When The Bad Boy Hates You

Chapter 20

I screamed awake. My scream echoed throughout the whole house and screeched through the walls like a siren. Vivid images of my normal nightmare flashed through my mind, but this time instead of it being a blank face who was murdered before my eyes. This time it was my mother. 

Thunder crashed in the sky above and I screamed again as the vision of flashes of lightning struck through the woods as my mother was killed. I thrashed around my bed as I screamed wildly, still barely conscious. But my thrashing stopped when I felt someone grab my hand. I clutched the hand with all my mite, wishing it to bring me back to reality.

"Wake up Rose," a soft voice spoke in my ear and another hand lightly ran down my cheek. It was only then that I realised that I didn't usually get such a soft touch when I am having a nightmare. My eyes flew open and I gasped through my heavy breathing when I saw a brightly lit face right in front of mine, the light was still on in the room. My gaze zoned in onto bright blue eyes that were staring worriedly into mine and I instantly relaxed. I would recognise those eyes anywhere.

"It's okay, you are just dreaming," Blake reassured velvety, cupping my cheek and running his fingers down my skin. I continued to stare bewildered into his eyes, trying to make sense of the situation. There were worry lines around the sides of his eyes and they were hooded from just waking up himself. His black hair was a mess of stray hairs pointing in different directions around one side of his head, bed hair.

I was clutching his hand into my chest and I didn't even realise I was doing it. But I didn't move it away and neither did he.

"Are you okay?" He asked tenderly, tilting his head to the side as he examined me. He was wearing a football jersey and black track pants.

"Yeah," I croaked, my voice was hoarse from all the screaming. My vision was still blurry, and I pushed myself up onto my elbow to gain some blood back into my head. But as I did I just made our faces even closer, Blake didn't push his head away. 

So, our noses were nearly touching as Blake looked into my eyes. His gaze was intense and searching like he was trying to pry out information from them. My breath hitched, and he finally looked away. Surely he must know the effect he had on me. 

"Few, I thought you were being murdered in your sleep." He ran his hand over his forehead like he was wiping sweat from his skin and backed himself further away from me on the bed. My lip slid up on one side at his humour but then another bang of thunder crashed through the sky.

 I flinched, I couldn't help it. My heart began pounding erratically in my chest and my stomach felt like it was tying into knots. I squeezed his hand tighter and he squeezed it back reassuringly. I curled my free fingers into my bed sheets trying to contain my mounting panic.

When I looked back up to Blake again I saw he was staring at me intently with his eyebrows pinched together. He ran a hand through his messy hair, but instead of taming it, he just made the other side of his hair stand on end. 

"You don't seem okay," he observed, scooting closer to me on the bed, his eyes inspecting me. I shrugged, looking away from him, I didn't know what to say to that.

"I didn't know you had night terrors. You seem fine most nights," he recalled. I had been actually, ever since he had started sleeping in the same room, I didn't feel so alone with him here. But the thunder must have triggered it. I can't stand thunder anymore, it makes me feel claustrophobic and every time I hear it I feel like I am going to have a knife fly through my back.

"It's the thunder," I explain with nonchalance, brushing it off. He nodded in understanding. His eyes didn't leave my face for a very long time and his eyes were torn. I was still clutching his hand to my chest, he wasn't getting away that easily. He was letting me touch him and I would utilise and cherish any moment of affection he gave me. He seemed to decide because he gave me one of his rare smiles.