The smile that had been plastered to my face suddenly turned to worry and fear as I kept trying to run. It was no use though, I was getting no where. Suddenly then, I felt a crack under my feet. I look down and see the earth parting, right before my eyes.
I saw her across the room from me. Standing there in her white top and jean shorts. Her brown, auburn streaked hair fell perfectly next to her face, slightly curling at the ends. I saw her beautiful smile and felt my heart skip at least five beats.
I couldn’t help myself as I began running to her. Running to hold her in my arms. To be in her embrace.
But something was wrong. I kept running forward, but I wasn’t getting any closer to her. Instead, I felt like I was getting farther away from her. She wasn’t moving at all though. She simply stood there, smiling at me, unmoving.
The smile that had been plastered to my face suddenly turned to worry and fear as I kept trying to run. It was no use though, I was getting no where. Suddenly then, I felt a crack under my feet. I look down and see the earth parting, right before my eyes.
I stagger back as the crack stretches across the entire room, widening as it does, and separating me from her.
“No.” I hear myself say softly.
I reach out to her as if I could get to her, but as soon as I do fire erupts from the enlarging crack. I fall down onto the shaking earth as my hand begins throbbing in pain after being singed by the flame.
As I try to get up, the ground below me begins to crumble into the bottomless, fiery hole in front of me.
“No, no, no.” I yell quietly.
I scramble to stop myself from falling, but to no avail. I cling to the side of the earth until finally my grip slips and I begin falling into the fire.
“NO!”
I sat up quickly from our bed covered in sweat and tears. As I tried to control my breathing, I glance over at my wife next to me. She’s already awake, most likely from my scream, and trying to comfort me.
“Was it the same dream?” She asked me as she pulled my shaking body close to her’s.
I close my eyes and swallow hard before answering, “Yes. Always.”
My wife and I had only been married four months after dating for several years. Since we had gotten back from our honeymoon I had been having nightmares. Well I really should just say one particular nightmare.
There was a time when the two of us were separated before marriage even though we were in love. During that time, I had gone into a depression and it took a while for me to get out of it, even once we were back together. It still haunted me to this day, the time when we were apart, because I was so terrified to lose her again. I knew that if I did, it could easily cause the death of me.
She began rocking me softly as she lightly stroked my hair. “It’s okay. Shh. It was just a dream.”
I clenched my jaw and tightened my eyes as I felt the tears come pouring out. I began hiccuping and taking sharp breaths to stop myself from crying.
“Let it out.” I heard her whisper into my ear before she kissed the top of my head.
“I-I’m sss-sorryyy.” I choked out as I tightened my grip around her. This had become almost a nightly thing, but I didn’t know what to do to fix it.
“Shh, love, it’s okay. I’m never leaving you, I promise.” She replied in her soft voice, “And you’ll never leave me. Till death do us part, ‘member?”
I felt her lightly rub her wedding ring against my back. I knew she was right. I knew we were going to be together forever. I knew the only way to get us apart would be through physical force and we wouldn’t let that happen.
My breathing got calmer and I was able to control the tears as I began telling myself all of this. I loosened my death grip around my wife and pulled away a little before mouthing a small thank you.
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to thank me.” She said smiling and revealing her brilliant white teeth, “You know how much I love you.”
“I know. And that’s why I’m so afraid to lose you.” I replied quietly.
“That won’t ever happen. Promise, love.”
I rested my forehead against her’s as I stared into her beautiful, hazel eyes. This was the girl I fell in love with. The one who could calm me down when I was beyond stressed and thinking totally irrationally. The one who loved me even though I had so many worries. The one who completed my heart.
“I love you.” She said quietly, again with a smile.
Lightly kissing her on the lips, I then replied, “I love you too. Forever.”
