Abruptly I am forced back into reality. A cold sweat covers my face and the covers are tightly woven around my legs so I can't sit up properly. I am propping myself up on one hand while the other is strangling my lamp. I release the lamp and sit back against the headboard of my bed. I close my eyes and try to tell myself it was all a dream. My mind groggily recognizes how absurd it all was, but my heart aches as if every second was true. I untie myself and sit on the edge of the bed until I calm down. The alarm clock says 3:31 am. Close enough, I won't be able to fall back asleep now anyway.
I turn and gaze at Noah. He's lying on his stomach with his face turned away from me. His messy brown hair fades into the stumble on his jaw. His breathing is even and I watch his muscular back rise a
