Quick Flicks

I stretched my legs out as the bed moved beside me and I opened my eyes. Tyler was sitting up, legs still outstretched but staring at the wall in front of him.

"Babe?" He turned to face me, slightly startled at the sound of my voice. His breathing was quickened and his eyes were wide open. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a bad dream." He gulped and laid back down, still not closing his eyes.

"You sure?" He closed his eyes and nodded, and I sleepily turned onto my side and drifted to sleep.
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I woke up as my phone pinged, irritated to see it was just an email. I usually put my phone on "Do Not Disturb", but I must've forgotten. I noticed that the space beside me was empty, so I scanned the room. The light in the bathroom was off, so I got out of bed and slowly made my way down the hall. I didn't see Ty in any of the other rooms, so I walked downstairs.

"Ty, what are you doing up?" He sat on the kitchen counter, head against the cabinets and water bottle in his hand.

"I couldn't sleep." His eyes looked red, almost like he had been crying. His voice was quiet and he didn't have much expression on his face. I walked over to him, standing between his legs.

"Is it because of the dream?" He closed his eyes and gulped, nodding. "Do you want to talk about it?" He placed his water bottle on the counter and hopped off, immediately pulling me in for a very tight hug. I wrapped my arms around him, as well, rubbing circles on his back as we stood in silence. He eventually pulled away, still looking distraught. I noticed his eyes were glassy with potential tears.

"Sorry, I'm being ridiculous." He turned away and wiped his tears away quickly with his hand, sniffling and clearing his throat. He turned around and leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his bare chest.

"No, you're not being ridiculous. What was the dream about?" He took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I was running- well, we were running. Sprinting as fast as possible from something, I don't know what it was even. But, I remember you fell and I turned to help you but then whatever was chasing us was running faster and I panicked and kept going and- and I could hear you screaming and I couldn't help you and- and-" Tyler was speaking so quickly at this point and he had that panicked look in his eyes again. I rushed over and wrapped my arms around him as tight as possible, this time standing on my toes so I could embrace him. It took another minute before he spoke again. "I couldn't protect you. I couldn't save you. It was all my fault."

"Ty, it was just a dream. I-"

"No, but what if I can't protect you in real life? What if I do something wrong? All I want is for you to be safe and happy and- and what if I mess that up?"

"You won't mess it up. You always make me feel safe. And, hey, I can protect myself, too. I don't know why you had such a fucked up dream, but don't let it convince you that you can't keep me safe." I pulled away and placed my hands on both of his cheeks, urging him to look me in the eye. "I love you, Tyler. And I know that you love me." I placed a kiss on his lips.

"I do." He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Now, how about you come back to bed with me."

"I think I'm gonna stay out here. I'll just stay on the couch."

"You're only staying out here if I'm invited, too." He cracked a small smile and nodded.

"Of course."

We headed into the living room and he laid down, grabbing a blanket off the end of the couch. Opening his arms, he ushered for me to join him. I lay on top of him, his warm chest and the warm blanket making me sleepy. His arms held me tightly, and he slowly ran his fingers through my hair. I placed a quick kiss on his chest and closed my eyes, feeling safe and sound.

Notes

This is a quick one, but it's just something that's been bouncing around my mind. :)