It's Never Silent

Joe and Marie sat cross - legged on the floor of the dining room with a pizza box in between the middle of them. Rose petals were strewn about the room and they only received light from the candles Joe had lit. Joe was determined to make it as romantic as possible, as he told Marie.

Joe poured Marie's champagne glass full of Pepsi with a flourish wave, wagging his eyebrows at her. "For you, my darling."
Marie giggled, taking the glass he handed her. "Why thank you," she kept her eyes on his as she pressed the glass to her lips and took a sip, swallowing down the soda.
"And how is your feast?" Joe asked, gesturing to her pizza that sat on a fancy porcelain plate.
"Just exquisite." Marie replied, tapping her fingers against her glass.

"So I impressed the lovely maiden?"

Marie snickered. "Oh, yes. You impressed her with your amazing ability at ordering pizza."
"That's something worth swooning about," Joe said defensively. "Not everyone can order a pizza with such grace."
"Not all of us can be blessed with your grace." Marie said, setting her champagne glass down next to her.
"Mmm." Joe scooted over to Marie and pressed his lips right below her earlobe. "I find you pretty graceful." He muttered, pushing Marie back on her elbows and moved his lips on top of hers.

Marie felt goosebumps climb up her spine. She pulled him down on top of her but yanked her head back when she felt Joe slip a hand up her shirt.
"Oh no," Marie smirked as she propped herself back up on her elbows. "We don't have a bed because someone couldn't communicate properly. And no bed equals no sex for you."
Joe pouted. "But, we have a air mattress."
Marie shook her head. "I am not making love to you on an AIR MATTRESS," she stressed out.
Joe bit his bottom lip and gave her a hopeful look. "The floor?"
Marie bursts out laughing. She hadn't meant to but she couldn't help it. "No way. You're just gonna have to wait until tomorrow." Marie pushed Joe off of her and stood up, brushing her knees off with her hands. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get a shower." Joe perks up noticeably and opens his mouth but Marie cuts him off, "Alone." She added, giving him a look with a sly smile as she turned and walked off, swinging her hips as she did.
"Hey! No fair!" Joe complained, blowing out the candles and quickly chasing after Marie. "The shower is a perfectly acceptable place to have sex!" He yelled but only received a giggle from Marie from upstairs.
Joe groaned, racing upstairs and cutting into their bedroom, going straight to the master bathroom. He could hear the shower running inside. He tried turning the knob but Marie had locked it.
"You're evil." He said aloud.
"Tomorrow," Marie replied back in a sing - song voice. "You can survive until then."
"I don't wanna wait." Joe waited for a reply but when he got none, he cleared his voice and began singing in a deep voice. "Look at the booty, show me the booty, give me the booty, I want the booty, back up the booty, I need the booty, I like the booty, oh what a booty; shaking that booty, I saw the booty, I want the booty, Lord what a booty, bring on the booty, give up the booty, loving the booty, round booty -"

"What the hell are you singing?" Marie sounded like she was trying to stop her laughing.
"I was trying to seduce you."
"It's not working," Marie informed him and he heard the shower turn off.
"Maybe if I sing a few more lines of the song, you'll be enticed -"
"No! No, I'm good." Marie said insistently.
"Just listen to the deep meaning to it:" Joe took a deep breath and skipped a few parts of the song. "Foreign booty, home booty, road booty, found booty, covered booty, bad booty, sweated booty; powder that booty,
sad booty, sadder booty, wide booty, wider booty... Double wide booty!" Joe pauses and waits for Marie's reaction.
"I'm not even gonna ask." He hears Marie unlocking the bathroom door and the door swings open.

Marie stood there, in a shirt of his that fell down to her thighs. He could see the hem of her cotton shorts peaking out from under his shirt but that was the only indication that she was even wearing anything underneath his shirt.
Her wet hair sat in tangles on her shoulders as she ran her fingers through it. "Tomorrow," she promised, standing on the tip of her toes to kiss Joe's chin. "Patient boys get rewards," she tells him suggestively with a wink, brushing past him and sashaying her hips as she left the room.

