Page 65 of Magic or Madness

She softens, wrapping her arms around my neck, her lips dangerously close to mine.

“Promise me, Oswaldo,” she repeats, and my armor falls.

“Alright, Bambi. I will get some sleep tonight, I promise you. Will you use the oils and rub my back?” I ask, placing quick kisses on her jawline.

Since the nightmares began, Fallon has been doing everything she can to help me sleep, or holding me when they feel a little too real.

She’s my anchor, and without her, I’d be a fucking walking disaster.

Sometimes, just to ease her worried mind I lie to her, saying I slept a few hours, instead of admitting that staring at the ceiling for hours and listening to her snore is better than the alternative.

“Of course. Is this still between us?”

“Please?” I beg, and she rests her head on my shoulder.

“I would feel better if you told someone else, maybe Olly? He’s so worried about you,” she counters, but I’m just not ready for anyone else to know what’s been going on inside my mind.

“Not yet. Give me the couple of days we talked about. I know it’ll pass once Masha’s date does. It’s the only thing that makessense.” I stroke her hair, holding her as tightly as I can because if there is one thing I know, I cannot lose Fallon.

She’s my rock and can read my mind better than I can. In the two months we’ve lived together, she’s become an empath, studying my body language and thoughts so well that sometimes, I barely know what I’m thinking, but she’s already clued in.

“Alright, I’m done. You know I just worry about you,” she says softly, pulling out of our embrace to look into my eyes.

“I know, Fallon. You’re my saving grace, I’d never fault you for taking care of me.” I smile, and she takes my hand, leading us to our spot.

There’s a small clearing between the river and trees with a fallen log that’s perfect for watching the river, and it’s become our small slice of heaven in this fucked up world.

So much has changed since she moved into the dealership with us, and at the same time, it always feels like the very first night we spent together.

My obsession with her hasn’t faded since she quit the body shop, moved in, and centered her world around me. Every time we touch, the fireworks still go off, and I’m just as weak for her as I was in that diner so many months ago.

Our honeymoon phase is never-ending, and I’m still the luckiest man who ever lived, the same way I felt the day our eyes locked and we decided to never let go.

“What’re you thinking about?”

I look down at her, tucked under my arm, and the blood rushes to my cheeks, knowing that she canfeelit when my mind trails off.

“You. The first day at the diner.” I kiss her forehead, unable to resist the urge to show her a small bit of affection.

I’ve never been this way with anyone, where I constantly crave their presence, but with Fallon, I always have a hand, ormy lips, on her. It brings me peace, having her an arms length away.

“God, that feels like a lifetime ago. You were so obsessed with me,” she jokes, that sarcastic tone in her voice creeping out, and I tickle the spot under her ribcage.

“You’re the one who followed me, Bambi,” I tease, and she giggles, a sound I could listen to on a loop forever.

“You’ve still never told me why,” she says, and I sit her up, looking into her eyes.

“You know why. I was drawn to you like some magnetic force was pulling us together.”

“No. WhyBambi? I love it, don’t get me wrong,” she starts, and I place a finger on her lips, effectively shushing her before I confess my first thoughts of her.

“Your eyes. You wanted to be around me, but at the same time, you looked like a baby deer in headlights. Those big, beautiful, brown eyes had me hooked from the second I saw you across the room. The only thing I could think of was Bambi, the baby doe from the movie,” I admit, and I watch as she bites her lip, a telltale sign that she’s trying not to cry.

“You’re lying.”

“Never, Fallon. I didn’t even know your name, but the only thing that consumed my mind was one word:Bambi.”

“Ozzy … you get less real the more I fall in love with you, you know that?” She asks, and I nod in agreement.

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