💤~🙈~💕
Oh, you like sleeping?
Me too!
Maybe we should do it together sometime.

-Unknown
💕~🙈~💤

"Baby girl, help me! I need you to help me." pleads the desperate voice of my Mother, only her sobs sound somewhat muffled, as if buried deep underground.

"How? Tell me how," I cry, desperately clawing at the branches blocking my already hazy vision. "Mom!"

I find myself in the depths of an overcrowded forest; all sense of direction long gone as tree after tree passes by. A bitter wind nips at my already freezing flesh and hefty raindrops splash against my skin in an unforgiving force; branding me completely drenched.

"You can't. It's too late, darling," soothes Aidan, suddenly appearing at my side. "Let go, Amelia. It's time to say goodbye."

"No!" I argue, by no means ready."No, I can't. Please don't make me, Aidan. Please don't."

With a tremendous start, I bolt up in my spacious double bed, crying and sweating from my dreadful nightmare, which seemed far too vivid to be considered 'normal'. My chest feels a tonne weight and my eyes, rough as sandpaper, yet nothing compares to the current ache taking place in the middle of my gut. I feel sick to the stomach with grief and sensing a severe panic attack ascending, I quickly close my eyes and begin the breathing exercises advised so by Google. Happy thoughts plays a huge part in this method, according to the self-help article and I instantly find myself thinking about Aidan, which would you believe it, does the trick. Within minutes I'm picturing his beautiful, smiling face and breathing normally again, much to my absolute relief.

1.58am.

With four hours left to kill before getting ready for school and sleep no longer an option, I contemplate calling Aidan but decide against it, not wanting to disturb his sleep. Besides, what can he possibly say that I don't already know? My Mom is dead and I'm not handling my grief appropriately.

Tell me something I don't know.

Releasing a long sigh, I slip out from underneath sweaty covers and make my way towards the communal bathroom. Seeing no point in prolonging the inevitable, I decide to take a shower in the hopes that it washes away some of these unwanted feelings, as doing so certainly beats the alternative.

