Since We're Alone |NH|

Chapter 65

Sometime during the night, I rolled over and rubbed my eyes. Opening them, I saw a shadow and then a silhouette form in front of me.

"Ophelia?" I asked, my voice coming out raspy from sleep.

The figure shook her head and said, "No."

I bolted up. "Maggie?"

"Ding, ding."

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" I looked down and saw Ophelia still asleep next to me. 

Maggie stood up and walked over to her side. She gently sat down on the edge of the bed and dragged her fingernails down Ophelia's bare skin. 

 "Get your hands off her," I whispered as harshly as I could. If I could help it, I didn't want her to wake up to this psycho in my house.

She ignored my last statement, continuing to lightly stroke Ophelia's arm. "I came to get you back and find you in bed with another girl? A naked girl.  Niall, you know I'm the only one you want; the only one you'll ever want." She leaned forward right into my face. "The only one."

I shook my head and rubbed my eyes again but when I opened them she was still there. 

"You fucking stay away from her!"

"Now, Niall, that's no way to treat me. You haven't seen me in months, don't you miss me?"

"No, I don't."

"Ouch. That stung. Even though I know it's a lie."

"It's not a lie. Now get out," I said through gritted teeth. 

The only reason I hadn't made a move to remove this psychopath from my house or call the police was out of sheer fear of waking up Ophelia. Or worse, that Maggie would do something to her as I called the police or tried to remove her.

"No, I don't think I will. I think I need to wake up this poor little thing and set her straight. Let her know she needs to leave and stay gone. She can't have you. No one can. You're mine."

I finally made a move and grabbed her hand, lifting it away from Ophelia. "I said don't fucking touch her! Get out of my house before I call the police you fucking lunatic."

"Oh, please, Niall, you won't call the police because if you do, I'll scream." She shook her hand out of my grasp and started raking her nails across her skin. "And I'll tell them you did this to me. I'll tell them you hurt me."

"They won't believe that."

"Won't they?"

"You're in my house. You broke in. You're trespassing. They won't believe you. And if she wakes up, she'll be on my side because you're fucking crazy!"

"Am I?" She looked at me, and despite the darkness, I could see her eyes were just as wide as they always were; high as shit off some pill or another. "Are you sure I'm the crazy one?"

And then she let out this terrifying scream.

I bolted upright, tangled in the covers. I rubbed my eyes and looked around me. The room was shrouded in darkness. I grabbed my phone and looked at the time. I then used the light from it to see that Ophelia wasn't next to me.

"Ophelia?" I said, my voice raspy from sleep. Clearing it a bit, I said again, a little louder, "Ophelia? Where are you?"

I heard the flush of the toilet and a figure walk out from the darkness. 

"Niall?" 

I sighed a breath of relief, my body relaxing, when it was her voice that I heard. She had semi gotten dressed, having thrown one of my T-shirt's over her head. She climbed back into bed and reached out for me.

"Hey, are you okay? You're soaked with sweat but you're skin is cold."

I nodded as I latched onto her wrists, bringing her closer to me and pulling her onto my lap. "I'm fine. Just a bad dream, is all." I wrapped my arms around her waist and held onto her tightly, burying my face in her chest, inhaling both my scent from my shirt mixed with hers. 

"Care to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "I just want to hold onto you, if that's okay?"

I felt her hands cup my face and tilt my head upwards to face her. She rubbed her nose gently against mine before I felt her lips kiss me there. Again, the smallest of gestures, making me feel safe, again; making me feel loved, again. For the first time in a long time, she made me feel loved.

I brought my hands to her face and kissed her mouth. I pulled on her ankles and brought her legs around me. I kissed her again, softly, lazily. My arms wrapped around her, pulling her as close to me as I could get her, holding onto her as tightly as I could. Protecting us both from my demons.

She let go and slid off my lap. Adjusting the pillows and covers before laying down she reached for my arm to bring me to her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my head on her chest. Her steady breathing calming me down, as she ran her fingers through my hair. I squeezed her a little tighter and she brought her other arm up to rub my arm.

"I've got you," she whispered as she continued to lightly stroke my arm. 

Her breathing eventually became shallow and her arm stopped moving. Her grip around me loosened as my grip on her only tightened.

It was just a dream; a nightmare. Maggie wasn't here. She wasn't here. But, despite repeatedly telling myself that, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go wrong.