The Calm Before The Storm

Safe and Sound

~Max~

I jolt awake in the middle of the night, my heart pounding in my chest. I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Chloe is asleep beside me, she looks so peaceful right now... I don't want to try and wake her. God, It's been so long since I had a nightmare like this... It felt so real... I thought it was real. I- I was in the 'Dark Room' and I could hear the tornado a-and... I shake my head. No, right now is not a good time to think about what happened. Looking around I see my phone and grab it, checking the time.

OCT 6th 11:59:50

How fucking ironic, I just happen to wake up from a nightmare just moments away from the 7th, The day all this started. *sigh* I put my phone away and lay back down, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Chloe's chest as she sleeps. Is it weird to say that I enjoy watching my partner sleep? I mean, she looks so happy and... and calm. I curl up next to her and she instinctively wraps her arm around me. Since we got here, Chloe's embrace has been the only thing keeping me from going completely insane. I pull myself close, so close I can feel her warm breath on my neck, sending me shivers. "Max?" She asks, half asleep, "You sure you're okay?". I nod and pull myself even closer, basically burying my face in her chest. A small cry escapes my throat as my mind goes over all the ways and times I watched the love of my life die before me. The bathroom, the junkyard, the train, Jefferson.... Me. "Hey, it's okay... It's okay, "Chloe says, stroking my hair soothingly, "Talk to me, Max... tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you". "I... *sniff* I'm afraid that one day I'm going to open my eyes and find myself back on that cliff or even in the alternate reality," I admit, "I'm so afraid of losing you that... that sometimes I push you away". That's true... for the past three days, I've practically been avoiding her, even sneaking off to some of our old hideouts. I know the reason all this happened is because of me... well, my bullshit powers are to blame."That doesn't matter... all that matters is that we're together. We're safe, Max... nothing is going to happen to us," Chloe reassures me as we both sit up. "I know but... I always worry". "I worry too, all the time actually," Chloe says, growing quiet all of a sudden. I take hold of her hand and squeeze it lightly. "I hate seeing you like this, Max" She finally says, "... Maybe... maybe you'd be better off if you had sacrificed me". "Chloe.... Don't say that" I say, shocked. "I mean, look at us... we're a mess". "Just stop, okay. Never for a second do I regret my decision. I need you to know that. I am willing to do anything... anything to keep you here with me, Chloe. I can't live without you... nor would I want to". I lean over and hug her again. She knows I'm serious... I would do absolutely anything to keep her alive, even if it's at the cost of my own life. I know that scares her shitless, that I'm willing to die for her, but god is she worth it. "*Sigh* What do you say we stay up and watch a movie or something," Chloe suggests, knowing that I'm most likely not going to be able to fall asleep again. I nod, "Yeah... I'd like that". She smiles and grabs her phone and earbuds from the desk beside us. We lay back beside each other and scroll through movies on Netflix. I think we ended up watching half of 'The Notebook' before we both fell asleep in one another's arms. I wake up the next morning to find myself hugging her tightly, signifying that I must have had yet another nightmare. 'It's okay, Max' I tell myself, 'As long as I have Chloe with me, I'm safe and sound'.