Here's to hoping my plan works!

~~~~

With slightly swollen, bloodshot eyes, and a stomach full of knots, I force myself to walk towards where I know my locker is located and physically groan when I see Aidan and the others nearby; all chatting. Jess spots me first and looks visibly shocked at my, no doubt, less that pretty sight.

"Amelia, are you sick?" she asks, pulling on my arm in a somewhat concerned manner.

"No." I reply, dismissing her question all together.

After earlier's brutal wake up call, I'd spent the remainder of the morning with my face buried in a pillow, sobbing until shedding tears was no longer possible. Needless to say, the shower didn't make me feel any better and now sporting blotchy cheeks and tender eyes, I can only imagine the attention I'm drawing to myself.

Damn you make-up for not working!

I quickly busy myself with the combination on my locker; the distraction proving rather fruitless at this moment in time. I detect the hushed whispers of my friends concern nearby and decide to give up, no longer having the strength to continue.

"Screw this," I tell them, banging a fist on the metal for good measure. "I'm going home." I add, walking off before any of them has the chance to stop me.

I simply cannot muster the need to carry on with today and decide to write it off before anything else can go wrong. And while I understand it's perhaps wrong to be running away from my problems, I honestly feel I have no other option. I sense I could breakdown at any moment now and I'll be damned if I let others see me do so.

"Follow me." instructs Aidan, surprisingly appearing by my side, much like the way he did in my dream.

When I fail to do so, he pulls on the straps of my backpack and directs us both towards the back of the school and through the exit doors. He ends up taking me to the bleachers; the privacy it offers coming as quite the relief and dare I say, blessing. I'm not particularly fond of the act of crying with an audience, yet the second my bottom hits the floor, I bury my head in both hands and sob like nobody's business. Aidan is next to me in seconds, wrapping warm hands around my body and caressing my back in soothing motions. He doesn't say anything, which I'm grateful for and refrains from questioning my odd behaviour. If anything, he can probably guess what's got me so emotional but remains quiet for the most part.

"You'll be late for class." I state, choking on each word as my mind fails miserably at calming down.

"Don't care." he replies, pulling me onto his lap and inflicting sweet kisses on my head.

"I'm so tired," I admit, resting my head on his shoulders and closing my tender eyes. "I didn't sleep well."

I immediately feel better for having rested them and although taking a nap in public is hardly considered appropriate behaviour, I find myself wanting to do so more than anything else right now.

"What happened? Tell me, darling." encourages Aidan, taking my face in between both his hands and wiping away the fresh tears.

"I had a horrible nightmare. It involved you and my Mom," I admit, managing my words a little better now. "It made me feel...odd." I explain, unable to make sense of my current emotions.

"Odd? Can you describe it?" he asks, still caressing my tear-strained cheeks.

I think about it for a moment, needing to find clarity on the situation before I even dare speak it aloud. The truth is, I do know how I'm feeling but it's confusing to be possessing such feelings in regards to my own Mothers death.

"Guilty." I breath, finally getting it off of my chest and feeling slightly better for having done so. "It's like I can't properly move on without her because if I do, I'm admitting that I'm okay with her being gone and I'm not, Aidan. I'm not okay with it,"

I pause briefly, beginning to choke up again.

"And then there's you. God you're so amazing and you make me feel so incredibly giddy but I can't help this feeling of shame that washes over me every time I'm with you. If my Mom didn't die, I would never have met you and that thought alone terrifies me more than ever. I want to be happy that I know you but in doing so I'm admitting I'm happy my Mom died. And I can't do that, Aidan. I can't be happy.-"

"She'd want you to be happy, darling." he offers, pulling my body further into his.

"I know that, I really do but this is personal to me and my grief. It's stupid but I can't shake it off." I explain, knowing I'm making little to no sense in my warped logic.

I hate that I'm saying these words to him, as if merely knowing him is a shameful action when in reality I think I'm falling in love with him. I half expect him to shove me off of him and dismiss me for being such an emotional wreck but what he actually does instead shocks me more so than ever.

He reasons with me.

"That's understandable, Amelia. I get it, I really do and I'm so glad you opened up to me about it, because now we can figure out what to do moving forward." he soothes, caressing my sides in a loving manner.

"I want it to get better but I don't know how." I whisper, fisting my hands into his T-shirt, as if to exaggerate my plea.

"Well, you can start by being honest more often." he nudges, poking my sides and flashing me a small smile. "It's important you tell me things, otherwise I won't know if I'm doing something to upset you. And that's the last thing I want, Amelia. I only ever want to make you happy." he insists, touching his nose with my own. "Let me make you happy."

"You already do," I whisper back, closing my eyes on a long sigh.

"But you're holding back and I know why. You think I can't handle seeing you breakdown because that'll be me soon, crying over my Mom. I understand you're trying to protect me and you have no idea how beautiful I think that makes you. I'm falling for you more and more each day, Amelia and while we're not officially together I consider you mine. So let me protect you. Let me be there for you, darling."

His speech has me shifting in my seated position on his lap, until my eyes are level with his and our mouths are practically touching. Our breaths mingle together as one while I openly stare into his forest-inspired eyes; our unspoken agreement offering me a sense of comfort. I'll admit, I have been holding back as far as revealing too much has been concerned, for fear of worrying Aidan but it's unfair for me to do so. I can't protect him from the inevitable. He'll find out how hard it is either way so why make us both suffer in the meantime?

"Can you take me home and stay with me today?" I ask, resting both my hands on either side of his shoulders. "Can you help me?"

His eyes light up at my suggestion and although feeling like a tonne weight, he picks me up with great ease, carrying me towards his car.

"Of course I can." he replies, needing no more persuading.

"Thank you." I sigh, burying my face in the comfort of his T-shirt and inhaling his glorious scent.

"You've no need to thank me, darling." he insists, tightening his grip around my slightly trembling frame and holding on even tighter. "It's my job."

~~~~

Rather than taking me back to mine, as requested, Aidan proceeded to drive us over to his place, claiming his house to be empty making it easier for us to skip school unnoticed. His Mom is currently enjoying a spa day with her sister, Jess's Mom, and with everyone else either at work or at school, it leaves us with the house to ourselves.

"Want me to make you something to eat? You're looking a bit pale." he asks, once we're both inside and seated on the sofa.

"Maybe some toast would be good." I reply, following him into the kitchen to lend a hand.

Not that toast is hard to make, mind you.

