Thalia stirs awake, the crisp air biting down on her flesh as she wraps herself further with the duvet.

Her eyes flicker open and fall upon Finn, who's already wide awake. He's sat upright and engrossed in his phone.

"Finn?" She murmurs, the prominent jet lag and sleepiness evident in her soft tone of voice.

His attention is instantly diverted to her, a smile gracing his lips as he puts his phone aside. "Morning." His tone mirrors hers.

Thalia yawns. "Good morning."

"You gonna get up?"

"No."

Finn lets out a soft chuckle, his eyes locked with Thalias half-lidded and sleepy ones. His gaze holds an evident love, yet she's too oblivious to find anything in it.

"Well, I'm gonna go get us breakfast." He clears his throat, breaking the eye contact. "What do you want?"

"Muffins," she mumbles, "doesn't matter what kind."

He nods prior to slipping out of bed. Thalia watches him leave the room, her gaze lingering for a moment before she lets her head fall back with a sigh.

The dream is still gnawing at her, despite her convincing herself it bears no meaning to it.

Vinyl tracks hum softly in the background, resonating through the walls as the brunette roams the house.

She figures Finn won't mind her poking around his belongings, and if he does, tough luck. She sneaks occasional glances into drawers, inspecting their contents for anything she can use to make fun of him later.

That is until, her gaze falls upon a letter.

Thalias curiosity peaks as she takes a hold of the hand-written note, brows furrowing as she reads it.

Dear Finn,
Hi, It's me. I'm writing this from the hospital, I've been here about 2 days. Yes, I know this means we have to break up. I know I can't try to save us anymore. I wonder if you're already seeing someone else. But I'm not crazy, Finn. I know I have a few issues and I'm trying to fix it. Maybe you also think I'm crazy now. I'll always love you, even if you see me as your 'crazy ex girlfriend'. I really did so much for you. And it's funny because in the end, it wasn't even you who cared. I hope you find happiness in life.
Love, Camille.

Thalia swallows the lump in her throat, a sudden rush of melancholy filling her head.

Finn mentioned speaking to Camille with a call to the hospital, so hopefully, that occurred after this letter was written, and things ended with them on good terms. Parting ways amicably would at-least soften the blow.

"Jun. This is urgent."

The clatter of pans emerge from the other end of the line, Thalias eyebrows crinkling as she attempts to discern the noises.

"What the fuck are you doing? Is your house breaking down?"

"Kinda." Juniper responds, seeming miles away from the phone. "I'm making dinner."

"Okay... well, I could call another time-"

"No. You said it's urgent, go on." Their voice is now audible, indicating they've moved closer to the phone.

"It's not that urgent."

"I said go on, whore."

"Fine," she clears her throat, "you know how I told you about those reoccurring stare-offs between me and Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"We had another one of those."

"Did he stare at your lips again, this time?" Juniper snorts.

"No... dude, I don't even know what to do anymore. He just makes me feel so happy and warm inside, and then that ends up making me sad. Coming here might have been a bad idea because it has me all confused again."

Juniper hums, the faint sounds of frying accompanying their voice. "I think you should just talk to him at this point."

"What?"

"Have the conversation, get it over with. It's obvious that he's feeling the same way about you, since you keep having those weird staring competitions every time you look at each other."

Thalia scoffs. "There's no way you're telling me to talk to him about this."

"Trust me. He feels the same way. He's probably less thrilled about these feelings than you are, considering what's been going on with Camille and everything. If you clear the air, it'll help you both."

"Oh yeah... Camille. I found this letter from her to Finn. It made me question everything even more."

"How so?"

"I know that pursuing anything with Finn is out of the question, but if I ever were to do that, it would feel so unfair to her."

"Thalia, listen to me closely here. You need to get Camille out of your head. You're not responsible for her."

"I kind of am-"

"You're not. The sooner you realise that, the lighter you'll feel. This girl is an unnecessary weight on your shoulders."

A prolonged sigh escapes Thalias lips. "Alright, but what about Finn?"

"Like I said, speak to him. I don't see the problem, you're both struggling with the same feelings."

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you be so oblivious?"

"Can you stop repeating my sentences but turning them against me, please?"

"Only if you stop being a pussy and get your feelings out into the open. Who knows, maybe if things are stable enough, you two can become something more."

"And ruin everything between us? No thanks. I'm not risking losing him just to please my stupid dreams."

"Dreams? What's that about?"

"What?"

"Did you have a dream about Finn?"

"Did I have a what? I can't hear you. I think you're cutting out. Bye, Jun."

