My eyes flutter open at the sound of music. End credits music. The bright light of the television through the darkness hits me and I wince, turning my face back into the crook of a neck. His skin is so warm against my nose...
We've been like this all day. Huddled up on the settee, wrapped up in Mark's duvet. His arms have never loosed from around me. His hands have never stopped playing with my hair or my ear. His nose frequently pushed against my cheek, whispering silly little things into my ear to make me laugh. I'm caught up in his little world. The world that now consists of his smile, and his voice, and his embrace. Nothing else matters to me. Only those things.
So when the television switches on to a film that I've never seen before, we have no idea how it's come to life. But we don't care. Mark mumbles something about it being a brilliant film with a massive smile on his face and brings my head to rest on his chest. Right on his heart. Thumping out our special beat. Lulling me into a dreamless sleep...
I smile against his throat as I come to terms with what I've just said. Dreamless sleep. There was no falling. No Echo. No Kappa. Just sleep. The first time in almost a lifetime...
There's a loud bang from the other side of the room, shocking me out of my happy little bubble. I snap my head up, feeling my heart race in my chest. Glancing around the darkness, I finally find the culprit. But only a blurry shadow...
“Shit! Sorry, lovely. Did I wake you?”
It's that voice again. The woman from earlier. The one who talked about Mark. What is she still doing here? I feel myself withdraw back into Mark's chest, hooking my fingers under the neckline of his shirt. Even this tiny amount of contact with his skin makes the butterflies kick up a fuss...
“Hey, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you.”
I feel my chest rumble, my eyes slide into slits. As she takes a step forward, my whole body tenses and I feel my lip curl up, teeth bared in a snarl. Anger bubbles in my stomach at the idea of her coming even one step closer to him. She doesn't get to walk in here and take him away from me. I'm his butterfly. He said that. I'm his...and he's mine. Mine. And she can't have him.
She takes another step forward, making an animalistic sound fly out of my lips. It's loud and aggressive and out of my control. It stops her in her tracks, and I feel every hair on my body standing up on their ends. Resentment for this stranger courses through my veins, images of her in my place burning into my skull. Of her huddled up on his chest, feeling his heartbeat under her palms...
Over my dead body, princess...
Mark hums underneath me, sniffing sleepily as he turns his face to mine. His nose grazes my cheek, eyelids fluttering on my skin as he blinks away his dreams. My eyes dart to meet his, all the emotions washing straight out of me. Even in this half-asleep haze of his, those eyes still make me feel safe.
He smacks his lips sluggishly, a dazed grin crossing them as he tries to focus on my face. I can't stop the smile from creeping onto my face at that, feeling those little wings in my stomach dance around happily. He hums again, pushing his lips against mine as his hand toys with my ear. My own hum reverberates right back, toes curling into the material of the settee as I respond to him. My heartbeat slows down. My head stops pounding as the blood stops flowing quite so fast.
Mine...
“Good girl,” he breathes against me before settling back down. I see his face relax as he gives into the slumber that obviously wants to take hold. And it's a matter of seconds before he falls back into his dreams. I smile at him, happy to see that peaceful look back on his face...
