Page 62 of Delirium
“You mean, you don’t want to get your ass kicked. Again.”
His chuckle vibrated through his chest. “That, too. Tell me, Phee. Tell me what you need.”
“I need you,” I blurted out, too tired to stand here and fight the yearning coursing through my veins. “I need you to tell me a little story, Stormy.”
My eyes opened, clashing with his, my need reflected in those green orbs perfectly. I hadn’t noticed it before, but the specs of yellow hid around his irises, creating a kaleidoscope of colors in his eyes.
“A little story, huh?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “I need you to hold my hand, to put me back to sleep, because I can’t do it alone. I can’t sleep alone. Not anymore.”
“What about all those other nights when I wasn’t with you?” he dared to ask. “Did you sleep then?”
I could lie to him. I could tell him that it only started tonight, this stupid need in the center of my being, that only he could calm. But I didn’t. If we were going to move forward, both of us had to start telling the truth.
“I didn’t sleep, Storm. The only time I truly slept was when you were with me. I don’t know why, and I don’t want to know, but whatever it is that ties the two of us together, isn’t happy when you aren’t with me.”
He shuddered, his eyes closing after my admission, and I feared that the only thing staring back at me once he opened his eyes would be another rejection, because he was as stubborn as I was.
“Please, Storm.” I wasn’t above begging at this point. “I just… I just want to be able to sleep.”
His strong fingers wrapped around my neck, pulling my face to the crook of his neck, his other arm wrapped around my middle, holding me tightly.
“Then let’s go,” he grunted. “Let’s go to sleep, Sunshine.”
Leading me inside the room, he let me crawl inside the bed first, wordlessly removing his belt, then his boots. He pulled the sofa chair that sat in the corner of the room and placed it right next to the bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked, already burrowing myself underneath the blankets, seeking heat.
“Getting comfortable.” He chuckled and sat down on the sofa chair, putting his legs on top of the bed. He took a hold of my hand, lacing our fingers together, before he looked down at me from his position, while love shone in his eyes.
“I thought you were going to help me sleep?” I pouted, scooting closer to him. “But you’re there, and I’m here.”
“I know, darling, but you still don’t trust me, and I don’t want us to base our relationship only on these small moments that might evaporate with the first sun. You asked for space, and I’ll give it to you as much as I can. I’m not going to lie, my entire body wants to get inside that bed, to hold you, to feel you wrapped around me, but I’m not going to do that. Not yet. Not until you ask me.”
“I did ask you.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You asked me to help you sleep, and that’s what I’m doing. Now, keep quiet. I need to tell you a story.”
A smile broke on my face as he started dragging his finger over my naked forearm, petting me, lulling me to sleep.
“I’m going to tell you a story about a fourteen-year-old boy who met his soulmate when he thought that life wasn’t worth living. I’ll tell you the story of a little girl, with pigtails, capturing his heart even then, showing him what kindness was. And I’ll tell you how he loved her once they grew up.”
I knew what he was talking about. I knew who this story was about, but I let him tell me.
“Do they end up together?” I asked in the middle of the story, captivated by his voice, by the emotions slipping from him, filling in the hollow space in my chest.
He looked down at me, smiling softly at my question. “I think they do. I think they were always meant to be together. It took them some time to figure out how to navigate life, but they end up together, Sunshine. Because when you love someone, you do everything you can to make them happy.”
14
OPHELIA
My neck achedas I opened my eyes, already bracing myself for the disappointment I would feel once I found myself alone in this big room, without Storm in it. But as my mind fought against the fog of sleep, my eyes slowly opening, blinking against the light seeping inside the room, I found out I wasn’t alone at all.
Storm still sat in that same sofa chair, his face turned toward me, and those brilliant, green eyes twinkling with happiness, looking over me as if it was the only thing he ever wanted to do.
“Morning, Sunshine,” he crooned, squeezing my hand as if to tell me that he was still here. His brilliant smile was brighter than the sun coming through the windows.
