Serendipitous

48.

Shane places a tender grip on my hand; the worry fills his eyes while I quickly look away from him. I hate it when he sees me crying, though I am sure he has seen me cry enough for a lifetime. My tears have long subsided since I first woke up from my nightmare; but I haven't spoken to anyone or come out of our room for a good hour. Not that anyone has tried to talk to me, they all assume I am fine or busy doing something around the cave. It wasn't until Shane came in here trying to find me that he noticed I've been crying.

         "Baby... I hate seeing you like this." He breathes, "Please tell me what happened." I shift my head upward to look at him from my curled up position.

   "It's nothing." My voice is hoarse. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." I turn my body away from him, I am embarrassed to even have him seeing me like this. But why? Shane has seen me in such vulnerable states, he was with me when they bombed Atlanta and I cried in his chest. Why do I care about how he sees me now? Maybe I am just tried of him seeing me cry so often now it seems.

"Don't shut me out." He pleas with me. When I don't say anything, he waits for a few more minutes before I feel the pressure from the bed lighten. I know he's up from the bed now; he knows I need some alone time or at least I think that is what I want. I just hate letting people see me in such a vulnerable state, I am embarrassed and sick of crying.

"I will be right outside if you need me."  The softness of his voice causes a ache in my chest to return; I turn my head to find him about to walk out of the room now not wanting him to leave.

"Wait." My croak; he instantly stops walking. "I'm sorry... Stay."  Shane comes back to the bed pulling me into his chest. My eyelashes fan out across my lower lashes when I close my eyes, not wanting to speak but to just soothe myself in this moment.

     My toes curl in the sheets, my knees pressing to my chest as I hug them in a sleepy state. After explaining to Shane about my horrible nightmare I somehow managed to take a nap. My body slowly sits up allowing Shane's arms once snaked around my body to lightly loosen giving me the chance to get out of bed. My fingers brush through the slight tangles in my brunette locks; the sudden stirring in the bed catching my attention.

"Where are you going?" Shane tiredly rasps.

"I don't want to sleep anymore. We won't be able to sleep tonight if we continue sleeping." I state plopping back down on the edge of the bed. A grin forms on my lips when Shane wraps his arms around my body pulling me closer to him.

"But you're so warm to cuddle..." He intones pulling me closer.

"You're trying to make me fall back asleep again, aren't you?" I muse. My head nuzzling into the nape of his neck now.

"Maybe."

"Shaneee...!" I whine now. He hugs me tighter.

"No. I'm still tired." He grumbles. Shane almost reminds me of a small child right now clutching onto a teddy bear, a laugh escapes my lips.

"But I'm hungry..."

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds before signing deeply. "Fine... We can get something to eat."

"You can sleep more if you want?" I suggest slowly crawling out of his grasp.

"No, it's not as comfortable without you."
A Cheshire Cat grin forms on my lips at his words, "You're smiling, aren't you?"

"Maybe. How'd you know?" I ask turning around to face him. Shane gets out of bed and slides on his dark t-shirt .

"Because, I know you." He gives me a cheeky grin before pecking a kiss on my head.