A Distant Memory

Chapter 19 - Nightmares

Marko Anderson's pov

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I knew that deep down Olivia cares for me like I care for her, she cares in her own way.

She cares when whenever I stub my toe against the leg of a table asks if I'm okay, she cares when she talks to me about her life, when little by little she starts to let me in even if she doesn't realize it. 

I know that she cares when she tells me about her childhood but not in the way she would tell anyone, in the way that her eyes bright up and she gets visibly excited. I know that she overthinks a lot, so I care by telling her to continue when she thinks that she's being annoying. And I'll tell her every single time to continue 'cause I adore her voice, her plump lips, her light green eyes and those beautiful freckles of hers. I adore her through and through.

Ever since I've been taking care of her, Rose has grown a liking to me, she giggles with me and tells me jokes. When Rose sees me she hugs me, and I imagine what my life would be if me and Olivia got together, if I moved in with Eve and this would be my home, even though my little girl and Oli are already my home, because home isn't always place.

I wonder who she was before meeting her ex, who she was before having Rose and who she was before Hatchel. But despite it all I wouldn't trade a thing of who she is and her past, because it shaped her into who she is today.

I've been sleeping in the guest bedroom and every night when I know that she's asleep, I peek through her door just to make sure that she's fine, to make sure that she's safe.

When that bastard almost killed her I wanted to kill him, but I knew that whatever he faced in prison would be worse. I'm no saint and I've been to prison, I have prison buddies that I know that would kill at my slightest whim. And if Elliott Scott didn't face life sentence? Then I'd have to kill at my slightest whim.

I'd be lying if I said that I never thought I would kill for her, ever since I saw her for the first time I knew that I'd live, die and kill for her. 

Tonight when I checked in on her, I saw her tossing and turning, sweating and panting heavily. She was slightly crying and muttering something over and over again. My breath got clogged in my throat and all I wanted to do was hold her and let her know that she had me, and that I could be enough for her if she gave me a chance.

I quickly made my way to her and shook her awake careful to not hurt her wounds, she would get the stitches removed tomorrow, marking three weeks after the accident. Olivia would also get her cast off and replaced by a boot. She told me that the wounds still hurt a bit but that her broken bone doesn't.

"no, no, no." she muttered over and over again, it broke my heart to see her like this. I shushed her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Everything's okay, I'm here now. I'm not leaving" I whispered while caressing her cheek, her eyes fluttered open, she looked disorientated. It was pitch dark but I knew that she recognized my eyes.

"It was just a bad dream" I whispered, she inspected my face for a little longer and started crying softly, I frowned and wiped her tears away, much to my surprise she did not slap my hand away, instead she softly held my wrist and I felt her soft hands against my bare skin. Right then and there, I wanted to get inside her brain and know exactly what she was thinking, how she was feeling.