The Walls that Separate Us | E.W.

8• Warm Calloused Fingertips

STELLA

I awoke for the fourth time from a deep sleep in the past eighteen hours with a jolt, my body dipped in an unbearable cold sweat. Broken "No's" left my lips as my hands frantically searched around for anything familiar to grasp to as I had struggled to rid my skin of the sickly warm feeling of the man's skin on mine. Pain, pain, pain.  "Stop!" I yelled aloud. It seemed as if I was still in the nightmare and couldn't grasp to reality for the life of me.

I aggressively wiped at my skin, sobs leaving my lips and Toby was at my side fast and I had accidentally pushed him away. "No, go away," I wasn't telling him to go away, I was..

"Hey, hey, hey," A familiar soft, rasped voice drawled, warm calloused hands grasping onto mine and I struggled to bring my surroundings back in until the hands planted on my cheeks. I pushed at her shoulders, only feeling him. The Wolf taking what was mine. "Get away from me!"

"Stop, Riley, it's me!" She cried and I stopped abruptly upon hearing her, peering into Ellie's wide jade eyes. "I'm here. Breathe, I'm here," She repeated and another sob broke through my lips. "Ellie..." My voice came out as a broken whisper.

Without any thought whatsoever, I flung myself into her open arms and she was taken back for a moment until she had held back just as tight, sliding her fingers up and down the skin on my back in comfort, whispering sweet nothings into my ear. Her warm breath tickled my skin. "It's okay, It's okay,"

I clung to her like she was going somewhere else far away from here. Never would I have pictured myself being cradled in the arms of someone who claims to hate my fucking guts all because of a stupid dream.

Her hands found the back of my head and she thrummed her fingers through my knotted locks, hands holding my neck softly. "It's okay. Was just a dream. You're here," She whispered and my sobs had eventually died down to the light trembling of my body. Once I had finally grabbed onto my senses, I pulled away from Ellie in pure embarrassment, my shaky palms rising to slap away the strands of hair sticking to my face. "I'm sorry, I- I don't know..-" I tried to say but Ellie stopped me for me.

"I get 'em too." She said just barely above a whisper, still peering into me with concerned eyes and I found comfort in the way she was slightly worried about me. But then I felt bad, having most likely woken her up and that she had them like I did and I was yet to comfort her. I let out a trembling breath, propping myself up on my elbows. "Do you need anything..?" She began to ask but I had already let out an aggressive shake of my head, earning a quiet "okay" in response. "Sorry for waking you if I did."

"I was already awake. Took watch."

"There's nothing out there, it's pouring."

"Thought I saw something earlier," She muttered quietly but I knew it was a lie. The dark eyes and lines under her restless eyes really sold her out. She didn't get an hour of sleep.

"I can take watch if you need me to," I offered but she had pushed it away quickly. "I got it, 's fine."

"It's not like I'm going back to sleep anytime soon," I mumbled, swiping my hands over the sleep still plaguing the back of my eyes. She was quiet.

"Do you think..." Ellie halted her sentence like she was unsure of what she was about to ask. "Do you think it'd help if, I don't know, you slept next to someone? I kinda can't get any fucking sleep when you're up here screaming all night." She asked quietly, muttering the last part and my heartbeat suddenly thumped faster in my chest as what she was implying. Someone. Did I hear that right? I'd always slept by myself unless it was with Abby or next to Toby. Now next to Ellie?