Be My Friend

Chapter 49: Dazed and Confused

I manage to use what little strength I had left in my aching body and stumble over to the couch and collapse onto it with a tired sigh. Just as I was about to dose off into the void, I hear the door close and lock quietly. I feel a presence looming above me.

"I don't think so." A voice says. I groan but don't open my eyes. "Sleeping on the couch is bad for your back." Alex scolds but I'm too tired to argue so I hum in agreement. Arms pick me up bridal style without so much as a struggle or moment's hesitation. He carries me up the stairs into my room and I let out a sigh of relief when I hit my comfortable bed.

He pulls off my shoes along with my socks and jeans and I don't fight him when he lifts off my shirt. Lucid me would've blushed and insisted to do it myself, but I felt a little delusional and exhausted.

"You're so good to me." I mumble dreamily as he pulls the comforter up to my chin. A few moments of silence passes as I listen to the rustling of fabric then a body curls itself around mine. At the feel of his fingers tracing patterns along my chest, I drift off to sleep.

•

Still half asleep, I bolt upright in bed with my breathing coming out shallow. Cold sweat drips down my back as a suffocating panic surrounds me and I rip the blankets away from my body.

I swing my legs out trying to move somewhere. I slip, making myself fall off the bed; hitting the wooden floor hard with my knees. I ignore the pain in my knee caps and search around blindly in the dark looking for anything familiar. A lump wells up in my throat and tears sting at my eyes. A grogginess continues to latch onto my head clouding my thinking. Where am I?

"Mason?" I deep voice come from next to me. I try to clear the foggy haze from my brain. "What's wrong?" A light flicks on and I see white walls but nothing looks familiar.

I sink against the bed frame on the floor and shake my head trying to wake myself up. It felt like I was sleep walking; still in a dream of sorts. "Where am I?" I choke out in fear. "Where am I?"

A familiar body and face pops into my line of view. I grab Alex's forearms in a death grip. Noticing my glazed over eyes and anxiety, he wraps me in a tight embrace. "You're safe, Mason. You're in your own home, in your room. I'm right here." He reassures and places a kiss to my temple. Something clicks in my brain and I let out a sigh of relief. I blink, clearing up the haze. Home. I had a damned nightmare again; one that I couldn't remember even if I tried, but it left me disoriented and panicked. My throat was scratchy and dry; making it hard to swallow.

A soft knock at my door sounds and a familiar white haired blonde pokes her head in. Tired, makeup smudged eyes laced with concern lock onto my figure, then Alex beside me.

"Everything alright?" She asks softly. I rub at my eyes and nod.

"Panic attack." Alex answers before I could manage to speak. I exhale a deep breath while puffing out my cheeks.

"I'll go get a glass of water." Riley hurries off before I could tell her not to bother. A guilty feeling wells in my chest. Didn't she have to be up early in the morning for work?

"Do you remember what it was?" A gentle soothing voice speaks beside me. He weaves his fingers through my hair and I lean my head on his chest. I'm silent; trying to recall anything that woke me up, but the only thing I remember falling into an abyss of sleep.

"No," I finally say, "but whatever it was must've scared the living shit out of me. I haven't felt like that in years." I say quietly. A shiver travels down my back despite the warm body hugging me close.