A Little Piece of Heaven

The wind made the branches of the tree scratch against the window. She moved herself closer to him, making him smile.

"It's okay," he whispered with his famous smirk. "I've got you."

"I know. It's still scary, Matt." She looked up at him, searching his features for a hint of what he might be thinking. She always wondered if she was the one thing on his mind. He wondered the same.

"I know, but you'll get used to it."

She sat up and looked at him with a playful angry expression. "What do you mean I'll get used to it?"

Matt was silent. He knew she was playing, but he felt bad. "Alex, I... I'm sorry." She smiled, leaning in closer to him so her lips could meet his. She loved his kisses. They made her feel safe, protected.

"Don't be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for." She laid back down against his chest. His arms found their way around her thin figure and kissed her forehead. She looked out the window at the morning sky.

"Did you sleep?"

The question hit him like a nail. She knows. He looked down at her and smiled sheepishly. "Like a baby."

Alex frowned. She knew better than to believe that. "Don't lie to me, please. You promised me you would never lie to me."

Matt sighed, knowing he had lost the battle he wasn't even fighting. He looked down at her as she played with one of her curls. "Okay. I haven't slept in a month."

"Go to the doctor and get the medicine."

Matt threw his head back, groaning. No. "Okay."

"You mean it?" Alex lifted herself up to sit next to him. She looked up into his green eyes. Matt nodded and closed his eyes, resting his hands on his face.

"You're going with me," he demanded. Alex looked down at her hands. She hated it when he demanded things of her. She knew he could be dominant at times. He used to always be dominant when they first met. She ended that, pleading that she wasn't a slave and didn't deserve to be treated like one. Matt never saw it like that. He was just always like that, even with past girlfriends. Alex hated it. Matt decided that if he wanted a relationship to work, he'd have to compromise and he gave up the dominant ways.

"No, I'm not. It's your problem."

"You do this all the time. You tell me to go to the doctor for one of my 'problems' and then you say you won't go. What kind of shit is that?"

"It's the kind of shit that you grow up and deal with."

Matt tried hard not to yell at her. He hated fighting with her because she'd always cry. Maybe he was being grouchy because of the lack of sleep. "I do deal with my problems," he said in a quieter tone. "I just don't like dealing with them alone."

Alex scoffed. "Oh, but it's okay for me to deal with my own problems alone because you're either doing local shows with your friends or out drinking with them. No wonder you don't get any sleep. You're too busy!"

"What are you suggesting, Miss Little Perfect? Give up my friends? I told you before we even got together that my friends are an important part of my life. They were here before you, and they'll be here after you."

Alex was silent for a moment and looked away from him. "I wasn't suggesting that, and I'm not Miss Little Perfect. I was just saying when I need you to go to the doctor with me, you always blow me off to watch football or go surfing or get a new tattoo. When you need me to go to the doctor with you, it's a matter of life or death for me." Her voice choked, and she was silent for another moment before she left the room. She found herself going into the spare bedroom and lying down on the guest bed and let the tears fall.

She didn't know why she was crying. It could've been she and Matt were fighting. It could've been her menstrual. It could've been anything. All she knew was she hated fighting with him. She wasn't a fighter. That was partly why she always walked away first.

Hope. That's what she felt as she laid on the bed and cried. She hoped that Matt wouldn't leave her because she spoke her mind.