Rocky stared at his phone screen. It's midnight. Scratch that. He just noticed it's 2 am. He sighed through his nose realizing he may as well face facts. Not only did his future wife go out with his enemy, but she didn't even call him after he got home to tell him some lie about it. That can only mean one thing.

'She knows that I know.' He thought as he turned off his phone. 'And she's keeping it from me because she doesn't want to hear me slander him. Him, Darren, her boy… boy..'

His hand balled up. If his pillow was a person he was currently choking him out as the corner of the pillow shrank the tighter his fist became.

'Deep breaths… deep healing breaths.' He inhaled slowly. 'In… out… In… Calm. She's only like this because of the accident…' He corrected himself. 'Because of me. This is my punishment for having her on the phone while she's driving.' His grip eased. 'Because it could have been worse…'

Just the thought of Emily being gone permanently out of his life instead of temporarily was too much to bear. He tried to force himself to sleep. Images of Emily faded in and out of the darkness of his mind.

"Why Darren?" He mumbled into his pillow.

"Why stress through the night? You can talk to her tomorrow." Tum Tum muttered through the darkness.

"Why're you awake?"

"Early morning snack."

'That explains why I smelled chocolate and peanut butter.'

"This new, less-improved, Emily won't be around forever" his brother went on. "And when she's got her memories back, you can have a nice laugh at Darren as she cringes so hard from realization that his skin recedes back."

Rocky smirked at the thought. He hopes it comes true

The next day.

"Are you ok?" Emily asked. "Because it's been ten minutes now, and you haven't said a word since we left our houses."

Rocky cut his eyes to the right. What did she expect? Laughter and merry-making? He feels cheated on. Lied to. Neglected as a friend. And pitiful for allowing himself to feel everything he's felling. Plus side, Emily had agreed to go on a picnic with him at the park. There's an event going on, and she had asked if he wanted to go with her. Him. Not Darren. However... She had yet to say anything about the date at the movies! What was she waiting for?! Was it that special? He thought he was her friend - best male friend. So why this gatekeeper of activity?

'That could be it. Maybe it didn't matter because it didn't take. There was no attraction or interest, it just was what it was...' He felt better assuming that. It felt realistic.

"Rocky?" She asked again.

He let out a breath. "I just have a lot on my mind."

She frowned. "If this is about Darren, get over it."

Rocky's jaw clenched on repeat. "But why Darren, why anybody like him?"

"Right. Because I should date people more like you?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"You're over protective, overly sensitive, too smothering, and you're a showoff!"

Rocky felt sick. Does she really feel like this about him, or is it the amnesia talking?

"It's because of your obsession with me that we got into this accident."

He was about to object and defend himself, but her words registered. "What?" He looked in her direction. Emily suddenly ejected from her seat through the front window, and he followed shortly after with the sound of a car horn in his ears.

Rocky shot up in bed. He was soaked and freezing, despite the comfortable temperature of his bedroom. This was the fourth nightmare - and dawn has yet to show itself to stop the attempts of sleep which have only been dusted with nightmare after nightmare either about the accident, or starring Darren being a lecher with Emily, though not because he's into her. He simply wanted to get under his skin when he saw that he was watching them from the sidelines.

School was going to be an absolute prison. He's going to be in a cage pacing and staring and rattling the bars. But… But, he can't. If he does show that he cares, it's going to ruin things between them. Let's say she does get her memory back this week or a week from now… What's it going to be like between them? Will she remember any bad blood created between them because of Darren? Because of the accident?

The heartbroken ninja got out of bed and moved over to the long dresser where he grabbed an extra pair of night clothes to change into. He disappeared into the bathroom to change after drying his sweat.

Once he was through recovering from physical sleep-mares, he crawled back into bed. Moonlight displayed a multitude of colors across his face as it beamed against the colorful curtain. Red, yellow, blue, green… All the shades of emotions illuminated on his face. The trouble with red is it goes two ways.

His hand wrapped around the makeshift phone. He removed the cover then whispered into it. "Emily, are you awake?" Receiving no response, he let out a breath. "I love you. I'm sorry I'm too much of a coward to tell you." He was satisfied that he could at least do it that way. He placed the cap back over it as if to keep his secret inside.

Rocky rolled onto his side and allowed himself another attempt at rest.

"Sweet!" Tum Tum exclaimed as he sat down at the table. "French toast is the number one sweet breakfast."

"Didn't you say that about chocolate chip waffles?" His dad asked.

"Shhh. The toast will hear you." He smiled up at his mother. "Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome," she replied. "I have to confess, I made it for Rocky to cheer him up."

"The smell alone must have worked," Colt said after giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. "He's been upstairs whistling a tune since he got up."

"Really?"

Sam glanced up from his phone screen, that he's looking at the daily news. He smelled trouble. No one takes a blow to the ego from a crush going out with an enemy and just whistles away like it never happened. Ah… denial. He nodded to himself. Now it makes sense.

"Hi, mom." Rocky kissed his mother on the cheek.

"Hi, sweetie, feeling better?"

"Nope. But," he took his plate with a silent "Ooh", then moved to the table. "I'm gonna act like nothing's wrong." He bit into a pleasing bite of cream cheese stuffed french toast.

Colt and his father exchanged a look that only meant one thing. That never works.

"In fact, I'm gonna be so convincing she'll be sick of him by lunch." His ninja reflexes kicked in as he swatted away a fling of Cool Whip, slung by his first brother.

"Thanks, Rock'." Tum Tum spread the extra cream around his breakfast when it landed on his plate.

"I take it you think it's a bad idea?" He asked. He wiped his hand onto a napkin.

"Yes. Imagine being Emily, someone you have feelings for, hearing that you don't mind that she's dating someone else - to a level that she can talk about him." He shook his head in dismay. "You may as well unpack the boxes, because you're making a home out of your 'Friend Zone'."

Rocky felt sucker punched. "Why do you have to bring me down? That plan was the only thing getting me out of bed. Now I just wanna go back upstairs and mope."

"Or.. you can let me talk to her. I won't make you look like an idiot. I promise." He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "This is a necessary conversation that has to be had."

"I know that... I just wish the outcomes were better."

"Rocky, Colt is right. Not about his talking to her, but that you need to be more direct and loud about how you feel. If you keep quiet, she has the right to date anyone she wants. And, if you want that someone to be you.. tell her."

...

So, he'll tell her.

He asked her out for a walk. They don't have to face each other, so he won't lose his nerve like he would if they sat across from each other. She's so pretty, one look from her he'd go stupid again. Eyes forward is the best defense.

"How was the movie?" He kicked himself for not just going right into it.

"It was weird. I don't know about everyone else, but I didn't think it was funny."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's the writer's fault. They should have read it over once they were done." She chuckled.

"Did you parents like it?"

"Uhh,"

Not a good start at all.

"I didn't go with my family. I went with a guy from school."

Rocky felt numb. "Oh."

"Is that all right? You sound disappointed."

"Well, I am... I just.."

"Just what?" She slowed to a stop.

'Please keep walking. If you stop then I'll have to stop, and then we'll have to face each other.' He sighed. "Was it a friendly date or a date-date?"

"A date-date."

He had yet to turn around. But he steeled himself before abandoning himself. "Emily, the doctor said not to try to force memories on you, because it could backfire."

Emily moved through the distance between them and spun him around. "Rocky, forget about the doctor. Just talk to me. Please."

"Emily, the reason why I sounded disappointed is because I am." He swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Because we are a couple."