My breathing is ragged, and sweat is dripping down my face. It’s hotter than hell in my room. Looking around, I see the room I’ve slept in for the last nineteen years, and nothing’s changed. It was only a nightmare. “Only a nightmare,” I say to myself. Taking a deep breath, I run my hands up and down my face again, ridding the thoughts. They were taking Shay from me. God, it felt so real. I couldn’t see their faces, but she was struggling, and I couldn’t get to her. I couldn’t get to her. I need to see her. I need to hold her in my arms. I feel a pit in my stomach, like loss. My heart is beating a hundred miles an hour. It was just a fucking nightmare. I lie back down, grabbing my phone to check the time. It’s only after seven. She’s probably still sleeping. I stare at her picture like I always do. The first day I met her, I woke up staring at this same dirty ceiling, and all these years later, she’s still here. She still wants to be with me. Shay has never looked at me like I wasn’t good enough.
