was in such an unfamiliar place without any of my family around. This one had felt more severe than the ones I usually had at home, and this caused it to affect me more deeply. Because of this, I didn’t feel like I was going to be able to fall back asleep and I didn’t really want to.
I didn’t know what to do. Since I didn’t usually have a schedule to adhere to, when the nightmares hit me back home I would just light some candles and read a book until I felt like I could fall asleep again, often sometime around dawn. But I had to get up early for work tomorrow and in the dark, the house was more frightening and unfamiliar than it had seemed when Grayson had given me the tour. This was how I came to the risky decision that I should go and check to see if I could slip into bed with Grayson.
I felt a little bit like a child and I didn’t know if he would necessarily approve, but at the moment it was the only thing that I could think to do. He made me feel safe, and that was exactly what I needed right now. I thought that if I was in his arms, I might be able to fall back asleep.
Recalling the tour that he had given me earlier, I tiptoed through the house until I came to the door of his suite. I knocked, lightly at first and then louder when that got no response.
There was rustling from inside and then Grayson opened the door, looking very sleepy, his hair all mussed from lying in bed. “What is it?” he asked groggily, squinting at me.
“I had a nightmare,” I said, looking down at my feet. I suddenly felt so young, like the little kid I thought he still saw me as sometimes, and I wondered if it had been a good idea to have come to his room after all. “Can I sleep with you?” I asked before I could change my mind.
“Why would you want to do that?” he asked, his brows coming together in a confused knot, sleep slowly clearing from his eyes as he gazed at me. “You know we have to go to work tomorrow, right?”
“I don’t mean in that way,” I sputtered, bringing my hands up between us. “I just meant that I thought I might sleep better if I was near you.”
He sighed and rubbed a distracted hand through his mussed hair. “Alright, but this is just a one-time thing. I really don’t have time for you to be getting too attached.”
I nodded and followed him in, closing the door after me.
“Come on then,” he said, sitting down on the bed and patting the surface next to him. “Get over here.”
I complied quickly and he wrapped me in his arms, enveloping me in his scent. Already I felt calmer.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
“About my nightmare?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t really remember it,” I admitted. “It kind of exists just as this mass of fear in my brain. The actual images and words are irrelevant.”
“Hmmm.” He squeezed me tighter against him. “That sounds terrible. Do you have any idea what might be causing them?”
I shook my head. “No. They’ve been with me for a while. It’s just easier at home.”
He nodded. “Let’s lay down then. Do you think you’ll be able to get some sleep?”
“I hope so. I just know that I feel safer next to you.”
He let out a short laugh and then stopped. “Alright. Well, you can tell me tomorrow morning if you need to stay home. I don’t want you collapsing on me after all.”
I nodded and then laid down next to him, relaxing my breathing. His arms were still around me, but they were looser now, allowing me to shift into a position that was comfortable for me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Don’t mention it. Remember, though, this is a one-time thing.”
That made a pang of regret run through me. Had I made a mistake? Clearly Grayson wasn’t too pleased if he was saying that. “Okay,” I replied, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
His next words were softer. “You know I don’t mean that in a hurtful way. It’s just important that we don’t get too attached to one another. I don’t want you to be hurt when this ends.”
That may have been his intention, but it still hurt to hear, especially given the fact that he