Sleep State

Chapter 18

- Christian -

"Christian. Christian."

He moaned at the sound of his name passing her pink lips. That beautiful mouth he longed to kiss, lick, and nip. It could be the only thing she ever said for the rest of his life and he would be happy because it was his name and her mouth that said it.

"Ana, I love you." He whispered and she smiled. A tiny flutter of joy danced inside him knowing he did that. He could make her smile. He loved that, and he loved her.

"Christian." Her voice rose an octave higher as she sang his name in the most delightful way.

Placing her chin to rest in the palm of her hand, she smiled again. What wouldn't he give to snapshot this moment? With her head just cocked to the side slightly, she stared at him with admiration as her cheeks flushed a pale red. Secretly, he wondered what thoughts ran through that beautiful mind of hers. She was so careful to guard it. Then as if his wish had been granted by some unforeseen force, everything changed. Her mood, stance, and the atmosphere altered. The muscles that worked effortlessly to convey her bliss distorted into sadness and pain.

"What's wrong?" Horror cursed his soul.

"You did this." Ana bowed her head. "You did this."

What did he do? Her vague answer left him confused, and slightly worrisome. Was it something he had said? No. That could not possibly be it. All he could remember was, well, her smile and that he loved her. So, where in the mix of that had something gone horribly wrong to make her seem so damn resentful toward him? His attempt to ask for more clarity only resulted in the same response, You did this. The way her tone vibrated the phrase rattled his soul. The way her smile erased from her expression so quickly depressed him. How could he make it reappear? How could he salvage what he had done without a clue as to what he did?

The pressure formed around his head and clouded his mind. Without warning, he tumbled to the ground. What in the world was happening to him?

Ana glided across the floor to him. Her petite, thin frame towered over his weakened body and he shuddered at the sight above him. Her complexion had been compromised with a red substance while her hair looked as if it had been tossed around in a wind storm. When did this happen? Seconds ago she appeared flawless, and now she looked like a wreck.

Her shoulders were hunched and tears streamed down her rosy cheeks. The innocence and compassion in her eyes faded. Fire only burned behind them now. "If you love me, why did you do this?" Her question disclosed so much pain with a broken voice. He did love her. He would never hurt her, not intentionally. Why would she say such a thing? Couldn't she see that he meant no harm. Couldn't she see he was helpless.

Literally, he felt glued to the floor unable to move. Panic set in. Every limb and muscle in his body went paralyzed. His vocal chords had been constricted as he attempted to speak, but only mouthed the words. His nightmare was only getting worse by the minute.

"Christian," his name caught his undivided attention. "Why did you do this?"

Fuck, if he knew the answer to that, he would tell her. He would shout it at the top of his lungs if he could, but nothing seemed to be in his favor. It was like luck had abandoned him and his brain lacked the ability to function. Someone had hollowed him out with a spoon and he wanted the missing pieces of him back. He needed those pieces to be returned to its rightful owner. It was the only way to know what he had done to upset her.

"You know what you did." She flung her body violently forward and pressed him into the ground as her hair hung in front of her face. Once a beautiful girl, now she was lost behind the heartache."You've known it all along. You did this."