My Last(32)

No, she determined, just enjoy what you get while it lasts.

Since she couldn’t change the past and certainly could not foresee the future, she figured the best thing she could do was to just live in the present...which wasn't actually all bad, come to think of it, because the present felt very, very good.



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Riley felt something different, something off, as he drifted up from sleep. Even before he opened his eyes, he could sense that there was an important shift in his circumstances, something that he should be aware of. As he came fully awake, it did not take long to discover the source of this sensation.

It was Chelle, draped across him, sound asleep. Whoa. His arm cradled her to him and his hand rested on her hip. Without consciously planning to do so he tightened his grip on her. She made a small noise and snuggled in tighter to him.

Again...whoa.

Was this a dream, he wondered as he took in his surroundings. He was on the couch where he had gone to sleep the night before and it was still dark outside. No clues there as to whether this was reality or dreamland.

It felt real, though. She felt real.

The large erection he was sporting certainly felt real.

But why was she out here and not in her room? Had she gotten scared in the middle of the night? Had she sleep walked?

So many questions flooded his mind that it was difficult to think about them one by one.

Why hadn’t she woken him? Had she tried? How could he possibly sleep through someone lying down with him?

He had been a light sleeper his entire life and his military experience had only cemented that trait even further. He had been trained to wake at even the slightest sound or movement.

Looking down at her sweet face resting against his shoulder, Riley knew that regardless of the circumstance which had brought her there, this was exactly where Chelle belonged. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep with her there, but he knew he wasn’t going to waste another second sleeping when he could be spending that time reveling in the pure, sweet sensation of her body lying on top of his.

At that very moment Chelle raised her head slightly, opened her beautiful brown eyes sluggishly, and blinked several times.

“Hi there, Sleeping Beauty,” Riley smiled.

She blinked again. A look of confusion played across her face but was almost instantly replaced with a more serious look of concern.

“Riley,” She intoned gravely as she sat up on her elbow, “Are you okay?”

“Of course, you barely weigh anything.” He pulled her closer to him. He didn’t know why he did, it just felt so good to have her near.

“Oh, no,” she blushed, “I meant because of the dream…I mean nightmare, or uh...terror or whatever.”

His chest constricted as a feeling of dread filled him. Riley quickly moved from under her and sat on the edge of the couch running his hands through his hair, “I had a…I didn’t even know I…when…what did I…”

Chelle sat up beside him and rested her hand on his arm, “No, nothing, I mean you just…I heard you yell so I came out to make sure you were okay. You were…I mean you looked like you were having a bad dream so I called your name and you didn’t hear me, so I just laid beside you.”

He didn’t know what to say. He had been having those dreams for a couple of months now. It was part of the reason he knew it was time to get out. It was like his subconscious' way of telling him it was time.

But no one knew about them outside of his unit. He hadn’t gone and talked to the shrink that had been suggested, and now he was wishing he would have. The last thing he wanted was to seem weak in front of Chelle. A silent curse crossed his lips.

Chelle started to get up, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she stammered, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have stayed, I just wanted to be here, you know if you needed me and I just fell asleep and…”

Without thinking about it he reached out and grabbed her hand, “I liked waking up with you in my arms. I just, I don’t really know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’ll let you get back to bed.” She tried to move away but he didn’t let go of her hand.

“Chelle,” He looked up at her, He knew he shouldn’t ask her to stay but he couldn’t help himself. “Don’t go.”

Without hesitation she nodded and he laid down on his side. She sat down and slowly lowered her body, curling herself into him as he draped his arm around her. No questions, no strange looks, no expectations. She just laid silently beside him.

He shouldn’t be surprised. It was Chelle. She had always just got him. Just accepted him for who he was.

Now more than ever he wished that he was the type of guy that was cutout for the house, kids, and wife. That would be a dream come true, actually. If he were that kind of guy, he would do anything in his power to convince Chelle to be his. He would hold her and never let her go.