Abide » Alden

16. Home

It had been a couple days since Paesyn went missing and Alden wasn't taking it lightly. He had been so stressed that he would forget to sleep, and sometimes eat. However, he was grateful of how busy he was so he wouldn't sit around freaking out.

He was more worried than ever. They managed to contact Alexandria and they sent Daryl out to find her. That was two days ago.

Alden knew not to expect them to appear in front of his eyes to a snap of his fingers. He knew it would take time. But his patience was running thin.

Alden grunts as he stretches his shoulder. He's gotten more mobility out of it, but he still couldn't do much. He tossed the sling aside yesterday with determination. He was going to do whatever it took to get Paesyn home safely. Or at least keep her safe after Daryl brings her home. He knew she was perfectly capable of protecting herself, but he wanted to nonetheless.

He imagined holding her in his arms. He imagined inhaling her earthy scent. He imagined what it would feel like to kiss her again. He wanted to kiss those chapped lips of hers and run his fingers through her hair.

He would stare into her eyes and fall into them. He would pull her face close and their breaths would mingle for a moment before their lips would eventually collide. He would run his calloused fingers over her skin. He would cup her face and hold her as close to him as humanly possible. He missed her so much.

That night, Alden laid in his bed with a heavy weight on his chest. That weight consisted of anxiety, stress, and fear. He was usually an optimist, but in this world, the best case scenario was extremely rare, if it still existed. He fought away images of her dead body or her as a walker. Those thoughts would just send him over the edge.

He turned his head from staring at the ceiling. He was alone in the dark with the curtains drawn closed. He didn't want to know what time it was, it would just remind him of how much time has passed since Paesyn disappeared.

He stared at the pillow next to his. He pretended that she was there sleeping peacefully. He could almost hear her slight snoring that he found so cute.

Eventually his breathing slowed and he fell asleep. He expected a nightmare, but instead found himself in a blissful dream.

He sat in the middle of a field. There were colorful wildflowers all around him. He looked up at the sky and gazed at the bright clouds. He could hear the music of nature. His surroundings were a song. The trees swayed the accompaniment and the birds chirped the melody.

He heard a beautiful laugh and turned to his right. It was Paesyn. She smiled brightly. She looked so happy, she was practically glowing. He knew it wasn't real as soon as he saw her. Her skin was void of any scars. Perfect, clean, untouched. She wore a white sundress that framed her body delicately and spread on the ground lightly.

Her hair was shiny, not with grease but with sunlight. Her eyes sparkled brighter than he had ever seen them sparkle. For a moment, he wondered if he was in heaven.

"You're not," she sweetly said.

He blinked, "What?"

"I said, that cloud looks like a rose," she pointed to the sky.

Alden looked at the cloud in question, completely forgetting about her previous statement. It was really just a blob of color. But he smiled nonetheless, "Yeah."

He looked back over to her to see her closer to him. Her face was mere inches away, and he could see her eyes more clearly. He noticed the freckles across her nose and cheeks.

"What?" she laughed, confused.

He felt like he could melt at her expression. She was so beautiful. Not being able to answer her, he whispered, "I love you."