In The Spotlight - Solangelo

Chapter Fourty Seven

I shot up, awaking in cold sweat and with tears still pouring out. Will was standing over me, a look of concern on his face. I think he must have been saying something, shouting something, but I couldn't hear a thing. The final note of that song was just echoing through my mind, driving me insane.

I turned away from Will, trying to steady by breathing. I had lost count of how many times that nightmare had found its way into my mind, and how many times I had had a complete breakdown afterwards. No matter how hard I tried, I could never get away the feeling that it was my fault. On that day all those years ago, there was so much I could have done to... to save her. The guilt had been eating away at me for years. I couldn't control it.

Will put his hand on my shoulder. I pushed it away. I sank further down to the floor, trying to hide myself under the covers.

I don't know how long I stayed there for, but I refused to emerge until I had calmed down. Once I could hear Will's voice again, I knew I was safe. Once I could hear Will consoling me, I knew I was back to reality.

"Don't worry, Nico," I heard him say, over and over. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be ok. Don't worry."

I reached for my phone, and opened up the messenger app. If I attempted to talk, I would probably just lose it again, and I did not want that to happen. Texting was the best solution right now.

i'm sorry, I texted Will.

Will stopped speaking, and began typing on the phone. Don't be sorry, Neeks. I'm not mad at you.

I paused for a moment, not sure what to type next. Should I explain what had happened? Could I explain? Did Will even want to know? Thankfully, Will saved me by texting, Do you want to tell me what happened? You can text it if you want. Or not, I don't mind. You don't have to talk.

I nodded, and quickly typed of a summery of the dream. Tears dripped into the screen as I wrote. God, I was a mess. I hated that Will had to see me like this. I sent the message, and watched his eyes dart back and fourth, taking in the excessive amount of information I had just given him.

As soon as he finished reading the message, Will threw his arms around me, and pulled me into a hug. I didn't stop him.

"Don't think about the dream," he whispered into my ear. "It isn't real. And none of it was your fault. Don't worry."

We continued to cuddle in silence for a while. My tears stopped. Will had a talent of calming me down. Every single time this happened, I just loved him even more. What had I done to deserve this man? He was perfect. I did not deserve him at all.

"C-can I-" I cleared my throat. It was almost embarrassing how weak my voice was. It took all my effort to form a single sentence - I had to start over several times. "Can I sl- can I sleep wi- with you, t-tonight? Pl-please?"

Will smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

Will pulled me up into his bed, and I wrapped my arms around him as we fell asleep, my face buried in his chest. For the first time in my life, I had a perfectly peaceful sleep.