Page 171 of Dream On, Liar

He didn't answer.

He held the water out instead.

I drank a little.

When he continued to refuse me to answer, I finally pushed myself up and rinsed my mouth. Turning, I found him leaning against the door frame watching me intently. “I’m okay now. I told you, this happens…a lot.”

“Nightmare?”

I nodded.

He frowned.

I forced a small smile. “I am okay. You can go back to your non sleeping activities.”

His lips pressed together.

He looked like he wanted to ask something. Instead, he nodded once. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

He gave me one final look before turning and walking out the door.

I tried going back to sleep again, spending most of the next half hour tossing and turning. Grabbing the phone, that still felt strange in my hand, I glanced at the time.

02:39 AM

I’d barely slept two hours since my conversation with Rihaan earlier. Giving up the idea of sleep altogether, I finally pushed myself up. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going on the hunt for.

Maybe it had been Rihaan. Or, maybe, I just wanted to find a distraction. Or at the very least, the WiFi password.

Something that would take my mind off my parent’s, and everything that had happened between me and Rihaan.

This cycle we just couldn’t seem to escape.

Stopping in the kitchen, I glanced at the two frames that sat in the corner. A picture of what looked like the Patel siblings, with their Mum. But, if I hadn’t known that before—known any of them before, I could mistake their Mum for Raina. It was uncanny how much they looked alike. Behind it sat a frame with just her, and a small baby. The curls had been enough to tell me who it was.

He still smiled the same.

I jumped when his voice came from the shadows. “You okay?”

I pressed a hand against my chest. “Jesus.”

He was lying across the sofa, one arm behind his head, staring at me. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.”

I looked at him. “You're sleeping down here?”

I could see the hesitation in him, even from here. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

He didn't answer immediately, his eyes moving to the ceiling.

I closed the gap between us.

“Well, for starters, this sofa is far more comfortable than the leather one.”