AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s what you want to talk about now?” I asked, annoyed.
“Sort of, but about the nightmares, when was the last time you had them this bad?” He asked.
“When my wife died,” I replied.
“Three years ago? That’s a long time,” he said, his face scrunched up as he thought.
“If Becca sees my night terrors again, she’ll get scared,” I And I didn’t want her scared, yesterday she managed to calm me down fast, whispering comforting words as I lay there shaking.
“What? You want her to stay?” He asked.
“I like her well enough, I wouldn’t mind,” I replied.
“Vulnerability, you’re being vulnerable,” he said, his face bright as he had just discovered something coveted. “When your wife died, your nightmares returned, you were vulnerable, in pain, suffering, weak, it left your mind open for fear to invade and now, you like someone, a different type of vulnerability, but your mind is open and it’s creeping in again.”
“I’m happy Ian, why should I get the nightmares now?” I asked. After Sarah’s death, I’d fallen into a dark abyss, wallowing in self-pity and pain. The only thing that had saved me was Mark.
He had been solely my responsibility, and I was all he had, so I dragged myself out of that dark space and forced myself to heal.
Becca showed up that evening with leftovers from the cafe. She said she had no interest in salty pancakes. After dinner, she would stay the night.
We spent most of the evening watching movies together and then said our goodnights to Ian and made our way up the stairs to my room. There, we made love and fell asleep together.
That was until I felt my body convulsing and Becca’s arm wrapped around me as she held me tight as my body continued to convulse. Her soft voice reached me as though from afar, whispering with gentle reassurances in my ear. "It's okay, Hunter. It's just a dream. I'm here with you."
But I was shaking and shuddering, lost in the nightmare. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my body began to relax. My breathing evened out, and my limbs grew still. Becca held me for a few moments longer, just to be sure I was truly calm and settled.
When she finally pulled away, my eyes opened slowly. I looked around, dazed and disoriented, unsure of where I was or what had just happened. Vague strains of the nightmare were caught in dark webs in the corner of my mind.
"What was it about?" Becca asked softly, trying to keep her voice gentle and non-threatening.
I looked away; my expression guarded. "It was nothing," I said, my voice clipped and tight.
Becca frowned. "It didn't look like nothing," she said gently. "It looked like it was really bothering you."
I shrugged, still avoiding her gaze. "It's just a nightmare," I said. "It doesn't mean anything."
“This is the second time Hunter, it’s not nothing.”
“I promise, I’m fine,” I said to her gently, trying to reassure her as much as I wanted to reassure myself.
Without another word, she laid back down beside me and wrapped her arms around me once more. Gradually my body eased, but my mind didn’t. The nightmares were slowly worsening. They’d always spaced out before but lately, they occurred almost every night.
They left me gasping and with shortness of breath, and Becca was worried about me. I didn’t want her worried, not about the nightmares.
“Becca, I’m going to be fine,” I whispered to her softly. “I need to fight this, then I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t have to do it alone. I’m waiting right here for you to let me in,” she said, looking up at me. I leaned in and kissed her lips. Then I nodded, and she snuggled up against me, resting her head against my chest.
I released a cleansing breath as I had been taught to do after an attack and closed my eyes, letting my body relax into the bed. My breath slowed and deepened, and soon enough, we both fell asleep again.
The Date
Becca’s POV
I climbed the stairs as fast as I could, already tying back my hair. First things first: I took a shower and washed my hair, taking extra care to make sure that it was soft and silky. Then I wrapped it in a towel and went to my room to start on my makeup.
I wanted to look natural, but still glamorous, so I went for a neutral palette with just a hint of shimmer. I applied foundation to even out my skin tone, then brushed on some blush to give my cheeks a rosy glow. I lined my eyes with a smoky brown pencil and added a few coats of mascara to make them pop.
