It was two in the morning; the only lights anyone could see for five miles were the moon itself and the all-too-bright streetlamps, shining through the barrage of raindrops falling from the sky. The constant clink-clink-clink of the raindrops on every metallic surface could be heard even three floors up, which is why Ezra couldn't seem to fall asleep. He'd get up and pace around the apartment, but that'd keep him up. On the other hand, he could never seem to leave Aria's side when they were home. If he could, he'd follow her around-just to make sure she was safe, of course-but he knew she'd had enough of unwilling 24/7 detail to last her five lifetimes.
So, after deep contemplation of what either option could bring him… He lain back down, looking up at every miniscule detail the ceiling could offer.
Ezra soon began to feel tired, yet right as he felt his eyelids drooping down, he felt the bed shift under him, the mattress giving in to the moving weight of the other body in his bed. Aria was wriggling around, her legs beginning to move frantically-as if she was running away-and she broke out into a cold sweat. As usual, Ezra felt panic seeping in; he knew it was another one of the nightmares that continued to plague Aria.
He heard Aria mumble something, probably along the lines of "Get away from me!" or "Help me!", before he heard her strangled cry, as if she was quietly yelling for help.
Moments later, Aria sat straight up, like a cadet at-attention, her eyes wide open and her breathing erratic, as if she had completed a marathon only moments before. She looked around for a moment, orienting herself and winding back down into reality, before Ezra set into their routine.
"What was it this time?" He asked, looking Aria straight in the eyes.
"The same thing; the same damn thing." She mumbled, choking back a fresh round of tears.
"You know you're safe now, right? It's been five years now."
"But what if-"
"No what if's, Aria." Ezra spoke firmly. "We've been over that."
"I just can't shake the feeling that he'll… And we'll be…" As Ezra forlornly expected, Aria broke out into tears, collapsing onto his lap. She could never bear to look at his face when she cried like this.
As he always did, Ezra ran his fingers through Aria's long locks-she decided to grow her hair out two years prior- and whispered over and over again to her. "You're safe now. You're safe now."
She soon fell asleep in that same position, and while it wasn't exactly the most comfortable position to sleep in, Ezra let Aria remain there. He always knew he'd do anything to keep her safe and sound.