trouble | dominic sherwood

xxxiv. i need you

The moment her eyes opened, she registered that there was a shrill sound coming from somewhere within her hotel room. It took her a few moments to realize that the sound was her own scream, which had woken up her puppy. Once she realized that, the shut her mouth and the abrasive sound stopped. She was drenched in sweat and the sheets that were twisted around her, stuck to her skin. Even her hair was sweaty, which she noticed when she ran her fingers through it. All alone in her hotel room, the dream continued to haunt her and consume her thoughts. The sight of the older man on top of her, of his hands on her body, of that night made her panic.

The only person she could imagine seeking comfort from was down the hall from her, so she grabbed her phone and her key cards [one to her room and one to his, in case of emergencies] and Calliope, after pulling on one of the hoodies he had left in the room when they had started watching the VH1 show Hit the Floor [and had stayed up way too late]. She even tucked Calliope's blanket under her other arm, knowing the puppy loved the feeling of the blue cotton blanket [and maybe even the faint smell of Dom on the fabric]. She didn't even bother with shoes as she slipped out of her room and made her way to the door with the number "37" on the door [he had booked her room 33, in honor of Tim Riggins]. Once she reached the door, she juggled with everything but ended up dropping the key card to his room and, not wanting to bend over to pick it up in fear of flashing anyone who happened to be looking out of their peephole or who entered the hallway, she just lifted her hand and started knocking loudly on the door. Grumbles soon followed and then she could hear him approaching the door, swinging it open while rubbing his face with his hand.

The sight of a crying Tara, wearing his hoodie and her bare pale legs stretching on for miles, made him freeze in his spot. She didn't even process the fact that he was in just a pair of sweatpants, no shirt covering his chest.

"Tara?" he asked sleepily, his voice causing her to shiver.

"I had a dream," she said quietly, not even realizing tears were still streaming until she was talking. "It was... I remember. I need you."

And so without thinking, he held out his arms for her. She didn't even hesitate for a second before sinking into his embrace, letting him hold her together. Calliope, caught between the two, began to lick his chest. Even though her tongue was cold against his warm skin, he didn't pull away from Tara. Not until she broke the embrace, since he knew she needed this more than anything in the world. When she pulled away, she wiped at her face and spotted the key card on the ground. Without even really thinking about it, she handed him the puppy and bent over to pick up the plastic. His eyes widened when that revealed she wasn't wearing shorts under the hoodie, just underwear and a shirt. For a moment, he shut his eyes and thought of anything but the sight of her so beautiful in front of him, then his eyes were open and she was looking at him with her red and puffy eyes.

"Can I sleep here for the rest of the night?" she asked him, this time not looking away. "I don't want to be alone."

"Of course," he told her, moving to the side so that she could enter the hotel room. "I'll take the couch."

To his surprise, she shook her head, "No, I'm not kicking you out of your bed. We can share. I trust you, Dom. I know you're not gonna... you're a perfect gentleman and you care about me, you're not going to push my limits. And I need to feel you near me."

"Okay," he said, once again pulling her into his arms once she's in his room and then pressing a kiss to the top of her head, despite the gross look and texture of her hair. "Come on."

Once he pulled away from her, he set their puppy on the floor so that she could go find her big sister, then they headed towards his bed. It wasn't her first time in his room or even in his bed, as they had spent a lot of time there, watching stuff on Netflix or just talking. She peeled the hoodie off as she made her way to the bed, dropping it to the ground, and both of them knew it wasn't really his anymore: it was hers, she had claimed it. He climbed into the bed first, leaving room for her. But she ignored all the open space and laid next to him, resting her head on his bare chest and resting a hand on his abdomen, her feet tangling with his. He looked down at her in awe, then pressed another kiss to her head, this time to her forehead, before wrapping an arm around her and closing his eyes. This time, when she fell asleep, it was a dreamless slumber. And the next morning, she knew, just like she knew the hoodie was now hers, that this would become their thing [though they'd be switching to room 33 instead].

•••

protect tara at all costs

[ 12.1.17 ]