A Photographers Love (Awsten Knight)

36

I wake up to Awsten holding me close to him and rubbing my back soothingly. "Hey. It's okay. I'm right here. It's just a dream. Everything's okay." He whispers into my hair, kissing the top of my head.

Taking a shaky breath, I lift my head off of Awstens chest and look into his eyes. Even in the little light in the bunk, I can still make out the different colors. I start to calm down a little, my breathing starting to even out. He reaches a hand up gently and wipes away some tears with his thumb. "You okay? Was it the nightmare again?"

I shake my head. "What day is it?" He gives me a confused look and goes to say something but I cut him off. "Please, Awsten. What's today?"

Nodding his head, Awsten grabs his phone. The screen lights up his face and he flinches slightly at the brightness. "Um, it's the fourth of December. Why?"

Groaning, I lay my head back down on Awsten. "I thought so."

His arms wrap around me and he gently rubs small circles on my back. "Why did you want to know what day it is? What's going on today? Are you okay?" He asks me, worry lacing his voice.

"I'm okay. I just had a nightmare. Today is the 15th anniversary of my dad's death." I explain to him.

He hums in response. "I'm sorry. What was your nightmare about?"

I take a breath and focus on the little circles he's rubbing on my back, calming me down. "It wasn't the same nightmare I usually have, but it was similar. I told you that my dad died in a car crash, and the dream was basically just reliving that. Except I was in the car with him. The crash just kept playing over and over again."

Awsten holds me closer to him and kisses the top of my head before moving me away a little. I sit up a little bit and give him a curious look. He just gets out of the bunk before holding out a hand to me. "Come on. Let's go watch some movies and cuddle on the couch. Get your mind off of today."

I can't help the smile that takes over my face as I take his hand and he helps me out of the bunk before leading me over to the couch. As I sit down on the couch, Awsten grabs a blanket and sets up a movie. Once he's done, he sits beside me and pulls me toward him so that I'm laying on him before putting the blanket over the both of us. "Thank you, Awsten."

He leans over and kisses the top of my head. "It's no problem, jellybean. I'm here for you. I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I wasn't?"

At some point during the movie, I fell back asleep. When I wake up again, Awstens arms are still around me and his breathing is even, meaning he's still asleep. Just as I'm about to go back to sleep, I hear the sound of a camera. I open my eyes and look towards the sound and see Jawn standing there with his camera in hand.

Jawn just smirks as I glare at him. "You guys looked cute. I couldn't resist." I shake my head and close my eyes, not wanting to deal with him right now. "I was gonna check in on you, but it would seem that someone beat me to it. Just remember that I'm here if you need to talk or anything."

"Thank you, Jawn. Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me." I tell him quietly, not wanting to wake Awsten up.

It's silent for a little bit and I almost go back to sleep. Almost. "What are you two doing laying on the couch, anyways? Better not have been up to anything last night."

I try to just ignore him, not in the mood to deal with him, but Awsten wakes up. "Go away, Jawn. Leave her alone." He mumbles, still half asleep. Jawn lets out a small chuckle before leaving. Awstens grip on me tightens for a second. "Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

Letting out sigh, I sit up, Awsten doing the same. "I'll be okay. I mean, yeah I'm kind of sad because of what today is, but I'm with all my friends. It's been 15 years now. Just another day without him. I'm okay, I promise."

Awsten wipes a stray tear off of my face before pulling me into a hug. "It's okay, jellybean. It's okay to not be okay. We're all here for you."

I bury my head in his neck, letting a few more tears fall. "Thank you."