Hanging On

Hold

I had the dream that night.

Driving with my father, smiling at something he said. He looked so happy, his curly, dark brown hair the same as mine getting further and further back from his forehead every year. I looked mostly like my mom, but I had his hair, and his blue eyes.

It was dark outside, and we were just going into town to get ice cream and bring it home. Suddenly, there was another set of head lights coming down the road. My father frowned.

"Going kind of fast for around here." He muttered, shaking his head as the lights got closer. He turned his attention back to me.

"What kind if ice cream, kiddo?" he asked. I smiled at him but then a flash caught my eye, and I turned my head to be blinded by a set of head lights coming right at us. I screamed.

I woke up on impact.

"Daddy!" I shrieked, sitting bolt upright in my bed, the lights still flashing in my eyes.

Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open, a person standing in the door. I couldn't control my screams of terror as I curled into a ball, tears pouring down my face. I hadn't the night mare in so long...

Two strong arms wrapped around me, plucking me from the bed as if I weighed nothing. I stayed in my fetal position as I buried my face into a shirt.

Tucker's shirt.

He was holding me tight against his chest, rocking me back and forth like a child, rubbing my back.

"Shh, it's ok. Everything's alright. It was just a dream." He said, sounding a little too alarmed to be soothing.

"Why are you crying, Syd? Don't cry, please don't cry." He begged. I felt him bury his face into the base of my neck, his lips pressed against my skin, his breath blowing down my back.

I felt myself start to relax in his hold. Usually, these nightmares sent me running down the stairs, screaming, into my mother's room, where I would spend the night with her. But she could only do so much. She couldn't stop the images that flashed through my head, and I never went back to sleep after the nightmare.

When my cries subsided to only tiny sniffles, Tucker pulled back to look at my face, his expression worried. I wiped a hand across my face.

"Are you okay now?" he asked, looking at me closely. I nodded and shoved my fists into my eyes, feeling foolish.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Did I wake you?" I asked, looking at him sadly. A small smile played around his mouth.

"No, I was awake" he said in a soft voice. I looked at my hands, still clutching his now damp t shirt, and let go. I sniffled some more.

"I'm sorry for ruining your shirt." I said, touching the damp spot on his shoulder. In the dark, all I could see of his eyes was the reflection of the moon.

He watched me with worried eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked again, leaning towards me so he could see my face better. His face was so close I could smell his sweet breath as it washed over my face. I nodded. I had never been calmed down like that before. If course, my mother had always done her best, but even sleeping in with her, I would cry all night and stay wide awake. Tucker had calmed me down in a matter of moments.

He watched me for a minute longer.

"Alright." He said, standing up, still holding me against him. He gently set me back down on my bed and kissed my forehead, leaving me breathless. If I just tilted my head a little bit, our lips would touch...