ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

07.

It's been a long day for Dawson, yet he finds himself struggling to fall asleep. Even in the sheer darkness of his bedroom, he can see Adam's enraged face as he mutters "don't fucking touch me again" and it sounds like a threat; it sounds like Dawson might just have crossed a line.

The last thing he wants is for Hamilton to annoy him in his sleep too. That's the only sacred time he doesn't have to deal with people's bullshit.

"Having trouble falling asleep?"

"Uh-huh."

Dawson can hear Milo's bedsheets rustling as he turns to face him. "Me too," the boy chirps.

Silence fills the air between them and Dawson lets out a little sigh. He's hoping to nip the incoming "pillow-talk" in the bud, but Milo clearly has other plans.

"Can I ask you a question?" Milo insists, his voice is shaky. It kind of gives the idea he was not keen on voicing his thoughts and he regretted doing it halfway through the sentence.

Dawson is still facing the ceiling with his head propped up against his hands firmly clasped behind the nape of his neck. "Sure."

"It's stupid, really. It's OK if you don't feel comfortable telling me..." Milo babbles.

"Just ask me."

Dawson's peremptory tone makes Milo fret before he finally finds the courage to speak up.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Initially, Dawson is taken aback by how personal that question is. However, something tells him that that particular question is really not about him. It seems like a desperate attempt to open a dialogue between them.

People call it bonding, although Dawson was never a fan. Getting close to others hugely complicates things and he's not a fan of complications either.

"I haven't," he answers bluntly and Milo catches his breath.

"I wouldn't know, actually," Dawson adds after a few seconds.

"You don't know if you've ever been in love before?" Milo sounds surprised. As if being in love is the most natural thing in the world for him and cannot wrap his mind around the idea of someone not feeling the same way about it.

"If I have, then I don't really get what all the fuss is about," Dawson admits with a little shrug.

"Well, it's easy,"

Dawson scoffs, "Is it?"

"Yep," Milo can't wait to share his expertise in the field with his new friend and let him know all the symptoms you can experience while falling in love.

"First sign is when you find yourself thinking about them a lot," he explains enthusiastically. "Multiple times a day and in the most random situations."

"What if you hate that person? You still think about them, but that doesn't mean you're in love with them."

Milo chortles. "Touché."

"Is that all?" Dawson teases.

"Butterflies."

"Wait, is that a real thing?"

"Yes," a quick whisper escapes Milo's lips and Dawson dare not to dig any deeper. He knows who the boy is thinking about. He knows who's giving Milo butterflies.

"And, every time that person is near, your heart starts beating like a hammer in your chest and your breath gets shallow and your hands get sweaty..."

Dawson gulps hard.

His stomach almost makes a backward flip and he curses under his breath. Then, he lapses into a fazed silence.