Roman returned about half an hour later. He simply had a backpack. It was getting late, so I showed him to the room downstairs and told him to make himself at home. That was about an hour ago.
Right now, I'm lying in my bed upstairs. I'm only still awake because I'm afraid to fall asleep. That and I'm silently freaking out that Roman is downstairs. I still can't believe he offered to stay. It means a lot knowing he cares enough to offer. I move to lie on my side.
Despite trying not to, I begin to imagine how Roman is downstairs. Is he already asleep? Is he lying awake, unable to sleep like me? I wish he was next- no. Stop thinking that, Virgil. I let out an annoyed huff and close my eyes. I'm not sure when but I do end up falling asleep.
I wake up in a panic after another particularly bad nightmare. This time someone is touching me. It makes it worse for some reason. That is until I realize it's Roman. He puts both hands on the sides of my face and makes me look at him.
"Calm down. Take deep breaths," he says, but I can't.
All I can see are flashes of my nightmare. After a minute of trying to calm me down but not succeeding, he does something I never would have thought he'd do. He kisses me. My eyes widen, but after a moment, they slowly close, and I melt into the kiss. He pulls back after a few seconds. I open my eyes to see his closed, but that only lasts a moment before he opens them to look at me.
I'm so shocked that he kissed me that I've stopped panicking. I look at him with confusion.
"Why'd you do that?" I ask.
"I, uh. I read once that holding your breath could stop a panic attack. So, when I kissed you, uh, you held your breath," he tells me.
"I did?" I ask.
"Yeah, you did," he says.
Oh. That makes sense.
"Thanks. It was really smart," I say, and he laughs lightly, making me smile softly.
Roman moves to get off my bed, but I reach out to stop him without thinking. He looks back at me and must see the fear still written on my face. He smiles softly and scoots closer to me.
"Come here," he says as he pulls me into his arms.
I'm stiff as a board until he runs his fingers through my hair. I start to relax in his arms.
"Thank you," I tell him.
"You're welcome," he says, and I can feel the rumble of his chest as he speaks.
"Why... How did you know to come up here?" I ask.
"I woke up from a nightmare of my own. When I went to get some water, I heard you moving around. You sounded distressed, so I came up here," he explains.
"You had a nightmare?" I ask with worry.
I should've expected that he'd get them too, staying here.
"It was nothing too bad," he says.
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"I'm sure. Let's try to get some more sleep," he says.
I settle in and close my eyes. I fall back asleep within a few minutes.
I wake up to another nightmare but not as bad as the one I had last night. Roman is still asleep next to me. His arms are still loosely wrapped around me. I should move. He's asleep and doesn't know he's practically hugging me. I want to stay here in his arms, but I force myself to move. I don't get far when his grip around me tightens and pulls me back close to him. My back is to his chest.
"Don't go. You're warm," he mumbles, still half asleep.
I bite back the stupid smile that tries to make an appearance. He's still sleeping, and I just happen to be the warmest thing next to him. That's all. My house does get pretty cold. Still, he isn't letting go, so I guess I have no choice but to stay here until he wakes up.
I'm not sure how long I'm laying there with my eyes once again closed before he begins to stir. He loosens his grip slightly. I feel him just barely move. Then I feel him tighten his arms around me slightly as he takes a deep breath. If I weren't awake, I wouldn't have felt it. I know he's awake, and I can't pretend to be asleep much longer. Despite how badly I want to.
So I slowly move as if I've just woken up. He loosens his grip as I reach up to rub the sleep from my eyes. I turn around, and my gods, he is close. He softly smiles as I feel my face heat up.
"You are too adorable, Virgil," he says, poking my cheek.
"I am not," I mumble and turn back onto my side.
He laughs lightly.
"What are you planning on doing today?" he asks as he climbs out of my bed.
I sit up with a yawn.
"Writing until noon. Then I plan on painting the white parts inside purple," I tell him.
"Need any help? I don't have work today," he asks.
"With the painting?" I ask him, climbing out of bed and making it up.
"Well, I'd help with the writing, but I doubt I'd do you much good," he says as he leans against the railing.
I roll my eyes, and he chuckles.
"I wouldn't mind the help," I tell him.
"Great. I will be stealing your couch until then," he says.
"Knock yourself out," I tell him, and he just smiles at me before heading downstairs.
I bite back a grin at how domestic this all feels. As if he belongs right here, waking up next to me.
My grin doesn't last long as I remind myself that this isn't my life. He isn't mine.
