A Billion Reasons (Wish 8)

27 - Nightmare

The condo was quiet when Sofia arrived. Monty had asked her to come back, but he hadn't stayed up. She didn't blame him. All night she couldn't get the image of him out of her mind. He looked like the contestants on Survivor after they spent a month eating only rice and coconuts. She secretly watched reality TV - Survivor, Bachelor, The Voice, Married at first sight, Queer Eye, and her absolute favorite had been, Project Runway.

Her job had been easy watching a sleeping baby. When she peeked into the ballroom, she wanted to see the guest of honor. Rosa called him the Prodigal Son. Not only had she seen Monty dancing, but he saw her and winked. The man didn't know the effect he had on her. Curbing her frenzied hormones, she went to bed alone to dream of her fantasy.

She woke sweaty from a nightmare. It was a funeral and although she couldn't see whose; she knew. Her cheeks were wet. Looking at the clock, it was only four. She needed to sleep, but the memory stayed with her. Quietly she went to the kitchen for a drink.

A large figure sat in the dark. She cleared her throat, and he turned her way. It was too dark to see the effects of the illness on him.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded and lifted the water bottle to his mouth. "I will never take clean water for granted."

She went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle for herself.

He asked, "Why are you up?"

"Bad dream." He nodded. "I need to get it out of my head."

"Wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Do you want to talk about what's keeping you up?"

"Time zones. I went to sleep after he left. When did he get home?"

"Not late. He was dancing and then he was gone."

Gray sighed. "Who did he dance with?"

"The sister." Gray nodded. "When I saw him..."

"I know we both look like crap. Pun intended."

"How long were you sick?"

"It felt like weeks. Five or six days, I think."

"I didn't know what happened to you. I was so worried." She couldn't stop the tears.

He reached for her and held her in his large arms. "We're both fine. A little ragged, but we'll recover."

He held her until her sobs stopped. His voice was low. "You're awake. I'm awake. Do you want to fool around?"

She pushed on his chest and laughed. "No."

"If I were him, what would you say?" She busied herself wiping her wet eyes. "That's what I thought. Your secret is safe. He's not ready."

"Ready?"

"To move on. Some day."

She nodded. "He'll find the perfect woman. I'll be watching his child at parties."

"He might surprise you."

"I thought you were the sober one."

Gray put his hands up. "Get some more sleep, Sofia."

She nodded. She felt better having talked with Gray, even if he spewed rubbish. Monty would never be interested in her. How could she compare to women like Sloane Calhoun, who had everything, including her own all-star?

She slept later than usual. After staying in the condo for two months, it felt like home. Clattering below reminded her she wasn't alone and she would have to leave. The deposits into her bank account continued when she didn't have a list of businesses to visit, but it was a lot of money for house sitting.