"Maybe I don't want this to be fake…" I just stood there gaping at him. He what? WHAT? I am so confused. Like beyond that even. I have no words. I am literally standing here with my mouth hanging open. Didn’t want this to be fake? Then why did he arrange it in the first place?! He was just looking down at the ground. "But…why…you…what?!"
"Never mind. Forget I even said anything." He gets up and goes up to his room. I sit down on the couch. Still trying to process what just happened. Okay we kissed. His lips were really soft and just fit nicely against mine. Then I trying to be all distant then he said that. How could I forget he said that?! I laid down and tried to rationalize it. We kissed so maybe he just wanted us to be more couple-y out in public. Yea that had to be it. He can't like me like that. I am just not girlfriend material. That’s the truth…I'm a terrible girlfriend. I don't really like to talk all the time, I hate going out a lot, and touching don’t even get me started on that. Sure I like hugging and stuff when I want to hug. But honestly touching…not really my scene. I somehow drifted off to sleep. "Cleo…wake up." I slowly open my eyes and see Niall. I was still on the couch. "What time is it?"
"Midnight…you didn't come up so I came to check on you…um I set up a bed for you." I could tell he felt awkward. "Oh um yea thanks." He just nods and shows me to his room. I see an air mattress on the floor next to it. "You can have my bed." Niall crawls onto the air mattress. I curl up into his bed. God it smelled like him. I drift off to sleep again. Hoping that I’ll have a pleasant dream again.

I wake up and roll over expecting to see Niall there but he isn't. Where did he go? I was running round the giant house looking for him. "Niall? Where are you?" I open a door and see my dad grinning at me. "NO! How did you find me?! No. NIALL?! PLEASE SAVE ME! NIALL!" I was screaming and running but no one could hear me. "I said you could never leave me." I get pushed to the ground. I'm sobbing. No please not again. I was happy with Niall. But he left…why? Where did he go? I miss him. My dad picks me up by my hair and throws me into a wall. I hear the door open and Niall comes running in. "Niall…please save me!"

I fell arms wrap around me and someone kisses my head. I'm crying. God it felt so real. But what really scared me was the fact that I lost Niall. "Niall…"
"Yea? I'm here." I roll over and curl up into his chest. "It felt so real." I stopped crying now. He rubbed my side. "Its not though. You have to remember that." I just nod my head. I feel him start to leave the bed so I grab his arm. "No please don't…stay?" I look at him, pleading with him to stay. "Fine. But promise no punching."
"I promise." He gets back in and rolls on to his side so his back is facing me. Well at least he stayed. I checked my phone it was only 7am in the morning. I just lay there staring at the ceiling. I remember when I slept over after one of my daily beatings. It was the best night of my life. I look over at Niall and can tell that he is sleeping. Then he mumbles in his sleep. I wonder what he is dreaming about. Hopefully not me again. Then my name slips out. "Cleo baby…no don't go. I didn't meant to!" Do I wake him up? But then he jolts up and looks down at me. He seemed frantic. "I didn't hit you did I? Oh god I am so sorry! I will never do it again. Please don’t leave me." He crawls on top of me and kisses my jawline. What just happened? "Uh…Niall…you do know you're awake right?" He stops and looks at me. Then reality sets in and his eyes widen. "Oh…um…it just felt so real…more real than any other nightmare."
"Do you want to talk about it." I don't really know why I am asking. I guess I just want to know what he dreamed about and why I was always in them. He looked at me and sighed. "Yea okay. But you can't judge me."
"I can't make any promises but I'll try." I move over so I'm sitting close to him. He then lays his head down on my lap. Okay sure I guess that's okay. I run my hands through his hair because I always thought it looked soft and boy it was. "Okay. So we were married and you came home late from something and I didn't know where you were so we argued. It got really intense and then…I…slapped you like twice. But you just took it and you started crying and god I felt so bad. But then you said…" he stopped talking and sat up. He looked at me with those eyes. I was still processing the whole marriage part of the dream. I was looking at him then he grabbed my arm and traced the scar I got from when my dad cut me with a vase he broke over my head. He looked back into my eyes. Something was off. "You…said that you've gotten worse." He looked back down at the scar. Oh shit. Oh god no. This is what I have been trying to avoid. This is why I stayed away. I got up to try to leave but he grabbed my arm. "Your dad beat you…that’s why you always missed school. Why you limped…" Oh no…he's piecing it all together. "Niall please stop…it doesn't--"
"It does to matter! God this all makes sense now…your mom put you up for adoption to get you away from him…if I ever see him I swear I will kill him."
"He's in jail now. Niall please don't worry over this…" I am trying to get him to stop. But he just pulled me back onto the bed. He quickly wrapped his arms around me. "Cleo…you…I won't ever let anyone hurt you. God why didn’t I notice this earlier!"
"Niall please just--" His lips cut me off. Great not this again. But now that my secret is out in the open…I might as well. I kiss him back. He smiles and continues until we hear the door fly open. "There's my brother! Oh! Sorry didn't know you had company…" Niall groans and looks at his brother. "Tell mom we'll be down shortly."

Notes