“Can you even see what you’re writing in the dark?”

That voice.  It sounded familiar, too familiar.  It sounded just like the one that had been haunting him for weeks now.  Piers’s eyes slowly lifted from the page, the very page where he had been scribbling out lyrics prompted by that same voice he was hearing now.  He had been so caught up in it that he didn’t notice her, so lost in his thoughts that he must not have heard the sound of her boots yet again scuffing the pavement before stopping mere meters away from him.  But now, she stood before him, basking in the soft neon glow that provided barely enough light to see faint details.  But he knew it was her.  The pink and purple hue of the signs played off her scarlet hair beautifully, making her look like something out of a hazy dream.

“Annais…”  There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.  “What’re doin’ here?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” she said, taking a step forward to close the distance.  “But, uh… You told me not to call you anymore.  So…”

A solemn nod was Piers’s response.  She had taken those words of his literally.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?” she asked, gesturing to the notebook on his lap.  His face would have paled if it could have gotten any whiter. Closing it, he tucked it behind his back.

“Not really,” he said in an attempt to be nonchalant.  “How’d ya find me?”

“Marnie told you’d likely be here.  But not before making me battle her.”  Annais laughed to herself.  “She’ll be a champion yet.”

Piers found himself chuckling too and nodded.  He had a feeling his sister was involved in a bit of meddling in his affairs.  He hadn’t said a thing to Marnie, he hadn’t said a thing to anyone and had barely admitted it to himself.  But Piers believed she knew.  Had it been anyone else, she would’ve feigned ignorance of his whereabouts, knowing he didn’t want to be bothered.

“Didn’t come all this way to enlist me in another mess, didja?” asked Piers.

“No.”  Her smile faded.  “Well… Maybe.  I don’t know…”

Piers raised a brow, but didn’t pry.  Perhaps he should have, but what she said caught him off guard.  Annais sighed and seated herself beside him on the edge of the stage. Her eyes were fixed down at the ground, where her feet were crossed at the ankle in front of her.  

“Everything alright, Ann?” he managed to ask.  “Not in trouble, are you?”

She shook her head.  Her lips twitched; she appeared to be swallowing her words instead of allowing them to be said.

“You said you wanted to talk,” he said.  “I’m listenin’.”

“Piers…”

The soft and somber way she spoke his name weighed heavy on his heart.  But it was not near as heart-wrenching as what followed.

“You don’t really hate me, do you?”

Piers was stunned. Taken aback.  “What gave you that idea?” he asked, tone almost defensive.  That was the best he could do not to sound as broken as hearing that made him.  “Annais…?”

She was silent, still staring down in front of her.  Even in this light, he could see the glisten of moisture welling in the corner of her eye.

“Oi, look at me.”

When she wouldn’t look at him, he reached out for her.  His fingers brushed her elbow, which was enough for her to cast a sideways glance at him.

“What makes you think that?”

“I dunno.”  He could hear the shaky breath leaving her lungs and caught her fist clenching to give her the strength to carry on.  “I thought… Well… I thought the opposite for a while.”  Annais laughed, but it was not a lighthearted one.  She was laughing at herself.  

“I thought we shared a real connection.  From the first time I stepped foot in this gym, I thought there was something special between us.  But I… I guess I was wrong.”

Darkness blanketed them. Though the lighting had not changed one bit, a chilling shadow was cast over Piers.

“When you came to my aid, I thought that maybe…”  Annais screwed her eyes shut and shook her head.  Fists that had been by her side now gripped at the hem of her skirt. “… That maybe there was love behind it.  Or mutual attraction at the very least.  I don’t know.  God, that sounds so stupid.  I shouldn’t be upset over what I imagined.  I know you wanted what was best for your sister… For Spikemuth, for Galar.  I just so happened to be there.”

Piers found himself speechless.  Annais was wrong.  Well, she had been right, but she got turned around.  Hate?  No, that was the furthest from what he felt for her.  He needed to tell her that he did help for Marnie, for Spikemuth, and for her.  But he couldn’t force anything out.  He had a voice.  He knew he had a voice, but it just wouldn’t speak up.  The quips from earlier were gone.  The words that could set her straight were nowhere to be found.

“I guess I’m here to say sorry,” continued Annais.  “I know you told me not to call you again, but… I don’t know.  I felt like you didn’t mean it at the time.  That was just me again, I guess.  That’s why I approached you at the Star Tournament.  I thought we made a great team; I thought we could do it again.  I was so caught up in my feelings and those I assigned to you that I didn’t realize how uncomfortable I must have made you until you turned me down.”

