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attention our way. “No
fucking way you’re shacking up with that honey of a lolly-pop!”
Then she went off in a random tangent. “Is he buff under there?
He totally looks like he’s got a rockin’ body. Is he good
in bed? Oh, he has to be! All those guys that look hot on the outside
but aren’t conceited, totally rock in bed. Oh, my God, I
can’t believe you get to sleep with that every night! I am so
fucking jealous right now.”
    “Down, girl. I’m
sure if Nick had any interest in me whatsoever, he would’ve
asked me out on a date, not to split the rent.”
    “You’re
seriously not riding that?” The surprise in her eyes slowly
became greedy. “Hmm… Just a forewarning. If you don’t
make your move soon, I’m going in.”
    I huffed and rolled my
eyes, but inside, I felt a twinge of worry. Tish was a pretty girl
who wasn’t afraid of going after something once she wanted it,
so I knew she was completely serious. And I began to wonder. If I was
jealous of just the thought of those two together, then maybe I was
interested in Nick that way. Oh, crap.
    It was hard pushing
through my shift. Paul always spent his free time doing
business-related things in his office, so the hours passed with
little conversation. I guess I had taken Nick for granted in that
aspect. We’d spent most of our nights interacting in some way
and it always made the hours fly by.
    By two A.M. I was
ready to drop. Following Paul out the back, my jaw slackened and my
poor heart quickened. Nick was sitting in his car waiting for me. I
can’t believe he came for me. I thought I’d still
have a few minutes to prepare myself for whatever was going to happen
next, and now, it was already here, smacking me in the face. But a
small part of me warmed inside too.
    Paul seemed unaffected
by Nick’s arrival and said goodnight as he climbed into his
truck, so even he must’ve heard the rumors and assumed we were
dating. Funny he didn’t sound off his opinion of Nick like he
did with Joe.
    I let myself in and
eased into the passenger seat, afraid to look him in those gorgeous
green eyes. “Hey,” he murmured.
    “Hey,” I
returned. I knew he was looking at me but I just couldn’t brave
it in return.
    “How’d
your night go?”
    I took a moment to
think on it. “Slow.”
    I sensed a smile
before he quietly chuckled, starting the engine to drive us home.
Only then did I have the courage to look his way.
    “Mine, too,”
he said.
    It only took a minute
to drive home. When I stepped into our apartment, I breathed in the
faint aroma of garlic, but saw nothing but a clean kitchen. “Did
you cook?”
    “Yep. Go change
and I’ll heat you up a plate.”
    I did like he said and
hid myself away to change into my nightwear. I returned to find a
pasta dish ready on the counter, with olive oil, basil, garlic and
diced tomatoes. So simple yet fantastic.
    I focused on my food,
afraid to speak while he watched some old movie on TV. When I
realized he wasn’t going to bring up what happened earlier, I
relaxed and joined him on the sofa for the rest of the movie.

    That was the first
night I had the nightmare.
    I was standing in an
abandoned crossroad in the middle of the night, nothing but barren
wastelands in each direction. I didn’t know where I was or what
I was doing there, but something had me so terrified I was literally
quivering in my boots, fearful beyond comprehension.
    Nick appeared off to
my left, the moon sucking all the color from his skin. He waved
frantically, desperately seeking my gaze. He cupped his mouth and
yelled, and the wind carried his scream all the way to my ear. “Air!”
He pointed towards me, again shouting, “AIR!”
    I looked to the sky
but saw nothing more than the moon and the stars, staring down at me
with judgment, it seemed. When I looked to my right, I gasped. Mom
and Dad! Though white as ghosts, they looked exactly as I
remembered, but their faces were filled with so many negative
emotions – dread, pain,