Strangers, Friends and All the In Between

Chapter 14

I lie on the couch the whole night. I witness the sun rise as it shone off the wall I was facing. It's always been the only thing I like about insomnia. The sunrise has always been quite beautiful. I look forward to it every morning. The colours are this brilliant mix. I often like the photograph it at different places and different times.

Sam's breathing becomes more rapid and uneven. I hear her groan as she continues to shift slightly. She begins to mumble words that are incoherent, ones I can't quite make out.

"Sam," I attempt to wake Sam up, shaking her slightly. She didn't wake. I try again. "Sam," I say a little louder. "Sam!" That wakes her. She begins gasping for air as she quickly looks around for something unknown. She looks me in the eyes before burrowing her face into my chest. I feel her begin to sob slightly. I begin to rub her back slightly. We lay like that for a few minutes as she calms down.

"I'm sorry," Sam says once she's calmed down. I continue to rub her back as she lies there.

"Don't apologise," I say. I pause a moment before asking, "What was your dream about?" I was genuinely curious as I didn't want her to feel scared about anything and I would prevent her from fearing anything.

"...it wasn't anything," she replies after about a moment of silence.

"Baby," Sam looks up at me, "anything that causes you to be that scared, I wanna know it so I could wrap you in my arms and tell you that I will protect you from anything that could hurt you and cause you to fear." Tears begin to well in her eyes.

"You're so sweet to me," was all she replied with before taking a long pause. During this time, she stands up, gathering her strewn clothes from the previous night and placing them back on.

"Only to you, baby," I say as I caress her cheek with my thumb. I wipe away the tears that have spilled out of her eyes. "So, would you please tell me?" Sam nods her head slowly.

"Well, it's become somewhat of a reoccurring dream," Sam begins. "It starts off as a very lovely dream. You and I are hanging out, laying down on the couch. When the scenery around us gains this darker feel and look. The walls, floors, couch, everything literally become a darker shade. Next thing I know, you're not anywhere to be found within the room. I call your name and look around the house for you. I don't find you until I go downstairs into the kitchen and see your mangled, bloody corpse lying on the ground. I look down at you and catch a glimpse of my hands..." she trails off for a moment as she attempts to remain calm. "...and I'm holding a bloodied knife with my hands and clothes equally bloody. I start to freak out because why would I do that? How could I?" She goes off asking a ton of rhetorical questions.

"Hey, sh..." I soothe. I rub her back as I hold her tighter. Sam buries her face into my neck, tears streaming from her face down my neck. "It's only a dream. That's all. Nothing more. You're okay. I'm okay. We're okay." I feel her begin to shake. I wait for her to completely calm down before I speak again. I lift her face to look at mine. I don't utter a word. I lean my face up to hers and capture her lips in a long, passionate kiss. "Listen to me. Next time you have that dream, you hear these words of mine: I am here still. That image is not real. And I will protect you with every ounce of my strength and being."

Sam leans her face down and kisses me with a rough passion. Not one of lust or anything along those lines, but one of happiness, joy, and...gratefulness, I suppose. I run my hands through her hair with one hand as I continue to administer soothing rubs to her back.

"Damn," Sam and I hear from the doorway, causing Sam to jump. "Last night, I leave you two kissing and now I walk to find you in the same positions doing the same exact thing? What did you guys kiss the whole night?" It was Ryan, finally awake. I move to stand up, letting Sam slide down onto the couch.