The Abnormality Of The Normality

'It's always the same'

As soon as Jack is out of the room, Hayley walks back towards the chair to sit down. "Hayley, lay with me?" My simple request catches her off-guard slightly but she complies by coming and laying on the bed next to me. I turn to look at her and smile as I take in every little detail. She looked just like the woman from my dream. The same long brown wavy hair, the same chestnut brown eyes, the same smile. The only difference is that Hayley looks a few years younger. We stay like this neither of us saying a word until we both lay asleep. For the first time in a long time I don't dream. I just sleep.

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Two more weeks pass. Neither one of us mentions the past or Jack. Hayley only leaves to get fresh clothes and to freshen up, she's only gone for an hour each time. She slept by my side every night and helped me wherever she could. I spend the couple of weeks building my strength up and resting as best as I can. Every other night I am woken by my own nightmares. It's always the same. Jack stood over me hitting me and telling me how worthless I am. Whenever this occurred, I would find myself waking up trembling with fear. Tears would fall down my face as I repeatedly apologized. Each time Hayley would wake up with me and hold me in her arms whispering sweet things into my ear until I fell back asleep. She refused to sleep before she knew I was asleep first.

The first time I had one of these nightmares, I had tried to push Hayley away from me. She had fallen off the side of the bed. She didn't hold it against me. Instead she got back up and sat on the edge of the bed. I tried to fight her off hitting and pushing against her chest. She managed to overpower me and held me close as I wept. I cried until there were no tears left to cry. Throughout all of this she rocked me in silence. Once the tears had stopped she laid me back down, laying with me as she did so. I refused to leave her arms, She didn't appear to mind that. She whispered the story of how we had met weeks beforehand. She left out the phone call I had had with Jack. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep again, dreaming of meeting her again.