Just for Tonight

5.

You are driving too fast, darling.
You don't have time... Omg no !!!

A crash. Fire everywhere. Shoutings. The world went black.

***

Chloe woke up, screaming.

The curtain on her left opened wide.

"Shhh, Shhh, Chloe. Still. I'm here" Ville muttered, squeezing her hand.

He saw tears on her cheeks and wiped them away. She couldn't talk, she was shocked.

Ville didn't asked her permission : he crawled into her bed and held her to his chest. She tried to pull him away but his warm body against her was comforting. He didn't dare ask a question, all he wanted was to keep her in his arms and give her a feeling of safety. He lightly kissed her forehead and he felt her relaxing into his embrace.

"I'm going nowhere, close your eyes and rest, honey"

She softly nooded against his chest and felt asleep.

The next morning, she woke up in Ville's arms, remembering her nightmare.

"Am I supposed to explain something ? " she thought. She wasn't ready to go through this once again, even if it was with Ville.

He was still asleep. She saw his beautiful face in peace, no marks of tiredness on it, his tentative lips, his bare chest with these beautiful tattos. Her heart skipped a beat when he woke up.

"Morning Chloe, do you feel better ?" he said with a low voice.

"Thanks... for this night" she whispered.

"My pleasure" he replied and he got out of her bunk.

During the day, she felt he tried to avoid her as much as possible. It was weird but their eyes didn't meet once, even when she told him about the interviews he had in the afternoon.

She was puzzled but she kept a straight face all day.

Later that night, when everyone was asleep, she felt a warm hand crossing the curtain and searching for hers.

She took his hand in hers and gently squeezed it.

"can't sleep ?" his deep voice asked.

"Not really" she smiled. "And you ?"

"Too much things crossing my mind" he told her. "Everyone is sleeping, maybe it's better if I come to you?he suggested.

He crawled into her bed once again, facing her in the dark.

" I won't ask any question", he stated. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need."

"You don't have to" she whispered. "As I told you, I have things to fix with my own life"

"And as I told you, I do care for you" he muttered.

"So why..." she hesitated. " Why did you avoid me today ?"

He didn't reply immediately. He tried to find the right words to explain himself. His silence was becoming quite embarassing when he softly kissed her cheek before explaining :

" Well, we woke up together in the same bed, right ? And I don't want you to think that I want to take advantage on you. I saw the tears in your eyes and it... Hurt me I guess. I spent the night with you because I decided to comfort you the best I could. And I will do it again every time you need. It's quite the only way for me to be close to you, as you didn't open up to me".

"Why ! I mean, I'm your press agent, you hired me and now... You speak about being close to me..."

"I care about you, Chloe," he murmured. "Yes, you're doing incredible work, but it's more than that. You're kind, smart, straightforward. You have a way of bringing lightness into my life, making everything feel less... heavy. And, to be honest, I enjoyed being with you last night."

Silence settled between them, and for a moment, he wondered if he'd gone too far, if he'd said too much. But the thought of her walking away one day, of this moment ending, worried him.

" And, and I' m also afraid of getting used to hold you in my arms and one day, you won't be here anymore. Life taught me that good things have to come to their end" he added bitterly.

Chloe hid her head in his chest and he soon felt her tears on his skin.

"Shhh, honey. It's okay, I didn't mean to make you cry"

Chloe snorted, tried to hold back her tears and managed a small, broken laugh.

"Well.... Do you like me that much ?"

"Yes. I feel... Tenderness and the need to... Protect you." he muttered.

"I also... liked last night" she shyly said, making him smile in the dark.

"Good night, dear" he said and began to crawl back into his bunk.

"Ville, please.... Stay with me" she asked, her voice filled with a quiet vulnerability.

He took her in his arms and hold her tight.

"Is it better ?" he asked.

"Much better". She softly kissed his arm she was lying on. "One day, I'll open up to you" she promised.

And in the warmth of that shared promise, they drifted into a peaceful silence, both feeling for the first time that they weren't alone.