Chapter 14
Jeff stroked Leah’s hair as she lay in his arms beside him. He had carried her up to her bed and changed her into some bedclothes. She had reluctantly let him; she had been half asleep at the time and in no condition to argue with him.
~Previous night~
“Jeff” Leah said as she lifted her head of the pillow, she looked over at his outline in the doorway.
“Yeh?” he asked turning to face the bed.
“Don’t go. I don’t want to be alone.”
That was Leah needed to say, Jeff shut the door and walked in the dark over to the bed. He sat on the edge of it and looked at Leah. He could only see the outline of her face but he knew she needed him. He placed a hand softly on her cheek; she automatically closed her eyes at his touch. He laid her head back on the pillow before kicking his boots off. Jeff moved so his was lying on his side, his head was propped up on one arm and the other rested down his side. Leah looked at him, his eyes glinting in the dim light. She moved so she was lying on her side. Jeff watched her every moved, he was fascinated by her. How was she coping with this? Again.
“You wanna talk about it?” Jeff asked her softly.
“Not really.”
“Ok. But I want to ay something and I don’t want you to say anything until I’m finished. Ok?”
“Sure.” She replied as he prepared to speak.
“Well, I think you need to go to the police. I mean this guy is serious Leah, isn’t just going to stop. He is going to try and get you. I don’t know why you won’t tell Molly but I think you should and I think you should tell her soon. She thinks she has done something to you because you don’t answer the phone and you don’t return her calls. She’s your best friend, I don’t know what I would do if my best mate didn’t tell me something like this. Leah, you need help and I am going to help you. But we can’t do this on our own. I am not leaving her or you until this is all over and I know you will be ok.”
“Finished?”
“Yes, for now.”
“Well, Molly doesn’t need to know. She will only worry and get the police involved, and I don’t want them involved. I can handle this Jeff. I need to and I don’t want you to help me.”
“You can’t do this on your own and I won’t let you.”
“Jeff, he’ll hurt you Jeff. I don’t want that, I don’t want to put you in danger. If it’s just me I can hide, but the two of us makes us a bigger target. And I will call Molly. Just not yet.”
“Leah, please, he isn’t going to hurt me or you. And there is no way you are not stopping me from being here. Even if you kick me out I will sleep in a tent in back garden but I’m NOT leaving you never.”
“Please Jeff. I don’t want him to hurt you. I know you say he won’t but he will, he killed my parents and I sent him down and now he’s escaped from jail and is after ME! Not you, not the person trying to save me. Me.”
“Leah, why don’t you get some sleep? We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“I can’t sleep, I have nightmare’s. He is always there hurting me, after me, killing me. So I just reuse to sleep.”
“It’s only a dream Leah. He can’t get to you.”
“But just dreaming about makes me scream, I wake up in a sweat and can’t get back to sleep. I lay awake and listen to all the sounds, the trees swaying in the wind, the sound of the branches bending and braking. I watch the shadows that come through the window move, thinking ‘is it him?’ Or ‘it’ll all be over soon.’ But it isn’t, night after night I lay awake, scared, scared for my life.”
Jeff didn’t say anything. He just used his free hand to wipe the tears away, for the first time she dropped her gaze from him. She shifted slightly in the bed and lay on her back staring at the ceiling. “I’m here, your safe. I won’t let anyone near you, I promise.”
“You keep saying that.”
“That’s because it’s the truth.” He said pausing before he continued. “Leah.”
“Yeh?”
“Will you let me hold you? I want you to feel safe in my arms; I want you to trust me that I won’t let any body hurt you.”
Leah didn’t answer him, she just moved back onto her side facing Jeff but this time she pressed her body up against his. He moved his arms around her and pulled her even tighter against him. She rested her head into his neck. One of her hands slid up his side and around his shoulder, she moved her hand up his back and held on to his neck. He felt her body relax against him and he breathed a sigh of triumph. Jeff shifted on the bed until Leah was laying facing away from him and her body was tightly pressed up against his, her head still rested in his neck. Leah arms where crossed over her stomach and Jeff slid his arms around her, covering her arms and taking her hands in his. Jeff let his feet play with Leah’s as she giggled slightly in his arms as his toes tickled the bottom of her foot. After a few minutes Leah was asleep, tightly held in Jeff’s embrace. Jeff was still awake and he listened to her breath.
Jeff felt his feelings for Leah change again they had gone from hating her to not liking her much to liking her. But now he had different feelings. He didn’t want to admit them to himself but after lying awake for and hour thinking about them he let three words escape his lips. “I love you.”
back to Chapter 13
