17

                                    

                                          
J
I'm startled awake by Lisa screaming out in her sleep. Then she wraps herself around me tightly. So tightly, in fact, that I can't move at all.
"Too tight," I whisper. I try to squirm, but it's of little use. "You gotta let up, Lisa."
She doesn't. A second later I feel a drop of water on my arm and Lisa gasps for breath. She's crying. She's having a nightmare. My heart immediately splinters open for the pain she must be feeling. I need to wake her and make her realize we're both okay and nowhere near Everett.
"Lisa, wake up," I say gently while rubbing her arm. "Come on, baby, open your eyes. You're dreaming." Maybe if I use the pet name she has for me, I can cut through the nightmare. She has never called me that until we finally got together. Hopefully, I can trigger something in her to make her realize it's just a dream.
She calls out again. "No, you have to stop." She's crying hard, choking on each word. "Please, no more."
Tears well in my eyes. I'm crying along with her. Suddenly, she lets go and rolls away from me. I quickly sit up and move so I'm facing her. The early morning sun is coming through the window, giving me just enough light that I can see her eyes are squeezed shut. Her legs are spread as her body arches off the bed. Tears are cascading down her cheeks. Oh, my God, Everett must be touching her in her dream. I'm going to hurt that motherfucker for ever touching Lisa.
I find the switch on the lamp by the bed and turn it on. Then I get up and go to the other nightstand and do the same there. I'm afraid if I touch her she'll mistake me for Everett.
"Lisa, wake up. It's not real. Come on, baby. Listen to my voice. He's not here. He's not touching you. It's only you and me. No one else." Her body relaxes a little, but she still doesn't wake. I snap my fingers. Nothing. I clap my hands loudly. That works. She sits straight up in bed, her eyes wide, her head swiveling around trying to figure out where she is. They eventually land on me and hold my gaze. Her breathing is coming fast, and I notice a bead of sweat slide down her face.
"It was only a dream," I say, softly. She doesn't move or acknowledge she understands me. "Can you hear me, Lisa?" She nods. "You're in Mino's home. You're safe. It's only us here."
Hesitantly, I close the distance between us but don't reach out to touch her. She lifts one of her hands to caress my cheek, and I don't miss how it trembles. Then she gently moves me so my back is facing her. She lifts the shirt I fell asleep in and runs her shaking hand up and down my spine.
I glance over my shoulder. "I'm okay."
Her voice is hoarse. "He hit you."
I shake my head. "No, I've been right here with you all along. I'm safe. We're safe."
She reaches forward to wrap her arm around my waist and pull me back onto the bed, my back to her chest. She brushes my hair aside as I settle between her legs. Her nose lightly drags over my neck. I lay my hands over hers, which are holding me tight.
"It felt so real," she mutters against my skin.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could help in some way. I didn't know if I was going to be able to pull you out of your nightmare."
"You are helping. You're here. That helps more than anything else."
I want to ask her what happened to me in her nightmare, but I don't dare. I also won't ask what was happening to her. My mind can imagine that all on its own.
We sit on the bed for a while, me staying in her arms as she begins to relax some, so I can turn and place my ear to her chest to hear her heart beat steadily. She runs her fingers through my hair while the room remains bathed in silence.