movie left to watch. We tried our best to make our reactions way more discreet than earlier, and that was quite a challenge since the last few scenes were really action-packed.

When the film ended, I turned off the laptop. Rodrick stretched his arms. "Are your parents asleep already?"

I shrugged as I placed the laptop back on my desk. "I have no idea."

"Well, you think I could sneak out already?" he asked.

I took a moment to think. "Let me go out and check." I walked to the door, but I turned to him right before I opened it. Just as I was about to say something, he beat me to it by acting like he was zipping his mouth.

Silently, I tiptoed through the hallway and stopped by my parents' room. I tried to listen through the door for noises or whatever that would help me find out if they were still awake. I didn't hear anything, but I wasn't so sure if that meant they were asleep, so I went downstairs to check.

All the lights were turned off already. I sighed in relief. I went straight to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water.

"Ah, you're still awake?" a voice said.

I almost spilled the water I was pouring for myself. "Dad, you startled me."

"Sorry. So why are you still up?" he asked.

Because my boyfriend is stuck my room. That was the only reason. Of course I couldn't say that, after I lied to their faces just a while ago. "I-I just came to get water. I was a little thirsty," I replied. He just nodded and started fixing himself something that had hot water. Probably tea. "Is mom asleep already?"

"She's still up reading a book."

I cursed in my head. So both of them were still awake. That was a huge problem. "Oh, I see. Anyway, I'll go back up and sleep." I filled the glass with water again before I left, hearing my dad's "Good night!"

"Any good news?" Rodrick asked when I got in my room, though it seemed like he already knew what I was going to say.

I shook my head as I walked closer to the bed. "Dad's downstairs, and he said mom's still up." I handed him the glass of water.

He scooted over and sat on the edge of the bed to drink. Then he just nodded. "Looks like our first date's gonna be longer than we thought it would be."