𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 -- s. harrington

→ twenty-three.

SHE WOKE UP to tapping on her bedroom window; slow and soft but loud enough to stir her from her slumber. Andrea sat up in bed and furrowed her eyebrows, glancing toward the window to the right of her bed. Her eyes widened at the sight of the familiar boy on the other side of the window, soaking wet from the rain. Andrea climbed out of bed and rushed over to the window, unlocking it and pulling it open quickly. "Steve? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, her voice hushed but forceful.

          Steve pushed his soaked hair out of his face and stepped through the window quickly, shivering off the cold and welcoming the warmth of Andrea's room. "I wanted to check on you," he whispered and smiled slightly at the girl. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

          Andrea huffed out a sigh and shut the window, locking it securely. "I'm fine, Steve, really," she said and turned to face the boy, resting her hands on her hips. Her eyes met his and her heart began racing. She missed the feeling of being so close to Steve, she missed the rush it gave her. "I've been working a lot and-"

          "The last time we spoke to each other you said you weren't happy, Andy," Steve stated, cutting off the girl's silly excuse. He furrowed his eyebrows and rested his hands on her arms but she stepped away and tore her eyes away from his. Steve rested his hands on his hips and ran his tongue over his lips, searching his brain for something to say but came out empty-handed.

          "I'm doing better now, Steve," she whispered and chewed on her lip to hide her lie. She hadn't gotten any better since she and Steve had split up - if anything she got worse. She missed her mom more and more the longer Renee was around and not having Steve to be there for her was making things even harder. "Steve, it's midnight and I have work tomorrow so can you please go so I can get back to sleep?"

          Steve folded his arms over his chest and watched Andrea's actions carefully; the way she chewed her lip, the way her eyes darted around the room and the way her fingers nervously picked at her nails - she was lying right to his face. "Stop lying to me, Andy," he said softly and took a step toward her, lifting his hands up to touch her arms but, once again, she stepped away. "Why won't you let me help you?"

          Andrea furrowed her eyebrows and looked into Steve's eyes. "I want help, Steve, I really do," she sighed and felt her eyes burn from the tears that had begun to form. "But you and I are not together anymore so you can't just swoop in and act like my boyfriend anymore. I need to handle some things alone so I need you to get the hell out of my room."

          Steve shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the blonde in front of him. Although he was hurt by what she had said, he still wanted to help her. Steve loved Andrea with every fibre in his body and he wanted her to know how much he loved and cared about her. "That's not happening," he said and shook his head once more. "I'm not leaving this room until you talk to me."

          Andrea rolled her eyes and walked over to her bed, crawling beneath the covers and resting her head on the pillow. She turned so her back was facing Steve and she let the tears roll down her face, sucking in and swallowing the sobs that threatened to escape between her lips. "Then I guess you're staying here all night with soaking wet clothes."

          Steve rested his back up against the wall and slid down until he was sitting with his arms resting on his knees. "How did you go from loving me to hating me in three weeks?" He questioned and tilted his head.

          Andrea furrowed her eyebrows and day up quickly, snapping her head toward the boy sitting on the floor. "Excuse me?" She questioned.

          "You heard me, Andy," Steve stated and cleared his throat. "Answer my question."

          "I don't hate you, Steve," she snapped but kept her voice hushed. "I'm still madly in love with you but I can't be in a relationship when I'm not happy with myself."