New Beginnings

After dinner with Kryce, his daughter, and my kids, I felt beyond ready for bed. It had been quite a long day and I needed the rest desperately by the time eleven at night rolled around. I got the kids ready for bed and said good night before heading back to my room to get myself ready.

It felt as though as soon as my head hit that pillow I was asleep. For the most part, it was a dreamless sleep, but an odd dream decided to make a presence within my mind.

I was standing in my old apartment, it looked the exact same as when I lived in it. It was the first place me and Demik lived together so I had this gut feeling I wasn’t going to like this dream. I wandered the apartment and nothing was out of the ordinary until I reached my old bedroom.

There was a lump under the blankets and it looked to be breathing. I walked closer and slowly grabbed onto an edge of the blankets. Pulling them back, a figure sprang up and tackled me to the ground. Once I untangle myself from the blankets that were now all around me, I looked around to see who, or what, had tackled me.

There, sitting almost right beside me, was Demik. I felt my heart drop, crack, inflate, and start pounding all at once. I was confused as to what I was feeling, but I knew that I was sad remembering that he’s dead, and I was happy that I got to see him again. He didn’t look anything like how I seen him last. The Demik that was now in front of me, was the Demik I was dating in high school. He was the eccentric, crazy, teenage boy that I fell in love with. And oddly enough, after briefly catching my reflection in the mirror, I looked the same as I had in high school as well.

I sat there stunned for a moment before I lunged forward and hugged him. He wasn’t shocked, he just laughed and hugged me back while pulling me onto his lap. Oh how I missed his laugh, and his smile, his voice, everything, I just missed him.

“I miss you so much baby, why’d you have to leave? I can’t do this by myself, I need you.” I buried my head into the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent. He smelled exactly how I remembered him. Fruity, but with hints of vanilla, coconut, and lavender. He had the best scent in the world in my opinion.

“It wasn’t my choice Shy, it was an accident. It was my fault. I dropped something while driving and I thought I had enough time to reach down and grab it. But when I sat back up I couldn’t stop in time. It was my stupid mistake that got me killed, I wish I had been more…smart, about it. If I had, then I’d still be with you.” his voice was soft, full of regret, and sorrow. It hurt to hear, and see him have those types of emotions.

“No, don’t say that, it was an accident, that’s all it was, ok?” I was trying not to cry, but just seeing him, talking with him again, it was just too much for me to handle.

He laughed and kissed my forehead softly. “If you say so Shy.”

“That’s not fair!” I protested.

“What’s not?” he obviously wasn’t catching on to what I was annoyed about.

I gave him a look that I was sure he would understand what I wanted after that.

“Oh, ok babe, I get it now.” he said smiling.

He lifted my chin up with two of his fingers, then leaned down to kiss my ever so softly on the lips. If there was one thing I missed the most about the physical connection I had with Demik, it would be his kisses. He pulled away and smiled at me again.

“So from what I’ve been noticing is that you have a new boyfriend?” he asked raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“He’s not a boyfriend, he’s just a friend.” I replied quietly.

“But you like him, don’t you?” he pressed.

“I guess…”

“More than me?”

I looked up at him in shock. “Never! How could you think that?” I asked slightly hurt by what he said.

“I don’t know. It’s not that it hurts me, I’m happy you’re moving on babe, I just wish I was still with you. I miss you so much, and I miss our kids.” he said looking down at his hands that were wrapped around my waist.

“You have no idea what happened to me after you left do you?” I asked softly. He shook his head and I stood up.

I showed him all my scars, I told him how I was basically always drunk, how I was smoking, and how I was basically in a coma for a little over a year. He looked hurt, but also a little mad at what had happened to me.

“You left our kids on their own basically?” he asked slightly pissed off.

“No, Nika and Marcy moved in after their birthday issue.”

“Issues?” he asked confused.

“Yeah, us…it got out. They got teased about it. And as far as I know, it’s still happening, they just won’t admit it. I’ve seen mild bruises on James, but he never owns up to what they’re from. I’m worried about them.” I replied quietly.

“Oh, well sometimes you have to let things play out. Look at what happened with us. If you hadn’t walked in on my and Alexxs that night at Katie’s party, if I hadn’t seen your expression and ran after you…I don’t know if we would have gotten together.”

“How do you figure?” I asked.

“Well, after you walked in on me and Alexxs, would you have tried again to tell me that you loved me?” he asked softly holding my hands.

“No…I don’t think I would have. That hurt me too much, seeing you with him.” I replied.

“I know, babe. I’m sorry.” he leaned forward and hugged me tightly while pulling me back down onto his lap. “But I do believe you have to wake up now. I’m sorry babe, you have to go.”

“I don’t want you to leave me again, please.” I was practically begging him, but I realized it was getting me nowhere in the long run.

“I love you Shy-baby. You’ll see me again soon enough, I promise. I love you.” he lifted me off his lap and hugged me one last time before pulling away to crash his lips against mine.

“I love you too Demik.” I said when we pulled apart.

He gave me a small smile before vanishing into thin air. I stood there for a second longer before I was thrashing about in a tangle of blankets and falling off the bed. I untangled myself and looked around, I was back in my room, on the floor, and Tora and James were standing in the doorway looking at me strangely.

“I had a bad dream, that’s all.” I looked at the clock. It read almost seven thirty in the morning. “Go get ready for school, ok?” They nodded and left the room. I sat there for a moment longer thinking about the last thing Demik had said to me in my dream.

I love you Shy-baby. You’ll see me again soon enough, I promise. I love you.