Promises
1/1
Jennifer’s smoky black eyes shot open as she jolted up. Her heart was pounding in her chest, the hair on arms and back of her neck stood straight, and a thin bead of sweat slowly rolled down her forehead. Her wild, untamable black hair stuck out in several directions, some pieces awkwardly sticking to the sweaty side of her face and neck.
Her pallor skinned hand tightly clutched at the fabric of the sheet that was draped across her long legs. She slammed her eyes shut as she slowly started breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth in an attempt to calm to her nerves.
“It was just a nightmare,” she quietly murmured to herself, as to not wake the person sleeping beside her, “That’s all it was… just a horrible dream. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.”
When she opened her black eyes again, they starred right into a pair of meticulous, beady green eyes.
“AHH!” Jennifer jumped in surprise.
There was a sound of a soft, but still audible, thump from the edge of the bed. Jennifer pushed herself towards the headboard, her back flush against the wood, and pulled her legs towards her chest.
“What?” voiced a groggy Will from Jennifer’s right as he sat up, “What happened?”
Jennifer almost smacked herself on the head at the sound of Will’s cat, Fiyero, meowing from the opposite side of the room.
“It was just the cat,” she breathed out in relief to herself.
“You okay?” Will asked her as he turned to look at her. Though he could hardly see – partly from the lack of light, as well as his lack of glasses – he could faintly make out her blurred, oddly pale silhouette.
“Yeah,” she licked over her dry lips, “I’m fine… Just a bad dream.”
“Oh… you wanna talk about?” he ran a hand through his hair.
“No,” Jennifer started shaking her head, even though she knew he probably couldn’t see, “You don’t wanna hear it.”
She was starting to turn her body away, but she paused when Will’s warm hand gently wrapped around her arm.
“I do,” he confessed, “I’m not like him.”
“I know you’re not.”
“Then you know you can tell me anything, right?”
Tears stung the young woman’s eyes, “I don’t wanna talk about it.” She tried to jerk her arm out of his hold, but it was of no use. Her adjusting eyes starred down at his hand wrapped around her arm and memories, terrifying memories, starting flooding into her mind.
Though Will couldn’t see the fear in his girlfriend’s black eyes, he sensed that she was afraid. He released his grip on her arm, only to wrap it around her shoulders and pull her smaller frame towards his.
“I won’t let him hurt you again,” he comforted her.
Jennifer never felt safer than she did in Will’s warm, soft embrace. But she couldn’t shake the fear, the paranoia, in her mind that he’d be back. And he’d be back with a vengeance, he promised her that.
“You can’t promise me that,” she cried in his firm chest. Her pale fingers, now beginning to retain their normal color, fisted on his chest – trying to grab the shirt that wasn’t there.
“Well I promise you that,” he told her as he started to rub her back, “He won’t ever come near you again.”
That’s when the tears started. Fresh, warm tears spilled from her dark eyes while loud sobs escaped her thin lips. Will knew there was nothing he could do now but be there for her and wait. Wait for her to calm down again, or wait for her to cry herself to sleep. Either way, he knew he wouldn’t fall back asleep again for a while, just the same as almost every night before.
“I promise,” he repeated, “He’s never going to touch you again.”
Her pallor skinned hand tightly clutched at the fabric of the sheet that was draped across her long legs. She slammed her eyes shut as she slowly started breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth in an attempt to calm to her nerves.
“It was just a nightmare,” she quietly murmured to herself, as to not wake the person sleeping beside her, “That’s all it was… just a horrible dream. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.”
When she opened her black eyes again, they starred right into a pair of meticulous, beady green eyes.
“AHH!” Jennifer jumped in surprise.
There was a sound of a soft, but still audible, thump from the edge of the bed. Jennifer pushed herself towards the headboard, her back flush against the wood, and pulled her legs towards her chest.
“What?” voiced a groggy Will from Jennifer’s right as he sat up, “What happened?”
Jennifer almost smacked herself on the head at the sound of Will’s cat, Fiyero, meowing from the opposite side of the room.
“It was just the cat,” she breathed out in relief to herself.
“You okay?” Will asked her as he turned to look at her. Though he could hardly see – partly from the lack of light, as well as his lack of glasses – he could faintly make out her blurred, oddly pale silhouette.
“Yeah,” she licked over her dry lips, “I’m fine… Just a bad dream.”
“Oh… you wanna talk about?” he ran a hand through his hair.
“No,” Jennifer started shaking her head, even though she knew he probably couldn’t see, “You don’t wanna hear it.”
She was starting to turn her body away, but she paused when Will’s warm hand gently wrapped around her arm.
“I do,” he confessed, “I’m not like him.”
“I know you’re not.”
“Then you know you can tell me anything, right?”
Tears stung the young woman’s eyes, “I don’t wanna talk about it.” She tried to jerk her arm out of his hold, but it was of no use. Her adjusting eyes starred down at his hand wrapped around her arm and memories, terrifying memories, starting flooding into her mind.
Though Will couldn’t see the fear in his girlfriend’s black eyes, he sensed that she was afraid. He released his grip on her arm, only to wrap it around her shoulders and pull her smaller frame towards his.
“I won’t let him hurt you again,” he comforted her.
Jennifer never felt safer than she did in Will’s warm, soft embrace. But she couldn’t shake the fear, the paranoia, in her mind that he’d be back. And he’d be back with a vengeance, he promised her that.
“You can’t promise me that,” she cried in his firm chest. Her pale fingers, now beginning to retain their normal color, fisted on his chest – trying to grab the shirt that wasn’t there.
“Well I promise you that,” he told her as he started to rub her back, “He won’t ever come near you again.”
That’s when the tears started. Fresh, warm tears spilled from her dark eyes while loud sobs escaped her thin lips. Will knew there was nothing he could do now but be there for her and wait. Wait for her to calm down again, or wait for her to cry herself to sleep. Either way, he knew he wouldn’t fall back asleep again for a while, just the same as almost every night before.
“I promise,” he repeated, “He’s never going to touch you again.”