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rosey nearly jolted her entire body right over the side of her bed. a sharp gasp shot through her lips as she sat up in bed. her chest rose and fell rapidly, her hand pressed tightly against it to help calm her in anyway.
the room was dark, very dark thanks to the black-out curtains across the room. her fingers gripped at the thick blanket that laid on top of her. her eyes fixated on the only thing that her pupils could focus on, the silver rings that sat on her fingers. something about the touch of the cool metal and thought of the rings brought her back down to the ground.
her vision began to blur and silent tears trailed down her face.
she absolutely hated this feeling. the nightmare she just had felt way too real. some nights, she could shake it off, close her eyes and go back to sleep. but tonight was different.
the shadows in the dark corners of the room scared her. her mind knew they were just jackets hung over chairs, maybe even a bag on the floor, but her imagination twisted in the dark. a chill ran down her spine. her arms came up to hug tightly around herself, hopefully she could bring her body to stop shaking.
she didn't even realize she had been sobbing until she heard a sleepy voice from across the room.
"nabi?"
she stopped breathing in that moment. the guilt that she felt overpowered the fear she had in that moment. if she woke someone up simply from crying, she would be even more upset with herself. the voice was soft, but there was concern. but even in the darkness, she could tell it was jeongin.
rosey had been trying super hard to muffle her cries with her sleeves but he must have still heard them.
"are you okay?"
she hesitated, trying to look around at everything she couldn't see. she wanted to say yes, to brush it all off like it was nothing, but she knew he wouldn't believe her.
". . . yeah." she finally whispered.
there was a pause, back to silence. then she heard the rustling of blankets. her heart started to race again, probably even faster than when she shot up in bed. . . she swore. she heard him stand and listened as his feet shuffled across the floor toward her.
her body flinched slightly when his hand rested gently on her arm. he noticed.
"you're shaking." he murmured.
rosey turned her head slightly but kept her gaze down. but it didn't matter, neither of them could see each other well. but as if on cue, he turned on her side lamp, one that was dim. now he could probably see the tear streaks on her cheeks.
she clenched her hand into a fist and pressed it against her mouth, but jeongin carefully took her wrist in his hand and lowered it into her lap.
"you don't have to hide it." he said, his thumb brushing over her fingers.
she swallowed hard. ". . . just a nightmare."
jeongin nodded, but he wasn't convinced. not even a bit. he stood up again, gently pulling at her hand.
"come on."
she tilted her head in confusion. "where?"
"the kitchen."
she shook her head and tried to pull away. she wanted nothing more than to curl up back into her pool of blankets. she wanted to disappear. but jeongin didn't let go and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"i'm just trying to help." he reassured her.
rosey hesitated for a moment again before finally giving in and letting him guide her out of their room. the rest of the apartment was quiet, the only sound was jisung's tv that he leaves on during the night to help him sleep.
jeongin pulled out a chair at the table for her. "sit."
she obeyed, resting her elbows on the table as she rubbed at her tired eyes. he moved to the cabinets to retrieve a glass and began filling it with water.
"here," he whispered, placing the glass in front of her.
she wrapped her fingers around the cup. her fingers still trembled at the replay of the nightmare in her head. her eyes glanced up at him. there was something else in her eyes, something other than exhaustion, that jeongin couldn't figure out.
"thank you." she whispered.
a quiet silence settled between them. after a moment, she finally spoke up again and her voice was barely above a whisper. as if she was embarrassed to ask her question.
"can you. . . sleep with me tonight?"
his eyes softened at her scared tone. "of course. anytime."
rosey gave him a small smile and stood up slowly. her hand rested slightly on the corner of the table to help support her tired legs. jeongin waited for her, watched her, as she turned slowly and started walking back to their room. she sat at the end of her bed after entering the room first, waiting for jeongin to settle beside her.
she exhaled shakily, her fingers playing with the hem of her oversized shirt. "what if it comes back?"
jeongin reached out and tucked a loose curl behind her ear before letting his thumb brush over her pale cheek.
"then just look at me. i'll be right here."
her lips parted slightly. her eyes searched all of him to see if he really meant what he was saying. and of course he did.
without another word, she scooted back in her comfortable bed. her hand lifted the comforter as a small invitation for him to join her. jeongin didn't hesitate, not even for a second, and slipped under the cover with her. he laid on his side to see her. she shifted as he settle into her bed, shifting closer to rest her forehead against his chest.
his arm draped over her waist.
she let out a tiny hum, one that was full of comfort rather than fear. she could fall asleep like this without the worry that this nightmare would come back. her body finally began to relax for the first time that night. everything melted away.
