It's getting late, and though all the other apartments in the hall are dark and silent, you aren't surprised when you hear a ruckus from behind the door you're standing before.

You knock, loudly, and it still takes a good few minutes for you to hear the heavy sound of footsteps approaching the door. The door swings open, revealing blonde woman wearing tight pink yoga pants and a matching tank top that reveals much more than you'd like to see.

Kendra, your sister-in-law—well, ex-sister-in-law

"Well, lookie who it is," Kendra speaks, smacking her lips together as she leans against the door frame. She grins at you, looking half-amused, half-flirtatious. You shift uncomfortably from foot to foot, gripping the box you're holding in your grasp tigher. She leans her head over her shoulder, yelling much louder than necessary, causing you to wince. "Terr! Get your ass over here—your hunky ex-husband is here!"

Your face flushes beet red, and you're beginning to regret your decision to stop by in the first place.

"I assume that's why you're here," Kendra tells you, leaning forward, practically falling out of her tank top.

You swallow, nodding in response. "Yes, I'd like to see Terri...I have a few things to give her."

Terri enters the room a moment later, saving you just as Kendra leans in closer. "I'll take it from here, Kendra," she saying quietly, stepping cautiously into the doorway.

"Come on, boys, time for bed!" Kendra screeches at her three boys, the source of the ruckus.

Kendra raises her eyebrows before stalking away, leaving you and Terri standing alone, at a loss for words. Her appearance takes you by surprise, though you know it should not. You've seen her look this way countless times—no makeup, blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, sweat pants, and an old t-shit.

Your old t-shirt, to be exact. You've been looking that shirt for the past five months now—your old McKinley high tee that has always been your favorite. It looks even more worn than you remember, hanging off her tiny frame.

"What do you want, Will?" she sighs, her blue eyes piercing yours. Through the thin material of the shirt, you can tell that she's not wearing a bra. Not that you're looking. You snap your eyes back to her face, her jaw lined with tension as she warily keeps her eyes fixed on you.

You take a deep breath, shifting the box once again in your grasp. "I found some of our old stuff in the storeroom while cleaning today—I just thought you might want to go through it..." you trail off, licking your lips tentatively as you hand her the box.

She takes it, her hand brushing against yours as the box leaves your grasp, leaving your skin tingling slightly.

"It has a lot of old high school things," you explain, watching her eyes dart through the filled box. "Like your Cheerio uniforms and our year books..."

She looks from the box to your eyes, then back in forth again. You continue to stand awkwardly in the door, debating whether you should just leave.

The truth is, finding the box of memories had stripped you raw today. You had begun to go through the box yourself, but the poignant memories stung more than you expected. It held everything you weren't sure you were ready to face—at least not alone.

"Do you want to stay for bit?" she offers, her face softer now. "Go through this stuff together? Because its looks like you left some of your own things in here..."

You know this is the reason you came here. You know it, no matter how much you wish to deny it. Being alone is your greatest weakness—your greatest fear, and seeing that same fear etched into her face, well, makes you feel less alone.

"I'd like that," you tell her, fully stepping over the threshold. She smiles faintly, her sullen face lighting up for the first time tonight.

You follow her down the hall to a familiar room—the guest bedroom you and Terri always used to share when staying over Kendra's.

She sets the box down on the bed, sitting heavily against the comforter. You sit hesitantly on the edge of the bed, glancing around the cluttered room—her life, packed all into one tiny space. You noticed countless items that you used to have in your apartment, many of which Terri hardly needs. You can only assume that's she trying her hardest to hold onto the little she has left.

She pulls her Cheerio uniform out of box, her smile growing larger as she holds it up to her chest. For a moment, your mind flashes back to the fierce, energetic girl you fell for so many years ago.

"I wonder if it still fits..." she mutters.

"You'll have to try it on sometime," you tell her, chuckling slightly before biting your lip. Your laughter tastes forbidden—feels out of place. Too familiar, too intimate for where the two of you have ended up.

She places the uniform on the bed beside her, reaching for the next item—a withered corsage with only a few dried petals clinging to the pin.

"From our first homecoming," she smiles, chuckling a little herself. You allow yourself to relax, willing for this to feel more natural. She fingers it lightly. "Remember how you asked me?"

"How could I forget?" you grin, locking your eyes with her, your heart beginning to flutter involuntarily. "It was right after the glee pep assembly. I stepped up to the edge of the stage and asked you in front of the whole school. And then proceeded to trip over the edge before you could even answer."

She laughs, the memory filling both of you as your laughter mingles, a familiar feeling settling around you. For the first time in ages, something feels right.

"And I couldn't say no, seeing you pathetically sprawled across the gymnasium floor," she continues to grin, her face glowing. Without even thinking about it, you move closer to her on the bed. "I wonder what else is on here..."

She digs through the box enthusiastically now as you watch her, unable to stop the smile that spreads across your face.

"Look at this!" she exclaims, pulling a worn piece of paper from the bottom of the box, delicate from being folded and unfolded too many times. "It's the first note you gave me—before we even started dating. I still can't believe you spelled my name wrong..."

You lean over her shoulder, reading your familiar handwriting scrawled across the page. "Oh come on, cut me some slack!" you laugh, looking at the first line, which sure enough, says 'Terry' instead of 'Terri.' "At least I actually knew your name.."

She bursts into a fit of giggles, acting like the enamored school girl who read the note fifteen years before. You join her, your childish laughter making you feel better than you recall feeling in ages.

Your fit of laughter soon subsides, the heaviness settling back into the air as your laughter dies. You look at her, her face slightly pink as she finishes reading the note, her wavy hair falling loose from her ponytail. You cannot think of a time you have found her more stunning.

"I'm so sorry, Terri," the words spill from your lips before you can consider them, hanging between you. You don't regret them like you thought you would.

Terri's face, bright and flushed from your laughing fit, suddenly becomes serious, her eyes unable to find yours. But you lift her chin gently, stroking the soft skin, locking your gaze with hers, inclining your face gently toward hers.

And just like with any proper apology, you seal it with a kiss.

XXXX

You're half asleep, gently stroking her bare back, listening to the sound of her breathing steadily when the door to the bedroom swings open.

"Terr, just wanted to—oh!"

You tear yourself away from Terri immediately, pulling the sheet over your naked body as Kendra grins maniacally in the doorway, her eyes wide as she takes in the scene. "Should've guessed," she laughs. "Though I do have to give you props for being so quiet..Phil's a stallion in the bedroom, and I—"

"Kendra!" Terri finally snaps, sitting up as she holds the sheet over her bare chest. Her blue eyes gleam with anger in the dim light. "Get the fuck out of here."

Kendra holds up her hands defensively, but she tactfully closes the door, leaving you and Terri alone in the steamy darkness.

You instinctively reach for her, and she settles contently into your grasp. You press your lips against her shoulder, the familiar scent of vanilla settling around you, making you miss her even though she's in your arms.

Neither of you speak as you continue to hold her against you. It's easier, to pretend. It's easier to pretend that in the morning, you won't have to exchange goodbyes neither of you want to. That the following nights won't be filled with bitter loneliness, void of hope and haunted with memories.

It's easier to pretend that you still love her.

And for a brief moment, as you lay tangled together, feeling more like one person that the two separate people you've become, as if a day never passed by that you didn't hold her this way, you know that it is true.

A/N: Dedicated to Pretty Persistent. Yes, I took a break from Carma just for you :3