Whirlwind | W.M.

28

"Can't sleep?" I whisper to Wanda, who was plastered in my arms with her head resting on my chest as her lightly damp, autumn hair messily cascades between us.

After the shower, my legs felt like jelly for a multitude of reasons though unfortunately, not all of them were good. I could still feel myself reeling from the effects of earlier that day, and Wanda could tell I still wasn't up to my usual energy so she made it a point to make sure everyone knew not to disturb us. She was incredibly patient, attentive to my every need that I had to remind her a few times that I was just a little tired, not laying on my death bed.

With the door locked and the room all to ourselves, neither of us really felt the need to put on any proper clothes. With only our underwear on, we laid under the covers, enjoying the warmth our skin brought pressed against one another amidst the cold weather outside. The rain had only gotten stronger as the night went on, thrashing against the windows in a steady thud as I lightly ran my finger down her back.

She wasn't okay, I could feel it. She hadn't relaxed, not one bit. Every time i'd struggle to move, to do anything, it was like alarms would go off in her head. It was painful to see her so scrambled, so desperate and afraid. I just wish, with all my heart that I could just ease her mind but it was beyond me. I knew her fears ran deeper than what had happened to me, so I just held her close. As close as I could, hoping maybe if I held her enough she'd see that I wasn't going anywhere.

"No. Can you?" She mumbles softly, moving to look up at me through tired eyes. I offer her a sad smile, bringing a hand up to her face, gently cupping her cheeks.

"What's on your mind?" I ask, unable to bear the agony that came with having to watch her unravel all because of me.

"I just— I'm scared." She says, admitting it directly for the first time since I had returned. Hearing her say it with those eyes, that defeated look on her face was a whole nother level of torturous.

"Nothing is going to happen. I'm here now, with you. We're together." I soothe, but it barely does anything. Her eyes were still so desperate, so beaten as she looks back at me. I can tell she's trying so hard to believe me, but I wasn't going to hold it against her if she couldn't.

I understood that all she had felt and been through could have been massively traumatic, that the events of today had acted like some kind of trigger for her. I couldn't imagine how it must have struck her, to come up and find me covered in blood, barely able to take a step by myself. I felt a pang of guilt for her spiral, feeling some sort of responsibility for all the resurfaced fear she's having to deal with now.

"I feel like if I close my eyes, you'll be gone." She says softly, weakly as my hands still to gently rest against the small of her back.

"Weren't you the one who said that danger is part of this?" I raise a brow, speaking as tenderly as I could as Wanda releases a soft sigh.

"This is different. You're different. I can't lose you. Not you too." She whispers the last few words, but I catch it anyway. I place a gentle kiss atop her forehead, my hands moving to slowly tread through her hair as she keeps her eyes on me.

"I promise that no matter what, i'll always come back to you." I can't stress just how much I meant it, wishing I could rip out my heart and show her the sincerity I held.

"Do you believe the whole theory about past lives?" I ask out of nowhere, skimming the first thought off the top of my head as she looks back ar me curiously.

"I mean... I guess. Nothing is impossible anymore." She replies reluctantly, still waiting for me to explain such a bizzarely timed question.

"Then you believe that we'd have more lifetimes after this one?" A small smile crawls onto my lips at the adorable look on her face. I could practically see the gears in her mind turning, trying to guess where my questions led.