(You might want to be bring tissues for this chapter....The second half of this might have you crying.
Thanks for continuing to read and we'll talk at the end:)

"A friend loves you at all time. A brother is always there to help you." -Proverbs 17:17

Chapter 15

~

I woke up with my hand over Aspen's arms that was around my belly button, my back on his stomach (FOUR PACK) and my legs tight into an 'L'.

I know it was morning when I awaken, but the sun didn't shine through the curtains as they would and I began moving like a baby first would waking up and I turned around as Aspen gently let loose.

I opened my eyes to find him already looking at me as if he was waiting for me to wake up and I smiled at him as he smiled back at me, and he moved a piece of hair from the front of my eyes to behind my ear and after he realized what he done, he placed his hand back to himself as if he'd done something wrong...

But I wouldn't mind him doing that every morning.

"Hey...." He said so deeply.

'Guys. In. Sleepy. Voices-' I had to think.

"Hi..." I moaned back smiling. He chuckled as we both stared at each other and I was still tired as I shut my eyes for a long time but when I heard him get up I knew I had to too.

I sat up rubbing my eyes as I squinted them to find my glasses on the night stand again. 'Why do I always forget?'

I put them on as I saw Aspen walk over to the curtain and open it and expecting a sun to blind us like most hotel windows did, there was heavy rain and white and grey clouds blanketing the sky, and I knew the storm from Annapolis must've caught up to us.

"Well..." Aspen said to me. I stared passed him out the window. "It's raining." No one liked traveling in rain, nor did feel like leaving today either and like he read my mind he turned around to me. "That's the cue we sleep in for the day." I gave him a tilted look.

"But, we'd have to pay extra for the in-convince," I said perplexed. "I don't think I-"

"Covered it," Aspen finished. I widen my eyes at him.

"Are you serious?" I held in my excitement. He nodded once and walked over to the bed leaving the curtain open. It was still as dark.

"Yup. I woke up at 8 and heard the rain, and when I looked to see how bad it was, it was flooded down below, so I already charged an extra night so that the rain would pass or progressively slow down. That second night was free so I took the offer just in case we needed it," he shrugged simply.

I stared at Aspen as THIS was what I wanted.

An extra day with him. An extra day of doing nothing. A day of just me and him.

I suddenly hugged him, on my knees and my stomach on his chest, and I wrapped my arms around his head. "You don't understand how happy I am!" I told him uncontrollably. "I love you!!"

Aspen hugged me back and he laughed. "I love you too!!" He stated.

I blinked and I found myself STILL staring at the Aspen who was not hugging me, or even close enough to hug me. He sat on the bed looking at me smiling and thankfully I had one too so I wasn't just awkwardly staring at him with a blank expression and I nodded once.

"Soooo, back to bed?" I asked. He smiled as I did too.

"Back to bed." He confirmed.

I crawled over and took off my glasses and went back under the covers Aspen joining me as the rain sounded on the window and it was very light and peaceful and I turned looking at Aspen....not on my side of the line but he didn't mind by the gentle smile on his face and I closed my eyes fairly slow and I said,

"Aspen?"

"Hmm?" He said through his lips. I chuckled.

"Why does the sound of rain make people want to sleep?" He poked out his lips and squinted his eyes.

"Don't know....maybe it's because we're just tired, or WANT to be tired," he explained. I chuckled.

"I guess so," I told him. He smiled.

"Amanda...." I blinked at him. He paused as if he was changing his mind on what he originally wanted to say. "Please become a pancake person." I laughed.

"Aspen, I already told you," I closed my eyes again. "Waffles all the way."

"But pancakes are so good! Waffles are just reincarnated pancakes," he said desperately. I had to laughed at that one.

"Or maybe waffles are just better than pancakes," I looked at him squishing my nose.

"But....pancakes!" He protested. I laughed.

"Whatever Aspen. More waffles for meeeee," I sang.

"Okay, okay," he said pretending to be mad. I opened my eyes.

"We're still friends right!?" I exclaimed. He pretended to be surprised.

"Of course! We can't let the conspiracy of waffles vs panaceas ruin such a distinct friendship! No matter what you believe Amanda.... You're still my friend." I smiled relieved and not because of the whole pancake-waffle thing.....

Because if it wasn't pancakes or waffles and it was something more serious or something worth splitting a friendship over (which nothing should be) made me feel like I could trust Aspen. He wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be him. Which is always a positive thing.

