I did a mental check. My heart had returned to normal. The panic had receded, leaving exhaustion in its wake. My knee still ached dully, but I recognized it now as phantom pain, not real damage.
“Yeah. I think so.”
“Good. But Derek?”
“If you have another nightmare, call me. I mean it. I'd rather lose sleep than have you deal with this alone.”
Something warm bloomed in my chest. “The same goes for you. If you need me, I'm here.”
“I know you are.” Her voice was soft, intimate. “That's what makes this different. We show up for each other.”
“We do,” I agreed.
“Okay. Try to get some sleep. And tomorrow in Pilates, I'm going to work extra hard for scaring me like that.”
“Looking forward to it.”
“Liar.” I could hear the smile. “Good night, Derek.”
“Good night, Rosalie.”
I waited for her to hang up first, not wanting to break the connection. When the line finally went dead, I set my phone on my chest and stared at the ceiling.
The nightmare had felt so real. The fear is so overwhelming. But Rosalie's voice had pulled me back, reminding me that the nightmare was just that… a nightmare.
My knee was fine. I was playing again. And I had someone who answered the phone at 4 AM without hesitation.
Maybe that was enough.
Maybe I was going to be okay.
I rolled onto my side, tucking my phone under my pillow, and let exhaustion pull me under. This time, when sleep came, it was dreamless.
CHAPTER TEN
ROSALIE
Something changed between us after that very first game Dex played, and I couldn't shake the giddy feeling and the butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't believe Derek wanted to give this... whatever we were... a try, and he really liked me.
“You're awfully cheerful,” Nova remarked as we settled into the library. I accidentally bumped into her as she was throwing a tantrum at the library over a play she needed to read, and the librarian couldn’t find it, while I was on my way to study. So, it was better for both of us to struggle together.
“Just in a good mood,” I lifted a shoulder as my gaze focused on the equation in front of me.
“Aaron was bragging you weren't skipping classes anymore,” she commented. “Are you finally taking this seriously? Or are you just scared of midterms?”
“You're asking?” I arched my brow.
“I'm a drama major, not stupid. I still have to read and analyze plays. That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Midterms. Can’t you see? I'm doing these ridiculous math equations... I thought math stopped after high school.”
“Isn't that like calculus?”
“No idea,” I groaned. “I suck at it.”
“Here's a thought: pick a major!” She bumped her shoulder with mine, and I rolled my eyes.
“Actually, I'm going to do that. I will study Business Administration and minor in Entrepreneurship,” I announced before leaning back in my chair. “Even though there's a bunch of accounting, finance, and micro- and macroeconomics that I'm not a fan of. Hence... focusing on my homework.”
