Change For Me

42. night light

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**steamy scenes ahead!!**

"Finally." I whisper, closing all my books from all the assignments I had finished. And all the studying I had to do. I quietly put them into my backpack, never wanting to see them again, before tiptoeing to bed.

I turn on my night light and open my comforter to snuggle myself deeply in. My body instantly relaxes itself into the sheets. The warmth and softness envelops me, relieving my tense muscles from sitting for hours at my desk.

I stare at my ceiling then choose to close my eyes. I toss and turn in hopes to find a comfortable position but I have no luck. I take deep breathes, a quick meditation, yet I continue to struggle to sleep.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I groan into my pillow. It's so hard for me to fall asleep. I envy those who enter dreamland so quick, and the deep sleepers as well. I'm cursed with hours-until-my-body's-asleep and light-sleeper syndrome.

I face the opposite wall to my bed and notice my phone light up on my side table. I confusingly take it out of its charger and look at the caller ID.

My heartbeat drums in my ears. My stomach flutters too.

It's Jae.

"What?" I whisper into the phone, not wanting my parents to wake up.

"Well, good morning to you." I hear the amusement in his tone.

"It's frickin 2 am Jae. What do you want?" I lay on my back.

"I miss you." He says and I roll my eyes, but a smile appears on my lips. I'm grateful that he can't see it.

"It's only been 2 weeks."

"Still, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Go to sleep." I quietly giggle.

"I can't."

"And why is that?" I shift on my bed.

"Because I'm outside your house."

"What?!" I frantically sit up and look over my room until my eyes land on my window. I sigh anxiously because this can't be happening. I make sure to take slow steps to my window, aware of which spots on the floor creaks. "You're crazy."

"Let me see you." I notice his car in the distance, parked on the farther side of the road. Good. At least he's not close enough for my parents to question in the morning.

"Jae, I can't."

"Please?" I can practically picture him frowning and begging me with those eyes—hazel being my weakness.

"I-I'll get in trouble." As much as I want to see him, after a long and needed winter break, I can't risk it.

"I know you want to see me." I know he's smiling. I can practically hear his lips tugging upward.

"You're really making this difficult you know." I feel my cheeks warm up.

"Is that a yes?"

He's unbelievable. "I swear to god Jae, if you get caught—" I slowly open my window and welcome the chilly breeze.

He ends the call after hearing my indirect approval. I watch him run quickly to the side, creeping himself closer to our neighbor's side than ours. Smart and good.

"You're insane." I whisper harshly at him as he approaches close enough for him to hear. He sneaks into my window and shakes his shoes from the little snow. He's lucky that climate change influenced our yearly snow storm to arrive late. There's only a thin layer on the ground and we're enduring a tolerable temperature.