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IT WAS EARLY in October 2018 when I finally let myself carelessly and naively fall for Charlie Wright. I was laying in bed with a terrible headache and an excruciating stomach ache that were making me extremely cranky. My fever had been on and off since five AM and I was getting extremely restless.

"Knocker knocker!" The cheery voice of Charlie filled the room.

"Noooo! Go away!" I struggled to yell as I buried myself under my sheets and pillows.

"Hey you! How are you doing?" Charlie asked as I felt the end of my bed dip.

"Stay away from me! You'll catch what I have!" I warned her as I lightly kicked her off my bed.

"Stop or I'll tickle!" She warned as she tightly gripped my ankle.

"Don't you dare!" I gasped as I finally poked my head out.

"That's what I thought." She chuckled as she let go of my ankle.

"What are you even doing here? It's a school night and you might catch what I have." I whined, even though she had been coming over for the past how many nights. "Go home, Charlie!"

"Well, I'm here to do you a favor actually." She said as she grabbed a paper from her bag and handed it to me. "That's a list of everything you missed in school for the day. I'll give you a copy of some of my notes later."

I checked the list and saw that I had missed a lot that day. I haven't been in school for a good three days already because I felt terrible. Charlie was kind enough to help me catch up because I really couldn't rely on Harvey since he only gave me senseless doodles even though he had actual notes.

"Are you feeling better?" Charlie said as she took off her shoes then took off the top layer of her uniform, leaving only her blouse and necktie.

"I'm still alive, if that's of any importance." I laughed but she just gave me a death glare.

"Whatever, Max." She laughed. "Now sit up, you better get something in your system."

She got up from my bed and went to the study desk to collect the tray of food. She carried a tray with soup, a glass of water, and my medicine for the night. I sat up too quickly and hit my head on the top bunk, making my massive headache even more massive.

"Shit!" I yelped as I held my head and laid back down.

"Max!" Charlie exclaimed as she put the tray back down and ran to me.

"Oh man, that hurt." I winced as I held my temple. "Stupid top bunk."

"Well I guess it's time for you and Harv to have separate rooms, huh?" Charlie chuckled as she took my hand off and gently rubbed my temple better.

"Ugh I've been dying for my own room." I sighed.

The pain started to lessen and my head started to feel better as she massaged it. I looked at her as she handled me with so much care. I couldn't help but feel my heart soften at the sight of her. For the past few weeks, I'd been having a head-versus-heart battle in an attempt to understand how I was feeling towards Charlie. Probably another reason why that massive headache lasted for a while.

"Here," Charlie said as she grabbed a pillow and placed her hand behind my neck. "Let's put some pillows so you can sit up and eat."

She handled me with care as if she was a nurse and I was a patient. She placed pillows behind my back with one hand while she held me behind the neck with the other. When she finished stacking pillows, she helped me lean back and I felt extremely comfortable. I couldn't help my heart from beating so fast at her actions. There I was putting a meaning on things that don't need to have a meaning.

"Maybe I should consider a career as a nurse." She joked.

"Maybe." I laughed along.

She turned to get the tray while I just watched her. She was so delicate and so pure and so careful. I was starting to notice things about her that I never did before and it was getting to my nerves. I've been trying so hard to convince myself that it was just a phase and that the feelings wouldn't last. They couldn't. She's my best friend. She's just my best friend.

"Time to eat, wittle baby!" She cooed and teased me as if I was a child. I rolled my eyes and laughed as she held the bowl and spoon up to my lips.

I allowed her to feed me since I was too weak to move and my head hurt like crazy. Mum was thankful for her because she'd been helping mum take care of me during the evenings. I was a lot of work when I was sick so I really couldn't blame mum and dad for needing some help.

"Let's hope you don't puke this out later." Charlie smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's hope." I chuckled as she gave me another spoonful of soup.

She told me about her day and rambled on about how she wanted to redecorate her room while she fed me. I listened to her despite the pounding in my head. Then she gave me my medicine for the night after I finished the soup and before taking the tray back down.

When she came back up, she got a damp cloth and pat it on my arms, my forehead, and my cheeks to help my temperature go down. She handled me with so much care that I could feel myself falling into the deep abyss of feelings and emotions.

