“You yelled my name,” he said. “I thought you were in danger.”
She pulled the sheet back and patted the bed for him to get in. He slid in and she put her arm around his back. “You were having a bad dream.”
“No, I wasn’t,” he said.
“Clay. I know what I saw, heard, and felt. The bed was shaking and you were mumbling. You wouldn’t wake up.”
He remained quiet, but his muscles were coiled like springs.
She knew he was fully aware he had a nightmare, but he wouldn’t like that she was bringing it up.
Maybe she shouldn’t have spoken for him in front of his family on their relationship, but she just wanted to get it out there and end the interrogation. Things were going about as well as they could with the two of them and if any comments by his family set him back, she’d be annoyed.
It hadn’t happened.
There’d been a few jokes, but the conversation went around the table with updates on everyone’s life.
“Sorry,” he said, flopping on his pillow.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
She sighed. Maybe she’d try another tactic. “Want to know why I’m afraid of flies?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” Grouchy Clay was back.
“I’m going to. Maybe it will put you back to sleep with boredom. Could be I’m going for that.”
He turned and put his arm around her waist, tucking her against his body. “Or we could do something else to take my mind off of it.”
The fact he was admitting his nightmare might linger was enough for her. “We can when I’m done with my story.”
“Figured you say that.”
“I bet you get a kick out of this. It’s a typical Meredith episode.”
“Sure,” he said. “Make me laugh.”
She smiled over his dry tone, but he couldn’t see it. “You know I’m going to want to do that again. But this is about me. I’ve always enjoyed arts and crafts. Even as a kid.”
“Go figure.”
She pinched the tight skin on his hand that was resting under her T-shirt on her belly. He didn’t flinch.
“I was about eight. I thought I’d raid the kitchen for supplies. It was summer break, I grabbed a big container of yogurt, food coloring, some dried pasta, M&M’s, a banana and grapes.”
“You remember it all?” he asked.
“I’ll never forget. Trust me. I’m in my room, and it’s warm because my parents didn’t want the AC on if they could open the windows. Not like eighty in the house, but at least seventy. There were a few flies because they got through the screen.”
“And were buzzing around your head while you played with food,” he said. “You slapped them away and food landed in your eye?”
“Ha ha,” she said. “If that was the only thing that happened, I wouldn’t have cared.”
“So the fear came after this day?”
She liked that he was invested in it. Otherwise he’d keep his mouth shut and go back to sleep.