“Oh… That…” was all he managed to utter.  He honestly wished he would have said nothing at all if that was all he could muster.  Why was he so choked up?  Why couldn’t he force any words out to correct her?  He was making this worse.  He was digging a hole for himself that served to prove her right.  The only discomfort he experienced around her was the fact that he didn’t know how to make his feelings known.  She basically said that she felt the same, so why couldn’t he tell her that?

“I didn’t have a chance then,” she said before he was able to gussy up.  “But I had time to think about it since.  I’m sorry for involving you in all my messes.  I really am…”

“Ann…”

“All this I told you was probably just another mess that you didn’t need in your life,” she whimpered, her voice growing weaker and more desperate with every word.  “I didn’t tell you this so you’d pity me.  I just needed to apologize to you.  I never meant to make things weird between us. I’ll leave you alone from here on out.”

Resting elbows on her knees, she dropped her face to her palms.  Her shoulders trembled.  It was tragic to see the proud champion in such a state.  Piers was paralyzed at the sight of her sobbing.  He knew how to comfort someone who was crying; he’d done it countless times for Marnie, for gym challengers.  But he also knew this wasn’t something he could stop by offering a bandage or to cook her favorite dinner, wishing her better luck next go round or by telling her that the pain would pass in time, considering he was the cause of it.  His brain short-circuited.  He couldn’t believe how useless he was being.  There had to be something he could do for her.

It was then he felt that the notebook was still in his other hand.  With a shaky breath, he brought it to his lap and flipped through it until he was back to the page he was working on earlier.  He swallowed, making him aware of the dryness of his mouth and throat.  If he couldn’t speak the words, maybe he could show them to her.  He offered it over, nudging her thigh with it to get her attention. Annais lifted her head, took the notebook in one of her hands.

“What’s this?”

“Read it,” Piers told her. “S’what I was working on when you walked up.”

Annais looked at him with brows furrowed, then down to the book she held.  Piers watched with baited breath as her eyes skimmed the page.  His ears burned, which slowly spread to the rest of his face.  It was dark. His handwriting wasn’t the best. Still, he hoped she could read what he had there.  He watched intently as her expression shifted from one of sorrow to confusion to that of realization.

“It’s… It’s not finished yet.”  Piers could hear the crack in his own voice as he confessed.  He had caught the rise and fall of her chest pause as she reached the last lines.  But it stilled.  She was holding her breath.  “Feels as though it’ll never be finished.  Been out here every night for weeks, after the crowds thin out or after the gym shuts down depending on the night, trying to clear my head enough to make it work. I feel it’s missing the happy ending that I just don’t know enough about to give it.”

Even in the neon light, he could see her knuckles whiten as they gripped the sides of the notebook. A tear rolled off her nose and fell onto the sheet, soaking the word it dropped onto.  It was followed by another.  Another.  And one more. Annais brought the notebook up to her chest as the tears began to stream down her cheeks.  She broke down.  One arm crossed her chest, keeping the notebook close to her heart, the other tried to conceal her face.

Dread filled Piers. He knew he caused her so much agony, and for what?  He couldn’t take that away, but he could attempt to make amends.  His arms found their way around her and pulled her against him.  Piers held her tighter than he had ever held someone before.  He held her as though the heavens would snatch Annais away from someone as undeserving as him.  He rubbed her back and hair, trying to soothe her as she quivered.  He never wanted the first time he held her to be like this. But maybe, if he could just set things right, it wouldn’t be the last.

“You shouldn’t be the one apologizin’.  I’m sorry for what I said.  ‘M no gentleman, just a rotten punk.  Didn’t know how to deal with how you make me feel without acting like a cunt,” he whispered to her.  “An’ I’m sorry for what I did.  I’ll admit I did want Marn to have a shot at winning.  I knew the two of you together would rock it, an’ you proved me right.  You have no idea how happy it made her, and how proud it made Spikemuth that one of their own got to battle and win alongside the champion.”

Piers paused.  Yet again, he feared that he was making it seem like she was just an afterthought.  Before she could come to her own conclusions, he needed to be explicit with her.  No more misunderstandings would have a chance to muddle what they could have together.

