Nightlight (2023)

Lucy’s eyes shot open, greeted by nothing other than walls, curtains, and a wash of panic that was barely beginning to sink in. Another nightmare. And a lousy one at that. It wasn’t even a cool nightmare, like getting chased by a monster or traversing through hell itself with Satan by her side. It was another closet nightmare. Getting locked in a closet until the air grew thin and the light beneath the door frame dimmed seemed to be a recurring theme in her dreams, and Lucy was getting sick of the trope.

Tedious as it was, Lucy laid there paralyzed, her eyes staring through the wall so hard her vision would cross. She hated how upset this made her, but at the very least, she could keep her fears controlled in the comfort of her home. Here, she wasn’t at home, but at her boyfriend’s place. Keeping an even breath was difficult, especially when each hard breath bounced along the mattress like a staggered ripple. It didn’t wake her partner surprisingly, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Turning in the other direction, she faced her bedmate. A sleeping man laid facing her, hands tucked close to his chest and eyes closed lightly. He had a messy head of long walnut curls that draped along his face, and small vein-like scars that decorated his skin. From head to toe, he was covered in these lightning scars, and in the pitch darkness of night, they glowed ever so faintly. Lucy always asked about why his scars glowed, but even he didn’t know why.

For a moment, Lucy stared at him, his face backlit by a nightlight plugged in halfway across the room. Apparently he had purchased a nightlight while she wasn’t around so it would help her fall asleep. It wasn’t a fancy one either; just a ladybug night light that covered the room in big shadowed spots. It was obviously meant for kids, but Lucy appreciated the gesture greatly. The light’s radius wasn’t strong where they laid, but it was enough to make out the light halo of his body. After looking at him for a minute, he stirred. He blinked his bleary eyes open, and Lucy jumped in her skin at the sight.

Tarren took a second to wake up fully, and then gave her a questionable look. After dating him for so long, Lucy could tell what he was thinking just by the way he looked at her. It was probably a testament to how much Lucy was able to communicate with Tarren without communicating at all.

Are you okay? He asks.

“Duh. Why wouldn’t I be fine?” Lucy croaked out. Yikes, she wasn’t expecting her voice to sound that hoarse.

Are you sure? 

“I wouldn’t lie y’know.” Correcting her tone and the scratchiness in her throat, Lucy rolled her eyes. “Just a weird dream. I’m probably going to go back to sleep anyways. Goodnight.”

Lucy was halfway through rolling herself back until a hand pulled on her shoulder and made her turn around. Before she could even stop to process why he had done it, Tarren scooted closer to her side of the bed until his arms were around her and her face was pressed up to his chest. He placed his chin on her head, and all Lucy could hear was the sound of his heartbeat. It was calm and steady; a stark contrast to how energetic and deranged he is in the morning. For some reason, it calmed her down tremendously, and she kept listening on and on until she felt as if her heartbeat synced with his. 

I’m here for you.

“You’re a dummy.” Lucy says, her voice muffled by the fabric of his t-shirt. She couldn’t even see his face, but she knew that was all he was trying to say.

This time, Tarren took his hand and gently traveled up Lucy’s arms, his fingers delicately dodging eyelids as if he had run his hand down her body a million times before. Stopping at the shoulder, he traced a pattern into her and Lucy fixated on each line he drew on her. With limited ways to communicate, they established that writing on the skin was something Lucy would keep her eyes peeled for (no pun intended).

At first it was half swirls, curving down to meet a point. A heart. He drew a heart. Multiple hearts actually. Then he went on to write letters. Three letters. 

I L Y

And it was only that for a solid minute until his finger dropped to the side and he fell back asleep. Lucy remained in his hold, captive between his heart and his arms. She listened to his heartbeat steady into a low, slumberous drum and she figured it was safe enough to fall back asleep again. 

I love you too.