Keeley had watched five episodes of her show, but Aaron still hadn't woken up. She turned off the TV and went to check on him, feeling uneasy. "He didn't actually die, did he?!" she thought.

Dinah meowed and emerged from under a piece of furniture, following Keeley up the stairs to Aaron's room. She opened the door quietly and saw he was still asleep.

Leaning close, she checked his breathing. He looked awfully pale. He was breathing, but did he have a fever?

She gently placed her hand on his forehead, accidentally brushing back his hair. No fever.

A nostalgic smile touched her lips. Ignoring the black eye, Aaron looked peaceful, younger even. She almost believed he was the teenage boy she'd fallen in love with years ago.

They had been so young and stupid. If she'd known what the future held, she never would have approached him. He probably felt the same way. Their relationship had brought only misfortune.

With that sobering thought, Keeley decided to wake him so she could go home. She gently shook his shoulder.

"Aaron. You need to wake up."

He groaned and swatted at her hand. "Lemme sleep."

She sat on the edge of the bed and shook him harder. "You've slept for nearly five hours. You need to eat something. Up!"

His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her down with a screech. "What on earth was he doing?!" she thought.

"Aaron," she warned, trapped under him and the blankets. "Get up, or I'll roll us both out of bed."

He buried his face in her hair and made a sleepy "nnn." Did he even realize he was using her as a human teddy bear?

"Aaron!" she hissed, softly slapping his cheek. "Get. Up."

"Huh?" He finally sounded coherent. "Um…what are you doing?"

"Me? I'm trying to get you up because it's six o'clock! I'm not in this position by choice, you know. You're a sleep grabber!" Keeley said crossly.

He released her instantly. "Sorry. I actually feel quite a bit better now. Food sounds nice."

She straightened her shirt and headed for the door, calling over her shoulder, "Your leftovers are in the fridge. I texted Aiden—he's coming to get you in the morning in case you can't wake up."

"Thanks for staying. I probably would have woken up at 3 AM if not for you."

"Take care of yourself."

She hurried to get her purse and reach the elevator before he said anything else. Valentina was probably wondering where she was; she had the day off and would be home.

Sure enough, upon entering their apartment, Valentina confronted her, wanting to know why she'd been gone so long.

Keeley explained she'd been concerned about leaving him alone because of his injury, but that he was fine when he woke up. She tried to make it seem unsuspicious, but her roommate wasn't buying it.

"You went to all that effort for a guy you hardly know?" Valentina asked, a gleam in her eye. "Do you like him?"

"No! I've actually known him longer than Cameron has." Much longer. A lifetime longer. Seeing Valentina's confusion, she added, "We went to the same high school."

"I thought you said everyone in your high school was a snob."

"Almost everyone," Keeley corrected.

Aaron had been a snob, though she wasn't sure she could categorize him that way anymore. He'd definitely changed.

In their past lives, he never would have befriended Cameron or Aiden because of his classist ideals. It was crazy they ended up together, considering he'd looked down on her upbringing.

"We were in the same literature class…we had a group project," Keeley continued lamely.

Valentina looked skeptical, so Keeley felt compelled to elaborate. It was the truth, a very small part of it, anyway.

"Don't look at me like that," Keeley insisted.

"You, the Ice Queen, took care of a guy for half a day. How else am I supposed to look at you?"

Ice Queen? That was offensive—and untrue. She was a warm person! A warm person who happened to avoid men's advances, that's all. Having been married to the actual Ice King, she knew she wasn't one. They were polar opposites.

"He's a…friend."

She couldn't say she felt obligated to care for him because he was always alone.

Her friend remained unconvinced. "Is he that guy? The one that broke your heart?"

How did everyone guess? Was it tattooed on her forehead?

"What makes you say that?"

"I know he went to your high school. The only other boy I know from your school is your law student friend in Maryland," Valentina said smugly. "I'm right, aren't I? He doesn't seem like a bad guy! And he definitely likes you."

"He's not," Keeley said begrudgingly.

At least, not as bad as she remembered. He'd still been cruel and thoughtless at times, but lately, he'd been all sugar and spice, which was weird.

She wondered if he really did like her. His reminiscing and compliments had thrown her off. Initially, she'd attributed it to guilt, but what if she was wrong?

No! It didn't matter. She was in charge of her own fate. Whatever force had brought them back wouldn't make her jeopardize herself for him again.

Valentina rolled her eyes. "You're in denial, my friend. A nice, handsome, rich man is interested in you. Who wouldn't be swayed by that?"

Keeley wouldn't. Never again. She was prepared to ignore her friend and hide in her room when Valentina's tone turned serious.

"Hang on…there's something I need to talk to you about."

(The final promotional sentence is removed as it is not part of the narrative.)