The Secretary (ON HOLD)

Nightmare

JOE'S POV

I quickly send a text to Zoe, telling her about our day, and how Dianne makes me feel. She just makes me happy and comfortable. Warm and fuzzy on the inside, am I falling in love? I have never been in love, I don't know how it feels. And Zoe says I hide my emotions behind my humor, that part is probably true. But with Dianne it's just easy, everything just comes naturally. I'll probably get some advice in the morning, because of time zones. As I lay down about to go to sleep, I hear a scream. I bolt out of bed to Dianne's door. She's sat up in bed shaking, hugging her knees. I gently place my arm on her, she flinches. I wrap my arms around her rubbing circles on her back. She melts into my arms. When she has calmed down, I ask, "what happened?" "Promise you won't laugh?" I raise my pinky finger and she hooks it with her own.

"I had a nightmare" "okay, want to talk about what happened?" "well, it is a recurring one. I have had it since I was a kid. It's just that this darkness creeps up in my dreams and slowly swallow everything and everyone I know, and I try to run away but I can't. I really don't like the dark. Especially not walking alone in it." She explains in a haste, I wipe a tear of her cheek. "okay then, you'll be fine. As a very wise man said Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light. So how about we turn on this night light?" I turn on one of the bedside lamps. She smiles at my quote. "I like that one, what's it from?" "it's Dumbledore in harry potter" "never seen it" "what, we have to watch them together then"

I unwrap my arms from her and get up, but she grabs my arm. "Please stay" I lay down and she lays next to me. "night" we say in unison. I close my eyes and feel a certain redhead roll over wrapping herself around me. I wrap an arm around her, and I listen to her breaths as I fall into a deep slumber.

*

I feel something pressed softly against my cheek, and then the other, the tip of my nose and lastly my lips. I let my eyes flutter open, realizing that it's Dianne quickly kissing all over my face. "So that wakes you up then, note taken." She giggles. "your phone has been ringing for almost 10 minutes. Literally tried everything, but I didn't want to slap you like last time" she smiles shyly and nuzzles her head into my chest again. I grab my phone, realizing its Zoe, going nuts about what I told her last night. I quickly text her that I'll talk to her soon. "Well it was a very nice way to wake up" "it is isn't it? Can we just stay here for a little while?" "that would be nice" I run my fingers trough her hair, detangling the small knots that had formed overnight. The other hand rubbing circles on her hip. She falls back a sleep in minutes.

I grab my phone and turn it to silent, I read trough Zoe's messages. 'well Joe, I think you have some solid feelings for this girl, try and find out if she feels the same. Also, I really want to meet her. Alfie and I have some business over there in the end of the week, are you still staying where you usually do? We could meet up? Go to Disneyland together, would be a lot of fun don't you think?' I quickly reply. 'Yeah, there's a spare room here you could probably stay if Dianne is fine with it, I'll ask her when she wakes up. Disney would be fun, haven't been in years.'

I decide to wake her up the way she woke me up. I press a quick kiss to her forehead, one to each cheek, one to the tip of her nose and one on her lips. She kisses back, we both smile into it. Short and sweet. "I'm sorry I probably have morning breath" I whisper, she just giggles in response. "you were right, that was a nice way to wake up, are we doing anything special today?" "nope, I kind of just want to lay by the pool, you up for that?" She smiles. "yeah, just me, you and that giant flamingo"