White Lies

Sweets

The heaviness over her body renders her immobile as she comes to. Was she asleep? Did she pass out? She hears him groan over her. What is he doing?

"Perry?" Her voice comes out hoarse, like she hasn't spoken for a while. All she hears back are mutters and curses. She tries again, "Perry, what's going on?"

She is flat on her stomach, her arms pulled behind her, held tight by Perry's hand. He adjusts himself over her, sitting on her naked thighs. Blanche tries to look over her shoulder, but he won't let her turn. All he does is push her back on the bed. A sharp pain cuts through her when he presses down on her back. She panics as she tastes the distinct iron flavour in her mouth - blood. Only then does the rest of the acute pain surface. Her legs throb. Her face feels numb and swollen. One eye is heavy. Her scalp is tender. There is pain and heat in her stomach.

Blanche focuses on what happened before she fainted. From one hard punch on her face. Perry. She confronted him. She told him they're over. But what did he do? He beat her up. Punches, slaps and kicks, until she fell. And now, what is he doing?

"Perry, please... You're scaring me." It may be the wrong thing to say. He's never gone this far before.

"Suck it up, princess." His words are clear, soaked in malice, and follows them with a menacing laugh.

Tears prickle her eyes, sting the wounds. Blanche chokes on her scream as the man she's loved for years does the unthinkable.

A beeping wakes her up. No, it wasn't the sound that brings her back. It was her memory, her nightmare. She sucks in a gasp, clamouring to push air back into her lungs. Instincts kick in as one of her hands fly on top of her stomach.

"Blanche? Baby, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here." Hunter's large, warm hand covers hers over her belly. His eyes are red, full of worry.

"The baby?"

Hunter nods. "Our baby's fine. Healthy." His calloused fingers caress her face. "You fainted, and we took you here. They did some tests. It's your sugar, babe." His voice sound restrained.

"Gestational diabetes?" she asks. She's read about the condition as a possible complication during pregnancy. Hunter confirms with a nod.

"Rest up, babe. Go back to sleep. I'll be right beside you the entire time." Hunter leans down to kiss her lips, soft, warm, engaging. She responds to it, pulling his head with her hand, so she an have more of him. He pants when she releases him. "Wow."

"Sorry," Bee says with a shy smile on her face.

"No, it was great. I just..." He doesn't continue, but Bee follows the movement of his hand to his chest, splaying his fingers over where his heart is. His face lights up into a beaming smile. "You know we can't do anything here. And with a kiss like that, I want to jump into bed with you."

Laughter bubbles out of her. "You wouldn't."

Hunter looks up and straight across to the closed door. "They've already tried to kick me out once tonight. I promised them I'll behave." His hand returns to caress her cheeks. "Go back to sleep, babe."

Sleep? How can she tell him she doesn't want to? Not if it means her nightmares return. The memory of what Perry did to her has turned into what bad dreams are made of. The first night she slept on Hunter's couch, that first night they met and he took her to his apartment, was the first time her nightmares have disappeared. She didn't take much notice then, chalking it up to exhaustion, hoping that she's finally found her courage again.

At the bar, when Hunter pressed her against the wall outside the bathroom, she could have felt fear and anxiety. She could have fought him off, screamed, kneed him in the balls. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw a mirror of her own emotions. Hunter was as afraid and as lonely as she felt. With that knowledge, she found her courage. She was safe with Hunter.