erik menendez // if you love me..don't let go

chapter seventeen

Scarlett's POV

I laid on my bed in the darkness, the only sound being the tick tock of the clock which read 3:02 AM. Dad had left the room at some point earlier in the night and he didn't come back yet, leaving me to my own imaginations. And they weren't happy ones. I woke up an hour ago in a pool of sweat from a nightmare and the realization that Dad wasn't there, so I haven't been able to sleep since then.

The duvet cover was wrapped around my head for "protection", but in reality, I think it just made it worse because then I was scared that I didn't know what was going on around me.

With the mix of the ticking of the clock and my shaky breath, I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep, and so I did something very ambitious. I hesitantly peeled off the blanket from my body, instantly making me shiver, and I walked out my room towards Erik's, where I tapped on the door and hoped for the best.

Erik's POV

Knock.

Knock.

Knock. Knock.

I stirred in my bed, trying to get out of the dream my mind was trapped in.

Knock.

Wait, maybe it wasn't a dream? I raised my head, trying to get my other ear to listen in on the noise.

Knock Knock.

Yep, it was definitely not a dream. Groaning, I sloppily got out of my comfy bed and walked towards the door.

I opened the door a tiny sliver, but the sight of long, brown hair caused me to open it fully, letting me get a wonderful view of Scarlett.

She clearly had just woken up from a rough sleep. She was wearing a big shirt that went to her mid-thigh, where I couldn't stop looking at, and her hair was all ruffled and un-brushed. Somehow, she looked ten times sexier, even with her disheveled face and all.

"Hi." I broke the silence.

"Hey." She whispered, giving me a half-ass smile.

"You okay?"

"Uhm.." She rubbed her arm up and down. "This is kind of embarrassing."

I took her hand and held it in mine, stroking her fingers back and forth with my thumb. "Just say it."

"My dad left sometime in the night and I got scared." She admitted. "So I came here."

She looked up at me with begging eyes, and I fell right under them. Did she really think I was going to refuse her?

"Scarlett," I sighed her name. "Come in, let's get some sleep."

"Thank you." She gave me another big-eyed look before walking into the room.

As I climbed into the bed, she just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Scarlett, come on." I waved my arm for her to come over, the blanket open and ready to envelope her.

Hesitantly, she walked over and the mattress dipped as she slipped in beside me. She turned around to face me until our lips were inches apart. My eyes flicked down to her swollen lips where it looked like she bit down on them until they bled. I raised my arm and touched them with the tips of my fingers. Her eyes fluttered at the contact as I stroked her bottom lip back and forth.

"You shouldn't do that." I whispered.

"I know," Her lips brushed against mine as she spoke. "It's a bad habit."

"Well," I pressed a soft, yet loving kiss to her lips. "You should stop." I kissed her again, letting my lips linger on hers for a bit longer. "Otherwise, how will I be able to kiss your pretty lips once they get too raw?" Another kiss. I fully pulled back so I could see her face. A big smile reached her face.

"That's true." She placed a kiss on my lips this time, heating my face. "I would hate not getting to kiss you." I looked away before looking back at her, needing to collect myself. My face was burning with passion, but good thing it was pitch black in the room, otherwise I would've looked like a complete fool.

"Let's go to sleep." I pecked her nose, getting a little laugh out of her.

I expected her to turn around so her back would be against my chest, but instead, she came incredibly closer to me. Her arm wrapped around my waist, tugging me against her, and one of her legs hooked around my thigh. Her face buried into my chest, allowing me to smell her clean hair. At first, I froze, not knowing what to do, but then her soft words soothed me. "Cuddle me."

Almost shaking, I wrapped my around her head and tangled my hands in her hair. My legs tangled up with hers and soon we were two puzzle pieces connected.

Scarlett's POV

Daddy opened the door for me, and I ran in to see Mommy dressed up and ready to leave her hospital room.

"Mommy!" I yelled as I ran up to her. She kneeled down and opened her arms wide to embrace me. Her beautiful hair smelled like a bright sunny morning with nutella crepes. It was my favorite scent.

***

Daddy opened the door for me, and I ran in to see Mommy sitting at the edge of her hospital bed.

"Mommy?" I questioned as I walked up to her. She didn't look at me, or say anything. She just sat and stared blankly into space.

Suddenly, the veins on her exposed arms and legs started to go black, violently spreading.

"Mo-Mommy?" I shuddered, slowly backing up even though I wanted to reach her so badly.

Her whole body started spazzing, and it was the most traumatizing thing I've ever seen. Her eyes were now a deep black, completely different from their once green beauty.

I tried to run out of the room, but I couldn't escape. Each time I exited the room, I would be entering the same room again, but Mommy would look even worse. She didn't look like the Mommy I used to love and care for. No, I didn't know who this was.

***

I sprang up with a gasp. Sweat drenched every single inch of my body, but coldness wrapped around me at the same time. I looked down at my hands. They were there. I looked around the room once my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I wasn't in a hospital. I let out a sigh of relief. It was fine, I'm okay. It was just a nightmare.

"Scarlett?" Someone's raspy voice made me jump, and I looked down to see Erik's head next to one of my thighs. He was looking up at me, half asleep and yawning.

"Sorry," I tried to catch my breath. "Just a nightmare."

His hand slowly started to stroke my thigh, and my body grew less tense and shaky. "Tell me about it." He murmured.

Lying down so I was facing him once again, I told him about the nightmare I had.

"And it was the same one I had before I came here, but this time, worse." I clenched my eyes shut to try and rid of the dream, but then I just saw it again even more clearer.

The whole time I talked about it, Erik's eyes were intently focused on mine as his hand dragged across my hair. Over time, we found our way locked together in the same piece as before, but his eyes never left mine.

"I'm so sorry, Scarlett." He whispered into my hair as he brought my face against his chest. His lips pressed against my head. "You're safe with me."

And I didn't have to ask for reassurance, because I knew it was true. From the first time we hung out when he gripped my thighs while playing chicken with such strength, to when he held me tight on the train to Manhattan, I always knew I was safe with him. I just hoped he knew that he was safe with me.