As morning broke, the room was mostly dark. Deep glooms cut by shafts of silvery light dipping through high windows. He whispers lenient sounds in his sleep, like someone caressing the backbone of my neck. I listen to the indulgent hums; a charming lullaby, hushing me.
Although it kept me steady, I became impatient. I couldn't just simply fall back asleep with another nightmare crawling through the back of my head:
I was grasped by my ankle. Haos had me, like a man's foot tied to a stone and thrown down one of the seven seas. I kept choking...my chest heaving and lungs choking. I could see him. Jake. He was at the surface, a rippled and blurry figure of himself broken by a cast of sunlight. Like a knight in his gleaming armor. I gasp. No oxygen, I became light headed. His hand reaches out, dipped into the water and swirling around as if I could just grab it and be freed. Yet, I couldn't. I kick forward, shove the water a thrust and reach for his hand, my lungs filling. Our fingers meet, brush, and I'm swiped back; a leash on a puppy. I scream as does he.
That played over and over in my head, it was like a song you hate but hear everywhere to the point it sticks in your mind like glue. It wouldn't go away. It was so real.
I'm panting slightly. The dream keeps sending shivers down my spine. If there was any way to kill me, the one I couldn't stand was drowning. I already died that way, and its pure torture because you don't die right away and you see everything. Being dead was easy, the dying part was hard.
I toss my body over. My hand reaches for his face, lightly sweeping it. He twitches his nose as it wrinkles a little. Eyes like iridescent blue crystals look to me.
My jaw sticks out with my bottom lip a little. The lips part, but I don't speak. He doesn't either; he just looks sleepy, but not really cranky that I bothered to wake him. I could see the light bouncing off the underside of my eye lashes as I lower them, tracing his face, not really leaving the eyes.
He lets out a lax murmur as he sits himself up; our foreheads meet kindly, pressing each other.
" 'nuther one, pup?" His voice carries a tired rasp, yet remains simple and delicate as he approaches the subject.
I nod a little and he kisses my top lip, a chaste peck to show love. He then wraps his arms around me and pulls me down with him as he nuzzles some of his face between my neck and shoulder blade. His torso presses against my back, he doesn't let go from his hand grasp either.
He whispers. "I got you, ok? I'm right here and always will be."
"Promise?" The little phrase empties out from my thoughts.
"Promise."
I smile. I bet he does too.