A North Carolina Autumn

Chapter Thirty-Three

5.11.2022 - Happy Wednesday! Brief smut scene in the beginning of this chapter:)

9:00am comes way too quickly, but the moment I remember what day it is, I'm wide awake. I roll over with a happy stretch, but stop in my tracks when I don't see Rylie in the bed next to me. I sit up quickly as I glance around the room.

"Ry?" I call out slightly anxiously. A moment later, her head peeks out from the bathroom.

"Yes?" Her eyebrows draw in concern as she takes in my face. "You okay?"

"Yes," I reply with relief. "I just..." I didn't know why I'd been so worried.

"Hey," Rylie joins me back in the bed, pulling me into her arms. "What's wrong?" She asks softly.

"I don't know..." But then, I remember my dream. It was another coma dream, and in this one, Rylie didn't wake up. "It was a dream." I finally say, and understanding dawns on Rylie's face.

"A coma dream?" She asks, and I nod. "Damn. I wish your subconscious would get the hint that I'm awake and not going anywhere." Rylie teases gently.

"Me too." I reply with a little laugh. "I didn't even remember the dream at first though, only the awful feelings from it. And then I didn't see you..." I trail off. I felt stupid for letting this get to me.

"Hey, stop that. I know what you're thinking right now, and it's not fair to yourself." Rylie's words are firm but still gentle. "We talked about this back when everything happened with Gabe's attack. Dream feelings are always valid, even if they don't always make sense. We also talked about how, for whatever reason, your dream feelings seem to have a longer and stronger lasting effect."

I swallow the lump of emotion as Rylie speaks. How did she just always know? "Thank you." I say softly. "You always know how to make me see reason."

"I also know when you beat yourself up for things you shouldn't, but I want you to know that feeling these things is okay. And hey," She gently lifts my chin until my eyes meet hers. "I'm okay. I'm awake. And I'm not leaving you, ever." She kisses me softly, transferring reassurance and love to me through the gentle movements of her lips.

"I love you, Ry." I say after a long moment. Then, I draw my eyebrows together. "Wait, why are you even awake already?" I ask with a laugh.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep past 8:00am!" She grins. "So I got up, got ready, and got us breakfast!"

I suddenly notice the plates of food on the table. "Why are you simply the best?" I ask before kissing her again.

"I don't know, just another great thing about me!" She teases before hopping up. She looks adorable in her grey romper and vans. Her hair is down in loose curls, and she tied a matching grey bandana in her hair to keep it somewhat pulled back from her face.

"There are so many great things about you, one of them being how hot you look in that outfit." I tell her as I slip out from under the covers. I grab an oversized t-shirt from my suitcase and throw it on before kissing her and grabbing a Danish from one of the plates. "Thank you for grabbing food. I'm starving after last night." I grin.

"We did work up quite the appetite, didn't we?" Rylie's grin matches my own. "What time do we need to scratch the shuttle?"

"Just before 10:00 am. We have plenty of time."

"Plenty, huh?" Rylie smirks, moving closer to me.

"Not enough for that." I reply, backing up. "Unfortunately." I add quickly.

"Unfortunately indeed..." Rylie murmurs as she reaches me. My heels hit the wall the moment her lips land on my neck, and I nearly drop the Danish in my hand as her fingers slide under the t-shirt to my bare stomach.