Sweet Lantern

Chapter 28

Darry

School will be starting back sooner than I'm ready. With working on both of our families' farms in order to ensure that we have money, I feel like I haven't gotten to see much of Alice these past two weeks since the wedding.

I miss her.

Married life so far has been me getting up to go to work early in the morning and coming back at dinner time. We were lucky to have been given the first two days to ourselves so we could adjust and have some alone time. We only left the house once to get groceries and even that was too long for me. I'm not complaining, not at all. I love being married to her. I love being able to take care of her and make sure she has everything she needs and most of what she wants.

I think she's enjoying married life too. I'm especially glad that she can cook and that she's willing to take on that role. She hasn't complained once about having to get up so early to cook me breakfast before I leave the house and she always has dinner ready when I walk through the door after a hard day's work. In fact, I've come home to catch her singing and dancing over the stove most nights. I'm grateful to her for all that she's taken on. I'm not the easiest person to live with as far as cleanliness goes and I know it, but she doesn't seem to mind cleaning up after me. If she does, she hasn't said anything.

By the time I get home, I'm exhausted and starving. I want to eat and take a hot shower. Thankfully she wants the same. I love being here with her, us being able to be carefree and open with each other in our own space. She's no longer shy about walking around the house naked in front of me, but mostly she just walks around in the t-shirt that I wore to bed the night before. It's very sexy and drives me kind of mad. Everything she does drives me wild. She's adorable and sexy all at the same time, without even having to try and the best thing is that she's totally unaware of it.

Taking a shower with Alice is a completely new experience for me. It's one of my favorite things about being married. We no longer have to worry about what our parents will say or think.

After dinner, we head into the bedroom. I take off my dirty clothes and toss them to the floor. Alice is right behind me; she picks them up and puts them neatly in the hamper. I kick off my boots and push them under the bed. She slips out of my t-shirt showing me that that is in fact all she was wearing. Unable to stop myself, I walk over and wrap my arms around her, pulling our bodies together, pressing my lips into hers. With one hand, I reach up behind her and pull the scrunchie out of her hair, freeing her bun to drop her long brown hair down her back.

Taking her by the hand, I guide her to the bathroom and start the shower, meeting somewhere in the middle of my usual warm water and her scalding hot water.

When the water hits my skin, I can't help but let out a moan. The tension of the day washes down the drain as my muscles flex and relax. I turn toward Alice, letting the hot water cascade down my back. She steps forward and embraces me, bringing her mouth to mine, we stand under the water together, allowing it to cover us.

When we're all clean, we step out of the shower and she goes over to the mirror, pulling her hair back into a messy bun on the top her head. In the bedroom, she slips into a black satin gown that Jessica bought her as a wedding gift. I watch intently as the soft material slides down her body, hugging her in all the right places.

Pulling on my boxers and a pair of plaid pajama pants, I turn to crawl into bed, but she throws one of my t-shirts at me, and raises her eyebrow, so I stop to pull it down over my head. "You just want this to wear in the morning", I tease her. "Darn right", she replies with a smirk across her face. "What's the problem?" She winks at me.

"Absolutely nothing, woman. I love how you look in my shirts. Especially when that's all you're wearing." I say, reaching up to pull her body down on top of mine. We both fall back on the bed together and she's kissing me before my head hits the pillow. I reach up behind her and release her bun, letting her wet hair fall around me.

I wake up in the middle of the night to Alice whimpering beside me. "No!", she screams out, tossing her body and turning over. "Alice", I try to call her out of her nightmare. She cries out again, "No!! Darry!", as the tears start streaming down her face. I shake her gently and say her name again until her eyes snap open and she sits straight up in the bed, tears streaming down her beautiful cheeks, my heart breaking.

She turns to look at me, or through me, I can't really tell. Her eyes are bloodshot and wild, the way her hair is half up in the bun she went to sleep in and half down from her fighting in her sleep, she looks like a crazed person.

"Babe? Are you OK? It was just a dream, my sweet Alice. I'm here." I try to assure her, reaching up to put my arm around her shoulders, I pull her to me and she lets her face fall to my chest as she sobs into me.

"Oh man, Alley, it's OK. I promise. I won't let you go. I'm here. Shh." I run my hand up and down her back as an attempt to better comfort her.

"Oh, Darry, it was awful. I don't ever want to close my eyes again. I hate that nightmare!" she cries some more but her breathing continues to slow a bit with each breath and I can feel her body begin to relax against me. The once hard sobbing has slowed to a light sniffle.

"Alice, do you want to talk about it?" I ask, thinking if she talks about it, it may help her get it out and then she can sleep peacefully. "No, not right now", she says, laying back down next to me. "Can I maybe have a glass of water though?" she asks, and I immediately oblige.

Once she's had a few sips she turns to look at me. "I don't know why, but my dreams have been very vivid lately. I keep having nightmares that you've been hurt. Usually by a horse or something. I don't ever see it, but I can feel it and I spend the rest of the dream running through darkness trying to find you." She shudders as she relives the horrible sadness she has just been through.

"Alley, I'm here. I'm safe, right next to you, babe. I'm so sorry you're having these dreams." I kiss her forehead and pull her down to the bed, she scoots her body into mine and I wrap her in my arms. We're both lulled to sleep by our matched breathing, and all is OK again.