I was startling aware of my spine the next morning. Sleeping on a small couch that was barely meant for one person, was Nick and my's greatest mistake. Yes, laying with him and falling asleep to the sound of his voice made up for it, but id still need a chiropractor.

I don't think Nick was fairing any better. Book open on his stomach, one arm probably asleep from me sleeping on it for a good few hours, he might have needed a painkiller. Lacing his eyebrows together and wrinkling his nose, he shifted next to me, a low groan escaping his lips as he realized the pain we had induced on ourselves.

I rolled off the couch, barely landing on my feet and barely able to stand. My legs felt like rubber, and they were cold from being untangled with Nick's. He followed suit, pulling himself up and sit his elbows on his knees. Running his fingers through his sleep tousled dark hair, he dragged them down his face and fell back against the cushioned sofa, " as much as I love cuddling with you, Angel, this couch kills me."

I nodded, messing my roots with my fingertips, " I couldn't agree more."

Opening the fridge, I found generic Greek yogurt, yoplait 100, and tossed him one. I stuck my thumb under the little aluminum tab and pulled off the top. While Nick grabbed us spoons I licked the lid. He shook his head, " I don't understand how people do that."

" do what?"

" lick the little foils on the top." He said, pulling off the little cover and looking at the excess on it's underside.

Reaching over, I plucked it from his fingertips and licked it, " like that." I said, before crinkling it up and shooting for the trashcans.

" there's smartasses, then there's you." He said, dipping his spoon gently into his yogurt.

" and where do you fit in on that list?" I asked, pulling the spoon from my lips upside down.

A thoughtful look crossed his features, " there's god, then Morgan freeman, then me." He said, satisfied.

" have you talked to Jesus about that?" I asked, amused.

He nodded, " oh yeah. He's totally chill with it."

" right." I replied, finishing the last few scoops from my cup and tossing it in the trash, " so earlier, you mean you've never licked the lid of a pudding cup?"

He frowned, one side of his nose curling up, " no."

" you haven't lived!" I bursted, throwing my arms in the air. The little pudding foils were always the best. If it were up to me, we'd be handing that shit out at stores instead of granola samples.

He put his hands up in defense, " I'm not a big fan of pudding in general."

I had developed a crush on this dud? Who in the hell didn't like pudding? Placing my hands defiantly on my hips, I said, " you've been eating moose, not pudding." I wasn't about to admit that moose was basically the next best thing.

Leaning against the counter, an amused smile tilted his lips, " yeah? What's the difference?"

" moose is rich people pudding. It's suppose to taste like air and money. Poor people pudding is thick and gooey." I said, imaging what I'd do if I could devote a vat of pudding as we spoke.

" rich people pudding?" He said, chucking slightly.

" the richest." I said, nodding to emphasize my point.

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly, " this is why I-" he cut himself off, then smiled, " so poor people secretly have it better?"

I didn't truly catch it. Instead, I shrugged, " I don't know, sure. I was always average.... Rich people just try too hard to be better than my fellow middle and lower class people because they have more money. Thus, they end up giving up the small victories in exchange for some really bad moose."

He laughed, and I shivered. Wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into a side hug, he said, " I don't think I'm any better than you."

I rolled my eyes, draping my arm up across his shoulders, " aren't you just sweet."

" Like a snickers." He said, with a wink.

" I'm not eating you when i'm hungry." I replied, flatly. I'd grown far to use to his banterings.

He frowned, " fine, be that way."

" With pleasure." I retorted, pinching his cheek like the little kid he was.

Nick quickly turned his head and caught my finger in his teeth. With a squeak, I pulled my hand back, caressing the knuckle. Truth be told, it didn't even hurt, but I wasn't used to people casually biting my phalanges like the carrots they weren't.

He snickered, pulling away from my side and walking towards the front of the van, " Let's roll out."

" so you're not getting dressed?" I said, crossing my arms.

His smokey grey irises swam as they rolled, the color -or lack there of- mesmerizing. Sauntering to the back of the van, he didn't even shut the door as he pulled his shirt off and started to untie the little strings on his sweatpants. I was no stranger to the waistband of his black Abercrombie & Fitch boxer briefs, but that did not mean I wanted to see it time and time again.

