We Don't Have to Feel Alone

Chapter 17

March.

Sariah feels the weight of the bed shift. She opens her eyes and blinks a few times to adjust to the darkness, and is just barely able to make out Nova's tiny silhouette, crawling into the bed and trying to sandwich herself between Chris and Sariah. Sariah reaches over to the nightstand and grabs her cochlear, putting it on so that she could hear in case Nova had had a nightmare or was scared.

Chris must have had the same idea. His eyes open and his attention immediately goes to Nova.

"Nightmare?" He asks, groggily.

"No. I just missed you," Nova whispers.

Chris gives a tired smile, then brings Nova into his arms and kisses the top of her head, "I missed you too, baby bear."

Nova had done very well in the last few months at sleeping in her own bed, either not having nightmares or handling them well enough to go back to sleep on her own. Her crawling into Chris's bed was almost a rarity now, so Chris didn't mind that she just wanted to come snuggle with him after he'd been gone on tour for a month and a half. Chris brings Nova into his arms and she nuzzles herself into his chest before the two of them drift off again.

Sariah smiles, then takes off her cochlear and sets it back on the nightstand before letting herself slip away again.

When the band left for Europe in February, it was hard on Nova because Chris had been home for so long over the holidays, that she'd grown used to him being home. It was hard on Sariah too, as she and Chris were just starting their relationship and never wanted to be apart. However, as usual, Chris kept in contact with them frequently to try and make it easier. He had only returned a few hours prior, into Sariah's welcoming embrace, as she'd stayed up waiting for him. Chris was exhausted and fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow, but under this circumstance, he didn't mind Nova waking him up.

Chris was met with an...interesting reaction when he told everyone in the band and crew that he and Sariah were together. All in all, they'd been expecting it, able to see the tension between Chris and Sariah from a mile away. Obviously, when Chris had mentioned wanting to put together a "fuck song," everyone was able to put two and two together. Overall, they were happy that Chris had found someone that he liked again, especially after everything that he'd been through romantically and with being a single dad. However, it didn't come without them advising him to be cautious, as fucking the woman that he'd hired to take care of his house and daughter while he was gone could have some interesting consequences...

Sariah wasn't just someone for Chris to fuck though, he loved being with her in every way. For the most part, nothing had really changed in terms of their agreement on what Sariah was to do while Chris was gone. She was still amazing with Nova, and that was what mattered most to Chris.

Chris wakes up the following morning to find that Sariah had already gotten up. Nova had rolled away and was sleeping soundly on her stomach next to Chris. She was going to turn six in two days and Chris could hardly believe it. Nova had spent her fifth birthday in a pretty sour mood, as it was her first birthday without her mom. However, now that there had been some time to heal, Chris hoped that Nova would be able to enjoy her birthday this time around, and he was happy that he would be able to be there for it.

Chris sighs at the thought of his daughter getting bigger, then slowly creeps out of bed to find his girlfriend. He walks downstairs and sees Sariah's cochlear on the coffee table, meaning she didn't currently have it on. Chris walks into the kitchen to find Sariah with two mugs of coffee. She sees Chris out of the corner of her eye and smiles.

"Morning," She says, softly.

"Morning," Chris repeats, taking one of the mugs, "Thanks."

"Mhm," Sariah hums, "How'd you sleep?"