Page 24 of Until Tomorrow Comes
“What are you doing?”
“I was gonna…” I say, motioning to the floor.
“No! You can…” She trails off, motioning to the bed, and shuffling to one side to make room for me.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” I whisper.
“Well, after what you just witnessed, I’m not convinced that you didn’t catch a nip slip. Compared to that, nothing you do could make me uncomfortable.” She half jokes, and it feels good to hear the small chuckle escape her lips.
I round the bed, standing on the other side and watch her carefully.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me sitting in the bed…withyou?”
Kat relaxes further into the mattress, pulling the blanket up to her neck and clutching it as she watches me.
“I’m sure.” She whispers.
I sit down next to her on top of the blankets, making sure to not pull them from her as I get comfortable.
“Also, there were no nip slips. Definitely some side boob though.”
She giggles, the sound echoing through the room and my heart finally relaxes. A comfortable silence settles between us.
And even though I had intended to sneak back to my own bed once she fell asleep, the sound of her steady breathing pulls me under and I fall asleep next to Kat, getting some of the best sleep I’ve gotten in years.
9
Kat
I’m more comfortable than I have been in years.
Despite the ache on my ribs and the slight throb above my eye, I finally fell asleep. One of the pillows is shoved under my hips and the comforter is draped around me, enveloping me in a cocoon of warmth with only my head poking out. Sleep tempts me, holding me in its clutches while I stretch a little and shift on the bed.
That’s when I feel something next to me.
Instantly, I freeze.
It’s an effort to force a steady breath in, willing my heart rate to not spike and try to keep myself calm. Without moving my body, I scan what’s in sight in an attempt to remind myself where I am. When my eyes land on my reader tablet, last night comes flooding back.
Everything about that nightmare felt so real. It was as if Zackhadfound me here. It was as if I could feel the pressure of his hands around my neck, keeping me from breathing, and the weight of his body on top of mine was crushing my already aching ribs. I truly believed that he wasn’t going to stop.
That I was about to die.
The past few times I’ve gotten lost in a nightmare about Zack, I managed to wake myself up before it went too far. Last night was different though. It snuck up and paralyzed me, holding me captive in my mind with the memories of how he hurt me.
When I had finally woken up to the sound of Jackson saying my name, and I realized it was all a horrible dream, I wanted to cry in relief.
Not only did he pull me from my night terror, he sat next to me until I got a grip on myself.
But when he tried to leave, I panicked, and asked him to stay.
The light filtering in from the window is still faint enough to suggest the sun hasn’t risen completely, but at least I got a few hours of actual sleep.
Slowly, I turn my head to glance over my shoulder.
At some point, Jackson ended up cuddling me. He fell asleep on top of the blankets, trapping it around me with the arm holding me to him. It would almost be comical, thinking about this tall, tattooed muscle-man being into cuddling. Except all I can focus on is the feel of his toned body fitting against mine as he holds me to him.
I take another calming breath, trying to get a grapple on my thoughts and how this makes me feel. After all, that’s what my therapist would encourage me to do, right?