Lunging forwards, I quickly pulled the door shut and squeezed my eyes shut. There was no modesty with Nick. Absolutely none.

While he finished changing, I picked up the gnarled copy of The Catcher and The Rye, setting it carefully on the counter. I'd never pegged Nick for the reader, but not horribly long ago he had told me that the reason he didn't read in the vehicle was because of car sickness.

Nick opened the door, now in a pair of black jeans with a hole starting in the left knee and a white loose-fitting tank top that said B.S.A.A in very straightforward black font. I drew my brows together quizzically, " bsaa?"

" Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. It's a video game reference." He replied, pulling his batman beanie over his head and adjusting the symbol to face the front. Boots unlaced, he started to walk towards the front of the van.

I ducked into the bedroom to change, finding a pair of white skinny jeans and a navy blue/black flannel that I pulled over my dark grey cami. Pulling on my converse - a very contradicting red - I sat in the passenger seat and propped my foot up on the dash. The van started forwards, the road tapering away in the distance like a really fugly ribbon. Trees arched overhead, creating a puzzle of shadows across the asphalt and generating a beautiful scene of serenity and nature's natural beauty. Lifting my phone, I snapped a picture, " Bioterrorism Security Assignment Alliance?"

" Assessment Alliance." He corrected.

" Okay. what do they do?" I asked, partially curious. I was more curious over what game it was.

" they rid the world of bioterrorism. B.O.Ws." Nick replied. He really knew his shit.

I laced my brows together, " b.o.ws?"

" Bio Organic Weapons."

I nodded, " fun. What game is this?"

" resident evil 6." Nick answered.

This was turning more into my territory, " Wasn't that the worst game in the series?"

" that's an arguable topic." He said, a bit defensive.

I shrugged, " I haven't played that one, so I wouldn't know."

He looked shocked, " when we get home, Angel, it's the first thing we're doing."

I snickered, " yeah alright." Then I turned, looking away from my scenery photography to snap a picture of Nick in the driver's seat. I took another one when he turned and winked, shooting me one of those teeth-showing, modelistic smiles.

" eyes on the road." I scolded, grinning foolishly.

" yeah yeah." He said, drummings his fingers against the wheel. Then he said, " I spy with my little eye.... something long."

" Jesus Nick, stop making penis references. I get it, you have a big d-"

" actually, Angel, I'm not referencing my personals. But if you're interested..." He raised a suggestive eyebrow.

I shivered, " no thanks." Looking at the path ahead of us, " The road."

" damn, you're good."

Shrugging nonchalantly, I replied, " What can I say, it's who I am."

He nodded thoughtfully. eyeing everything around the vehicle, i saw mostly trees and grass, " um... I spy... with my little eye.... something black?"

" Just because I have a birthmark there doesn't mean you have to make fun of it." He said, defensively.

I nearly choked on my own spit, " no no! that's not what I was saying at all!"

" My bad." He replied, " my beanie?"

" yes... and do you really have a birthmark... there?" I arched my brows, curiosity making me ask a question that I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer to.

He laughed, " nah. Scared you though." A wicked smile tilted his lips, " were you thinking about getting in my pants Angel?"

" In your dreams." I replied, rolling my eyes.

" I don't disappoint." he winked.

" do you say that to all your lady friends?"

" just the special ones."

I nodded, " I feel so loved."

shooting me a childish grin, " Good. I spy something.... I hate this game."

" me too. Wanna tell jokes instead?"

" of course." Nick replied, " ladies first."

" Okay." I sighed, " um, What do you call a dog with no legs?"

He drew his eyebrows together, and shook his head slightly, " i don't know, what?"

" It doesn't matter. He can't come when called anyway." I replied, with a sweet smile.

Nick's face fell in shock, draw dropping slightly, before he smiled. Then he had to contain laughter. He shook his head, " that's not funny." But little chuckles slipped past his defenses.