“An’ you’ll have to believe me when I say this…”  He rested his head on hers, breathing his words into her ear.  “I wanted a win for you just as much as I wanted a win for Marnie. I didn’t want to slow either of you down, seeing as I didn’t want to even be there in the first place. Honestly, I was also a bit bitter towards that Leon for pulling the wool over our eyes with that one.  Still, shouldn’t’ve acted like that. Shouldn’t’ve turned you away, but honest… I thought I was doin’ you both a favor.”

Piers knew he was rambling now.  Before he couldn’t speak up, now he couldn’t stop talking.  This girl did the strangest things to him.  Despite himself, he kept talking.  He needed her to know everything that he had been keeping from her.

“But… Had I known how much it meant to you, I would never had turned you down.”  Piers straightened up.  “Annais…  Please, look at me.”

She lifted her head off his shoulder.  Eyes of emerald locked with eyes of mint.  Both alike in sorrow, yet a faint glimmer of something hopeful was present in both sets.

“I don’t hate you,” he assured her.  “Think I said that at the hotel, yeah?  I meant it. An’ I don’t want that thought ever slipping into your mind again.  I could never hate you.  Never in a million years.  Not even on the darkest day, or heaven-forbid, the brightest night should that ever become a thing.  Who knows these days?  Whatever may come, no matter what, I could never, ever hate you.  I’d hate myself long before that for making you feel as though I did.”

Annais nodded.  Her face twisted as she tried desperately to choke back another impending sob.

“Listen to me,” Piers said, now gripping her shoulders.  “These words, they don’t come easy.  I’ve been fighting them back since the first time you stepped foot in here, since that first time I felt the passion and tension in our very first matchup.  Funny it should come full circle, and we’re back right where it started.  I don’ think that’s a coincidence.  I think it’s our shot to start it over, yeah?  Let’s start it right this time.  I mean this with all my heart, my soul, with everything in me.  Annais…”

Piers held her close again with one arm; his free hand reached up to cup her cheek.  His thumb brushed the skin under the lens of her glasses. Electricity shot through him as her own hand came up and rested atop his.  These jolts were enough to kickstart his heart.  They were the energy he required to finally say what needed to be said.

“Annais, I love you.”

A smile teased her lips despite the steady stream of teardrops.

“Do you really?” The voice in which she asked this was so soft he almost didn’t hear her.

“Do I really? ‘Course I do!  You said it yourself that you felt it!” Piers told her. “Don’t ever let that razor-sharp intuition of yours gets dulled by doubt, love.”

“God,” she sobbed.  “I’m so relieved to hear that.”

“An’ I’m relieved to tell you,” he said.  “Now, somethin’ tells me that mess you ‘maybe’d about getting me into earlier was no apology. You came here to tell me somethin’ else tonight, didn’t ya?”

Annais nodded, laughing as she brushed away the tears.

“Out with it then. Don’t make me the only fool on this stage tonight.”

“Piers,” she said. This time his name sounded so much more promising than earlier.  “I love you too.”

Piers scooped her up into his arms again, squeezing her and rocking her side to side.

“Feels better, don’ it?” he asked.  “I know I feel like a weight’s been lifted.”

“Mhm.”  Annais beamed as she sniffled.  “So much better.  I’m glad we talked.”

“Yeah,” he said.  “Me too.”

Piers loosened his hold on Annais, and she pulled back from him.  She still clutched that notebook of his.  Once again, she looked down at the page.  She took in his lyrics a final time before offering the notebook back to him with the most serene smile.

“Think you can finish this now?” asked Annais.  “Sorry about getting it wet, by the way.”

“No worries,” Piers said as he accepted and shut it.  “I think it deserves a happier final draft anyway.  Thanks for that.”

“I agree.”  She rose from the edge of the stage.  He stood to join her.  “I need to hear it when you’re done.”

“You were always the first and only one I wanted to sing it to.”

She rocked on her heels, looking down at the ground again.

“I uh… guess I should get going now.”

“Ballonlea is a long way away, y’know,” he warned her with a frown.  “Not to mention it’s far too late, an’ flyin’ taxis don’t even stop here in Spikemuth.”

“I can bike to the edge of town.  It’s not a problem.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that,” said Piers.  The next words came as a surprise, even to him.  “Why don’t you just stay with me tonight?”

Those words left a bad taste in his mouth when they were met by silence.  Piers wasn’t sure what came over him.  Sure, he had invited girls home before.  That wasn’t anything new, but never he had been in love like this.  This invitation wasn’t with intentions of lust. Hell, he didn’t know if she was that kind of girl and didn’t care either way.  Tonight, he genuinely wanted her safe.  That’s it.  She was his now, and he wanted nothing more than to keep watch over her tonight.  

