You wake up in the middle of the night, scared, trying to get as much air as possible.
Salty tears stream down your cheeks as you cover your mouth so as not to let any sobs escape.
Alex was clearly tired after returning from the studio, so you didn't want to wake him.
You were always good at hiding your nightmares, but when you dreamed of Alex dying in an accident, you felt your heart break, even though it was only a nightmare.
"Love?" Alex says in a whisper, sits on the bed, looking at you with his deep, dark eyes. His figure is distorted by the tears in your eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart, come here." he gently wraps his arms around your waist, making you lie on top of him.
His legs are between yours, your head is resting against his chest, his hand strokes your hair, running his tapered fingers through the strands.
Alex whispers the usual pet names you love so much: "little one" or "good girl", as he asks you to breathe deeply, "in and out, slowly..." he whispers as he gives you kisses on the top of your head.
While his left hand is in your hair, the other slips under your shirt and begins to caress your bare back, causing you, yes, to shiver, but making you relax.
Your breathing calms, as do your tears.
"Sorry.." you whisper against his chest,
"I didn't mean to wake you up." you continue.
You didn't want Alex to be mad at you for interrupting his sleep, but deep down you knew he could never be mad at you.
"No, honey, it's okay." he whispers as he lifts your chin to meet his eyes.
"Will you tell me about the nightmare?" he asks as with his thumb, he wipes away the last tears on your cheeks and eyes.
The thought of verbalizing that dream made you shiver and want to cry, you didn't want to talk about it.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." he kisses your forehead, continuing to caress your hair.
You thank him in a whisper, he knew you even better than you knew yourself, he could read your emotions and knew what you needed.
"Thank you" you whisper again, "I love you" you leave a gentle kiss on his chest, not feeling like getting up.
"I love you too, little one" he sighs.
You realize he would have waited for you to fall asleep first, so you made the effort to close your eyes, ignoring the headache caused by tears.
Before you sleep safely in his arms, you don't help but think about how lucky you are to have
Alex.