21. The Nightmare.

Chrissy is haunted.

Chrissy sat bolt upright in bed and looked around the darkened bedroom with wide eyes! She heard Ian stir next to her.

“Mmpf. Huh? What's wrong?” he asked sleepily.

“I thought I heard something!” she answered.

He sat up, too. “You mean like a burglar?!” he whispered.

She hesitated before she replied, “No. It was just a dream. Sorry.”

“Geez, Babe! Your soaked with sweat! Are you okay?!”

“I--I had a bad dream. That's all.” There was an edge to her voice. After several seconds of silence she said, “I'm... uh... gonna take a shower.”

“Oh... um... sure, Babe.” he answered. She heard the puzzlement in his voice. A shower at 2:30 am?!

She climbed out of bed, went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As she stripped off her bedclothes, she thought about the dream. It had been over a year since she'd had it last. In fact, she hadn't had it since she'd met Ian. She'd hoped beyond hope that maybe he had made it stop haunting her. She was wrong!

She got into the shower and lathered herself up. She scrubbed at her body in an attempt to wash away the sensation of the groping, dirty hands and the stench of beer and tobacco. She flinched slightly when there was a gentle knock at the bathroom door. It opened and she heard Ian's voice.

“Chrissy?” She heard him close the door. “I have to go to the bathroom, but I'll just wait here until you're done. You know... so I don't scald you when I flush.”

“Okay,” she answered. She knew he was lying. Somehow he had sensed that she wanted him nearby. She felt easier knowing that he was there. It was uncanny sometimes how he often seemed to know just what she needed. She stood under the hot water and felt its cleansing rinse over her body.

“Thanks, Ian,” she said, “I appreciate it.”

Author's Note

A touch of foreshadowing.

Reviews

[John Lauterbach]

I'm curious to see whether the nightmare is a dream or a memory of hers. I like the reality injected into their relationship with things like Ian waiting by the door for her, but under different pretense.

[Bella Luna]

I love the connection that Chrissy and Ian have now. The nightmare sounds terrible and she seems really stunned. I'm curious to see what it came from and what will become of it!

[Craig2591]

Something dark from Chrissy's past will come back to haunt her. But in the meantime, the next chapter is short and funny. Thanks for continuing to read.

[Tabitha t]

I really like this. Its short but it adds another layer of depth to chrissy. I love that Ian came to the door. That seems realistic and very sweet. I cant wait to see whats in store.

[Kaya]

This foreshadowing has me nervous, but all the more in love with Ian.. He's like the perfect guy, but at the same time i just can't see him with anyone but chrissy.

[Craig2591]

This does foreshadow an upcoming dark chapter, but it's still to come. The next chapter will be a light-hearted one about Halloween, but I am not publishing it until October.