Well, maybe he also- dare he admit it?  He didn’t want to the moment to end.  Piers couldn’t stand the thought of her walking away, leaving him all alone on this empty stage to realize that this was an elaborate fantasy he dreamed up to cope. As selfish as it was, he wanted proof to himself that he didn’t fuck this up.  He wanted to wake up in the morning and see her there, whether she be beside him or in his bed while he took to the couch.

“If you don’t want to stay, I understand,” he said when the silence became too deafening.  It stung to admit that she would soon be leaving him. “But at least let me walk you to the outskirts.”

“You don’t mind?” she eventually said.

“A lotta punks in this town. I know you can hold your own, but I don’ want you getting hurt on the way.  I’d never forgive myself.”

“No, no…” Annais chuckled.  “I mean, you really don’t mind if I spend the night…?”

Piers stiffened, but warmth then spread through him again.  He found a smile cracking on his face as she continued to talk.

“… Like, you’re right. I’m tired and God, I don’t want to have to fly all the way to the opposite side of the region if I can help it. I mean, I have my camping gear, but...”

“Annais,” he cut her short. She stopped rambling at once to listen to him.  “’Course I don’t mind.  Wouldn’t’ve offered if I did.”

Annais began to smile, but suppressed it.  “It, uh… Won’t be weird for Marnie?”

“Marnie?  Nah,” Piers assured.  “She oughta be asleep by now.  Sleeps like a rock, that one.  She won’t even hear us come in.”

This answer seemed to be satisfactory enough, as Annais’s next words were “Well, lead the way!”

Piers reached for her hand and held it like he had wanted to the first time he touched it.  His fingers laced between hers and they felt so right.  Hand in hand, they crossed the court, ditching the gym for the streets of Spikemuth.

“It’s looking better around here,” Annais said as she gazed at the neon lights as if they were stars in the midnight sky.

It was true.  The last time he walked through the city with her, Piers wished she could’ve saw it before it’s ruin.  Spikemuth had been on the up and up since the championship, and he hadn’t even been in the mood to fully appreciate it.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” he laughed.  “Y’know, the gym was a nice consolation prize for Marnie and a big win for Spikemuth. But you better watch out… Once she heard that you got that good from years as a gym leader, she took to it like a natural.”

Annais smiled and shook her head.  “Well, if it happens, it happens.  I don’t intend to be champion forever.  I feel like I’ll get bored.”

“Well, let’s hope she’s in tip-top shape by the time that day comes.”

“If she makes me battle her every time I want to see you, she will be.”

Piers chuckled so hard at this, he nearly walked past his flat.

“Oop, right up here,” he said, turning a corner.  He guided her to the entryway, up the stairs, and right outside his door.  He let go of her hand to retrieve his keys, hating how cold it felt without her touch.  Soon, they were inside.

“It’s not much,” he whispered while kicking off his boots.  He immediately feeling a bit self-conscious about bringing her to his little run-down flat. When they were in Ballonlea together, hot on the trails of the Dynamax madness, she off-handedly tried to point out her house in a line of fancy half-timbered cottages.  He didn’t see which specific one it was, but he saw enough to know she lived comfortably.  All he had was this humble flat, and he did good to get that for him and Marnie.

“Hey, no shame in that,” she whispered back, taking in her surroundings as she also removed her shoes. Despite how quaint it was, she seemed mesmerized.  “At least you have a place of your own.  I dig it. Would you believe someone tried to take me back to a dojo once? It wasn’t even his.”

Piers snickered and shook his head.  She certainly knew how to lighten a mood.

“Bed’s this way.”  He walked her down the hall, past the lounge and Marnie’s door, to his little master bedroom.

Piers’s room was yet another definition of the word humble.  There was not much inside, but it was spotless.  The bed was just a single mattress and box spring on the floor beside the wall.  At least it was made.  There was also a dresser with a record player on top and a nightstand with a lamp that he had left on before he left earlier, but not much room for anything else.

“Don’ say anythin’.  I already know.  Keep meanin’ to buy a frame someday,” he muttered, tugging on his choker.  “Other expenses kinda take precedence though.”

“Oh, believe me, that doesn’t faze me in the slightest,” said Annais, stepping further into the room. “God, my place is a disaster compared to this.  You’d probably get lost in there.”

