I don't know how long I sat there before I succumbed to sleep. When I woke up next, I found myself in strong, muscular arms. Snuggling deeper, I inhaled the masculine scent and let out a small sigh, ignoring the possibility that I might be getting kidnapped.

As I felt that I was being taken up the stairs, I opened my right eye slightly and found myself wrapped in Adam's arms. He was stepping towards my room with me in his arms. Closing my eyes, I tightened my hold around him and let him take me up.

Once he reached my room, he kicked the door open and lay me down on the bed. Not realizing that I was awake, he tucked few loose tendrils behind my ears and soft, warm lips touched my cheeks. But the touch soon disappeared, leaving me cold and sad.

He pulled the duvet to my neck, burying me under the warmth. Opening my eyes to narrowed slits, I observed his back as he made way towards the light switch.

"Adam." I whispered when he was leaving the room. He turned around, his face showed just a hint of the warmth that I had grown used to. "Are we over?" I asked, my voice was fragile, afraid to hear his answer.

He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as his eyes raked over me from head to toe. "No." he said, his voice soft just like mine. "I am not giving up on us, not after everything we have been through."

Saying this, he left the room and I hugged my pillow. He needed some time and I was willing to give him that. I'd give him a decade if he wanted, because I love him, far more than I love myself.

But what if he realizes during this time that he is somehow better off without me?

...

It was Saturday, the night before prom. Wrapped up in my blanket, stuffing my face in caramel crunch ice-cream, I was watching Midnight Sun. The last scene was playing on the screen and I was bawling like a child.

Poor Katie Price. Why did she has to suffer? Where did she go wrong?

After the movie ended, I turned off the LCD and lay down on the couch. Adam's face once again flashed in front of my eyes and I clenched my eyes tightly. It had been four days since I last talked to him. I knew he needed some time away from me but I was sad. So freaking sad that watching sad, romantic movies was my only escape.

In the last few days, I had shut myself in my house. Sophia and Emily were worried about me but I didn't tell them what happened between Adam and me, nor about what I did. I was afraid that they would be just as disappointed in me as everyone else. Besides they were really excited about prom and I didn't want to ruin their happiness.

What's the point of the prom if I don't have Adam as my date?

I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the doorbell rang. Stretching my arms, I jumped out of the sofa and slowly trudged towards the main gate. I opened it to reveal Sophia, dressed in sweatpants and a baggy sweater with her eyes bloodshot.

"What happened?" I asked and led her inside. She didn't reply anything, just kept looking at the ground while I took her inside the living room.

She sat down on the couch and I bent down in front of her, assessing her carefully for any sign of injury. While I was doing so, I heard sob after sob leaving her mouth. Tears streamed down her caramel skin as she cried her heart out. I didn't know what to do, this was the first time I saw Sophia crying.

She never cries.

"Sophia! Please tell me what happened?" I asked, rubbing her arm. "You are scaring me." My own voice sounded grieved at her condition.

"D... Dad caught me h.. hooking up with An.. Andrew." she lamented, her voice on the verge of breaking. "He was very angry."

I straightened up, sat down beside her and wrapped my arms around her. "Ssshhh. It's okay. You'll be fine."

"No. I won't be. He.. He broke up with me. He chose hi.. his job over me. He said he never wants to see me again." she said between hiccups and I felt anger rising inside me. How could he do that to her? I passed her the tissue box and continued patting her back.

She cried, and cried, and cried until sleep finally overcame her. Sitting closer to her lying body, I massaged her hair gently.

She is so strong yet love broke her. Why does this supposedly beautiful feeling hurt so much? Why can't two people stay together happily without all the conflicts, all the hurdles? Why is happily-ever-after an unattainable concept?

Her condition reminded me of my own. Four days ago, I was just the same, crying for the person I love. Then there was Emily, her love for Justin became her biggest mistake. My parents who loved each other so much, yet fate ruined their happiness. Why?

...

I didn't realize when I slept. The moment I woke up, I found Sophia staring at me keenly.

"Why are you staring at me like this? Are you done with men?" I tried to joke but her face remained straight.

"Why were your face swollen and eyes red when I came here?" she asked and I swallowed hard. Did she notice that?

"I.. I was watching Midnight sun." I said, which was not entirely a lie.

"And when did you become the person who cries during chick flicks?" she raised her eyebrows and asked.

Letting out a deep, exhausted sigh, I scooted closer to her. Resting my head on her shoulders, I told her everything that happened between Adam and me. She didn't speak anything in between and even after that, not until I asked her myself to say something.

"Well, I don't know if what you did was right or wrong. But I am your friend so I'd say Adam can rot in hell for making you cry." she said, causing me to chuckle.

"It wasn't his fault." I said, defending him.

"Yeah, it wasn't. It was Noah's fault. I hate that son of a bitch. What does he think of himself? Arrogant, narcissistic manwhore." she cursed and I kept my mouth shut.

"I hate men. Andrew, Adam, Noah, Justin. They are all fucking piece of shits. They can go suck their--"

"Enough with the swearing." I cut her in between the sentence. "Do you want me to call Emily?" I asked, thinking that she might need her support too.

She paused for a moment and then spoke, "No Ali. For the first time in so long, she is finally happy. Let's not ruin this for her with our boyfriend drama."

She was right so I didn't say anything further. To cheer our mood, I played a funny movie on Netflix and brought two more tubs of icecreams from the fridge.

"What's better than Oreo Ice cream after a breakup!" she said sarcastically and wrapped the blanket around both of us. We lost track of time after that. The movie actually did great job in diverting our mind from boys and sooner than I had expected, we were laughing at the hilarious scene playing in front of us.

"Are you going to prom?" I asked as soon as the movie finished.

"Yes. We are going to prom." she said, snuggling deeper into the blanket.

"I don't think I would--"

"You can't skip because of him Ali, neither can I. They are men. They don't care about our tears. They are just huge, shallow piles of ego, carelessness and testosterone." she said in an aggravated tone.

"I don't have a date." I said, pouting.

"Yes, you have. You are going with the head Cheerleader, the vice President of literary society and the President of Students committee." she said and my smile deepened.

"Sophia! You aren't serious, are you?" I grinned.

"I am, milady." she said and bowed slightly.

__________________________