Somniphobia

Chapter 3. Exhaustion

Aria POV
I whimpered softly as I looked up at what I bumped into.

"Do you always walk with your head down?" he asked as I stared up at him.

"N-no," I stammered.

"Well, you do it awfully a lot. Seems like you don't even notice it," he replied, making my cheeks heat with embarrassment. "You should be more cautious, princess."

"T-that's n-not m-my n-name," I argued, pouting at him angrily as he laughed at me.

"Shh," I hushed him, reminding him that my parents—and his friend—were sleeping.

"I know that isn't your name, princess," he laughed softly, smiling at me for the first time since he came here.

"T-then w-why a-are y-you c-calling m-me t-that i-if y-you k-know i-it's n-not m-my n-name?" I asked him reasonably.

He stared directly into my eyes, his jaw clenching softly. "You remind me of a princess," he admitted.

I blushed instantly and stared down at the floor so he wouldn't notice.

"Why are you up so late, little one?" he asked.

"I w-went t-to g-ge-get m-myself s-so-some w-water," I stammered, still staring down.

"You shouldn't be up so late," he told me, making me feel like a child being scolded for staying up past bedtime.

"I-I'm e-eighteen... I d-don't h-have a b-bedtime. I c-can b-be u-up l-late, y-you k-know," I muttered.

He smirked and stepped closer, making me back up against the wall nervously. He planted his hand on the wall above my head, leaning down toward me with a playful smile.

"Are you getting smart with me, little one?" he asked.

"N-no," I stammered softly. "Y-you s-should g-go t-to b-bed," I whispered angrily.

"Yeah?" he smirked. "W-why a-are y-you u-up?" I asked since he had questioned me.

"Same reason you got up," he replied, taking my water bottle out of my hand.

"H-hey—t-that's m-mine," I complained, reaching for it. He lifted it higher so I couldn't reach.

"It's mine now, princess," he said casually, ignoring how upset I was.

"Y-you're m-mean," I pouted, grabbing onto his shoulders to pull his arm down. Suddenly he shoved me back against the wall, his expression turning harsh.

I whimpered in pain from how rough he was.

"Don't fucking touch me," he snapped.

Tears flooded my eyes. I rushed past him and into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.

I crawled into my bed, covering myself with my blanket as I cried softly. I took a shaky breath to calm down, but my eyes burned, causing even more tears to fall.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to stop the burning, but my body started shutting down, trying to force me to sleep.

I shot my eyes open quickly and sat up, refusing to let myself fall asleep. My eyes felt heavy, closing on their own for seconds at a time before I forced them open.

I lay back, staring at the ceiling to stay awake, but my eyelids still fluttered shut. I thought about those forest green eyes staring into mine.

He was so mean and scary. He made me so nervous—I hated it.

I had never felt attracted to anyone in my life until I met him. His eyes were so pretty, and he was so handsome... and terrifying.

His huge biceps looked like they could crush someone's skull. Veins bulged all over his arms like lightning strikes beneath his skin.