Joe's eyes were glued to her but he was frozen in place. His throat was dry as he swallowed thickly, Marie's words repeating in his head.

He decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if he didn't press the matter.

• • •

Marie flew straight up, waking with a start as she clutched the cotton blanket to her chest and tried to steady her breathing. The rough material of the air mattress dug into her elbows. Marie shook and swallowed, blinking her eyes, hoping that it would somehow ward away the nightmare she just had.

Nightmares weren't anything new. Marie has been having nightmares since she was 13 and no one really knew why or what triggered them. It wasn't like she had them every night but she did have them frequently. Typically, the nightmares were vivid and realistic which made her feel paranoid and on edge for the rest of the following day. And Marie didn't like talking about the nightmares. It was just a touchy subject for her. She felt it was better to keep the gory details of her hellish nightmares to herself.

Marie felt a bead of sweat drip down her neck and travel down her spine. She rubbed a clammy hand against her forehead, wiping the sweat off of there.

"Marie?"

Marie jumped, even though she knew it was only Joe. Still breathing heavily, she watched Joe sit up and saw the concerned look on his face thanks to the moonlight that streamed in through the window.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Marie said quietly. "I'm sorry. Go back to bed."
Joe squinted his eyes at Marie. "Is it another nightmare?" He asked, his voice scratchy and deep from the sleepiness.
Marie nodded. "Yes. I'll be fine. Just go back to bed."
Joe gave her a look and held his arms open. "C'mere."

Marie scooted over, bumping into Joe's chest. She leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped tightly around her. "Did you want to talk about it?" Joe asked, running a hand through the roots of her hair soothingly.
Joe knew the answer before Marie shook her head nimbly. Joe was always sure to be there when Marie woke from a nightmare, and he always asked and sometimes encouraged for her to talk about it but she always declined. Honestly, Joe hates it. He knows how much it bothers her yet she still won't tell him anything. But Joe didn't want to over - insist and have her shut him out entirely. She would if she knew just how much he truly worried about her.

Still, Joe couldn't help but to ask again. "Are you sure?"
Marie nods, keeping her eyes averted from Joe. "I'm sure," she whispered. If Marie tried speaking any louder, she knew her voice would shake.
Joe is quiet for a minute as he does his best to calm his wife down. He was growing frustrated with himself because he desperately wanted to say something, anything to make her feel just a little bit better. Joe wanted to tell her that she was safe now. That he could keep her protected. He wanted to tell her that he wished he could fight off all her night demons but he couldn't find the right words to form a sentence. He couldn't find the right words to match how he felt. So instead, he only held her, not saying another word, feeling like a fool.

Joe sighed, looking back down at Marie to find that she had already fallen back asleep. She was snuggled against Joe's chest, one hand curled around Joe's forearm, clutching it to death. It was almost as if Marie was afraid Joe would leave while she was sleeping. Joe slowly scooted down, laying his head down on his pillow. Thankfully, he didn't wake Marie in the process. Joe stared up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. Although Marie was asleep, he didn't want to go back to sleep unless he knew for sure that she was having a peaceful rest.

What he didn't know was that whenever he held Marie, her nightmares ended. Joe was Marie's haven from the nightmares. From his stupid jokes he'd tell her to keep her distracted, to the soft caresses and tight hugs he'd give her; it kept Marie's mind off of the nightmares and made her feel safe. Marie could dream again with Joe's hand on her hip.

In the morning, the two had woken up. They didn't talk about the night before; they knew better than to do that. They just went about their daily morning activities with a calm demeanor.

Marie went to go make herself some coffee but then stopped abruptly when she realized that they had none. Standing in the kitchen, Marie leaned against the island and blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

Joe came into the kitchen, hiding a yawn behind his fist as he came up next to Marie and kissed her temple. "Mornin'," he mumbled to her, heading to their coffee maker when he to, stopped and realized that there was no coffee. He turned slowly on his heels and frowned at Marie. "I keep forgetting that we literally have nothing."
"I know," Marie sighed and uncrossed her arms. "I'll go stop into town and get us some breakfast. Just let me get dressed." Marie pushed off of the island but Joe grabbed her arm.
"I'll do it." Joe offered.
Marie shrugged, yawning into her hand. "If you want,"
Joe nods. "I'll leave as soon as I get dressed."
Marie nods and Joe leaves and Marie is alone with her stirring thoughts.

