Page 159 of Four for a Boy

Epilogue

Pressure bit into Chad’s shoulders, he was hauled upright and flung his arms out in a panic. Romeo caught them and pinned them to his chest. “It’s me!”

“Romeo, what the?”

“You were dreaming.”

Chad stopped struggling. “Was I?”

“Yes. And it didn’t sound like the good kind…”

Romeo reached across the bed and switched on the lamp. Chad hissed and turned away from the brightness, mashing his face into Romeo’s chest.

He stilled at Romeo’s racing heart and blinked blearily up at him.

Romeo’s face was stone.

“What were you dreaming about?”

Chad rubbed his head. There was no clear image in his head of Tate. There was no image of anything, only a voice threatening to poison his life.

“I can’t remember…”

“You were thrashing about, sounding distressed.”

Chad shuffled out of the tangled sheet. He grimaced at the dampness and the sticky sheen on his skin.

He patted Romeo’s arm and smiled at him. “It was only a dream. I’m fine.”

“You didn’t sound fine. You wouldn’t wake up.”

“What?”

“I kept saying your name. I shouted it. You only woke up when I grabbed you.”

Chad heaved himself up and rested against the headboard. Romeo joined him and slung his arm over his shoulders.

He dragged Chad close, squeezing him to his side while shooting accusing glances at all the shadows in the room.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“Where did you go?”

“I go?”

Romeo nodded and touched his chin to Chad’s temple. “In here.”

“I don’t know.” Chad snorted. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’ve not had a bad dream before, hell—you got an elbow in the face once.”

Romeo shifted his jaw from side to side. “I remember… But I thought the ones about Marc Wilson had stopped.”

Chad huffed and pushed Romeo away. “I wasn’t dreaming of him.”

“Then what were you dreaming about?”

“I don’t know. But I know it wasn’t him. I don’t always remember my dreams—do you remember yours?”

“I don’t havedreams.”

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