I flashed a teeth filled smile, " It's really funny."

he broke, chuckling to himself and shaking his head, " so we're telling those kind of jokes?"

" I guess." I replied.

" Okay. What did the boy with no hands get for christmas?" He asked.

I shook my head, " I don't know.... oh."

" gloves."

I laughed softly, crossing my arms as I did. Then, Nick added, " just kidding. He hasn't opened it yet."

That brought on the laughs. In fact, I couldn't stop my laughter. that was pretty bad, to the point of meeting satan bad, but it was one of the funniest things I'd ever heard. On the inside, I knew there was nothing funny about a handless little boy staring at a wrapped up present but then again... there really was.

Nick start chucking too, seeing as laughter was contagious. I had to reply with the classic, " why'd susie fall off the swing?"

" why?" Nick said, knowingly. He still had that smile on his face from earlier.

" She had no arms."

He shook his head, little chuckles still shaking his shoulders.

Of course, I hadn't known until then that he hadn't heard the second half of the joke; personally, my favorite part, " knock knock."

" it's my turn."

" trust me."

" fine. who's there?"

i was still laughing from the little handless kid. With a smile, I said, " not Susie."

Nick bursted into laughter and I did too. Something about aching cheeks and stomach muscles was absolutely perfect. laughter was like medicine without the commitment.

While the sound of our mingling voices died down, Nick sighed and said, " what would I do without you."

" are you kidding me? You'd probably rule America, kill Turkey, accidently become Canadian, all while playing beautiful piano music." I replied, seeing as Nick was probably capable of doing anything he set his mind too.

He huffed once, " wow, you must think pretty highly of me to give me credit for all that."

" You could say I've noticed your potential."

" thank you. except for the killing Turkey part. I have nothing against them." He replied.

" yeah man." I said, with a nod, " anytime."

As we were driving, a familiar small structure came into view. Granted, the paint was brighter and the whole atmosphere had brightened considerably since we'd last been here, It still had the same nastalgic old gas pumps and ratty shingles. I looked over at Nick, " Did it upgrade?"

He nodded, " considerably."

We turned in, parking directly in front of the building. Walking past the windex wiped glass doors, I nearly laughed when the prices were visibly lower and all of the products were name brand. I threw a snickers at Nick, which he effectively caught, " A fucking snickers!"

Arson smiled, " someone's getting a raise for this."

" actually, I did."

We both turned, looking at a slimmer man with a fitted shirt and a straight name tag that read, " Dan."

I looked at Nick, who looked at me, then back at the man. This was the same fat ass who had tried to chase down our van after we destroyed the place. I vividly remembered Nick living his debit card here like it was a penny. The man smiled, " Long time no see."

" no shit." Nick said, then realized his language, " sorry."

" It's alright." dan said, putting a hand up in defense, " I've been waiting a long time to thank you kids."

Arson grimaced, " ah, actually we kind of killed it here."

" yeah, sorry bout that." I said, with an apologetic smile.

Dan laughed full-heartidly, and shook his head, " no no, don't be. What you did actually ended up saving my life."

" really?" I said, hopping up on the front counter. Nick leaned against it next to me, intently listening to what Dan had to say.

" well, it's kind of a long, personal story but if you want to know.."

" we do." Nick and I said in unison. I had spent so much time with that boy that I had practically learned his language. Even worse, I wasn't even mad.

Dan sighed, " alright, here goes. You see, before you kid's got here I was dealing with some... personal... problems." He rubbed the back of his thinned neck nervously, " I wasn't in a good place; thought about taking my own life. I was twenty pounds under four-hundred and I was on low pay. I worked in a run down convient store. It was a particularly bad day when you two had your fun. All the store's money was everywhere and I had that huge mess to clean up. I was gonna end it right there in the bathroom. But then I saw the card."

Looking down at my hands, i felt sort of bad in the pit of my stomach. our good day worsened someone elses, what was okay about that? Nick rested his head against my bicep, flicking my knee.