"You're my friend too...." I agreed.

I closed my eyes for real this time and I shifted over to be closer to Aspen, my forehead close to his chest, my hands clasped together in front of my chest and I began the pattern of breathing in and out, but right before I fell back to sleep I whispered,

"Aspen."

"Yes."

"Do I snore?" He chuckled as if it were an odd question to ask, which is was.

"No.... Why?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"Just curious...." I drifted off. He chuckled as he played with my hair.

"Of course you are...." I imagine him smiling.

***

When you wake up and have tears in your eyes.....you probably wonder what happen....but when I wake up and I have tears in MY eyes....I know EXACTLY what happened.

I quickly sat up from laying down wiping my eyes and Aspen got up as well, but to keep him from looking at me, I speed walked my way to the bathroom but knowing I was blind with my glasses off, I hit my side against side of the dresser and yelped. I kept going though and Aspen ran after me.

"Amanda what's wrong?" But I shut the door in his face and locked it and I collapse on the toilet. The most predictable place you'd find me in the foster home.

I hugged my stomach and cried unbelievably hard as this was the worst one yet.

It was my dream.

"Amanda!" Aspen called to me. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

I shook my head my as if he could see me and I tried to breathe.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why did this have to happen to me? I DIDN'T do anything!"

"Amanda baby, please? Open the door." I was so out of there I didn't noticed he called my baby 'till after the fact, but I opened the door and he found me balling my face off and he didn't understand why.

"Amanda what's wrong? Are you sick?" He asked getting down to my level to see my face. I could've said yes and lied, but I wiped my whole right of my face as he grabbed my shoulder bending down to me.

"Amanda, talk to me," he begged. I felt like a wimp for crying about a dream but Aspen didn't seem to care....because he cared about me all together....

No matter what it was.

"It's....it's nothing..." I sobbed. "It's not that big of a deal-"

"Amanda you're crying. And you're telling me this is not a big deal?" He asked me. I broke down again shaking my head.

"It's just...." I bit my bottom lip and I buried my head in my hands.

"Amanda please....." I paused before answering.

"I had a dream about Kelly, Aspen," I finally said. He waited to reply. "I have this dream all the time but today it felt so real. It was the worst- I just..." Aspen just held me in his arms, the one place I did want to be, and he hugged me tight.

"It's just a dream baby," he reassured me. "It's okay."

"But it felt REAL," I sighed. "It was my fault she died. It WAS all my fault," I repeated. He let me loose as I kept shaking my head. "It was the same as always Aspen. At the hospital, seeing her in that disgraceful bed. Usually in that dream she'd turn into bones and dry out and die with her chest just full of disgusting things.... But this time...." I bit my bottom lip. "But this time..." I shook my head, my head in my hands.

"It's okay Amanda..." Aspen encouraged me to keep going.

"This time she had this cat type of face and she arose from the bed and pointed at me with these ugly fingers with huge black eyes and she exclaimed, 'You! You did this to me! I never loved you! I NEVER DID!! Get out of here! GET OUT! No one EVER loved you!!' And I tried to run away from her but I fell in this hole and my real parents....as much as I can remember about them...tried to bury me alive and I couldn't breathe and I cried for help but no one came...." Aspen gasped, and I grabbed him super tight and I hugged him, tugging at his shirt as he hugged me too.

"It was so scary Aspen.... It felt so real this time...." I sobbed.

"Shh, Amanda, it's okay-"

"My parents didn't want me- I KILLED Kelly-" he cut me off.

"No Amanda, that's not true. That's the devil. He's attacking you in your dreams. You're a dreamer. He's lying."

"But it was so real Aspen..." I looked up at him. "It felt SO....real...." I whispered. Aspen just cupped me in his arms and I hugged him tighter than I ever have before, and he gently swung me side to side.

"It's okay baby.... I'm right here....I'm here..." He whispered. "I'll never let you go. I'll never leave you alone.... I promise..." I sniffed biting my lip again.

"And I don't want you to..." I whispered in his chest as my tears stained his shirt.

***

(Oh no! Amanda! :'{ Please vote and comment what you think, and has the devil ever tried to attack you in your dreams? He has with me soo many times but I know how to defeat him now:) Just call on Jesus and he'll help you!! ;D Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon:) Byye<3