Marie kept herself preoccupied by unpacking some more of the boxes that was in the kitchen. Luckily, there was only a few since the majority of them had been unpacked yesterday.
Marie finished shoving sliver forks, spoons and butter knives into the drawer cabinet. She moved to the box sitting on the island. She opened it and it was filled with glass cups and mugs. She began pulling them out, placing them on the island countertop and took about four into her arms. She turned around, her back to the island, and started to put the cups up into the cabinet in a neat order. Marie's mind is entirely focused on her current job, stacking cups neatly in the cabinet when she is first startled by the sound of glass hitting the floor, breaking into tiny shards and then by the pain of something cutting into her ankle.

Marie turned around and there's pieces of glass scattered around the floor due to the two or three cups that had fallen off the counter.
"Shit," Marie hissed under her breath, glancing down at her ankle to inspect it. A fragment of glass had wedged itself in there but it was only a small cut and not deep at all. She walks around the glass mess, walking on her tip - toes to the edge of the doorway. Where had they stored the broom and dustpan? Marie couldn't remember where she had put it or if she had even been the last one to touch them.

"What happened in here?" Marie didn't notice that Joe was directly behind her. She bit her lip and turned to face him.
"A couple of glasses broke. I guess I put them too close to the edge. Do you know where we put the broom and dustpan?"
"Basement, I think. You got cut," Joe says, pointing to her heel.
Marie looks down at it and shrugs. "I know. I'll fix it once I clean this mess up."
"I'll clean it," Joe put a hand on Marie's hip and lead her to a counter. He lifted Marie onto the counter and grabbed a paper towel. He pressed it to the back of her heel, watching as the blood stained the towel. "I'll go get the broom and some tweezers." He smirked at her. "Stay here and try not to break anything else while I'm away."
Marie only scoffed at him. She continued to dab at her bloody ankle, eyeing the piece of glass that stuck out from her skin. Once Joe came back, he quickly swept up the broken glass bits and then tended to Marie.

"Stay still," he muttered as he leaned in closely and plucked the glass out with the tweezers. He then examined the wound with a serious look on his face.
Marie can't help but to smile. "Well, doctor? Do I need to get it amputated?"
Joe looked up at her with a scowl. "Very funny, smartass. You'll need at least a band - aid."
"I'll put one on later," Marie pressed the paper towel to her ankle. "I'm gonna go get a shower now. And YOU are going to go get our breakfast," she said, smiling at him.
"Yeah, I got the hint." Joe leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back soon. Love you."
Marie smiled and slid off of the counter. "Love you too. I'll lock you out."
Joe nodded and Marie walked him out. Joe gave her another kiss before he left and Marie locked the door behind him after he left.

Marie went upstairs and into the master bathroom. Marie closed and locked the door behind her and then began to strip out of her clothes. She pulled Joe's baggy band shirt off first, tossing it on the floor. She shimmied out of the soft grey cotton shorts and kicked it behind her. Marie unhooked her bra and slid off her panties, tossing them somewhere on the floor with the other fabrics.
Marie stepped into the shower, turning the facet on and waited for the water to warm up. Once steam began to rise from the water, Marie turned the shower on, letting the warn water flow from the jets of the shower head and onto her back, in between her shoulder blades and down her spine. Marie's muscles began to relax, settling in their structure. Marie tilted her head forward so that the water could hit the back of her neck.
Marie breathed the steam in, closing her eyes.

Her thoughts traveled back to her nightmares, as they usually did when she took her morning showers. There wasn't a pattern in her nightmares, they were all different every night. Except for the occasional nightmare she'll get of those she loves deeply getting slain by some mutated - like monster.

