"Penny!"
I awoke from my awful nightmare with a start. I was on his living room couch. Why was I there?
"Penny?"
"Don't touch me!" I pushed him away.
"Baby doll, it's me, Seaweed. You were dreaming."
I saw the hurt in his eyes and realized what I'd done. "Oh my goodness, Seaweed! I'm so sorry, I-"
He cut me off. "Hey, I get it, baby doll. Calm down. Breathe. You're safe now. I've got you."
I shivered as he snaked his arm around my waist and fiddled with a strand of my auburn hair, then softly touched the bruise on my cheek. I winced. I had really hoped I wouldn't have to explain the bruise.
"Did she do this to you?"
I nodded reluctantly, my vision becoming blurred by tears. I tried to blink the tears away, somewhat embarrassed. But he noticed. He always noticed.
"Hey, baby doll, you can cry if you want to. I'll stay up all night with you if you need me to. C'mere."
I snuggled into him, my face buried in his shirt, and let out a sob as he stroked my hair and rubbed my back soothingly. As I sobbed, he pulled me closer and whispered over and over again, "I'm here. I love you. I've got you. You're safe" until it fell into a sort of rhythm, which eventually lulled me back to sleep. As I drifted off, I felt him pull a blanket over me (the one that smelled like him), squeeze my hand one last time, and whisper, "I love you." No more nightmares that night.