"I have a Buzzfeed quiz for you to answer." She smiled as she pat my arm with the cloth.

"Oh yeah? What's it about?"

"Burn a CD for your 2008 valentine then they'll tell you how your love life will be a year from now." She chuckled.

"We were six in 2008." I chuckled nervously.

I couldn't help but think if I'd be already dating Charlie next year or if I would have completely gotten over her and knocked myself into my senses. I was stupid enough to allow myself to hope in a future with me and Charlie as an item. Nonetheless, I wanted to take that quiz and take my chances. It was one of Charlie and I's favourite pass-times anyway.

"It's still fun." She laughed.

"Oh yeah? What did you get?" I challenged her as she dabbed the cloth gently on my cheeks.

"'In a long-term relationship.'" She smiled proudly and looked me deep in the eyes.

"With whom then?"

"Not Keith Jones, that's for sure." She laughed and I laughed along with her.

She was finally moving on from that asshole and it made me proud of her. She was starting to pick herself up and she seemed so much happier again. Charlie deserved to be happy. She deserved to be loved by someone with every beat of his heart. At that time, I was still trying to figure out if I was worthy of being that guy for her or not.

"Let me just finish up then ring this out. Then gimme your phone." She said as she dabbed my forehead.

Don't fall, Max, don't fall in love, I remember telling myself. You're not falling in love with Charlie! Stop it!

"It's on the desk." I said then pointed to where my phone was.

She nodded in response then headed out to hang the cloth she used on me in our bathroom. She came back and grabbed my phone before gently shoving me. I made room for her then she sat down beside me on my bed. Charlie and I had each other's fingerprints in our phones which allowed us to unlock each other's phones easily. It's one of the many proofs that Charlie and I don't keep secrets from each other. But it also gets hard when we use each other's phone for blackmail...

"Do you wanna lie back down or are you good like that?" She asked me before handing me my phone.

"I'm fine like this." I smiled then grabbed my phone from her.

I took the quiz and Charlie laughed at my choices. I had to remind her that our music taste was still different somehow and that she needed to calm down. Having her beside me was making my blood rush and my heart pound, which was not a good combination given how I was physically feeling.

"Well would you look at that!" I chuckled. "I also got 'In a long term relationship.'"

"Max and Charlie will be single no more in 2019!" Charlie cheered while I laughed at her.

We played a few more Buzzfeed quizzes before mum told us it was time for me to rest. Charlie helped me lie back down then she tucked me in like I wasn't a 15-year-old boy desperate for a taste of independence. But I appreciated her effort nonetheless. Her presence simply helped me feel much better.

"If you need me, you know the protocol. Just send me a message or call me for anything." Charlie reminded as she tucked a pillow on my side.

"Yes, mum." I teased her which gained me another death glare from her.

"Max!"

"Yes, yes! I promise." I chuckled and said to reassure her.

"Okay good," She said as she smiled down at me. "You get well soon, okay? School sucks without you. Other people aren't as fun as you."

"Of course they aren't. You can never find someone as awesome as me, can you?" I smirked.

"I can actually. He sleeps on the top bunk and he's downstairs with your family." She laughed as she mentioned Harvey. I sent her a death glare which made her laugh more. "I'm kidding! You and Harv are special in different ways and I love you guys for that."

"Sure you do." I nodded a little with a small smile.

"Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she gathered her stuff and put her shoes on.

"See you tomorrow, yellow." I waved as she got to the door.

"See you tomorrow, yellow three." She smiled and waved before shutting the door.

I shut my eyes and sighed. It was at that moment I finally admitted to myself that I had fallen in love with my best friend. It was also at that exact same moment when I told myself I had to make sure to protect our friendship no matter how bad my feelings for her would get, and that above all else, I would protect and love her more than I ever have in my whole life.

She wasn't just some girl I met in school or at a party or because of mutual friends. She wasn't just a girl who I could try to date and then break up with if we didn't feel like it anymore. She wasn't anything like all the other girls. She was Charlotte Wright, my best friend who I've known almost my entire life, who deserved to be so so loved.