Lathering shampoo into the palm of her hand, she brought her hand down on the top of her head and smothered the shampoo into her skull.

Sometimes they were about her external fears. Like her claustrophobia. Sometimes she dreamt of being caged in a small room and the walls kept getting smaller and smaller, until her blood was finally painted upon the walls.

Marie stepped out of the stream of the water and smoothed conditioner onto her hand. She ran it through her roots, digging her fingers into the scalp of her head. She stepped back under the shower head and started to brush her fingers through her hair; washing the conditioner away.

Sometimes they were about her internal fears. Emotional fears. Like being in a situation that is too chaotic to fix and people she loves get hurt because of it. Or screwing up and having someone get hurt because of her. Or her loved ones dying a gruesome, painful death. The list goes on but those were her main internal fears.

Marie grabbed the loofa and smothered the coconut - scented bath wash on it. She rubbed it all over her body, scrubbing harshly until her skin stung. She stood under the shower head and let the water wash away the soap and bubbles on her skin. Marie watched absentmindedly as the soap washed off her body and followed the trail of water down the drain.

Sometimes, her nightmares were just about ghoulish, mutated, animated - looking monsters chasing after her. Others were about horrifyingly realistic situations. It all varied every night or every other night, whenever Marie happened to have these nightmares. Did it mess with her mind? Extremely. But there wasn't anything Marie could do about it. Medication didn't work and it's not something you can just cure. She learned to live with it.

Marie turned the shower off and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the towel rack. She wrapped the fluffy towel around her body and tucked the top corner in. Ruffling her fingers through her wet hair, she bent over and scooped her clothes up. Marie unlocked the bathroom door and went into the bedroom, tossing the clothes in the laundry basket. She knelt down in front of the suitcase by the window and rifled through it. For the time being she and Joe were living out of their suitcases, just until the new furniture arrived.
Marie found a pair of panties and bra. She let her towel drop to the floor and pulled them on. She brushed her wet hair behind her shoulder and pulled on jeans and a creamy - colored long sleeved shirt. She found her hairdryer and went back into the bathroom, tossing the towel over the towel rack and turned in front of mirror. Marie plugged the hairdryer in the electrical socket and glanced at the mirror, which was half - fogged up and half - airing out.

Marie pressed her palm against the smooth surface of the mirror and made a circular motion, clearing it up so she could see. She rose her eyes up to it and saw herself staring back.
Marie looks down and flicks the hairdryer on, bringing it up to her hair. The heat from the dryer burns into her scalp but she ignores it and runs it up and down from her roots to her tips. All was going well until she lifted her eyes up to the mirror and in the corner of the frame was a gaunt man, with his back against the wall, his complexion a chalky white and dark bags under his eyes. He wore a tux that was worn and frayed. His black hair was smoothed back but looked gritty. His eyes were a pure black and his eyelashes were a blood red and for a second, Marie almost thought he was crying blood. He twisted his pale pink lips into a wicked smirk, his black eyes bore into Marie's.

Instinctively, Marie spun on her heels and gripped the counter with shaking hands. But when she turned around, he was gone.
Marie could feel herself shake and her heart shudder in her chest. She turned back around quickly, looking into the mirror and indeed, there was no man in the reflection.
Marie yanked the hairdryer cord out of the electrical socket and backed away from the vanity, slamming the bathroom door behind her.
Marie was hit with a wave of unease. Sure, it was likely to be a result from her nightmares. Marie had a tendency of seeing things after a nightmare but it was simply just her mind still on high alert and playing tricks on her. But Marie's stomach was twisted up in knots and Marie felt very uncomfortable and tense.

Marie slowly went back downstairs, trying to ignore her anxiety but only ended up pacing the house, waiting for Joe to come back. She could feel the fear rise into her chest and nearly knock the air out of her as she struggled to get ahold of herself.
Relax, it was only your head; Marie told herself. Joe will be back soon. You're just imagining things.

Still, Marie couldn't help but to glance over her shoulder every so often.