outerbanks imagines.

bad dreams-john b

i stopped breathing.
that's what inevitably awoke me.
i searched around the room in a moment of panic while patting the bed around me to ground myself.
my throat was parched,
my hands clammy,
and i was aching in each limb.
"it was just a dream, it was just a dream."
i realized.
trying to now calm myself down.
when i looked at the time,
my blurry vision read just past two in the morning.
i laid myself back down and tried to steady my breathing,
but i had no luck.
the dream was prominent in my mind,
making me breathless when i thought of it all over again.
i grabbed my phone and slowly dialed john b.
after a few rings,
his voice full of sleep came through.
"hey, love."
"hey. did i wake you?"
"no, no,"
he reassured,
though i could see those eyes clouded over with sleep from here.
i quietly laughed at this.
"you okay?"
"yeah,"
i answered.
"just had a bad dream."
"why don't you come over?"
i bit my bottom lip then asked,
"you're sure?"
"of course. i'll leave the light on for you."
and with that,
i well on my way to my lovers home.
once i got there,
i entered through the front door and turned the porch light off.
i made way to his room,
where i stood in the doorway for a moment to allow my vision to adjust to the sudden darkness.
"jb?"
"hey, i'm right here."
i followed his voice until my shins hit the edge of his bed frame.
i heard him chuckle,
then felt the pull of his hands to mine.
i fell into the bed beside him,
overcome with laughter at his boyish actions,
then suddenly ebbed into tranquility once he wrapped me tight in his arms.
i felt the bareness of his skin brush against my backside;
his warmth was enough to seep through the thin fabric of my shirt.
i laid onto his pillow and exhaled a breath.
this was peace.
"thank you for letting me come so late,"
i whispered with closed eyelids.
"you're welcome anytime."
"i love you, john b."
"i love you too. more than you'll ever know."
he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to my cheek,
then fell back into his spot and was soon filling the silence of the air with soft snores.
i suddenly couldn't remember why i had been so worried earlier.
how could i ever feel anything but the greatest form of solace in the arms of the boy i truly loved most?
***
when i woke up the next morning,
there was a smile against my lips that hadn't seem to fall yet.
i turned around in the bed,
expecting to see a sleeping john b,
but instead was met with empty air.
"john b?"
i called out,
growing a little worried.
it was unlike him to disappear from the house without at least a note.
i scratched my head out of inquiry until he stepped into the room.
relief flooded me,
following the rush of happiness i often felt in john b's presence.
"good morning, beautiful."
he greeted,
his hand running through his messy hair.
"hey, lover."
"guess what?"
"what?"
john b wore a childish smile,
while excitement lingered in his eyes.
"i made you breakfast."
i giggled and asked,
"did you?"
i climbed out of the bed and followed him into the kitchen,
where jj and kie were now hovering over the food he prepared.
"hey, this is actually pretty good, jb!"
kie exclaimed,
laughing along with jj.
"you're both awful. please get out."
john b sighed,
pushing the kids out of the kitchen.
"it's for my girlfriend."
i wrapped my arms around his neck and engulfed him in the largest hug i could manage.
when i pulled back to admire the food he cooked,
no matter how messy it might have looked,
the effort was there and it made me feel lighter than i'd ever known myself to feel.
"this is so sweet."
"only the best for the best."
he added,
his hand now on my lower back while he leaned in to press a kiss to my temple.
"it's a good thing i crawled in here last night, huh?"
i teased while taking a mouthful of food.
he laughed to himself then took my hands into his,
swinging us around in a rhythm in the glow of the morning.
my spirits were brightened immediately.
no matter how bad my dreams may be,
my reality would always be flawless.
especially with john b, my lover boy, by my side.