"Are you comfortable, Cody?"

"Yes, Mrs. Wu. Thanks."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you."

"You sure? I could get you some-"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Wu. Thank you for letting me stay."

"It's no problem. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Mrs. Wu flipped the light switch off, then headed to her room.

I lay on the couch for a while, fingering the cross around my neck, then got up and headed up the stairs. "Mel?" I knocked on the door softly. "Mel, you asleep?"

After a moment, the door opened. "Jackson? What do you want?"

"Melissa, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." She held the door open, then shut it when I walked in. She turned to me. "What do you want to talk about?"

I sat down on the bed. "On my last day in the hospital a month ago, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Jackson."

"No, it's not, Mel. I didn’t mean-"

"So, you didn't really mean what you said?"

I sighed, then looked into her eyes. "I did." I started talking fast. "But I shouldn't have said it. I-"

"It's okay, Jackson. I feel the same way."

"-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to make things weird between-" I just realized what she'd said. "Wait. What?"

Melissa sat down beside me, chuckling at my confusion. "I love you, Cody Jackson."

I felt her warm breath against my skin.

Time seemed to slow as we leaned closer together.

When our lips were about to touched, there was a knock on the wall coming from Melissa's parents' room.

"I don't hear any talking in there." It was Mr. Wu.

Melissa and I laughed.

"Goodnight, Cody."

"Goodnight, Mr. Wu," I called. I stood up and walked to the door, then opened it, stepping out. Before I closed it behind me, I whispered, "I love you, Melissa Wu."

Thanks to all my readers, especially jelissalover, adversary2113, danita3, Anora -and Victoria-, Sugar144, Joucelin Hades, and jessie.