"Butter or Nutella?" he questions, popping the bread in the toaster.

"Butter, please." I answer, unable to face chocolate spread at this particular moment in time.

He proceeds to make both myself and him some timed-to-perfection toast and watches my every move as I slowly eat the thing with great difficulty. Each mouthful is a struggle to get down but I just about manage it and finish my nutritious meal off with a big yawn.

"You're exhausted, come on." he orders, once again, picking me up and carrying me towards his bedroom.

"Your Mom doesn't allow girls in your room." I protest, though really I don't put up much of a fight.

"What she doesn't know, won't hurt her," he replies, opening his door and positioning me, gently, in the middle of his cotton covered bed. "Sleep." he demands, kissing my cheek as he goes.

"Can you lie with me?" I question, slightly embarrassed for having asked.

He instantly laughs, releasing a long, breathy sigh afterwards and suddenly throwing his head back in utter defeat.

"You're certainly testing me, darling," he smiles, kicking off his boots and climbing onto the bed next to me. "Am I the big spoon or the little spoon?" he laughs, pulling on my hips as to position me closer.

"Big spoon." I answer, turning around and offering him my back.

We remain in this position for a while and I enjoy having his heat completely engulf me, taking over all of my senses. His toned arm rests around my waist with his nose buried deep in my hair, making each breath he exhales travel down my neck in heavenly strokes. Our bodies mould perfectly into one another and were I not so physically tired, I would force myself to stay awake and enjoy the moment for a little while longer.

"Aidan?" I whisper, unknowing as to whether he has fallen asleep.

"Hmm?" he responds; his tone proving rather sensual as it's deliciously dragged across my bare shoulder.

"I'm there." I tell him, taking hold of his hand and squeezing. "I've fallen."

There's a moment of silence before I feel a light squeeze back and although I can no longer see his face, I feel his smile against my skin as he presses his mouth to my shoulder.

