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There was still the same awkward air in the car that seemed to live around Sterling and I.

Possibly, it was even more awkward now that he had pretend-friendship idea in his head. I could barely find in myself to care about the points he made. I didn't care about what Daisy's friends thought about me. I didn't care about what they thought about Sterling, and I certainly didn't care about what they thought about the two of us together. Or, not together.

But, I did care what Daisy thought. I did care if Daisy asked questions, because Daisy could never know the answers to those questions.

"So," Sterling started, and his voice alone started a sigh in my lungs. He had one hand on the top of the steering wheel, the other one resting on his knee. He seemed like his was lost in thought and I hoped he would keep the reasons for that to himself.

I didn't answer, only shifting my eyes in his direction and waiting for his next words. It felt more and more like Sterling and I were oil and water; we simply didn't mix.

Or, perhaps we weren't oil and water. Maybe we were just a butterfly, and a moth. Different species entirely.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Sterling said when I didn't answer him. Somehow, I knew he already knew my answer; I didn't want to talk about last night.

But, somehow, even though I knew that he knew that, his voice still sounded hopeful.

"No," I said quietly, sifting my gaze back to the window.

"Why not?" He asked me, and he still sounded hopeful.

"There's nothing to talk about," I muttered, because it was the truth. It was nothing to talk about.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Sterling told me, and he finally sounded a little less hopeful.

"Somehow, I don't care," I said under my breath, and though I didn't necessarily intend for him to hear me, part of me hoped he would.

"You know what," Sterling said, a hint of sharpness in his voice this time. "I don't think that's true. I think you do care."

"And why would you think that?" I asked, incredulously. Sterling didn't know the first thing about me.

"Because, Dahlia," he said, dropping his tone to a much softer version. "You opened up to me already. Even if you were drunk."

I inhaled at his words, sharply looking away again. I wished he would forget that happened. Like it was a memory I could erase from his memory like it was erased from mine.

"So, asking again," he repeated, still in that calm voice. "Do you want to talk about last night?"

I clenched my teeth, something inside me was fighting against the words I automatically wanted to say. Something snide or maybe just not answering at all. But, maybe, parts of what Sterling said were right.

"Fine," I said instead, although it sounded as indifferent as a part of me felt.

"Yeah?" Sterling asked with a single word. And although I wasn't looking at him, I could hear the smile on his face. "Okay, good."

"Okay," I breathed, turning my head back towards him.

He was taking turns glancing between the road, and me. And though his smile had fallen to a memory of one, he still looked surprised at himself, and me.

"Well," Sterling trailed, slightly lost by the way I had lead him no further by my single word answer. "Let's start with the obvious. Why didn't you want to go home last night?"

"I keep telling you that it's not my home," I reminded him, but I was only stalling because his question had sent a pit of dark blue into me.

"Okay," Sterling surprised me by not pushing like he had done the other day. "Well, why didn't you want to go back to Daisy's?"

"It wasn't like that..." I said quickly, lying. "There's no reason. I just didn't feel like it."

"You know," Sterling sighed out, shaking his head. His grey eyes darkened, with something not physical, like they had the first night we met. "If you promise not to lie to me, I'll promise not to lie to you."

I stilled, tracing over his face as I took in his words. While the majority of me thought it would be impossible to agree to something like that, a small part of me wondered how it would feel to be completely honest with someone.

"How would I know if you're telling the truth?" I asked, my voice smaller than it usually is.

Sterling let out a small chuckle, one that only lasted for a second. "I'm not a very good liar, Dahlia. Not to anyone who's really looking."

I tilted my head at him, feeling my eyes squint.

"And by the way," Sterling continued, barely letting our silence build. "Neither are you. Not to anyone that's looking."

I stilled again, contemplating his assumption. I had been lying all my life. Did that mean that no one had been looking?

"So," Sterling continued, "why didn't you want to go back to Daisy's last night?"

I ground my teeth together before my lips opened, about to tell another lie. But, I remembered the words he had just spoken, and I stopped myself. Just because I couldn't lie, doesn't mean I had to tell the truth.

"I can't sleep there," I finally told him, and I knew by the way he was looking at me that he was searching for the lie.

"Why not?" Sterling pressed me, accepting my answer as the truth.

"It's just not home," I started, but Sterling quickly interrupted me.

"Dahlia," he said my name. "Why don't you give this friends thing a try? And the truth thing a try, too. Maybe it could be good for the both of us."

I forced air out of my nose, searching for the perfect balance of not a lie, and not exactly the truth.

"I don't like the bedding," I said, once it had come to me. Wasn't a lie. Wasn't quite the truth.

"The bedding?" Sterling asked, confusion laced in his words. "Like the mattress isn't comfortable or something?"

"No," I shook my head. "The blankets, the sheets. The pillows," I winced as the memory of finding my torn underwear between the sheets pushed to the front of my mind.

