17. Trevor
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
TREVOR
T his couch is longer than most, but my head and feet hang off the ends as I try to get comfortable enough to sleep.
I readjust my durag and turn toward the cushion, finding the perfect divot to wedge my shoulder into, when Willa shouts from her bedroom.
I pause to be sure of what I heard, but after the second yell, I throw the blanket off and scramble to my feet.
When I reach her door, the anguish in her voice is heart-wrenching enough that I don’t even knock.
Willa’s lying on her bed, head whipping back and forth as she thrashes around the tangled sheets, wailing, “No! Not my…”
Leaving the light off, I kneel at her bedside and rub her upper arm to wake her gently. “Willa. Hey. Wake up, sweetheart.”
She jolts upright with a soul-shaking gasp, slowly taking in her dark bedroom. I squeeze her shoulder to make her aware of my presence, and she jumps.
“Hey”—I say, holding up my hands—“it’s Trev. It’s okay. You were having a nightmare.”
“I know that!” she snaps. The scrunch in her forehead melts, and she covers her face with her hands. “ Ugh , I’m sorry I woke you up. ”
“I was still awake. Let’s get you back to sleep.” I reach to replace her comforter, but she stays my hand.
“No.” She fixes the hair scarf threatening to slide off her head. “I can’t sleep now.”
“What do you mean?”
“The first night this happened, I just went right back into it.”
“The first night? How long has it been happening?”
She sighs and wrinkles her nose, pulling her comforter off her feet. “Almost two weeks.”
“Willa—”
“ I know ,” she huffs. “I should have told you. I’m sorry, okay?
But they’re nightmares, Trevor. Not exactly something you can fix.
” She swings her legs over the side of the bed and flips on the Tiffany lamp on her nightstand, bathing the room in a stained-glass glow.
Her dark purple comforter and sheets are a wadded mess.
“And you’re having them every night?”
She nods and rubs her face.
“What do you do when you have them?”
“I usually watch TV until it’s time to get up for the day.”
“Well, that stops now.”
She leans away from me with a glare. “Excuse me?”
“TV is overstimulating. You’re making it worse.”
“Okay, well, I’m not going back to sleep just to be tortured awake again. What am I supposed to do?”
“Talk to me about it.”
“ Ew ,” she whispers, swiping her twists to the side so they cascade over her shoulder.
I shift off my knees, crossing my legs as I sit in front of her. “I’m serious. What happens in your dream?”
“I’m minding my business, holding the baby, and then a gale-force wind rips her away.”
“ Her ? Did I miss some announcement?”
Her exasperation comes out as a prolonged sigh. “Look, I don’t know. She’s a girl in my dreams. All I know is everything’s fine until a storm cloud comes and rips her away.”
“Okay…and what happens next?”
“I jump for her, but she’s just out of reach. And then she’s gone, and I wake up like I just did.” Willa shudders and wraps her hands around her elbows.
“Do you trust me?”
“Eh…” Her nose scrunches as she looks me up and down.
Chuckling, I point to her pillow. “Lie down and close your eyes.”
“…Why?”
Reaching around her, I plump it up, holding my hand out toward the bed. “You’ll see.”
She shakes her head, muttering under her breath as she lies down, staring at me the entire way.
I fix her bedding and drape it over her. “Close your eyes.”
“Who’s being bossy now, huh?” She shimmies her shoulders into the pillow, closing her eyes once she settles.
“Okay, so the sky’s stormy, the baby gets lifted into the air, you can’t reach them?—
“Her.”
“You can’t reach her …except there’s a bright pink ribbon strapped around her ankle and your wrist, keeping her anchored to you.”
“What? That’s not what happens…”
“What if you imagine it that way? Try it. Visualize your nightmare right up to the bad part and add in the ribbon.”
She takes a few deep breaths, grimacing at first, but soon the tension in her body eases. When she opens her eyes, I can’t help but smile at the wonder on her face. “Feel better?” I ask.
“What kind of sorcery was that? I threw in the ribbon, pulled her back to me, and the sun came out. Where did you learn that?”
“Therapy.” I smile.
“You too, huh? ”
“Yep. I had vivid nightmares for a while after I was adopted, and my parents got us into play therapy. I’ve kept it up with talk therapy through the years, off and on, whenever I need to go.”
With a yawn, Willa nods, rubbing her eyes. I think my job here is done.
“Get some sleep. I’ll be out on the couch if you need me.” I push my knuckles into the mattress to help me stand, but she grabs my wrist.
“Could you stay with me?”
“Uh, sure. You have an extra blanket?”
“What’s wrong with this one?” She waves over her blanket-covered body.
“You want me to sleep in the bed with you?”
“Yeah. Just in case your dream magic wears off and I wake up in a panic again. Plus, the bed is more comfortable than the couch…” She scoots to the other side of the king-sized mattress, flips open the covers, and pulls me down next to her.
I lean back to scan her face. The last time we were in a bed together, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
Granted, I’m game, but she’s just come around to the idea of us being friends.
“It’ll be fine , Trevor.” She sighs. “We’re adults.
We can share a bed without having sex. And it’s not like you can impregnate me… again.”
“Watch it, Gem.” I chuckle, shaking my head.
“Back at you, Dimples.”
Stretching out next to her, I slide my hand behind my head as she plumps the other pillow. This will be okay … I’m not a caveman . I can control my urges for one night, no matter how much I want to wrap my arms around her and pull her into my lap. We ’ re friends .
As soon as I have the thought, she rolls on top of my chest, nipples brushing against me through the worn fabric of her T-shirt.
She reaches for the lamp and clicks it off, and I clench my fist to make sure my fingers don’t graze the soft skin of her now exposed waist. I hold my breath, failing to ignore the searing swipe of her fingertips on my hip as she steadies herself.
When she lies down, she turns and snuggles into my side.
Warm coconut grips my senses as her touch seeps into my bones.
She has no idea how close I am to losing my mind.