Another Nightmare
Ben jolted awake, covered in sweat. He let out a moan of protest, but then Leslie’s arms were around his back and she was kissing his neck gently.
“Are you okay?” she asked him.
Ben took a deep breath. “I think so- just a nightmare.”
Leslie made a noise of sympathy, pulling the duvet back a little and helping him sit up. Once he was up, she switched the beside lamp on.
Ben didn’t miss the way she looked at him- there was so much love in her eyes, and he had to smile at her, even though his heart was racing.
Leslie yawned into the back of her hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Ben bit his lip. “Are you sure? You need to be up in a few hours, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your sleep.”
Leslie gave him a soft look. “Honey, you’ve been dating me for two years now. You should know better than anybody that I see sleep as a bonus.”
Ben rolled his eyes fondly. “That’s not a good thing.”
“What I’m saying is that I don’t mind. You’re clearly freaked out.” She paused. “Unless you don’t want to talk about it and would rather sleep, I’m fine either way. Whatever makes you happy.”
“Can I talk?”
Leslie nodded and opened her arms, and the two of them lay back down with Ben in her arms. He loved being held by her- it was one of the best feelings in the world. They looked at the ceiling. With the dim light of the lamp on, the room was bathed in an orange glow.
“I… I think I was lost somewhere. All I know is that there were people yelling at me, but I didn’t know where I was. It might have been about Ice Town, or maybe people yelling at me because of an audit… either way, everyone hated me, and…” he trailed off. Leslie didn’t miss the little shake of his voice at the end of the sentence. She hummed at him.
“Poor Ben.” She squeezed him tighter.
“Yeah…”
“Well, I know for a fact nobody here hates you. And no matter what people might have said to you in the past, they were all idiots. Who could ever hate you? You’re my favourite person in the world.”
“Aside from Ann?” Ben asked with a chuckle.
“I wasn’t going to mention her so as to not upset you, but yes. Although, you’re on top.”
She said that through gritted teeth, and Ben laughed. “Honey, I know you love me. Don’t worry.”
Leslie grinned at him. “Ha! You know I love you! Well everyone else loves you too!"
Ben chuckled again. “Thanks, babe.”
“They really do,” she said, a little quieter. “And I know those people were terrible to you, but things are different now. If anyone ever did anything to be mean to you, I’d punch them in the face like when you punched that guy in the bowling alley.”
“That was pretty cool,” Ben agreed.
“It was so cool!” She leaned down to kiss his head. “You’re the best, Ben Wyatt.”
“Thank you, babe. So are you.”
He felt a lot calmer now. Talking to Leslie about his issues was always the right decision, because she always knew what to say. He breathed out slowly, and Leslie knew that meant he was feeling better. She turned off the light, and the two of them snuggled down together.
“I love you,” Leslie whispered, and Ben felt his heart soar.
“I love you too. Thank you.”
“Any time.”