" I entered those fancy numbers you told me and nearly shit myself. I thought, 'no kid can be that loaded!' but low and behold, I have all this money now and it's an chance. i felt like god himself had placed a hand on my shoulder. It was like all those tough times were over for me and I could finally fix all the wrongs I had done with this store and my life. First I went through a lot of dieting. I couldn't run a store properly without good health. I exercise now and I eat good food. After that, I patched up this little place and now it's brand new... I got snickers."

Nick smiled, " I know. It's awesome."

" You did great." I told him, with a smile. He really had. The place look an infinite amount of times better than it had before.

" for everything you did for me, let me get you some stuff, on the house."

Nick's hand messed his beanie subconsciously, " We couldn't... techincally we did more bad than good anyway."

" don't be silly. You saved my life!" Dan started to ring up four snickers, some cream sodas, and two packets of circus peanuts, " anything else?"

" You really don't have to do this." I said, though I was eyeballing the gummy worms pretty hard.

" I insist."

With that, I grabbed a pack, " and some icecream, if that's alright?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at me, questioningly, but didn't say anything. We took our free merchadise in hand, plastic bags straining as they do at the weight. Dan chuckled, " you too sure make a lovely couple, where'd ya meet?"

Why, in god's name, did everyone assume we were dating?

I shrugged, " we're neighbors, actually. And just friends." though my stomach did it's little butterfly wing flutter thingy and made me realize how many times I had said that exact statement. It caught old; I was almost to the point where I would just let people think we were a thing.

" friends for now, married in a year." dan replied, " I know how these things go."

Nick stuttered, " oh no, sorry. I'm not getting... Um, married."

I shot him a questioning glance, then looked back over at dan, " really, just friends."

Dan winked, " if you insist. Have a nice night then."

I rushed forward and hugged him, grocery sacks and all. Miraculously, I could get my arms all the way around his waist without resistance, " thanks."

He chuckled fully, " of course. And thank you."

We left Dan behind with his newly furnished little store, knowing very well that he would be okay. There was something satisfying about self-improvement; it brought a smile to my face.

Nick drummed his fingers on the wheel of the van, a pleasant little smile tilting his lips, " That was nice. I'm really glad we didn't fuck him up."

Snickering softly, I agreed, " yeah me too... I'm happy for him."

We talked a little about it; about how happy we were for him. It was always mood lifting to see that childishness could actually save someone. After a while we fell into a partially awkward silence. It was only awkward on my end.

Suddenly, I was struck with the idea of telling him. Could I? I guess the real question was, should I?

After such a large leap from hate to friends, I don't know if I really wanted to move on to date. It was completely possible that the little flips in my stomach were spawned by his features rather than his personality. Honestly, there were still times when I found him annoying. But then again, He probably found me annoying sometimes. So that wasn't a valid argument.

Maybe I should just tell him.

Nick pulled the van over and announced he had to take a restroom break. Standing, he went to the back. I got up and grabbed my book, falling onto the couch. It was healthier if he didn't know - I could get over it that way.

I had to figure this out in my head: What did I find appealing about Nick?

In a way, that was easy. His smile was... well, it wasn't what I thought it was. It was so much more, showed so much more, about him. He was so open with his smiles and I liked that about him. And his personality, despite me against admitting it, was actually quite nice. Sure, he was attractive, and his eyes and hair and beanie all caught me like a freaking net.

Nick walked out of the bathroom with his fingers laced atop his beanie, revealing a sliver of smooth skin right above his waistband - I'm not sure how I failed to notice that fine v or the gentle indents of his toned self. Oh wait, I have noticed. Nick caught my lingering gaze and smirked, " like what you see?"

" just wondering why it exists." I replied, sharply. Normally, I wouldn't have felt guilty for saying something so harsh; now it was a punch in the gut. Looking down at my book, I said, " sorry."

" what for? I'm kind of used to it." He mused, picking up a stand of my hair and playing with it absent mindedly. His frame found a seat next to me and, much to my regret, was insanely comfortable to lean again. Resting my head on his shoulder, I slowly turned the page of my book and pretended to ignore him.

To fill the silence, he said, " Wanna picnic on top of the van?"