One Dance 3: Illusions

9.

It was nearing nighttime now and you were far too tired to fall asleep.

Sam was snoring softly next to you, as she had fallen asleep while reading some gay Italian literature.

You browsed the dimly lit room for something to do, but nothing caught your eye. There were still two hours until mandatory curfew, but you figured everyone was asleep by now.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to at least check.

You got up as quietly as you can, and closed the squeaking door behind you.

You turned and saw Peter a few yards away and walking towards you.

"Y/n. I was just coming to get you. You busy?"

"Nope," you replied, tucking your hair behind one ear.

"Cool. Well, uh, that number called again, if you wanted to help me figure it out still?"

"Sure," you said, not looking him in the eyes. You were afraid it would be too intimate, and you weren't ready for that yet. If you ever would be again.

He walked down the hall and knocked softly on his door.

"Ned? I'm coming in with y/n."

He opened the door and Ned was sitting on his bed, browsing a lego catalogue.

He looked up and you awkwardly waved.

"If they have a toy store wherever we go, we are so buying a European Lego set," you laughed.

Ned's eyes and mouth got wide. "Yes!"

You laughed and waited for Peter to direct you to his bed.

He fiddled around in his bag for his laptop and eventually pulled it out. You waited for him to unlock it and when you looked back at the screen, the worst thing—literally the WORST THING you could've seen was set as his home screen.

So he must've not used it recently, or never bothered to change it, because the photo was the same one it had always been. You smiling and laughing, a completely candid photo.

His favorite photo of you.

You looked away and tried to pretend like you didn't notice it, and he pulled up his connecting software.

"I just gotta let Karen connect and then we should be good to go."

"Alright," you said, as Ned's phone went off behind you.

He picked it up, looked at it, and headed towards the door.

"I'm out. Betty and a few others are playing Cards Against Humanity downstairs."

"Alright," you laughed. "Have fun."

"See ya," said Peter.

Ned walked out and closed the door behind him.

Now it was just the two of you, completely unsupervised, in Italy. And you were trying to figure out a no caller ID number.

There were a few minutes of awkward silence and you weren't sure what to say. Neither of you were.

Karen eventually had the calls up on his computer. They seemed to be coming from New York, which didn't really narrow anything down.