꒦꒷ - i l l u s i o n s - ꒷꒦

chapter 2; another side of him

 v --- introducing , illusions , chapter 2 --- v

"Wake up sleepy head." My eyes fluttered behind my eyelids as I heard a quiet and familiar voice.

"Hm..." I answered, my eyes still shut tightly. I felt a gentle nudge on my shoulder.

"It's Kondin, wake up my love." My eyes flung open when I heard the name. I felt panicked but I didn't know why. I looked frantically for my husband but only found darkness. Then, with a small flash, I was standing on the cold floor. I knew this dream all too well. Soon enough, as I'd expected, the icy fingers wrapped themselves around my arm tightly.

"Who's there?" I asked, unable to keep a steady voice. I remember saying this each time in my nightmare. Something felt off though. The grip tightened as I tried to slightly move, causing me to stay put.

I steadied my voice finally, "Who's there?" I heard a breath. I remembered what would happen next. He would say my name, I would fall, and then wake up. I'd be okay. I just have to be patient.

Almost instantly, I heard a set of footsteps. I don't remember this. Say my name. Say my name so this can be over. This never happened before.

Click

I winced as a small lightbulb turned on, right above my head. A tall, lean figure stepped in front of me. Almost eager to know who the face was, I turned my head, only for the fingers which were still holding my arm tightly, squeezed tighter.

"Fuck!" I angrily screamed. I felt my face heat up compared to the coldness of my feet and the man's fingers on my arm.

Finally, the tall man stepped in front of me. My heart stopped as I waited for my eyes to adjust in the light to see his facial features. My eyes adjusted slowly. I could tell his hair was a brown-blonde. Familiar. I couldn't remember where I'd seen it but I got a sense of deja vu. Next I saw the sharp jawline, familiarity creeping closer and closer. Then it stopped. As soon as I began to see his facial features it turned blurry again.

I felt a sharp, painful aching in my abdomen as the picture began fading, leaving everything black and silent. Except for my screaming voice. I screamed and screamed, but I didn't know why. The face from a few moments ago continued to stay in my eyesight, painted on the inside of my eyelids. The man looked so familiar. I couldn't remember who, but he's so familiar.

My stomach ached more and more as my scream muffled. That is, until my eyes snapped open, revealing my bedroom. My throat felt raw and scratchy as I sat up, heart pounding fast in my chest. I choked out a sob. Who did I know who could possibly be tied in with these murders? I was in pain just wanting, no, just needing to know. My need for comfort grew strong as I looked around trying to find Kondrin. He wasn't with me like he was when I fell asleep.

I stood up and wiped my face, hiccuping as I walked out of the room. My eyes adjusted to the light slowly, once I saw him. He turned around and looked at me. Deja vu... what? This has happened before. We've looked at eachother like this before. He smiled and walked to me, brushing my hair behind my ear.

"Look who woke up. How are you sleepy head?" He kissed my cheek but I stood there frozen. His hands are cold, another deja vu moment. I shook my head. No. Kondrin is a sweet guy. He wouldn't do anything like that, and shame on me for thinking something like that about my husband.

I smiled up at him. "Yep, I'm awake." My voice came off a bit shaky and unnerved. Hoping he wouldn't notice, I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest. "You left me, though. Meanie head." I felt him chuckle, his chest jolting with each huff.

"I'm sorry, princess, I had to get something... taken care of." He looks down at me and smiles warmly. Or what I think would be warm. I wasn't sure. The smile looked familiar, like an outline of what I saw in my dream. Again, I shook my head and pushed it out of my mind. I can't think like that about the person who loves me.

"Babe, why do you keep shaking your head? What are you thinking about?" He lifts my chin to see my face and tilts his own head slightly. I shake my head and giggle. A lot of head shaking going on right now.

"Nothing really. Just how you left me alone to take care of something." I make a pouty face to disguise the confusion in my expression. He shook his head.

"Clingy much~" I managed a small smile as he let go of me and walked to the living room, clicking on the tv. "How about we watch some tv?" He plopped on the couch and I nodded, smiling.

"I'll make some popcorn real quick, so we aren't just sitting there twiddling our thumbs." I winked and quickly made my way to the kitchen, out of his sight. I stood in front of the sink with my hands shaking, trying my best to breathe. I wasn't feeling comfortable around him for the first time ever. He's the love of my life, but... Could he really be the one in my dream? Is it possible that he's helping the icy-man who was once the only one in my dream? No. Maybe he's just in there because I'm being paranoid. No, he's there because he'll help me. He's going to save me.

I tried and tried to convince myself that that was the case, but my stomach still felt uneasy as I pulled the bag of popcorn gently from the microwave. The heat from the bag burned my finger tips, causing me to drop it on the counter. I hissed through my teeth and sucked in my index finger, shaking it. Damn, popcorn really is deadly.

"Are you okay in here?" Kondrin asked as he walked in, making me jump. I rested my hands on the counter, facing him.

"Damn it, Kondrin, you scared me!" I let out a shaky breath and smiled a little. He smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me in for a kiss. He placed his lips on mine and kissed me. I stood there for a moment, eyes open, unable to return the affectionate gesture.

Anger in his voice, he pulled away and said, "Babe, are you okay?" there was a look of irritation in his eyes. I'd never seen him get angry when asking me if I was alright. I opened my mouth but words didn't come out. Then the look was gone. He let go of me and smiled. "I'll wait for you in the living room." He walked off leaving me in shock. I quickly grabbed the popcorn after taking an Advil, and walked to the couch. 

^ --- chapter 2 , end --- ^