Fighting For Life (published)

The Best Christmas

Aubry's POV-

I was screaming, but no one was coming. "Help me!" I kept saying, but no one was there to help me. It was just me and him.

Kill me, kill me now.

I turned over to try and get away, but he was quicker than me. Everything was working against me. It was as if the bed sheets were swallowing me trying to help him. Every time I thought I got a hand free, he'd grab it and put it over my head. The darkness was holding me hostage as my body was being manipulated by someone other than me. My salty tears were pouring into my mouth making me gag.

"I've been waiting so long for this, little girl!" His voice said sending chills down my spine.

I let out a loud sob, no one could hear me anyways. I was so close to death, yet so far.

"Aubry!" A voice said from far away, yet I was still fighting with the menacing figure on top of me.

I tried to scream, but it was as if there was something inside of me stealing my breath. My heart was pounding as if it was going to beat out of my chest.

"Aubry!" The voice said again. That time, the man on top of me disappeared and my eyelids fluttered open. My breathing was ragged as I was searching for something, something familiar, something to calm me down.

Finally, my eyes met his and I instantly felt calmer. His fingers were buried in my hair stroking it softly as I tried to calm myself.

Was it even real?

I reached my hand out to him and my fingers grazed his face in a whisper of a touch. I touched his messy bed hair, his forehead, smoothed out his clenched eyes, down his prominent nose, and finally my fingers grazed over his soft lips. I almost reached my lips out to touch his, almost. I caught myself before I could... even if it wasn't real, I shouldn't let myself indulge.

"Aubry," he said in a slight panicky voice. That was when I finally realized that he was really there with me. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked while wiping the tears that were still falling.

As I thought back to the dream, my heart rate went back up and I began getting clammy. "I-it... was... j-just... A... A-A... dream," I said even though I was hyperventilating wildly.

"Yes, it wasn't real. Just go back to sleep," he said comfortingly.

Except that was the thing... It was real.

He began to get up from his seated position on the couch, but I quickly grabbed his hand. "W-Will you lay with me?"

The look on his face was one of shock.

"Just until I fall asleep, please?" I was desperate. I needed something to calm me, to keep me sane, to remind me that I was here. That something was Aiden; he always made me calm.

Without a single word, Aiden laid beside me on the small couch with his body facing me and mine facing his. His warm arm went around my hips hesitantly and he pulled me flush against him ever so gently. His bright blue eyes were staring into my green ones and he studied my teary eyes carefully.

"I'm here," he whispered simply.

I let out a pent up breath and buried my face in his chest. I didn't care in that moment about what a stupid thing I was doing. I didn't care that I was getting too close to him or that I was developing feelings for him... None of that mattered in that moment. All I knew was that he was protecting me, even if it was simply from myself.