Chapter 20
Rosalie
Ilifted my hand to rub at my tired eyes, opening them slowly. It was dark. I last remembered falling asleep on the couch with Silas but he must have carried me to bed.
He was so sweet… sometimes he seemed too good to be true. How did I get so lucky?
A yawn left my lips, shifting slightly in the large, cozy bed I shared with Silas.
He was next to me, arms wrapped around my waist with his head buried into my shoulder.
I turned just enough to look back at him and the way his curls fell across his forehead.
I reached out, brushing my fingers lightly against his face, pushing his curls back in place.
A soft mumble, almost a whisper, followed by sudden tension in Silas’s frame. My heart quickened, watching the way he stirred. A cold sweat permeated from his brow. I sat up, leaning closer, I whispered. Gently nudged him, “Silas? Love, wake up… you’re okay.”
Silas jolted awake in a panic. His eyes darted across the room from one side to the other. His breaths were uneven and erratic, I had never seen him look so afraid. “Rosalie? You’re okay?”
I slid closer, wrapping my arms around him, I rested my head against his chest. “Mhm. You’re okay… I’m right here. You were having a bad dream.”
He was so distressed, trembling against my touch.
“Silas, please. Focus on me. Breathe,” I slid my hands to his face and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at me.
He blinked rapidly, his muscles slowly relaxing. “I thought—I thought I lost you,” he stammered.
“You didn’t lose me, I’m right here,” I reassured him, gently rubbing his back. I ensured there was no distance between us. Touch grounded me, and I was almost certain it would ground him too. Silas and I were alike in a lot of ways.
Silas held me, with one arm around my back and the other supporting my head. Letting out a shaky breath, “I hate the nightmares I have sometimes… it’s always chaotic and dark… in a place where everything feels wrong… a place where I lose you…”
“You’re not going to lose me, Silas. I promise you that,” I planted a soft kiss against his cheek. I wish I could take his pain away the way he took mine.
“I shouldn’t let silly nightmares affect me like this…” he murmured shamefully.
“You are strong. The strongest person I know… nightmares don’t define your strength. They’re just echoes of things you’ve lived through… it’s okay to feel things.”
He leaned into my touch. “Sometimes I feel like I’m trapped inside them. I don’t want to feel this way. I just… I just want you.”
I nuzzled him closer. Afraid to let him pull away, I held him tightly.
Silas inhaled deeply. “You have no idea how much I love you.”
I smiled. “I think I do because I love you just as much… maybe more.”
For several long moments, we held each other. His legs entangled with mine beneath the sheets. Silas’s breaths steadied. I let out a soft yawn.
“Silas?”
“Yeah baby?” he murmured.
“Stay with me?”
“Always. You’re my everything, Rosie.”
I smiled bigger. “And you’re mine.”
Silas pulled me in for a gentle kiss. The kiss lingered, enveloping us both, and when we parted, he pulled me back down. He lay on his back with my head against his chest,his one hand toying with my curls and the other rubbing my back.
I nuzzled him, shifting to wrap my arms around him.
He was warm, and despite his toned muscles, there was no place more comfortable than his embrace.
I tipped my chin, peppering his face in soft little kisses.
Silas turned his head, catching my lips with his own.
I smiled, letting out another soft yawn.
Silas planted a soft kiss against my forehead. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”
I nodded. Closing my eyes, I rested my head comfortably against his chest, and drifted back to sleep wrapped up in his arms.