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𝟘𝟝𝕩𝟘𝟟
☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆
The sun came up a little too fast for Natalie's liking and need. And all she needed was a little bit more rest, a little more time of feeling safe. But the reality is always around the corner, not letting you breathe for the right amount of time. Not letting you be free for too long.
Mark was the one who woke up first. He barely slept that night anyway. He woke up every half hour to check on Natalie. She woke up from a dream a couple of times but it wasn't as bad as before. Not screaming herself awake, no sleep walking. It was almost peaceful. Almost like before. And all because she was not alone.
Having someone next to her helped her feel more safe, keeping her warm. She felt more in control of herself, knowing that someone was lying right next to her in case she'd lose her breath.
One of the hardest parts of her divorce was to learn how to sleep in a bed alone. And even though she seems like a woman who despises any form of affection, she is nothing like that. She loves the touching part of a relationship, the cuddling at night, the hair stroking. She's all in for it. It's just not easy for her to open up. It wasn't before Isaac, it's definitely not easy after Isaac.
Mark spent a couple of minutes just staring at Natalie. She was sleeping so quietly that Mark could barely hear her breathing. She was not one to snore or move around a lot. Night terrors and insomnia was something she had never experienced before. It was always easy for her to sleep. She was a light sleeper instead, and someone who didn't know that could easily assume she was dead.
That's why Mark moved his hand under her nose to check if she was breathing. Too worried for a second.
He enjoyed the minutes of silence he spent, gazing her peaceful face. He enjoyed not feeling rejected by her, as he loved her in silence. That's all he could do. But when he realised that it was getting weird just watching her sleep, he decided to wake her up to get ready for work.
"Natalia." He said quietly not wanting to scare her. He reached for her face, moving some hair out of her eyes. "Hey, I know it's hard, but you need to get up."
Natalie hummed in reply and only opened one eye to look at Mark. He smiled at her, his eyes shining a little brighter as he looked at her. "You're still here." She mumbled and closed her eyes again. She hugged her pillow, feeling a void as she realised that Mark's arms were not wrapped around her anymore. She instantly missed the warmth, but she didn't want to admit it, not even to herself.