"Are you okay?" Roman asks, startling me.
I look at him and nod. His eyes narrow just slightly. Please don't ask. As if he heard me, he just smiles softly and asks to use the kitchen.
"Go ahead," I tell him.
"Are you hungry?" he asks and I nod.
"I'll make us something to eat," he says and walks downstairs before I can tell him he doesn't have to.
I could follow him down, but I want to freshen up first. I go into my bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. After I use the bathroom, I wash my hands and head downstairs. I find him in the kitchen making breakfast.
"You know, you don't have to make me anything," I say as I enter.
"I don't mind. Besides, I know that if I don't make something, you'll either eat fruit or nothing at all," he says.
"I'm not sure how I feel about you knowing my eating habits," I say jokingly.
He laughs.
"Yeah, well, for as long as we've known each other, I think it'd be weird if I didn't," he says back.
I laugh lightly and walk closer to see what he's making.
"What is that?" I ask curiously from beside him.
"An omelet. Have you never made one before?" he asks.
"As you said, I usually stick with my choice of fruits, so I'm not very good when it comes to making breakfast foods," I tell him.
"You'll like it," he says with a smile.
"If you say so," I say with a smile of my own.
"Go take a seat," he tells me.
I nod and walk out of the little kitchen over to the table.
He walks in a few minutes later with two plates. Each one has an omelet.
"Enjoy," he says.
"Thank you," I say and take a bite.
My eyes widen in surprise.
"Good, right?" he asks with a grin.
"Very," I say after I swallow.
"Told you," he says and takes a bite of his own.
We continue to eat in comfortable silence. When we're finished, I take the plates to wash them. It's the least I could do after he made us breakfast. With that done, I head back upstairs to get ready for the day. I have to get more writing done. I sit at my little desk and get started. Once I get in the zone, I barely pay attention to anything else.
Hours pass, and before I know it, I'm closing my laptop. I stand up to stretch. After stretching, I head downstairs to get some food before I start painting.
"Hey. Did you get much done?" Roman asks as I pass by the couch.
"Yeah. I'm almost done with the edits and revisions for the twelfth chapter," I tell him.
"That's good. So when are you going to let me read it?" he asks.
"When it comes out," I say with a small smile.
He laughs and walks over to me.
"Fair. I'm starving. What are you going to make for me to eat?" he asks with a grin.
"What would you like?" I ask in return as I walk over to the cabinet.
I grab a cup and turn towards the fridge.
"You," he says, making me fumble and drop the cup I was holding.
Thankfully it's plastic, and it fell into the sink.
"Whatever you're making is fine," he adds as if he didn't just say what he said.
Maybe he didn't say it? Maybe I am going crazy and hearing things? I shake my head and grab the cup again. I carry it to the fridge to get me some tea. After I've done that, I pull out stuff to make sandwiches. I set it on the counter. Once everything is out, I begin to make two sandwiches. When I finish, I carry over the plate with his sandwich and hand it to him.
"Thanks," he says.
I nod, and we eat our food. As we're eating, I notice he's watching me.
"What?" I ask, flustered at his staring.
"Nothing," he tells me with a smile.
We finish our food relatively quickly.
"The paint is in the garage. As is the tape and paintbrushes. Tarps as well, just in case," I tell him.
He nods and follows me to the garage. We grab everything before heading back inside.
"So all the white parts? That means the window panes, door trims, and baseboards?" he asks, and I nod.
He nods in return. The two of us start downstairs. We carefully make our way through the house to paint everything downstairs that I wanted to paint. It takes us a few hours with a couple of mini breaks in between.
When we're finally finished, we decide to let it dry while we watch some TV. After leaving it to dry, we'll head upstairs to finish painting.
"It should be dry by now. Let's get back to it," he says when we finish the movie we were watching.
It's been a little over an hour. We gather our painting supplies and head upstairs. We talk about random things as we paint. As we're in the middle of a conversation, we hear multiple crashing sounds coming from the kitchen. I startle and drop the paintbrush. I stand up quickly and make my way downstairs. I find a few cups on the floor. Another cup flies from the cabinet as Roman appears.
"What the hell?" he asks, looking at me.
I sigh and put my head in my hands.
"You weren't joking," he says with disbelief as the microwave powers on.
"No. I wasn't. I don't know what to do," I say with sadness.
"Hey," Roman says as he walks closer, "We'll figure this out. I wasn't convinced about it, but now I am. I think I know someone who can help."
I look at him hopefully.