"Oh," Sterling hummed out.

And then he said nothing, which puzzled me. I was expecting more questions. I was expecting to find more not lies, not truths. But, it was just silence while he continued to drive.

I let myself sit in that silence, though. I wasn't sure if I was just not bothered enough to break it, or unsure how. It wasn't until more minutes had passed by than the amount of minutes left to Daisy's house, that I finally said something.

"Where are we?" I asked Sterling, who was staring over the steering wheel like he was on a mission.

"At the mall," he said, pulling into a slightly full parking lot. "Well, rather Sapphire Cove's poor excuse for a mall." He opened his door, closing it quickly behind. I was left wondering what was happening, until he opened my door for me. "Come on."

"Okay..." I told him, climbing from the car. He couldn't have waited until after dropping me off to do errands?

I followed Sterling as he walked into the mall. I had been here before, with Daisy. Though now I could barely remember it. It was true what he said, this place was much smaller than the mall that had been local to me before I moved here. It seemed much more personal, too. There were local run stores, instead of the popular chains I was used to.

"Here," he said, as he led me to one of those stores.

As soon as I looked as the contents of the store, as he walked surely inside of it, I turned to look at him. "What are we doing?"

"Fixing your problem," he said as if it was obvious. He held his hands out to the shelves filled with expensive bedding. "They probably have something here you'll like better."

I frowned, keeping my eyes on him. I didn't have to look around to know what I instantly knew. "I can't afford this stuff."

"Don't worry about it," Sterling shrugged, and when I started to shake my head quickly, he kept speaking. "My mom gets a discount here. She uses this place to stage the houses she sells, it will barely cost me anything."

I raised my eyebrow. "Are you sure that's not a lie?" I asked him, remembering what he said in the car and that our deal went both ways.

"Look at me," he said, keeping his face serious. "Does it look like I'm lying? Besides, I'm insisting. Partly because I don't want you sleeping on my couch again."

I sighed in defeat. "If you're sure..." I wanted to resist further, but I agreed with him. I really didn't want to sleep on his couch again, either.

"I am," Sterling smiled at me, like he knew he had won. "You look around. I just have to pick something else up, okay? I'll be back, and then I can take you home."

And without waiting for me to answer, he left.

I shook my head again, though now there was no one left to witness it. I didn't want to overthink as I browsed through the bedding. There wasn't sets in a plastic bag with everything you needed like I was used to. Everything was separate, with different patterns and colours.

"Can I help you?" A polite voice came to me, belonging to a plump woman in her fifties. She looked like a grandmother and instantly I decided I liked her.

"I need new bedding," I said, feeling like an imposter. She must know I'd never be able to afford this place.

"Sure, you've come to the right place," she smiled instead. "Do you know what you'd like?"

"No," I shook my head.

"Okay," she still smiled. "Do you know what you wouldn't like?"

And my answer was instantly on my lips.

"White."

By the time Sterling returned, Lisa had managed to collect everything I needed. She had held up piece by piece, and with no rhyme or reason I had okayed them. Which meant the final project was mismatched bedding. With every colour except white.

And I loved it.

Sterling didn't say much as he paid, confidently shielding me from the cashier so that I didn't hear the total. He carried the heavy bag to the his car, and he opened my door for me once more.

He didn't speak again until we had pulled into Daisy's driveway.

"You don't ever smile," Sterling said, seemingly out of nowhere. But I had a feeling he had been thinking it for a while.

"I know," I said, as I pulled the heavy bag from the backseat. "Thank for this."

"Thanks for being honest about it," he said, smiling at me. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"In class?" I asked, and he shook his friend.

"Daisy's told me it's now my job to shuttle you to school," Sterling laughed, but he still looked annoyed at the thought. "You know since we're such good friends."

"Oh," I winced. "I'll try to talk her out of it."

"Don't bother," Sterling shrugged. "I'm going that way anyway."

"Okay..." I trailed off. I was still going to try to wiggle out of that. "Bye."

"Bye Dahlia," I heard Sterling's voice as I closed the door and walked away.

Once I was in the pool house, I was feeling a hint of happiness knowing once I ripped that white bedding off the bed, I would never have to look at it again. I tipped the large bag of my new bedding upside down, watching as the contents fell out.

But— something else fell out too. I felt my face collapse in confusion as I grabbed the small box, the large logo on the front telling me this was most certainly a mistake.

I opened it, searching for a clue. I pulled the seemingly brand new one iPhone from the box.  I felt my eyes narrow, as I searched for the button to power it on.

And as I did, a ding accompanied the message that flashed on the un-personalized screen.

555-7776

I'm gonna have to remind you of all the reasons there are to smile.

And then another message came through immediately after.

555-7776
Oh, it's Sterling by the way. And before you ask, it's just case you need it.


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