Malaki was on to the second to last page of the third act of Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet when he heard a soft whimper come from further in the room.
He cast a look up to the bed to see Sarah’s brows drawn together as she curled up into a ball. Though, her eyes were still shut. Something inside him stirred at the look on her face, a horrible, twist of the stomach.
Malaki watched her for a moment, making sure she was alright before he got back to his book. But she flinched, quicker than a flash, and cried, “No! Please, don’t hurt me!”
Another nightmare, he thought. Poor, girl.
That’s when he dog-eared his page, and put his book down onto the side table. He stood up, brushing the wrinkles down off his pants in a quick gesture.
Malaki walked softly over to the bed, setting down on the side next to Sarah, and lightly tapped her shoulder. “Gem,” he whispered, attempting to wake her up. But the tap seemed to have caused her to recoil, and she cried out, sheilding her face from whatever monster seemed to lurk in her dreams.
Letting out a soft sigh, Malaki tried to use a more soothing way to get her to wake. He admitted to himself that the tap was a little too shocking when you’re trying to wake someone. So he tried brushing strands of hair out of her face in a gentle move, tucking them behind her ear.
To his surprise, Sarah’s expression relaxed for a moment. He half-expected her to ease just a bit, but she looked calm, collected, and... comforted. It was as if part of her remembered his touch without having to see him or know he was there. That was very odd...
But she still didn’t wake from the nightmare.
Malaki stopped calming her due to his bewilderment, and she tensed again, moving her legs and bending her knees as if she were running, whimpering quietly, “Don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me. Please. I beg you.”
So he decided to try something else.
He slipped his arms under Sarah and lifted her, catching a fluffy throw in between his fingers, and carried her over to the armchair.
After settling down, he held her sideways in his lap, draping the blanket over her shoulders so she wasn’t cold.
Sarah’s head seemed to rest against his shoulder automatically, her body easing into his lap as he held her. And he wasn’t even stroking her hair or doing anything remotely soothing!
It was as if his warmth alone was calming her fear, and she sank into him like he were a mattress.
Experimenting, Malaki started caressing her hair, gently smoothing down the frizzing curls, and even when she was still asleep, she nuzzled her face into the soft part of his neck, fully relaxed in his arms. And she was dreaming nicely now, no hint of fear in her expression.
Huh... so... he could actually help her without waking her? That was odd... but hey, it worked.
So after Malaki pulled all hair out of her face, he stared down at Sarah’s relaxed expression, feeling something warm consume him. And he picked up his book again and continued to read the romantic journey of Romeo and Juliet, lightly stroking Sarah’s hair with his free hand slowly and softly.
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