"Who?" I ask.
"You know Janus Riker? My brother's husband? He is really into all this kind of stuff. He's a firm believer. He may know what to do or know someone who does," he explains.
I nod and take a deep breath.
"Everything will be okay," he says with a comforting smile.
I give a small smile in return.
"Let's get this cleaned up," he says, and I nod.
I turn off the microwave before sweeping up the mess of broken glass. With that done, we head back upstairs to finish painting.
It's late into the day when we finally finish.
"Hungry?" I ask Roman, who's helping me get the painting supplies together.
"Yeah. Are you going to make something?" he asks in return.
"Yep. Some Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo," I tell him.
"Well, how about you get started on that? I'll take this stuff back to the garage," he tells me.
"You sure?" I ask, and he simply nods.
So I stand up and make my way downstairs to the kitchen. I get started on making our dinner. About five minutes pass before I hear Roman walking into the small kitchen.
"Need any help?" he asks.
"I'm alright. Go ahead and relax," I tell him.
"Alright," he says and walks towards the living room.
Half an hour later, I'm finished with the food. I put it in a bowl and walk over to the table. I set it in the center before going back to grab some plates and silverware.
"It smells amazing, Virgil. My mouth is watering," Roman says.
I return to the table to see him leaning over it and smelling the food. I lightly chuckle as I set the plates and silverware down. I walk back once more to grab two sodas from the fridge.
When I get back, he takes his seat at the same time as me. I let him serve himself first before serving myself. We laugh and talk throughout dinner. Again my brain unhelpfully starts to think how this feels so natural.
"It's late. I have work tomorrow. Goodnight, Virgil," he says as he stands up.
He heads to the kitchen and rinses off his dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I follow a moment later and do the same.
"Night, Roman," I say as he walks towards the downstairs bathroom.
I head upstairs and gather clothes before heading into my bathroom. I take my time in the hot shower since I'm positive it will be cold tonight.
When I finally get out, the bathroom is full of steam. As I dry off, I happen to glance at one of the two mirrors. Written in the condensation are the words 'Leave. He's here.'
I immediately feel chills. I'm not sure who he is, but I'm positive I don't want to find out.
"Deep breaths Virgil," I tell myself.
I breathe in and out slowly. Then I wipe my hand over the mirror, wiping away the words. I get dressed and head to bed.
"He's still here," a voice says.
I look around my bedroom, but of course, no one is there.
"Why are you still here?" another voice asks.
"Where else am I supposed to go? This is my home," I ask the voices.
"Anywhere! He will get you too!" the first voice says.
I let out a breath and close my eyes. When I reopen them, I find myself standing over Roman in my downstairs bedroom. It takes me a moment to realize I'm holding a knife.
"Do it," a new male voice tells me.
It's barely a whisper.
"I... Can't..." I say softly.
"Do it," the voice says a bit louder.
"It's Roman. I can't..." I deny it again.
"You've already done it," the voice says.
In the blink of an eye, I'm staring down at Roman's lifeless body. There's blood everywhere.
"No..." I say as tears flow down my face.
"You're mine," the voice says.
"No. This can't be real," I breathe out with disbelief.
"Wake up," a female voice says.
I look over to see the same woman from my dreams. I can't see her face, but I know it's her.
"This isn't real. Not yet. Not if you wake up," the woman tells me.
"Who are you?" I ask her.
"Eveline," she says.
"Why are you doing this to me?" I ask with anger.
"I'm trying to help. He wants you too," she tells me.
"What?" I ask, confused.
"It's not too late! Wake up!" she yells at me.
"Wait! How do I stop this?!" I ask her.
"No time! Wake up!" she yells once more.
"But.." I say, but she cuts me off.
"Now!" she yells.
I wake up to find I'm no longer in my bed. I'm not even in my room. I'm downstairs. I'm in front of the room Roman is sleeping in. Again it takes me a moment to realize I'm holding a knife. I step back and drop the knife as if I was burned.
"What the hell was I doing?" I ask myself in horror.
I immediately pick up the knife and return it to the kitchen. I want to wake up Roman and tell him to leave. I don't want to hurt him. He has work in the morning, though. Instead, I decide to make coffee and stay awake for the rest of the night.
As that's making, I head up to grab my phone, headphones, laptop, and notebook. I settle onto one of the couches and try to get some writing done. I tend to get full of ideas when I start to get tired anyway. Then I'll do some more revisions in my next draft. I end up sitting there for a couple of hours before I manage to start writing.