Guns and Roses

FORTY-SIX

♕Harley Anderson♕

I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart in my throat and my breathing rapid and uncontrollable.

I look around the room in an attempt to find Danté only to see him sitting up and looking at me in concern. Relief floods my system when I see him and tears spring to my eyes as my body trembles.

"Hey." He says, pulling me towards his chest and I bury my head before crying again. The image of him with empty eyes pops into my mind and I shiver as his words from my dream play-over and over: "I don't care about you."

He rubs his hand on my back and holds me gently while I try and calm down and when I do, he pulls back to look at me. His eyes trail over my features, twisting with worry. "Bad dream?"

I nod.

"What was it this time?" He asks and I avert my gaze to my legs tangled in the sheets.

Most of my dreams only involved my father, mother and Cyrus. If they weren't of my father being a monster and beating me, it was of my brother disappearing into blackness or my mother telling me she doesn't love me. I've never had another person show up in my dream however, this time Danté was in it. He was robotic, cold, and was watching me in the basement before telling me he didn't care about me. Even though I know it's not true, it still shakes me. It makes my heart ache because I can't live without him.

"You were in it." I mumble and he sits up straighter, watching me. "You told me you didn't care about me." I sniffle a little, not wanting to cry again. I glance at him and his features soften.

"You don't believe that right?"

I look away. "Of course not. But I haven't ever dreamt of anyone else other than my parents and brother so to see you in my nightmares, saying such things..." I trail off "It just makes me doubt myself."

He clips my chin and makes me look at him. "Don't ever doubt how much I care for you, okay? I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

I purse my lips and nod before leaning into his side and laying down. We lean back in the bed, pressing my body against his and breathing his scent to try and calm myself down. It's only my second night here and I'm already worrying Danté? Damnit.

Ever since my kidnapping, my nightmares have decided to make a reappearance and taunt me even more. I know it's because of being locked in that basement; it's triggered everything, including my anxiety that's at an all time high now. I just want to move on and be happy but life doesn't seem to want that for me. Is it so bad that I just want to be with Danté?

I sigh and I feel his chest rise and fall beneath my cheek. He doesn't say anything else to me and I don't either, trying to calm down and fall back asleep.

After a long time of caging my memories, I drift back off into a sleep that's much more peaceful than the last.

****

Slowly things go back to normal. I'm no longer cooped up in Danté's apartment and the nightmares are slowly subsiding. I'm back at work now and I visit Audrey when I can since I'm still exhausted from the emotional toll the attack has taken on me. Frank hasn't found anything on the guy yet despite two weeks already passing by. Knowing that some psycho who has it out for me and Danté is still running out there makes me feel extremely uncomfortable.

From afar, life seems okay, good actually, but it's still far from it. I'm trying to keep it together, not to break down and worry Danté more than I already have although it seems difficult. Along with that, living with him has being a whole other experience. He's being there for me every time I've had a nightmare and has never complained. We both take turns on making waffles for breakfast, him finally telling me his recipe. However, mine still aren't nearly as amazing as his. Most of the time he sleeps in the same bed as me so as to calm me from my anxiety attacks which, too, has being a different experience for me. I've never had someone there to calm me down and care for me since Cyrus left so to have Danté do exactly that is something I still need to get used to. However, on my good nights he takes his couch even though I feel like it should be me on that couch.