"Good. I was getting lonely over here." he replies, jokingly scolding me. "Now close your eyes and sleep, darling. I'll be here when you wake up."

~~~~

With the peacefulness that comes by having myself wrapped around a guy I've undoubtedly fallen for, mixed together with the fact that I've had a great nap, you can imagine my shock when a frantic figure bursts through the bedroom door; phone pressed to her ear.

"She's here. They're both here," sighs Jane, speaking into the phone in a far from impressed manner. "See you shortly." she then adds, finally ending the mysterious call.

I clumsily sit up in bed and adjust my eyes to focus on her, confused as to why she looks suddenly murderous.

"You two. Downstairs. Now." she demands, walking away before anything else can be said on the matter.

I share a fleeting look with Aidan; the pair of us confused and disorientated more so than anything. A few minutes ago I had been enjoying a peaceful slumber and now I'm about to be lectured on goodness knows what, whilst still half asleep no less.

"I think we've been caught, darling," sighs Aidan, lazily sliding off of the bed and towards his bedroom door. "Let's get this over with."

Downstairs, Jane refuses to bring up the subject matter and proceeds to make us wait until Jack and Hannah arrive, making me think we're in even bigger trouble than originally thought. Aidan keeps mouthing silent words of encouragement from across the way but it does very little to calm me down and instead, only seems to worry me further. Sure, skipping school is a ground-able offence but the silent treatment we're both currently receiving makes me think something else is going on here.

Something bad.

It's while I'm thinking this through that the front door suddenly opens, revealing a furious looking Jack and a scared Hannah. They both visibly relax when they catch sight of me sitting on the sofa but I'm afraid to say their anger does not diminish.

"Thank God you're alright, both of you." reveals Hannah, breathlessly so.

Jack remains silent, quietly glaring his unimpressed gaze in my general direction and continues to brew in his own apparent rage.

"I- I don't understand-"

"The school called to inform us that the pair of you failed to turn up to your lessons," explains Jack, still sounding too stern for someone giving a lecture on failure to turn up to class. "There's been a car pile up on the freeway just west of town and you both weren't answering your phone." he continues, finally revealing more information as to why such panic is taking place. "We thought you might have been involved."

"Oh." states Aidan, at a total loss for words.

"Yes, 'oh'." replies Jack, fixing his gaze on mine. "What are both you doing here anyway? Why are you not in school?" he questions, pressing for more details.

I look to Aidan for some form of help but come up short when he offers up nothing but a shoulder shrug in response.

"I found them both asleep on Aidan's bed." informs Jane, looking to her son afterwards with raised, slightly judgemental, eyebrows.

At this, Jack's posture instantly stiffens and his once anger-inspired face turns to cold stone in a matter of seconds, scaring me more so than ever.

"You skipped school to sleep with him?" he yells, voice raising and cheeks reddening.

You and me both, Mr. Talk about mortifying!

"What? No!" I protest, instantly jumping in to defend myself and what little dignity I have left. "I jus- we were- I didn't have sex with him if that's what you're thinking. I fell asleep with him because I had a nightmare last night and felt tired. He was helping me." I insist, turning towards Jane afterwards, having apparently found my voice. "I'm sorry Jane, I know you guys have a no-girl-in-your-room policy and it was me that asked him to stay with me because I didn't want to be on my own but I promise you nothing like that happened. He's not my boyfriend. We just had a nap. Honest."

Aidan, having remained quiet for the most part, chooses now to jump in, defending me and my story.

"We should've called to let you know but it slipped our mind. I made us something to eat and took Amelia to bed because she looked sick." he insists, elaborating on what I've already told them. "I stayed with her to make sure she was okay and ended up falling asleep too." he adds, seeming apologetic to to both Jack and Hannah, not to mention his own Mother.

At this, Jack's face visibly softens and although still stressed, changes his expression to mirror that of concern whilst turning to face me.

"You're having nightmares again?" he asks, blaring those hazel eyes into mine.

"Yes." I nod, figuring I'm better off not lying with regards to this.

Besides, denying it will only make today's little charade seem made up, which it by no means is. That being said, I can only imagine how finding two teenagers cuddled up in bed together may have looked for Jane and don't exactly blame her for jumping to conclusions.

"Are you okay? I wish you'd told me." he admits, lowering his tone to a gentle whisper. "I want to help you, baby girl. Please let me in." he begs, seeming suddenly desperate to do just that.

I think back to mine and Aidan's earlier conversation and decide to offer Jack the same promise I granted Aidan, only this time I don't seal it with a heartfelt hug.

It's still too soon for that.

"Ok. I will," I reply, stating my promise and marking it in my mind to see through until the very end. "Maybe we can talk about it at home. I'm sorry for putting you through such stress. I didn't mean for that to happen." I add, addressing my apology to all three parents in the room. "And I didn't mean to get you in trouble." I conclude, landing my desperate gaze onto Aidan's, catching his cheeky smirk as I go about doing so.

"Alright, I think the important thing is you're both fine. Next time, tell someone you're leaving," speaks Jane, sauntering on over and planting a motherly kiss to my head. "You look after yourself, get some rest, sweetheart." she adds, ruffling Aidan's hair, jokingly, as she goes. "And you're grounded, Son." she sings, enjoying herself at Aidan's expense. 

"You too, Amelia," Jack cuts in, offering me a cheesy grin. "No phone for a week, either." he adds, throwing that one in for good measure.

Great! Just great.

"Totally worth it," whispers Aidan, plunging the words down my ear before pulling slightly away and offering my waist a sly squeeze. "Every time."

I casually slip away from his hold before either of our parents can see and match Hannah's sympathetic gaze.

"Let's get you home, shall we?" she suggests, wrapping me up in a cuddle I find myself rather enjoying.

Her perfume is a little more floral today and reminds me of summer time in Central Park, which of course, reminds me of my Mother. Instead of feeling sad, however, I allow the nostalgic scent to wash over me and enjoy it for the most part.

"That sounds perfect." I reply, shooting Aidan one last longing look before I turn to leave, knowing I won't be speaking to him anytime soon.

Being grounded already sucks!

"Aidan. Thanks for looking after her today," states Jack, sounding genuinely grateful if nothing else. "I really appreciate it."

Aidan matches his heartfelt smile and proceeds to offer him a head nod, passing the whole this off as no big deal.

"Don't mention it." he replies, landing his hypnotising eyes on mine, seeming suddenly serious. "It's my job."

~~~~

Ohhhh, awkward encounters!

Some exciting, slightly juicy, things are coming your way with this book...

Get ready. ;)