"Sleep. I'll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you."
~🎲~
The sex trade is all Aviana knows.
From having been sold into an underground sex trafficking ring by her own parents at a young age, she has learned the do's and dont's of the life...
I T W A S some hours after Aviana had fallen asleep that Gunner found himself sitting alone on his window seat, book in hand. His intention had been to wind down his mind by reading, but it seemed all he was capable of doing was constantly replaying the moment between the two of them. It was barely anything; a few seconds of physical contact and yet it had planted a seed of hope in his heart that had him impatiently waiting for more.
He had thought it would take at least a few more weeks if not months for her to initiate physical contact with him, but even then there was a part of him that believed she would never do it. She had seemed so fragile only a mere month ago; so timid and frightened of every little thing. How had that little girl grown into the woman he knew now?
Casanova was right, for once. She was strong. Stronger than anyone he had met and certainly stronger than himself. Where before he had believed her to be the vulnerable one, he now felt himself to be more defenceless than she. He was completely at her mercy and that scared the shit out of him.
Gunner groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall as his eyes squeezed closed. Maybe he should give Casanova more credit than he did because once again, he was right. It had never been about protecting Avi from him, it had been about protecting himself from the hurt she could cause. If he opened himself up to her, trusted her, and she walked away... he didn't know if he could survive that.
Knowing his thoughts were only going to go down the dark, winding road of uncertainty and fear, Gunner heaved out a sigh, softly shaking his head as he swung his legs off the window seat and stood up. He left his book opened where he had sat before pulling off his shirt and jeans as he walked towards the dresser in the corner of his room. Throwing his used clothes in a hamper next to the cabinet, he scrounged through his clothing, pulling on a pair of joggers before reaching for a shirt.
Before his fingers touched the material, a scream rang out that turned his blood cold. Without so much as a second thought, he ran out of his room, nearly slipping on the carpeted ground of the hallway in his rush to get to Aviana.
He slammed open her door, standing for a moment, shirtless and panting as he took in the scene in front of him. Aviana was twisting and turning in bed, her face scrunched up as tears streamed down the sides of her face. Without another second of hesitation, Gunner hurried to her side, grasping her shoulders in his hands in an attempt to keep her still.
His simple touch seemed enough to bring her out of her slumber and scrambling back into the headboard as her breathing grew continuously more laboured.
"Hey, hey, hey," he held his hands out in front of him. "It's okay. It's just me."
His words didn't seem to calm her as her panic only grew. In an act of instinct, Gunner pulled her up, pressing her to his side in a slightly awkward position before grasping her thigh and pulling it over his legs so she was sat firmly in his lap. One hand curled around her waist while the other curled into her hair as he leaned his head against her own. Her tears began to soak his shoulder, but he only held her closer, pressing her ear to his heartbeat.
Her sobs slowly calmed down, as did the shaking of her body as she clutched his shoulders in her tiny grasp. Gunner didn't move, simply held her there as she eventually began to relax. Barely noticing his movements, he pressed a kiss to her temple and was about to try and talk again when Aviana abruptly pulled away, slipping off his lap before taking in a deep breath as she averted her eyes.
She smoothed down the frizzy hair that was sure to be lining her face and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely before clearing her throat and finally meeting his eyes. "Did I wake you?"
He shook his head, studying her with concern. "I was already awake," he spoke slowly. His brow drew in as her eyes left his face and nervously flitted around the room.
She nodded in response to his statement before closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, letting out a short stream of air before burying her face into her palms. It was quiet for a moment before Gunner spoke again.
"I thought you didn't have nightmares anymore," his voice sounded like a parent's would if they had caught their child in a lie; guilt-tripping.
Aviana rubbed her eyes before running her fingers through her hair. "Wishful thinking," she mumbled as her hands fell into her lap, her eyes glued to the bedsheets. "I hadn't had one in a while. I thought they had finally gone."
Gunner's jaw clenched for a moment before he huffed and a small, wry smile appeared on his lips. "To be honest," he sighed. "I was surprised when you said they had gone. It's been years since I was in the force and yet, I still get them."
There was a heavy silence for a moment. "Do they get any better at least?" she asked without raising her eyes.
Her fingers began to trace random patterns into the white sheet of her bed and Gunner watched the movement as he answered. "Not really," he mumbled with a tinge of guilt. He wished he had a better answer than that. "You just learn not to let them affect you as much."
They went quiet again, the tense atmosphere dispersing along with their will to continue the conversation. Both their eyes were locked onto the movements of Aviana's fingers, so when she suddenly stopped as a shiver racked through her body, Gunner noticed immediately and got up to collect the blankets that had been thrown off the bed.
He spread them out over the bed, draping them over her legs before sitting back down at the end of the bed. "Thank you," came Aviana's whispered gratitude.
Gunner nodded, smiling a little before breathing deeply and setting his hands on his knees in preparation for standing up. "Well," he sighed. "I suppose I should let you get back to sleep."
Aviana nodded, ignoring the nagging feeling in her stomach that she should ask him to stay. No matter how appealing the thought sounded.
It was almost as if both of them could feel the question lingering in the air, but as gentlemanly as ever, Gunner stood up and left the room without another word. She wasn't offended; she knew that had either of them opened their mouths it would have been with an offer or plead to stay together. But part of her wished he had asked anyway.
Perhaps that was a lie. All of her wished he had just asked.
~🎲~
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