You've Got So Much Love in You

Zac left soon after, complaining how tired he was and Hayley and I were left to sort out our thoughts in our first real time alone in such a long time. It was awkward in a sense, as the last time we were alone it was me telling her I hated her. I still felt bad for that and my mind was working ways to make it up to her.

"So uh... will you take me home soon?"

"Why?" I asked. I was curious why she still wanted to leave.

"I still live there. I can't break my lease."

"Who cares. Pwease move in with me?" I decided pouting would be the best option.

"Noo pouting. That's cheating! You know I can't resist the pout," she retorted but I continued my pout and would continue until she agreed to move in with me again.

Five minutes. That was all it took for her to give in.

"Fine! You win!" she finally let me win, knowing I was determined to have her live with me again, to be able to hold her every night before I fell asleep.

"So can we go to sleep now?' I asked, tugging her arm lightly.

"Sure. You aren't gonna go back to that job, are you?"

"I don't know yet," I responded, pulling her upstairs to my room. We split to go to the separate sides of the bed. I slept on my side and she was on hers. There wasn't a distance between us anymore, both emotionally and psychically. I was glad to be holding her again. It was better than sleeping alone by myself every night.

"Please don't leave me..." she murmured, her head buried in my chest.

"I won't, ever again. I promise," I kissed the top of her head. I wanted her to go to sleep so she'd be rested in the morning.

"Night..." she mumbled. I smiled to myself. Everything was perfect once again.

I fell asleep only minutes after Hayley did. I fell into dreams of exquisitely detailed old fashioned movies. All the while, music notes were playing sparingly in the background. I could hear a slight 4-4 rhythm forming as the hours went on. Just as I finally started to pick up the rhythm, I was awoken by the intruding noise of an alarm clock.

I threw my hand to the nightstand, searching desperately for the snooze button but to my dismay, not finding it. I growled quietly before moving myself out of bed. My whole body felt heavy with sleep and tiredness.

"Get back here..." Hayley mumbled, her arms scrambling for something to snuggle up to.

"Work, Hayles."

"You're not working there anymore, right? You're a producer..." she mumbled, her soft angelic voice muffled by the feathery pillow.

"Fiiine," I gave up and laid back down. Hayley immediately snuggled to my side, wrapping her arms around me. She seemed quite cuddly lately.

"Night," she murmured, yawning and falling back into a peaceful slumber.

I, too, fell asleep soon after. The morning hours ticked by as I was stuck in my dreams. I awoke to a yawning Hayley sitting next to me.

"G'morning," she said. Her voice was heavy with southern accent and at the same time, full of the raspyness from sleep.

I took a quick glance at the clock. We had slept in until 12 and she had some moving to do.

"Morning, love," I greeted, releasing her waist. I hadn't even noticed I had my arms around her until my feeling returned to my arms. She must've put them back around her waist after she sat up. It sounded just like her, to do whatever she could to be cuddled with.

"You sleep okay?" she asked, tracing circles on the top of my hand that was now locked with hers.

"Yeah, I guess so. Did you?"

"I slept fine. I was just asking because you were talking in your sleep," she bit her lip and moved her eyes so they would lock with mine. There must've been a nightmare that I didn't remember.

"What'd I say?"

"You said something along the lines of, 'Don't take her, take me instead. No! Stop hurting her!' and then you made this weird sound, like you were gasping for your breath. Then you woke up. So, enlighten me, what happened in your dream?"

"I guess someone was hurting you in my dream and I wanted them to hurt me instead?" I used my free hand to rub my temples, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind my dream.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Sheesh, they must really be pounding on the door. Hayley kept still and had this strange, fearful look in her eyes. I raised an eyebrow before trying to pull away from her to go downstairs and answer the door. She held my hand tightly, not releasing her grip.

"Hayley, I have to get the door," I tried. I didn't tug my hand away because I knew it could potentially send signals to her that I didn't want. It would most likely tell her that what she was doing was bothering me, even though it wasn't, and then she would be afraid to hold my hand.

Her face turned ghostly white as she looked at our interlocked hands. She bit her lip, before releasing my hand and pulling her hand back to her stomach, holding it against it.

I raised my eyebrow and walked downstairs to the front door. Hayley's demeanor had made me nervous and I knew I didn't want to answer the door to someone that would be causing trouble. As I looked through the peephole, I saw a man flash his police badge to my eye. I gulped, opening the door.