Status: Hiatus
My Soul to Keep
Bonding
Matt looked over at Terra's sleeping form from the kitchen table. She was lying on her side on the small brown love seat in the living room. Matt rubbed his thumb across the condensation of his beer bottle while he studied her face with an absent mind. Jordan, a petite woman with lavender hair and chocolate brown eyes, had welcomed them into her home effortlessly.
“She's pooped huh?” Jordan made a small attempt to break Matt's stare.
“Uh, yeah. She doesn't sleep well most nights.” He stated lowly before taking a swig of beer and returning his eyes to Terra.
“Okay, what's the story with her?” Jordan smirked as she watched Matt's pupils dilate over the sudden question.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. I haven't seen you watch over someone this hard since-” Jordan stopped herself. She hadn't meant to bring the name up. She promised herself she wouldn't.
“...My sister?” Matt finally met her stare with his own, but Jordan was so uneasy she looked down at her hands.
“So, how did she get mixed up with you?”
“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He answered with honesty. He wasn't exactly sure why HE was after her in the first place.
“Hey, you remember the last time you were here?” Jordan asked with a small smile.
“Yeah. I remember.”
“What we did?” Matt nodded before looking over in Terra's direction. “I still can't help but think that-. If I hadn't decided to take the path I took, and you hadn't picked the one you did...”
“Jordan,” He didn't want to go down that road with her. “I would have always taken this road I'm on. I would never have changed and you know that.”
“You don't think we could have made it?”
“Not without breaking off pieces of each other.” Matt sighed before looking at her again. A slight sadness in the air. “Why are you bringing this up?”
“I see the way you look at her Matt. When I watch you interact with her, I see flashes of what you were before all of this happened.”
“There is nothing left of the old me.”
“Maybe that's not such a bad thing. The old you sucked with relationships.” Jordan joked as she stood up from the table.
“Ouch.” Matt gasped as he mocked her.
“How long are you guys planning to crash? I don't have but one guest room so...”
“She can have it. She needs the bed.”
“Saddle up already.”
“What?”
“Stop playing Mr. Distance. I know you're into this girl-”
“Jordan. Stop.”
“Fine, for now.”
“I'm gonna go ahead-”
Matt heard the soft whimper fall from Terra's lips. Snapping his head in her direction, his heart pounded in his chest. Her face looked pained and fear stricken. He slowly stood to his feet and walked into the living room. Terra was panting and tossing her head from side to side. She began to mutter out words he couldn't understand.
“Is she alright?” Jordan asked as she rounded the corner and joined him in the living room.
“I-” Matt was cut off but a blood curdling scream from Terra. He leaned over her and pushed the hair from her face. “Terra! Terra wake up!”
Terra's eyes snapped open, searching the room for a moment before she relaxed and stared up at Matt.
“It was a nightmare, it's alright. You're alright.” without thinking, she sat upright and wrapped her arms around his neck. He clamped his large arms around her almost instantly, like he'd been waiting for her to move. She seemed to be shivering in his arms.
“Maybe we should get her into bed?” Jordan suggested quietly.
“Yeah. Let's get you into a bed Terra.”
She followed him down the short hallway to the room she'd be in. He slowly pushed the door open, never taking his eyes off of Terra. She had wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she huddled into the darkened room. Matt paused to click on a lamp beside the bed before turning to face her. When his eyes met hers, she was staring at him with wet brown eyes.
“You'll stay with m-me for a moment right?”
“Of course I will Terra.” she slid into his arms, placing her head on his chest.
“I just don't want t-to be alone right now.” Matt watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“It's okay.” He made slow circles against her back with is hand before he motioned for her to get into bed. “Lie down, I'll stay.”
“She's pooped huh?” Jordan made a small attempt to break Matt's stare.
“Uh, yeah. She doesn't sleep well most nights.” He stated lowly before taking a swig of beer and returning his eyes to Terra.
“Okay, what's the story with her?” Jordan smirked as she watched Matt's pupils dilate over the sudden question.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. I haven't seen you watch over someone this hard since-” Jordan stopped herself. She hadn't meant to bring the name up. She promised herself she wouldn't.
“...My sister?” Matt finally met her stare with his own, but Jordan was so uneasy she looked down at her hands.
“So, how did she get mixed up with you?”
“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He answered with honesty. He wasn't exactly sure why HE was after her in the first place.
“Hey, you remember the last time you were here?” Jordan asked with a small smile.
“Yeah. I remember.”
“What we did?” Matt nodded before looking over in Terra's direction. “I still can't help but think that-. If I hadn't decided to take the path I took, and you hadn't picked the one you did...”
“Jordan,” He didn't want to go down that road with her. “I would have always taken this road I'm on. I would never have changed and you know that.”
“You don't think we could have made it?”
“Not without breaking off pieces of each other.” Matt sighed before looking at her again. A slight sadness in the air. “Why are you bringing this up?”
“I see the way you look at her Matt. When I watch you interact with her, I see flashes of what you were before all of this happened.”
“There is nothing left of the old me.”
“Maybe that's not such a bad thing. The old you sucked with relationships.” Jordan joked as she stood up from the table.
“Ouch.” Matt gasped as he mocked her.
“How long are you guys planning to crash? I don't have but one guest room so...”
“She can have it. She needs the bed.”
“Saddle up already.”
“What?”
“Stop playing Mr. Distance. I know you're into this girl-”
“Jordan. Stop.”
“Fine, for now.”
“I'm gonna go ahead-”
Matt heard the soft whimper fall from Terra's lips. Snapping his head in her direction, his heart pounded in his chest. Her face looked pained and fear stricken. He slowly stood to his feet and walked into the living room. Terra was panting and tossing her head from side to side. She began to mutter out words he couldn't understand.
“Is she alright?” Jordan asked as she rounded the corner and joined him in the living room.
“I-” Matt was cut off but a blood curdling scream from Terra. He leaned over her and pushed the hair from her face. “Terra! Terra wake up!”
Terra's eyes snapped open, searching the room for a moment before she relaxed and stared up at Matt.
“It was a nightmare, it's alright. You're alright.” without thinking, she sat upright and wrapped her arms around his neck. He clamped his large arms around her almost instantly, like he'd been waiting for her to move. She seemed to be shivering in his arms.
“Maybe we should get her into bed?” Jordan suggested quietly.
“Yeah. Let's get you into a bed Terra.”
She followed him down the short hallway to the room she'd be in. He slowly pushed the door open, never taking his eyes off of Terra. She had wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she huddled into the darkened room. Matt paused to click on a lamp beside the bed before turning to face her. When his eyes met hers, she was staring at him with wet brown eyes.
“You'll stay with m-me for a moment right?”
“Of course I will Terra.” she slid into his arms, placing her head on his chest.
“I just don't want t-to be alone right now.” Matt watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“It's okay.” He made slow circles against her back with is hand before he motioned for her to get into bed. “Lie down, I'll stay.”