“That so?”

“Oh yeah,” she laughed. “I’m never home and when I am, tidying up is the last thing on my mind.”

Piers was amused at this revelation.  Sounded like opposites really did attract.  Amazing how they could have so much in common and yet be so different.  Maybe one day, he thought, he could come over and take care of that for her.  

“Well, bathroom’s the door over near the corner if you need it,” he said, deciding such an offer would be awkward tonight.  “An’ I can put fresh sheets on if you want.  These were just cleaned over the weekend, but I understand if you don’ wanna lay in ‘em.”

“You don’t have to bother.” Annais made herself at home.  She laid face down in one of his pillows. After a second, she peeked back at him. “I like how it smells like you.”

Piers chuckled, rubbing the side of his head.

“Right then.  Guess I’ll leave you to it.  Sleep well, love.”

“Wait.”  She sat up.  “Where are you going?”

“Couch suits me just fine,” he told her.  “No big deal.”

Annais frowned.  “Oh, Piers…  You don’t have to do that.”

“Sure?  I know it’s a small bed.  Can’t promise we won’t wake up atop one another.”

“That won’t be a problem.” Annais laid back down, closer to the wall, and patted the mattress beside her.  “In fact, seeing as I was hoping we’d fall asleep atop each other, it’s preferable.  Much more comfortable for the both of us, I’d wager.”

“Cheeky,” Piers said with a laugh.  “There’s the Ann I fell in love with.”

She had won him over, yet again.  Secretly, or maybe not so secretly, he was glad she asked.  He shut the door, locking it behind himself, flipped the switch of the main light and crossed the floor.  After removing the belt that held his pokéballs and sitting it on the nightstand, he joined her on the bed.

It was nice, just lying beside her, feeling warm without even being under the blankets.  They weren’t even spooning or holding each other, but it was more intimate than anything he had ever done.  It felt so right.  He could easily see himself doing this for many nights to come.

“Y’know…” Annais said after a moment of comfortable silence. “I’m mad at you.”

“What?”  Piers tilted his head.  They both laid on the same pillow, and when he turned their faces met.

“Yeah.  What’s the hold up?  You still haven’t kissed me,” she said.

“Ah…”  Piers shifted, laying on his side now while still facing her. His cheeks flushed at how bold she was to call him out on that.  “Suppose I haven’t.”

Annais mimicked his motions, making sure to get closer to him as she rolled onto her side too.  “Thought you were going to do it on that stage and you never did.”

“Shame on me.”  The tips of their noses touched as Piers closed the gap.  He could kiss her right now, but he wanted to drag this on just a little longer.  He wanted to savor every moment with her.  “You want it now or shall I wait for a more… picturesque location?”

“Hmm…  Great, now I’m curious.  Where would you kiss me, Piers?”  Her lips brushed against his as she asked him this.

“I can think of about a billion places or more,” he purred.  Slender arms curled around her.  “I wanna kiss you everywhere.”

“Like where?  I want specifics.”

“Oh, you’re going to make me embarrass myself...”

“C’mon, you’ve thought about this, haven’t you?” Annais teased.  “I wanna hear it.”

“Fine, let’s see…” Piers pretended to think hard for a second.  “I’d love to kiss you on the shores of Spikemuth at twilight.  Have you ever been?  I dare say it’s almost as beautiful as you.  Or a graveyard on a misty night, if you’re into that. Something tells me you are…”

Annais hummed in appreciation of both of these.

“Under one of the luminescent toadstools in the tangle near where you live.  You like the sound of that don’t you?” he said, noting her face growing a shade redder with each word.  “Backstage after one of my shows or on the field after one of your matches when adrenaline is high.  Or…”

“Or?”

“Or even right here in this very bed.”

“Mmm…” she hummed.  “Not to knock the others, but I think that last one is perfect.”

“I agree.”

Angling his head, Piers pressed his lips to hers.  

“Oh, Annais…” he whispered against her lips, prompting them to part.  When they did, he deepened the kiss.  Fingers threaded through her hair as he kissed her with urgency, savoring the sweetness of her lips that he had craved since the first time he saw them. Their mouths melded together in perfect harmony.  His tongue teased her lower lip around the same time her hand wound up on the back of his neck.  Blood hammered in his ears as he felt himself melt against her.  They continued like this until both were left lightheaded and gasping as they parted.

“My God… I think… I think that was picturesque enough,” she said before briefly tasting his lips again. “We should make the rest happen someday, too.”

