AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes remained closed, and he realized she was weeping in her sleep.
He knelt over her, unsure if he should wake her, but then she began to mumble soft words, indistinguishable to his ears. She trembled as if she were afraid. Whatever she dreamed of, it wasn’t good. Far from the sweet, innocent fantasies he thought she would be having.
When she started thrashing around, he had to wake her. At the very least to rescue her from what she feared in the land of make believe.
He laid a hand on her good shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. “Eva. Eva, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”
The gasp that escaped her as she sat straight up made him remove his hand from her shoulder and sit back on his haunches. As she gulped for air, her eyes were wild.
He took hold of her waist and tried to steady her back into reality. “Eva, it’s okay. I’m here. Nothing’s going to hurt you... Do you understand me?”
The tears ran steadily down the apples of her cheeks as her mouth contorted with pain. She looked to him, and he was sure she saw him. She bit her bottom lip and threw herself into his arms.
He hadn’t expected this, from this fearless woman, but he welcomed her with open arms. What would it be like to be closer to her, to this angel? Right now, he was getting a front-row seat.
There were cracks in her wall that she used to block out the world and dents in her armor that she wore to keep people at bay.
Her quiet cries had turned into all-out sobs as she clutched onto his back and shoulders. He held her tight and rested his chin atop her head. The need to make her feel surrounded in protection was overwhelming.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
He leaned on the concrete and let her rest against him. He had a hunch she never let people see her like this, let alone comfort her.
Maybe it was the powder drug she’d taken for the pain. Or maybe it was him? Did she want to get to know him better, to be closer to him? How could she get close to someone that didn’t even know who they were?
There was nothing he could tell her about himself from his past, and there was very little he knew about the present. All he had was the raw instinct to learn, to help, and to find a purpose in this life.
Sure, he still longed for his past memories, for a slice of information that would explain where he came from, but the fact was they may never return. And he couldn’t mourn that forever. He had to keep moving forward in life and find a way to unlock the door to his future. So why did she feel like the key?
After he brushed the cool skin of her arm, he reached for more fur blankets and covered her the best he could. She quieted as her body warmed, and he stroked her hair as she became all but silent.
She looked to him then. Red rims framed her green irises, her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were flushed. But none of that mattered... for she was only inches away from his face. He could feel the warmth of her breath and the wet spray of her tears on his skin.
She licked her lips, her eyes centering their attention on his mouth. But then she jerked back as if she’d been hit by a big dose of reality. Her eyes moved around the tunnel, looking at everything but him.
The pelt had fallen from her chest, exposing her bra and bare skin. Eva scrambled for a cover but winced as the movement tugged at her fresh wound.
He moved to help her. “Here, let me get you another shirt from your bag.”
She raised her hands. “No. I got it.”
The contents of her bag were being thrown all over the tunnel as she dug for a shirt. When she found a button-down, she slid it on her right arm, then struggled with her left. She needed help, but she was too proud, or too embarrassed, to ask for it.
He took hold of the shirt, eased the armhole open, and waited for her to insert her arm. She still wouldn’t look at him—the wall she put up had been reassembled, and she was guarding it like the soldier she was.
As Eva buttoned the shirt, he smoothed her collar. His finger grazed her skin and she stopped her movement. A shiver swept through her before she reached for her scattered clothes. She refolded them, placed them back into her bag, and then resumed her position on the pallet.
He covered her with the fur, then stood, the air becoming thick with tension. Maybe she needed a moment alone?
The rain seemed to be stopping; maybe he could catch them something to eat.
He walked toward the tunnel opening, but before he left, he looked back over his shoulder. Could he leave her?
She seemed lucid; she’d probably taken that drug countless times before. That would mean she could shoot her gun if need be, and he wouldn’t go that far, just several yards from the tunnel. If she fired her gun, he would no doubt hear it.
“Eva, you have your gun handy?”
Her face was turned away from him; she wasn’t keeping track of him. Maybe she wouldn’t even know he was gone.
