Chapter 16

Sab pov-

Hands grabbed my waist from behind and I tried to pull them off. As I pushed harder they gripped tighter. I breathed in through my nose and smelled a familiar cologne. I stepped on his foot that was behind me.

“Ouch,” the deep voice called out. He turned me around and slapped my face. I held in a whimper as I felt my face turn and show a mark where his hand had hit. I tried to push him away, but he held his position and raised his hand again. I felt his hand hit my face for the second time.

“Just get off of me,” I screamed.

Anna pov-

“Just get off of me,” I heard Sab scream. I sat up and turned over to her. She was shaking. I scooted over to her and set my hand on her shoulder.

“Sab, Sab,” I whispered as I shook her trying to wake her up. Her eyes flew open and she looked up to me. “Are you okay?” I asked looking down into her eyes. She looked terrified and in pain.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine,” she said back up to me. She was still shaking.

“Come here,” I used my hand to gesture to her to come closer to me. She scooter closer so her head was in my lap and she was facing the ceiling. I ran my hand through her hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead, as I leaned back up she smiled.

“Thank you Anna. I’m sorry I woke you up. It was just a nightmare. I used to have them all the time, but they haven’t been happening recently.”

“It’s okay Sab, as long as you are okay. Do you need to talk about it?” I asked as I reached my hand down and cupped the side of her face. I rubbed my thumb along her cheek and continued to hold eye contact. The butterflies in my stomach made me smile.

“What are you smiling about?” she asked and I didn’t know what to say.

“Uh… Uh nothing,” I blushed and she giggled. Her hand reached up and rested on top of mine that was still on her cheek. She then turned and kissed my hand.

We laid like this for a while until my back started to hurt from leaning on the headboard. “Hey Sab, is it okay if I lay down, my back is starting to hurt?”

“Sure,” she said as she lifted her head off of my lap and turned to laying down back where she was earlier. I scooted down the bed and laid my head on the pillow. I then made my way back over to my side of the bed and rotated so I was facing Sab. She had already fallen back asleep, but I just couldn’t. I was too nervous for her, I don’t want her to have another nightmare. I continued to look at her and about a half an hour later she sat back awake, sweating.

She put her hands up to her face and she started to cry. I scooted back over to her and pulled her into a hug. She pushed her head into the crook of my neck. Her tears hitting my neck and soon rolling down onto the bed. I wrapped my arms around her and rolled us so she was on top of me.

She continued to cry and all I could do was hold her. I know she isn’t ready to talk about it yet, but I don’t like seeing her suffering. After a while she slowly fell asleep.

I am laying her, holding the girl of my dreams in my arms, and all I can think about is how much she is hurting.

Sab pov-

I woke up and felt a body underneath me. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Anna asleep. I didn’t want to wake her, so I just grabbed my phone and scrolled through instagram waiting for her to wake up.

I felt a hand comb through my hair and I turned up to see Anna smiling down at me.

“Good morning,” she said down to me. Her sleeping voice made the butterflies in my stomach go wild.

“Good morning Anna,” I reciprocated as I slowly sat up, Anna soon following me.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked and I remembered the nightmares and my face dropped. “Just remember that whenever you are ready to talk about it, I will be waiting,” she smiled. “But for now, I have to use the bathroom.”

I got dressed while Anna was in the bathroom and gave her some of the extra clothes I had brought, because she didn’t want to put back on the old clothes she was wearing.

We both walked downstairs and ate breakfast with my aunt. We called an uber and left my aunt’s house, heading back to our dorm.

When we got back we both decided to take another nap since we both stayed awake most of the night. I woke up from another nightmare half an hour later. Anna was still sleeping and I didn’t want to wake her up, because she took care of me last night.

I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I locked the door behind me and started on my way down the street. I’m not sure where I am going, but I need to clear my head.

I walked along the edge of the road and ran into a familiar trail that led into the woods. I walked down it and sat against the same tree that I had set our picnic up next to. I started replaying the night of the picnic again in my head, as I closed my eyes.

The look on Anna’s face when she saw the sunset and the mountains. How comfortable and safe I felt laying with her on the blanket. When the stars came out I got cold and Anna wrapped her arms around me to keep me warm.