"Thalia-" beep.

Once Finn returns, the duo has their breakfast and then spend an hour or two binging South Park episodes.

Somehow, Thalia goes back to sleep, the persistent jet lag leaving her drained.

She ends up allowing her eyes to rest throughout the entire day. In the middle of the night, she finally awakens.

Her eyes adjust to the darkness, the only visible light emanating from the vast window facing her. She shifts in the cool sheets, yawning and stretching her arms.

A sudden burst of energy hits her, hinting that the jet-lag has finally reached its end.

Thalia calls out for Finn, wishing to lend her mind the satisfaction of going on a long night drive.

As the world slumbers, the road stretches out endlessly before them, illuminated by the moons glow and occasional glimpses of distant light that punctuate the darkness.

As they near a lake, Thalias attention is piqued. "Wait, stop here."

The car comes to a halt, Thalia eagerly exiting as a curious Finn follows behind.

She takes a hold of his hand, cautiously leading him through the rustle of leaves.

"Lia, what are we doing?" He sighs.

She shushes him. "Just wait!"

Arriving at the lake, Thalia pauses to admire the scenery. Finns eyes widen as he scans the surroundings.

The lake sprawls out before them, its surface shimmering under the moonlight like a sheet of liquid silver. Reflections dance upon the gentle ripples.

Surrounding the lake, tall trees stand sentinel, their silhouettes etched against the dark sky and their branches swaying softly in the night breeze.

"Holy shit." Finn murmurs.

"I know right."

The two wander closer to the water, letting themselves sit upon a fallen branch.

Thalia fixates on the gentle lapping of water against the shore, while Finn can't seem to tear his gaze away from her.

As the minutes tick by, the pair remains still in pure and comfortable silence.

Abruptly, Finn feels the cold skin of Thalias fingers brush against his. A smile tugs at his lips as he interlaces their fingers.

"Are you cold?" He inquires, his tone caring and hushed.

"No, are you?"

"I'm perfectly okay."

She turns her head towards him, a warm smile gracing her features. Finn can't help but admire her.

His love-filled eyes lock in with hers, and he falls into an abyss of serenity.

A few heartbeats pass before Thalia shifts closer to Finns side, resting her head on his shoulder. He wraps an arm around her, bringing her closer.

Finn can't avoid the way his heart is pounding within his chest, and she seems to take notice as well.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh... yeah, of-course. Why?"

"Your heart seems to be having a disco party in there." She chuckles softly, prompting him to reciprocate.

"I'm fine."

And yet, a blush still rises to his cheeks despite his attempt to play it cool.

Thalia tilts her face up, now tantalisingly close to Finns. She watches intently as his eyes flicker down to her lips, and he watches them curve into a knowing smile.

"Are you gonna kiss me or not?"

His heart takes a leap at her words, eyes widening in daze. Attempting to construct a response, Finn struggles to find his voice.

Thalia nears closer until there's nothing but an inch left between their faces. Finn shudders, with more than the cold to blame.

"Lia..." he mumbles, heart fluttering as her lips hover over his.

"Come on, you can't say you haven't thought about it." She whispers against his lips.

Finn falls silent. Despite his efforts to push away such thoughts, his hands instinctively reach up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, cupping her face.

Taking that as a sign, Thalia closes the gap between them.

Their lips lock briefly before Finn quickly returns to his senses and pulls away. "I'm sorry, Lia, we can't."

Thalias eyes widen in realisation, and she swiftly covers her face with her hands, letting out a curse under her breath. She shifts to the far end of the tree branch, their makeshift bench.

"Fuck... I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Why did I do that? I'm sorry-"

Finn interrupts her, scratching the back of his head. "It's okay, it's not your fault."

A silence envelopes them, and for once, the nature of it isn't so comforting. The tension lingers in the ambience, along with the tantalising notion of their friendship in ruins.

"We should leave."

The car ride passes in a solemn silence, the faint hum of the radio being their only escape from the harsh reality.

Upon arriving home, rather than staying up and binging shows like they had planned earlier, Finn retreats straight to bed.

Thalia remains in the living room, the glow of the television casting a light amidst the darkness as she mechanically flicks through show after show.

She taps her feet anxiously against the floor, thoughts bolting in her brain and her heart hammering.

How could she have let things escalate like that? Why did she betray their friendship with such a reckless gesture? How can she be so mind-numbingly stupid?

Despite the forewarning from her subconsciousness, she was still foolish enough to carry out something like this.

The dream manifested into reality, and she allowed it to unfold.

AUTHORS NOTE

😈