Sweet Dreams

Chapter 14: It's Fine

I wake up in her bed. It's dark, but through the black curtains I can see rain drip down the window.

I try to move, but her head is laid placidly on my shoulder and her arm stops me as it is glued around my waist. Shes so close that I can almost hear her heart beat and her body heat is the only thing keeping me warm in this cold cave.

I look down and see her closed eyes and protruding lips as she lightly breathes into my chest.

"Hey," I whisper as I gently shake her shoulder. She dips her head deeper into my shoulder and clutches tighter at my side. "Ryley. Hey, wake up." I say a little louder as I shake a little harder. She groans and shakes her head.

"Ryley." I say in my regular voice and her right eye pops open. She looks up at me and quickly snatches her arm away. I can't make out her expression but I know shes just confused as I was when I woke up.

"I'm sorry," she says so fast that she stutters. I smile as I sit up finally," It's okay. I didn't mean to fall asleep in your-"

"It's okay. You looked tired and I kind of stressed you out last night. "

As I climb out the sheets, she reaches over for a light. The glowing cylinder with wax is the only illumination in the dark, cold room.

" You don't have to move, Chris. I'm alright with where you were." I look up and I'm now able to see the familiar blue waves I fell asleep to. Last night kicks in my head slowly.

"I really am sorry for falling asleep in your bed." I say, finishing this time. I didn't intend for a seventeen year old girl to wake up on me.

"It's fine." she says, more stern than before. I nod my head, instinctively shuting down after a change in tone.

"It's still true?" I ask breaking the hard silence.

She looks at me and her eyes twitch, answering me. I don't want to think about it and I'm sure she doesn't either. Tristan, one of her very first best friends, left a kid that's only fourteen in her house with her sick mother. I don't know her, she doesn't know me, but we're forced into figuring something out.

"Are you hungry?" she asks. I look up from my feet.

"No." she sighs and falls back. I smile, and I can see her smile too.

I walk to the door to head to the bathroom, but her hand catches my forearm.

"What are you going to do?" she asks with such curiosity. 'I can't go too far', I say to myself.

"Use the bathroom." I chuckle.

"I mean seriously, what are we going to do about this situation?" My heart sinks to my feet when she says 'we'. She's involved herself instead of letting me fight getting away from Father on my own. She has invited herself in, and for once I feel warm about it.

I stare, hard, in her eyes and she does the same. I try playing different scenarios through my head as the contact gets stronger.

She breaks my thoughts, washes away my worries, and takes the pain out my chest by four words, "I wanna help you."

~

I find myself staring at two rain drops that race down the window. Ryley does her few hours check on her mother as I sit in smokey air with music in my ears. My surroundings float in my vision as I take another heavy hit off the pipe. My lungs feel like I inhaled tar, and I can't help but have another coughing fit, gasping for oxygen.

She opens the door.

"She went back to sleep." she yells over the speakers. I turn them down some so I can hear her and even myself think.

She sits relatively close to me and gently plucks the lighter and glass out my hands. I gaze thoughtlessly at her and observe the critique way she takes it in, let's it out her mouth and back in through her nose, and then out of her mouth again. It's so aesthetic.

"How do you do that?" I ask. I don't feel the words leave my lips. I don't feel anything.

"It's easy, just takes some practice." she says. She hands it over to me, and I put it to my lips.

"Just take it in your mouth, don't inhale it into your lungs yet."

She lights the bowl and I take in as much as I can.

"Now, open your mouth and as soon as you do, try breathing it all in through your nose, this time inhaling it hard. " I try, but a lot gets away. She laughs at my attempt but as soon as it hits my lungs, I choke for air. She takes it again and does it once more. I feel my eyes become infatuated by the way she does it.

"Is it working?" she asks. I close my mouth once I realize its been open this entire time.

"What?" I ask.

"Do you feel like yourself?" she rephrases.

"I feel like I'm floating." I smile. I close my eyes and feel a cloud as I fall back. I smile ad my head just melts all over her bed. My body sinks into the foam. Everything relaxes.

An arm flies over my stomach and a face comes close to mine. I open my eyes cautiously, and I'm greeded by beautiful blue eyes and a daring smirk. She puts her lips to mine and I press hard to hers. She puts her top lip under mine and pulls it away from my mouth. I lean up and cup her cheek into my hand and she covers her hand over mine. I take in her bottom lip, nearly puncturing it as I come off of it. She smiles.

I climb on top of her and kiss her slowly. I suffocate her lips and she pulls me into her body, her knees up to my ribs. My hands slide down her sides to her hips, down her waist and to her back. She briefly pulls away from me and I dive into her neck. I draw the life out her as she pulls me closer and closer to her.

"Chris," she whispers. I look up. Oh no, what did I do? I always mess everything up.

"Do you want this?" she asks with a shy voice.

"I don't know what I want." I answer with a shy smirk.

"I think," she hesitates. "I think we have to go." she sighs.

I look into her eyes. They look so sad and are filled with fear.

All I can say is, "Right."