more if I leave her. I need to stay as far away from her as possible. Keep her as far away from Abri as possible. Before I end up hurting her like I did Abri.
13
Mila
Knight is easy to fall for. He’s handsome, charming, and he saved me. What’s not to love?
But maybe the reason my heart flutters around him is I don’t really know him, and he doesn’t know me. Not knowing the truth about each other’s pasts makes it easy to love someone. If he knew my truth, it would be hard for him to love me. Our pasts are the key to letting each other go, but even though Knight left me alone in his bed, letting each other go right now is the last thing either one of us wants.
I saw the pain in Knight’s eyes when he left me tucked in his bed. He didn’t want to go. He thought he was doing the right thing. Saving me as always, this time from himself. He thought I would hate him more if he left. But I don’t think hating Knight is possible anymore.
How can I hate someone that made me feel alive for the first time in years? How can I hate someone who saved me? How can I hate someone who loves me?
I can’t.
Knight may not realize that he loves me, but he does. I never thought you could fall for someone so quickly, but I think we’ve been falling since the first moment we met weeks ago. And in some ways, I feel like the universe has been conspiring to bring us together for a lot longer than a few weeks.
I close my eyes. My body is sore. It will only be worse tomorrow. But it was more than worth it. That may be the last time Knight kisses me or touches me. The love that formed may only last one night, but I wouldn’t trade it away. Even if I knew how our story would end. I would do it all over again.
Sleep, I need to sleep. Tomorrow, I will go back to reality. Tomorrow, we will see if there is enough hate to return to how we were living before or if something stronger wins. Tonight, I will dream of Knight and the future we could have together if our pasts weren’t so painful.
No.
Stop.
No!
“Mila, shh, it’s okay. I got you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you,” Knight’s voice says.
Knight?
He’s not here. He’s not the one hurting me.
“Mila, no one is hurting you.”
No one is hurting me, I repeat the words in my head.
I feel his arms wrap around me, but it takes me a while to convince myself to open my eyes. I’m not where I thought I was. I’m safe in Knight’s bedroom. In his arms.
Knight strokes my hair with worry in his dark eyes. The same concern he had, holding me in his arms, after rescuing me from falling to my death.
“It was a nightmare. That’s all. I won’t let Abri or anyone else hurt you.”
I nod. I know he won’t let Abri hurt me.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I whisper. I trust him, but he shouldn’t trust me. I’m not even sure I can trust myself, because Abri wasn’t who I was dreaming about.
“Do you need anything? Water, food, more covers?”
I stare out at the darkness. No one is here. It’s just Knight and me. I’m safe.
“No, I’m okay.”
He pulls the covers back over me, and I think he’s going to leave me again. My body shakes at the thought of being alone again. My heart beats rapidly, but I try to keep from moving, so Knight won’t realize how badly I need him.
“Thank you for coming. I’ll be fine now. It was just a nightmare.”
He lifts my chin to stare at him. I can’t hide, not when he stares at me like this. “It wasn’t just anything. Hearing your scream like that was one of the scariest moments of my life. I thought…”
He thought someone was hurting me now. Does he believe Abri would break into his house and do that?
I stroke his cheek and kiss him very lightly on the lips. “I’m okay. I promise. I used to get nightmares all the time. Today must have triggered one again. I’ll watch TV or something for a little bit, and then I’ll fall fast asleep again. You wore me out. I won’t have a choice but to sleep. Go back to bed.”