the cool side of the pillow {styles au}

seven

I'm walking through the woods at a brisk pace, looking for something although I don't have any idea what it is. Twigs snap loudly beneath my feet as I keep moving. It's so dark I can barely see five feet in front of my face, but somehow I maneuver through the trees easily. It's as if something is pulling me towards it - something I can't see. Suddenly, I'm in the middle of a clearing and a log cabin sits in the center. This is what I was searching for. I continue to move forward quickly, wanting to know what lies within the cabin.

When I reach the front door, I push it open without even a second's hesitation. A cold breeze blows from behind me, bringing the material of my white dress up dangerously high and whipping my hair around in my face. The wind remains constant for a few minutes as I scan the room, finding it to be completely empty. Then in a split second, the wind dies completely. As my dress floats back down to the floor and my hair falls over my shoulders and down my back, an eery silence takes over.

"Cleo," a voice whispers from behind me.

It's so silent the sound echoes around the cabin as I swivel around to face whoever is there. At the edge of the clearing, a dark shadowy creature is hunched over, staring at me. Two white eyes pierce through me and I stumble backward, tripping over nothing and falling in a heap to the floor. My hands are submerged in a warm liquid as I try to catch myself. I look down and see red everywhere: splattered on my dress, covering my hands and feet, and all over the floor around me. I begin to shake as I realize I'm sitting in a pool of blood.

"Cleo!" a voice hisses.

My head snaps up and I see the dark creature hunched in the doorway, snarling at me. But now it's eyes are brown - the same brown Jonah's were. Suddenly, the creature lunges forward and attacks me.

A sharp pain takes over my left arm just as I shoot up in bed, completely breathless. My hands cup my face as I gasp for air and tears stream down my cheeks.

"Are you okay?" a groggy voice asks from beside me, making me jump.

I look over and make eye contact with a still half asleep Harry. After a few seconds, he becomes more awake and a frantic look takes over his eyes. My face is taken in his large palms as he whispers hushes and wipes away my tears. I'm still struggling to find air and Harry notices, so he rubs slow circles on my back. While I try to compose myself, Harry props himself against my headboard and pulls me into his lap. One of his arms wraps around my shoulders while the other holds my head against his chest.

"I'm fine," I whisper after a few minutes as I crawl out of Harry's embrace.

Harry runs a hand through his hair as he stares at me with tired eyes, "What happened?"

I shrug, "Just a bad dream. Sorry I woke you."

He settles back down and tugs on my hand, "Tell me about it."

My body conforms to the shape of Harry's as I lie down tucked beneath his protective arm, "It's really nothing."

"Cleo," he warns.

For some reason, just him saying my name in the way he does always gets me to do what he wants. It's not something I can explain or control, but it is what it is; I'm at the mercy of Harry Styles.

I sigh, "I have these nightmares all the time and they're all different, but they completely terrify me."

Harry fiddles with my fingertips as he talks, "How long has this been going on?"

"About a year."

Harry cups my face in his hands, "Have you tried taking medicine?"

I bob my head up and down, not making eye contact, "Yeah, but they didn't help so I stopped taking them."