“Don’ worry, love.  I intend to.”

While tucking his bangs behind his ear, she asked, “Even on the field in front of all of Galar?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “That won’t be a problem.  Will it, Ann?  Not embarrassed of me, are you?”

“Here I was worried that you were embarrassed of me,” she confessed.  “Does this mean you’ll partner with me in a Star Tournament?”

Piers sighed.  “For you, I’ll make an exception when it comes to that silly thing.”

“Good.  I…” Whatever she had planned on saying got cut short by a yawn.

“Puttin’ you to sleep, am I?” teased Piers.

“You’re just sooo dreamy, Piers…”

“Oh, hush with that.”

Annais began to laugh, but another yawn managed to escape.

“It’s been a long night,” Piers said in her defense, combing his fingers through her curls once more. “I think we should both try to grab a few winks.”

“Can I have a goodnight kiss?” Annais asked.  Piers could see her eyes were now having a hard time staying open.

“Gettin’ so greedy,” he said, but brought his lips upon hers again.  He let his lips linger, before whispering, “G’night Annais.”

“Night Piers.”

“Sweet dreams,” Piers said. He pressed his lips against her forehead.  “I love you.” He knew he was grinning like a fool now. It was incredible being able to say that.

Annais was no longer able to fight with her eyelids, but she still giggled.  “I love you more, Piers.”

“Don’t start that,” he laughed, pulling her glasses off her face.  “Competitive little bugger.”

She hummed a laugh as he cut off the lamp.

~~~

A knock on his door tore Piers from his slumber.  He didn’t want to move, not with Annais’s arms coiled around him like this. Annais’s arms…  Surely, he had to be dreaming.  He cozied up closer to her, trying to cherish this as long as he could. He buried his nose in her soft, curly hair.  If this was a dream, it was a bloody beautiful one.

Too bad that knocking on his door didn’t stop.

“Piers?  Oi!  Ya in there?”

With a groan, he peeled Annais’s arms off of him, trying to be as gentle as possible not to wake her. He stumbled to the door, rubbing his eyes before cracking it open.

“Can I borrow your eyeliner?” his little sister said.  “I’m out.”

Piers scrubbed his face. “Yeah.  Hang tight.”

He pushed the door shut as he dragged himself to his bathroom.  His hand rummaged through his makeup, somehow managing to locate the pencil without even looking.  Yawning, he pulled himself back to the bedroom door.

“Here,” he said handing it over.  “Y’can just leave it out, I’ll grab it later.”

“Thanks,” said Marnie.

Piers nodded and went to shut the door, but she spoke up again.

“Sooo…. you talk to Annais last night?”

Sighing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Didn’t need eyeliner at all, didja?”

“Oi, stop avoidin’ the question.  What’s that smile about, then?” Marnie asked.

Piers shook his head, unable to stop his grin from spreading.  “Nothin’…”

“You can’t keep secrets from me!  I bet you told her you like her…”

Piers laughed and leaned against the frame of the door, crossing his arms.  “Somethin’ like that, I guess.”

“I knew it! She likes you too, doesn’t she?”

Piers shrugged.  “Suppose she does.”

“She your girlfriend now?” asked Marnie.  “Hope so… Y’got my approval.”

“Like I needed it,” Piers scoffed.

“Oh, c’mon.  Y’know it wouldn’t work if ya had a gal I didn’t like. Team Yell would make ‘er life a proper nightmare.”

Piers couldn’t help but snort at that.  “Will you run along?  We talked late an’ I’m still tired.”

“Alright,” she said.  “Go back to dreamin’ about your girlfriend.”

Amused, Piers shook his head and shut the door.  He crawled back in bed only to be greeted by Annais’s arms.

“Y’awake?” he whispered.

“Mhm…” she murmured. “She notice me?”

“Don’ think so…”

Annais laughed softly and snuggled closer to him.  “Least I got her approval.”

“Hah, yeah…”

He kissed her temple, then let his eyelids flutter shut again.

“Oh, my God!”

Piers’s eyes shot open at his sister’s outburst.  That didn’t sound good.

“Piers!”  He heard footsteps down the hall, followed by a rap at the door again.  “Oi!  Piers!  Whose shoes are these?”

Piers put a finger over his lips.  Annais clasped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

“She’s in there with you, isn’t she?” said Marnie from the other side of the door.  “I knew it!  Spent all night snoggin’, didn’t ya?”