Damian gently knocked on the closed bedroom door, his knuckles making a soft sound against the wood.
 
There was no replying voice from the inside, but he figured it would be safe to go in. In the few weeks that Damian had been staying (–not living, dammit, he was going to leave, he swears!) at Aleena’s house. Aleena had never once denied him entry into his room.
 
As time passed, Damian found himself gradually warming up to the other girl. It was impossible not to appreciate Aleena's endearing, silly, and innocent demeanor. She would engage Damian in conversation even when Damian tried to retreat to his own room. Although Damian wasn't used to such treatment, he slowly grew accustomed to it and, surprisingly, began to enjoy Aleena's company. Even if it was just to share some silly anecdote from the day, Aleena actively sought Damian out, and Damian appreciated it.
 
Aleena cherished having someone to talk to at all hours, especially since Shane had been spending less and less time with her. Damian never complained, even when Aleena rambled on for hours without pause. She valued the fact that Damian always appeared engaged, nodding attentively and never seeming disinterested, even when he didn't say much in response.
 
Recently, Aleena had taken on the role of tutoring Damian in nearly all his subjects, given Damian's less-than-exemplary grades. Damian had attempted to decline the help, particularly after all Aleena had already done for him, but Aleena refused to accept no for an answer.
 
Damian could never admit it but, Aleena was exceptionally intelligent and a skilled teacher, helping Damian grasp information more effectively than any of his teachers had managed. Damian was intelligent himself but rarely attended class or showed much interest in his studies. Within a few weeks, Damian's grades had skyrocketed so dramatically that his teachers suspected him of cheating.
 
Though Damian would never admit it, he felt secretly proud of himself. His future no longer seemed as bleak with his improved grades, and he wondered if his mother would finally be proud of him.
 
Neither Damian nor Aleena broached sensitive topics such as why Damian had run away from home. Likewise, Damian never mentioned Shane or reacted strangely when Aleena unknowingly spoke about the other boy before trailing off awkwardly. Aleena didn't know where she stood with Shane, and discussing him made her uncomfortable. Damian couldn't help but feel an inexplicable surge of anger whenever he thought about Shane.
 
Damian hadn't seen Aleena and Shane together since before Aleena found him on the rooftop. It appeared as though the two had slowly drifted apart, and Damian couldn't solely credit himself for the entire process. Aleena was dedicating more time to him, helping him adjust, but Damian was foolish if he believed Aleena couldn't make time for her best friend.
 
However, Shane didn't make an effort to speak to Aleena at school, leaving her alone at their usual spot while conversing with Daisy elsewhere. It irrationally angered Damian; after all, weren't they supposed to be best friends? His heart ached whenever he saw Aleena's crestfallen expression as Shane ignored her in favor of Daisy. Damian made it his mission to remove that look from Aleena's face, even if it meant sitting in Shane's seat at the front of the class, a stark contrast to his usual spot in the very back corner. Although his ears burned, and he couldn't meet Aleena's gaze, at least the dejected expression was gone.
 
One day, Damian had stayed after school for a discussion with his teachers about his future, which turned out to be a challenging conversation, mainly because Damian rarely spoke and responded with mere shrugs and nods. He was surprised to find Aleena still at the school when he finally emerged, well past the last bell. What astonished him even more was the sight of Aleena standing alone near the front doors, tears streaming down her face in sync with the rain falling on his clothes.
 
Aleena was getting drenched, and Damian couldn't leave her in such a state. He approached slowly, opening an umbrella he had in his hand and holding it over Aleena. Damian's heart ached a little more, seeing Aleena's pain.
 
He had no idea how long they stood there before Aleena turned to him, burying her head in Damian's chest. Rainwater and tears soaked into Damian's shirt, but he didn't mind as Aleena sobbed into it. Aleena cried for a long time before finally looking up to sniffle at Damian.
 
"Let's go home," Damian suggested, and Aleena readily agreed.
 
Damian didn't press Aleena about the issue; he would tell her when she was ready or not. It didn't mean Damian wasn't concerned about Aleena. Seeing her hurt was agonizing, and Damian didn't know how to ease the pain. However, he wanted to try—for Aleena's sake. Aleena deserved happiness.
 
Now, Damian knocked on Aleena's bedroom door and saw the girl sitting beneath her covers, staring at her phone.
 
"Hey," Aleena greeted him with a weak smile.
 
Damian moved to sit beside Aleena on the bed, gazing into her eyes. There were so many times when Damian wished he wasn't a coward, when he wished he had the right words to comfort Aleena in any way possible.
 
"Why are you hurting?" he wanted to ask.
 
"How can I help?" he wished to say.
 
But Damian couldn't find the words, so he reached for Aleena's hand. It was the first time Damian had initiated physical contact, and Aleena stared at him in surprise.
 
After a moment, Aleena's eyes softened, and she spoke softly, "Damian."
 
Damian looked up at the sound of his name, his eyes questioning.
 
"I love someone," Aleena said, her voice filled with pain, her grip on Damian's hand unconsciously tightening.
 
Damian's heart raced and plummeted simultaneously.
 
"They don't love me back," Aleena whispered.
 
Tears welled up in Aleena's eyes again, and Damian pulled her into her chest, allowing her to cry there for the second time that day. Aleena sobbed, and Damian wondered whether they were destined to remain in a constant cycle of comforting each other.
 
"He said something came up. That he had to walk Daisy home," Aleena said between sobs.
 
Damian could already infer from those few sentences that Shane had once again chosen Daisy over Aleena. Of course Aleena loved Shane; they had been best friends for a long time, and it was only natural for Aleena to develop feelings for him.
 
Damian rubbed Aleena's back, doing his best to provide comfort. Heartache was a terrible thing, and Damian knew it all too well.