Crystal

Chapter 11: The calm

I was walking through the park, following the same trail that leads off to the trees. It was getting colder with every step. I couldn't tell what time of the day it was. Everything appeared blue, dark. It could've been before sunrise. It could've been late at night. I didn't know.

I stopped walking a few feet before the forest. I couldn't see anything past the first row of trees, just darkness. Something was pulling my body, but I fought against it. The trees started to move. I can see him in the shadows, his pale body becoming clearer. He was walking through until he stopped at the front of the forest.

I felt it again, pulling me. It pulled so hard it started to burn. I couldn't help it. I took one step forward and then I felt my arm get yanked back hard. I turned to see what was holding me back.

Leza, standing bloodied, broken as she appeared in her bed. She was standing with her head down. She looked up at me, emptiness in her eye sockets. Her face was nearly sunken in like a skull. She opened her mouth wide, revealing nothing but darkness inside and let out a shrill cry.

"Stop." I said. I sat up, rubbed my eyes hard. I looked to my side to see Rob still asleep next to me. I got out of the bed and stumbled in the darkness trying to find my way to the bathroom.

I found it, turned on the light and turned the sink on, splashing water on my face. I didn't even know what time it was. I took a deep breath and let out a loud, exasperated sigh.

She said stop. Well, she screamed stop. It was hard to understand at first but she said stop. What the hell was going on in my head? I had no idea how to even decipher that. I turned off the water and started to head out but jumped and screamed at the site of him.

"Jesus Christ!" My hand was over my heart, trying to slow my would-be heart attack.

"I'm sorry, you're loud as fuck." Rob was standing, naked at the doorway. I almost questioned it when I looked down to see I was naked too. That's right, we had sex.

"I'm sorry. Had a bad dream."

"Yeah? Wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know. This is all just so fucked up. I mean, this shit doesn't happen." I walked past him to head back into his room.

"Yeah, I used to tell myself that every night. But, I mean it is." Rob sat down on the bed next to me.

"Why didn't you just leave?"

"I don't know. I procrastinated for a while. But then I didn't know where to go. My life is here. I thought that you know, well I've never... seen it. Not once. Nothing eerie ever happened to me. Just people I knew. And not even everyone."

"I only came here because my mother made me. I was happy where I was."

"Do you miss it?"

"Right now?" We both laughed. "Yeah. My little apartment was the best, more so because it wasn't little. It was pretty big."

"Did you have a roommate?"

"Nah, lived alone."

"Ever get lonely?"

I looked over at him. It was pretty dark but I can make out his silhouette. "Sometimes."

He leaned in and kissed me. We kissed until he pushed me on my back gently. He placed himself on top, and I allowed him in. We continued on until we fell back to sleep.

It felt nice waking up, feeling myself gain some sanity back. Rob and I were both off today. So we spent the day watching comedies, drinking beer and the occasional smoke break. I spent most of the day in Rob's t-shirt with no pants on.

He suggested we go out to dinner a few times but we ended up having sex every time we went to change. So we ordered take out when it got too late.

We didn't talk about anything negative. I learned that Rob wanted to be carpenter. Countless Jesus jokes were made at that point especially since he had long hair and a goatee.

"Hmm, that explains the style." I chuckled.

"Ugh go ahead."

"What? It looks great, it's great really. Gothic savior."

I told him about the dream I had of owning my own yoga studio. He had a few jokes to throw back at me when that was said.

"I mean, yeah I'd love to own a studio with women stretching in tight attire."

"Jerk, you know men do yoga too!"

"No they don't. We have balls."

"Yes they do, it's very common."

"Nope. Those aren't men."

"They are men."

"No, no. Just no."

It was a good day despite that conversation. I wish we could live in that day forever. I wish we didn't have to sleep. We can just relive it.

I was happy being with Rob. I always forgot about the hell that was happening when we were together.

He traced his fingers over my legs as we lied in bed.

"Be my girl?" He whispered.

"Yeah." I spoke back. We laughed and he kissed my head.

It was just one day but I would've given anything for that day to last forever, anything.