Vintage Love

Chapter 7

I scream desperately, my eyes squinting as I struggled to see anything in the darkness. The smoke felt dry and scorching, irritating my throat and stinging my eyes. Unlike what movies portray, fires don't actually light up in the dark. 

 "Mama!" I cry out again, my voice choked with coughs as I gasp for breath in the smoke-filled air. Fear gripped my heart as I plead for my mother. 

"Mama!" I whimpered, collapsing to my knees, struggling to breathe. I'm scared, I don't know where I am. My heart races against my chest as I try to maintain consciousness.

"Please...anyone..." I managed to muster the strength to say, my eyes water as I strained to see through the darkness.

With all my remaining strength, I whispered, "Mama..." 

Then everything went dark. 

No, no, no...

I jerk awake, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. Sweat streams down my forehead, and I frantically blink my eyes, trying to regain my bearings. My breathing was erratic as fear still clung to me. 

"Fuck," I softly curse, lying there in the darkness, tears streaming down my cheeks as I tried to calm down. What had just happened?

Actually, scratch; I knew what happened, but why? Why had I dreamt about it? It had been a while since I had that dream.

Moonlight filters through the curtains, providing enough light for me to make out my surroundings. I shift slightly, using the sofa for support as I sat up. 

Curling my leg against my chest, I tried to contain my trembling. My eyes scan the dark room, realizing that I was in the living room of Bree's place. Selena had suggested staying over since it was late, but Bree had hesitated to let me stay in the guest room. Like seriously, what is wrong with that girl? 

Taking a deep breath, I rest my head on my knees, staring into space. Suddenly, I notice a figure, and I pounced into a defensive boxing stance.

"Relax!" the figure whispers loudly, raising its hands in the air. As they step into the moonlight, I recognize it was Selena. 

I scoff and force a chuckle, "Well, well, fancy seeing you here too." 

She went over to the curtains and let in more light before slowly approaching me. 

"Are you okay?" Selena asks softly, concern in her eyes. 

"What do you mean?" I reply, edging back until my heel hit the sofa, so I sat down. 

"You look like you just saw a ghost," She says, settling down next to me with her cup of water. Gosh, she's one of those people who needs water in the middle of the night. 

"A ghost? More like the daughter of Satan," I jokily say, trying to shake off the lingering feeling of fear from earlier. Selena shoots me a glare and retorts, "You need to work on your manners, too." 

"Ouch," I say, looking at her and she shakes her head slightly. Our eyes meet, and she continues, "I was getting a glass of water when I heard you mumbling in your sleep. You were also twitching. That's why I came to ask if you were okay." 

I press my lips together, mustering a dry laugh while nervously scratching the back of my neck. 

"Heh, I am okay," I reply, trying to dismiss Selena's concern. 

"It's obvious you're lying," Selena mutters, her unwavering gaze making me feel uncomfortable. "Did you have a nightmare?" 

I bite my inner cheek, attempting to hold back the tears that threatened to escape my eyes. Avoiding her gaze, I shift my eyes down to the floor and start tapping my toes on the carpet. She gently places her hand on my knee, and I felt a sense of comfort in her touch. 

"Hey, try and calm down, okay?" She says softly, her finger gently stroking my leg. "It was just a dream." 

"Yeah," I stutter, trying to regain composure. "It was just a dream." 

A bitter taste fills my mouth, and I close my eyes, letting out a sigh. 

"Do you want to try going back to sleep?" Selena asks, her caring eyes searching for mine. I look at her and nod, about to lie back down on the sofa. However, she grabs my arm and suggests, "Do you want to sleep with me?"

I was taken aback and looked at her with confusion. Excuse me?

"Oh no! Not like that," she quickly clarifies, "The sofa is uncomfortable, and I thought you might want to get the rest of your sleep in a more comfortable place." 

"Oh," I say, taking a moment to consider her offer. "Sure." 

Selena stands up and motions for me to follow her. We made our way to her room, and she flickers the lights on, momentarily blinding me. 

"Woman, you trying to blind me?" I hiss, squinting my eyes against the sudden brightness. She apologizes and then led me to her bed before turning the lights off again.

"Alright, let's try and get some sleep," Selena says. I feel the bed dip as she crawls in beside me. 

"Thank you," I whisper, turning away from her. The presence of someone next to me brought a sense of relaxation. 

"Of course, now go to sleep," she says softly, and I close my eyes, grateful for her comforting presence.

♥♡♥

I groan as I stir in bed, slowly waking up.  Fluttering my eyes open, I was surprised to find Selena's arm loosely wrapped around my neck. Reacting on instinct, I push her off the bed, and I mean by pushing - more like kicking her.  

"Ow!" she screams, her messy hair covering half of her face as she glares at me. "You seriously need to work on your behavior!" 

Taken aback by her reaction, I retort, "You should be worried about your pretty ass on the ground!"

Selena grits her teeth as she rubs her behind, "Why did you kick me in the first place?" 

"Because you were hugging me in your sleep!" I explain, holding onto the blanket as she looks at me in disbelief. 

"Seriously? That's the reason?" Selena says she rolls her eyes, still seating on the floor. 

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing Bree holding a toothbrush in her hand. "What's all the commotion about?" she asks, her eyes darting back and forth between Selena and me. 

Bree squints her eyes, trying to figure out the situation, and both our eyes widen as we saw her. 

"Before you say anything, princess, I did not sleep with your friend," I quickly clarify, feeling a pang of guilt for some reason. But it felt like I need to let her know because she might think of something else. 

She raise her eyebrows, "I wasn't thinking about that. I was going to ask, how did you end up in her room when you slept on the sofa?"

Selena snickers from the floor, pointing at my embarrassed expression as I let out a relieved sigh. Then, gave Selena a glare.

"Your friend was kind enough to treat me like an actual guest, princess," I reply, with a cocky smile. Bree rolls her eyes and says, "Next time, you're sleeping with the dogs." 

"At least there's a next time, princess," I shout after her as she left the room, and I scramble off the bed. Selena stood up from the floor and gave me a look before saying, "You two are acting like old couples." 

"I would never date a rat that came from the trash," yells Bree from another room. I turn towards the voice, disbelief evident on my face. A rat? She just called me a rat.

A fucking rat. 

"I thought it was the frog and the princess," Selena snickers, and I gave her the middle finger. 

Leaving the room in a huff, I quickly gather my belongings, knowing I needed to head back to my place to get some clothes. 

"I wouldn't date you either, princess!" I snarl back in response, my words dripping with irritation as I may my way toward the door.