Goodnight Moon

by hollenheist

AU NM - EPOV, Sequel to Payphone. 'Cause I've been trying way too long to try and be the perfect song when our hearts are heavy burdens we shouldn't have to bear alone. So goodnight moon and goodnight you, when you're all that I think about. All that I dream about. How'd I ever breathe without a goodnight kiss from goodnight you?

13. THIRTEEN

She stared at me for a beat longer, clearly trying to identify what had possessed me, then choked out a burst of laughter.

"I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep. When I wake up there's going to be food all over my face. That's embarrassing."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned in to kiss her again.

"Very funny, Bella. We both know I'm your nightmare."

She leveled a hard glower at me, offended at my self-deprecation.

The look sobered me, my wary eyes roaming her face. So I wasn't a nightmare, but she was still caught in a fabricated reality where I was here out of some twisted, superficial obligation and not love. Sounded an awful lot like a nightmare to me.

"I love you, Bella. What do I have to do to show you I'm not going anywhere?"

Please, give me a clue, a hint, anything.

The months since I'd come back felt like running on a treadmill - like I was moving, sprinting to the finish, but not actually getting anywhere.

I knew there had to be something, some kind of physical proof I could offer to solidify my commitment to her.