My mind then drifted to other memories of Anna and I. The first time we met, when we were both being bold with eachothers. That was the first time that I felt butterflies in my stomach for her. Then, after we went out to eat and she brushed her arm up against me on the walk there. Thankfully she hadn’t looked over to me, because my face turned red.

When I jumped on her and hurt her shoulder. When I kissed her shoulder, her skin was so soft on my lips. When she moaned, I felt a shiver run down my spine. It took all of my self control to not kiss her right then and there.

The way she looked at me in the mirror when I was changing out of my swimsuit at the mall. The way her hands gently touched my back when she tied my swimsuit. Plus, the moment in the… pool.

I feel so bad for running away from her and making her think she did something wrong. The months of memories of him flooded my mind. They haven’t stopped running through it since then.

I don’t want to think about him. He ruined my life and my last relationship, so I can’t let him ruin this one with Anna. Wait... relationship? I don’t think she even likes me after what I did to her. She probably just wants to be friends. I really do like her. I mean, like like her. I feel like I could never get tired of her. She just makes me so happy. I hope that someday I get to call her mine.

For now, I guess we just have to be... f... friends.

Tears started to stream down my face as my mind started to drift from Anna to him. I couldn’t even think of his name. I completely broke down and cried my eyes out. I am sitting here alone in the forest, leaning against a tree, crying my eyes out.

I heard a twig snap behind me, but I didn’t even have enough energy to even turn around to see where it came from.

Anna pov-

I woke up and looked over to Sab’s bed. We had both laid down to take a nap, but she was already up. I got up and checked that bathroom. She left. I wonder where she went. Maybe she just left to go for a walk. I decided to go to the cliff. I know Sab isn’t ready to talk so I thought I might as well go to a place that reminds me of her.

I grab a sweatshirt and start walking towards the trail. I make my way down the path and hear crying. I creeped off of the trail, trying to get closer to the source of the crying. I recognize that hair.

It’s Sab.

She is out alone in the woods crying. I wish she would have come to me to talk. I want to go over there and just hug here, but I don’t want her to know that I am here. I tried to make my way out noiselessly, but I stepped on a small twig.

*snap*

Damnit. Please don’t turn around, Please don’t turn around. Please don’t turn around.

I waited for a few seconds, but didn’t hear anything except that the crying continued. I slowly made my way back out to the road.

I hope that Sab comes back to the dorm soon. I want to make her feel better by treating her when she comes back. I am walking back to the dorm and a little flower show catches my eye. I walk in and decide to buy her some roses. I don’t know what her favorite flower is but who doesn’t like roses.

I then rush back to the dorm hoping that she isn’t back yet. I open the door and she isn’t on her bed. I check the bathroom and... YES! She isn’t home yet.

I rush around the room and pick up and put away anything that is untidy. If there is one thing that is irritating when you are upset and sad is a dirty and unorganized living space.

I set the roses on the table next to my bed and sat down on my bed with my phone to wait for her. Thirty minutes later she walked through the door. Her eyes were all puffy and red and her sweatshirt was wet with tears.

As she closed the door and turned around, I jumped off the bed and stood up. She was looking at the ground sniffling as tears still ran down her face.

“Sab?” She looked up into my eyes and another tear ran down her face. She tried to force a smile, but it quickly faded. I opened my arms for a hug and Sab stayed standing exactly where she was.

She looks so broken and tired. Since she wasn’t walking over to me I decided to grab her the roses that I bought and give them to her. I walked back to my bed and sat down. She smiled and walked to set them next to her bed. Once she set them down her smile instantly faded and she went back to looking numb.

I patted the bed next to where I was sitting and Sab looked up at me. She slowly walked over to me and looked at the bed next to me. Instead of sitting there she moved my arms from where they were resting on my knees, and crawled into my lap. She threw her arms over my shoulders which left me to put my arms around her waist.

Sab pov-

I am staring into Anna’s eyes, and it is taking all of me not to kiss her. I want to, and I think she might want to. The way she looks at me makes me forget everything that is happening in that moment. I know that I can’t kiss her though. I need to be healed and in a better state mentally. If I kiss her now, I will feel as though I am only playing with her.

Instead I break eye contact with her and put my head on her shoulder. She tightens her wrap around my waist and I smile into her shoulder.

After a few minutes I feel her start to rub her hand up and down my back. I could stay like this forever.

Hey everyone. I just want to say happy late new year!

Also, thank you for all of your support on this story.

I hope you all have a great weekend!