𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄, damiano david

━━𝟏𝟕.𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

In the middle of the night I woke up panting heavily. My breathing was unregulated and my heartbeat much too fast. Sweat clung to my body and I peeled myself out of the covers.

It was very dark in the room, my eyes couldn't get used to it properly and I had the feeling of being blind. My chest was shaking because panic was rising in me.
Fear seemed to rattle my body from within, shaking it and leaving me drained.

I wanted to feel for the light switch to shoo away the suffocating darkness, while panic raced down on me like a sword. My breathing became more and more frantic, my chest rose and fell and I felt powerless.
The light came on, the room was bathed in dim light and my gaze darted to my left, Damiano straightened up in bed.

His brown eyes found me, my body still trembling.
"Coraline?" he closed the distance between us and pulled me to his chest. My ear was directly over his heart and I heard the regular thumping.

"Shh," he said softly against my hair, "I'm here with you, you're safe, all is well."
His voice and the steady pounding of his heart soothed me. It took a few minutes for my breathing to regulate, but when I reached out a hand to take his, it was still shaking violently.

"You're safe," he repeated softly and I believed his words, but still the panicky feeling sat deep in my bones. It was only a matter of time before it would take over my body again.

"I don't know how it happened," I said quietly and in a shaky voice, "I don't think I dreamt anything, it just happened. I'm sorry I woke you up."
Damiano put a finger under my chin and pushed my head up so I had to look at him, "Never apologise for something like that. This is why I'm here, to be here for you," he kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes to enjoy the feel of his lips on my skin a little longer.
"Thank you Damiano," I murmured.

Our fingers intertwined and I smiled, "What time is it?" I asked then.
He turned to the bedside table and looked at his phone, "Three in the morning," he replied and I screwed up my face.

"I think I'll take a shower," I said and took my hand out of his.
Damiano watched as I went to the wardrobe to get fresh clothes out and then ran to the bathroom.
I've always been someone who likes to shower late at night or at night, Damiano had to remember.

The warm water did me good, it relieved the tension in my body. As I washed my hair, the water turned pink, a strangely beautiful sight, it must have been from the dried blood in my hair.

I didn't stay in the shower any longer than possible so I could quickly go back to Damiano, who probably wanted to go back to sleep.

Damiano was still lying in bed exactly as before, as if he hadn't moved since I had left.
Wet, my hair fell to my shoulders and dripped onto the large T-shirt I was wearing like a nightgown.

I crawled back onto my side of the bed and reached for the blanket.
Damiano stretched out an arm so that I could lie on it at my side, then he stroked my back.
I looked into his face, which was only a few centimetres away from mine, and it relaxed me to see his familiar brown eyes resting on me.

"You have a bump there," Damiano suddenly said, pointing to my head with his free hand."Oh really?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Yes"
"Great"Damiano grinned, "You still look beautiful," he said and I felt warm.
"You are and always will be a charmer" I said unimpressed and he raised his eyebrows, "Excuse me? I was paying you a compliment," he poked me on the nose and I wrinkled it.

"Don't do that," I said with a grin as he ran a finger along my face, it tickled."Why?"
"Because it tickles"
"Mm," he didn't stop, his finger moving from my nose to cheekbones, jaw and then to my lips.
Gently he stroked them, everything in me tingling as I remembered how close we had been to kissing when my father had interrupted us.