Starting Over •JJK• ✔️

Nineteen

The sun was bright and the sky was clear as I walked through the farmer's market. All of the fresh produce looked delicious. I had a small basket hanging on my arm, and I dropped a couple of apples into it before moving on to the next stand.

I lifted my head to look around when I felt eyes on me. And when I spotted him, I immediately turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Madelyn."

I walked faster, moving my way through the crowd and hoping to get lost amongst it. I peeked behind me to see him slowly moving towards me. My heart hammered in my chest as I kept trying to put more space between us.

"Where are you going?"

I tried asking people for help as they passed me but no one stopped. I'd try to grab their arm and raised my voice to get their attention but they only kept moving. It's like I didn't even exist. I looked over my shoulder again to see him even closer now.

There was a break in the crowd, so I dropped the basket and tried to run. But I couldn't run. I could barely move.

"Stop running, Madelyn."

My feet felt like they each weighed fifty pounds and my legs felt like they were moving through quicksand. And when I felt a hand on my shoulder, everything went dark.

"No!" I pushed the hand off of my shoulder and looked around. I found myself sitting upright in a dimly lit bedroom, and it took a few seconds for me to remember where I was. I felt movement beside me on the bed and turned to see JK staring at me. He looked almost as scared as I felt.

I threw the blankets off in a panic and quickly moved over to the large window. I opened the already partially opened curtains and looked down at the darkness below. I knew it was just a dream and that he wouldn't be out there. This building was heavily protected, and JK's bedroom faced a courtyard, so there really was no way that he would be there. But I still had to check.

JK's hand gently rested on my shoulder again, and he moved it across my upper back when I didn't push it away this time. I could feel his hesitation of touching me more than this. And when I turned to look up at him, he brought his other hand to my cheek. He silently looked at me with fear still in his eyes, which probably matched my own.

"He found me." Those were the only words I could find at first. My voice was shaking and so were my hands.

JK held both sides of my face and leaned down to look at me. "What do you mean, he found you?" The dim light coming in from the window illuminated his face. He knew exactly who I was referring to.

"He called me." I cleared my throat, still trying to find my voice. "While you were gone. He called my phone. My actual phone number. He found me."

JK sighed and pulled me to him, tightening his arms around me. "We'll figure this out. You're okay." He smoothed a hand over my hair, which was still damp from the shower we took earlier. "You're safe."

I rested my cheek against his chest and nodded, closing my eyes. My hands settled on his back and I inhaled, taking in his natural scent that still blended with the smell of his shampoo. "It just felt so real."

"I know, baby." He kissed the top of my head and pulled back to look at me. "Come on. Lay down and try to relax."

I was wearing one of his oversized t-shirts and I tugged at the hem, which fell to my mid thigh, as he fixed the blankets on the bed. After he readjusted the pillows, I crawled beneath the covers to try and get myself comfortable.

JK slid up behind me and pulled me against him with his chest against my back. He moved my hair away from my neck and kissed the back of my head.

I could feel his heart pounding, but I didn't know if it was out of fear or anger at what I'd told him. I didn't want to know. Not right now. I just settled back against him and sighed. And when he reached around me to find my hand, I squeezed it.

I closed my eyes when I felt his forehead against my hair. He started to quietly hum a song that I couldn't quite place, and it didn't take long for me to fall back to sleep.