like a pomegranate | george harrison

7 - Hold Me Tight

That night, Cloud dreamt her dad was still alive. She was really sitting, talking to him. It all felt so real.

Then, there was her little sister Dawn, shouting as tears streamed down her face.

"How could you leave me??" Dawn cried.

As Cloud reached out to hold her sister, she disappeared. A man's voice echoed in the darkness.

"...remember, this was your choice... your decisions... have consequences in this place..."

~~~

Cloud cried out in her sleep, waking herself up. She sat up violently and searched the room but found only the glow of moonlight.

As she tried to catch her breath, she felt hot tears roll down her chin.

Have I been crying? She wondered, touching her cheeks. Suddenly, loud, frightened footsteps echoed down the hallway.

George creaked the door open nervously and poked his head in. She couldn't see his face.

"Cloud, is everything alright?" He whispered.

"O-oh..." Cloud felt like an idiot. "I'm so sorry if I woke you up... I..." she tried to swallow her tears.

George hesitantly entered the room and sat on the empty side of the bed. Finally his face, pained with concern, came softly into the glow from the window.

He must be so annoyed, even after I've been trying so hard to be a good guest.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated. Her voice was shaking as George's soft brown eyes found hers in the dark. She couldn't hold back her sobs anymore. "You must be so tired from working, oh I didn't mean to!"

"You scared me half to death," he whispered. "I was worried a crazy person had climbed through your window."

"Were you?" Cloud replied. She dragged her hand across her wet cheeks. George scooted closer to her and took a corner of his sleep shirt, bringing it to her face to dry her tears.

"It's happened before," he said quietly. She dropped her hands as he gently dabbed her face. Suddenly, he froze. "Is this alright?"

"Yes," she croaked. "I'm sorry. I'm so embarrassed."

"Bad dream, then?" He asked. His voice was still raspy from sleep. "And would you stop apologizing? Nothing to be sorry for, we all have nightmares now and again." Even though she could barely see him in the dark, she wasn't used to being this close to him. His smell of cigarette smoke and sandalwood enveloped her as he finished drying her tears. "There we are."

Even though she'd become better friends with George over the past few weeks, being this close to him put her stomach in knots. His handsome face looked beautiful in the moonlight.

But she knew in her heart they could never be more than friends. It would be wrong, messing with the fabric of history. She knew when and how we would die, for one. Besides, she was certain he'd reject her. She wasn't the kind of person who could ever be with a Beatle, (a literal, living breathing member of the Beatles), most of all the gorgeous George Harrison.

She was just a regular person.

George fiddled nervously with his hands. To Cloud, it seemed he didn't know what to say. But there was more to it than that. He felt bashful now being so close to her in the dark. He was so hopelessly and magnetically drawn to her. He wondered if she could sense the effect she had on him.