Rylee snatches Ravi’s shirt from a chair beside the hotel bed and pulls it over her head, breathing his scent in.

He’s sleeping in a bed beside hers, too shy to share a bed with her, not knowing how to tell her where he wants to sleep.

She watches his handsome face in the dark, his black scruff pushed against the poofy pillows. She sighs, he’s so cute. Something Rylee will never deserve.

“Ravi,” she walks to his bedside, drops to her knees and lays her head next to his. “Ravi.”

He rolls over without opening his eyes and puts a hand over his forehead. Rylee pokes his side and says his name again.

“What?” He grumbles, being woke up at one in the morning is not something he takes pleasure in.

“Do you love me?”

“What?”

“Do. You. Love. Me?”

“What are you doing…?”

He turns to her, blinking in the dark room, eyes adjusting. Rylee waits for his answer, holding her breath.

“Why are you asking?”

“Because I need to know.”

Ravi takes Rylee’s wrists and flips them over, his fingers running over the scars there.

“You scared me for a minute,” he says, exhaling and dropping her hands. “Yes, I love you.”

Rylee watches him roll over and pull the blankets over his shoulders. She stands and goes to the foot of the bed, standing up on the white blankets. She holds out her arms on either side, spanning them out like wings.

He’s on his back when he senses the bed move. Rylee let’s herself fall right on top of him, her chin hitting his chest.

“Oof-“ the air whooshes out of him as she lands, his hands steady her before she falls and he growls.

“I love you too,” she says, settling on his chest, slipping in sliding in his shirt, which is too big for her.

He tickles her and she jerks, smacking his shoulder. He sees this as a game and rolls over of top of her, pinning her down and tickling her until she laughs so hard, she starts crying.

She squeezes out from under him and takes off running from their hotel room. He flies out of the room and chases her down the hallway, down the stairs and into the fitness hall, abandoned in the early hours.

“Rylee!” He says, catching up, making her run faster, her bare feet hitting the rough carpet. “You little brat.”

She squeals, pushing through the doors leading to the dark indoor pool. He chases, both of them ignoring the sign saying the pool is closed for the night.

She fumbles in the dark room, looking for the lights when he grabs her from behind and picks her up. She laughs and squirms around, weakly trying to get loose.

“Raviiii,” she says, laughing.

“Ryleeee,” he calls, out of breath and laughing as well.

Suddenly the laughter stops and he lets her go, gazing down at her. She takes his hand and walks to the pool, where the water shimmers in the light of the moon.

She pulls him in the chilly water and shivers, his shirt sticking to her skin. She dips under the water and comes back up, smiling at him.

Then he wraps his arm around her waist and spins her around in the shallow end of the pool, the water rippling around them.

“Yelling at the sky, screaming at the world,” Rylee sings, smiling at their little song.

“Baby, why’d you go away?” He recites the lyric and Rylee’s smile widens. He spins her again, her hair dripping as it floats in the blue water around her lower back.

“I’m still your girl, holding on too tight,” she whispers, the water casting reflections in her mis-matched eyes, she gums the rest of the song, wrapping her wet arms around his neck as he spins her again, smiling shyly, both blushing.