Hiding Place || Tori Kelly

Genesis 9:7

two weeks later

3:15 AM

The air around André stood still as he stared into the darkness that surrounded him. His thoughts had taken over. His nightmares had consumed him. His eyes darted to the woman sleeping next to him, but he couldn't recognize her. Her hair was darker than Tori's, straight too. She was young. André turned her over to see a face he hadn't in a while. His ex-girlfriend. She hadn't aged a bit, but there were bruises and cuts all over her face and neck. "Babe, what's wrong?" She calmly asked, sitting up and running her hand over his chest.

"No! What are you doing here! Where is Tori?" He yelled, throwing her hands off of him and hopping off the bed.

"Dré, what do you mean?" She asked. "I'm right here," she answered with a taunting smile. "Come protect me," she smirked, before the smile disappeared and turned to into scowl. "That was your job! And you couldn't even do that! How are you supposed to protect them? You're a sorry excuse of a man!" She screamed. André stared at the woman in his bed, horror struck.

"I'm gonna do better! I am doing better!" André shut his eyes tight. Tears rolled down his face. Sweat accumulated on his forehead. When he opened them, the air around was still again. When he looked to his left, there slept the woman he had married; soundly and unbothered. To be sure though, he turned her over, causing Tori to wake up with a bit of a start.

"Dré, what are you doing?" Tori groggily asked. Without a response, André pulled Tori into his chest and stroked her hair lightly. "Are you okay? Seriously, what happened?" Tori asked as best she could with her face mushed into his chest.

"I'm gonna do better," he repeated in a whisper. Tori decided to stop asking questions and allowed him to hold her. This was the seventh nightmare since they got off the ship and Tori was exhausted. She wasn't 100 percent sure why he was having nightmares or what they were about, but she was sure that they had to stop if she had any chances of sleeping throughout her pregnancy or in general.

8:15 AM

The tired soon-to-be mommy leaned against her island with a cup of coffee in front of her, trying not to fall asleep as her best friend, Kamari Copeland, laid out the day. "I'm gonna get the hot food from the caterers and pick up some streamers. Is there-" Kamari stopped. She watched Tori nod off for a second, before bursting into laughter, which woke Tori up immediately.

"Huh?" She asked, receiving more laughter. "I'm sorry. I haven't slept in a week. Every time I got comfortable, André wakes me up from a nightmare. I'm exhausted," Tori groaned. Kamari knew all about André's past since it wasn't really a secret. He posted his testimony on the internet for all to see.

"They're back?" Kamari asked. Tori nodded, remembering when they had first got together and he would call her in the middle of the night, scared. They would spend hours on the phone praying and reading. However, that was years ago. Tori thought he was past it, but all this time he may have just been pushing through it alone. There had been many times when Tori would wake up and André would be locked the bathroom, sitting in the prayer nook, knelt by the bed; alone. She only hoped that he invited Jesus in because he certainly hadn't invited her in.

"I'm not sure if they ever left," Tori sighed, stirring her drink, before taking a much-needed sip. She had 5 hours until her doctor's appointment, and 7 hours until her huge announcement. With her husband fighting his own war, Tori had to suit up and prepare to be mommy and daddy while André got himself together.

9:08 AM

Tori quietly walked into her dark bedroom and slightly opened the blackout curtains to let in a bit of sunshine. She sat her coffee cup on the coaster that was housed on André's bedside table, before she sat herself next to her man. "Baby," Tori whispered. "It's time to get up," she murmured. "We get to see bean today," she enticed. André waved her off and turned away from the light.