Stolen Love

7*

When I woke up a few days later, Chris was already up and moving around. That's strange because he usually waits for me to wake up to get up. I sit up in the bed holding the sheets tightly against me with one hand and wiping the sleep from my eyes with each other. Chris' back is to me so he doesn't notice me for the longest time, but when he turns to me, his face lights up. "I'm taking you out today," he says a bit nervously when he notices the sleepy, confused look I'm giving him.

I fight back the excited scream I want to let loose. I silently thank God in my head for this opportunity I've been hoping for. It's been two weeks since I broke my leg; however, I'm starting to get worried that by the time it's all healed, it may be too late. Sometimes when I'm being nice to Chris, I forget I'm acting. Not only that, but he's been getting closer to me, and I've been letting him.

It just comes natural to me. I act similar to how I acted with Ryan, but this is not quite the same. This is more like when a guy has a crush on a girl and they hang out. At first I feel very uncomfortable, but then develop feelings that I have to shoo away.

I get so angry at myself whenever I have nice thoughts towards Chris. I'm his victim, I'm constantly reminding myself. I'm his captive. It's not my fault I'm feeling this way towards him. He's been the only person I've interacted with for a few weeks now, and even though I may try to deny it, I don't want to be alone. A part of my would rather be with Chris than continue to act all spiteful towards him, and the other part knows that I can't give in because then I would be falling for his trap. Fortunately, the latter is my stronger side, but unfortunately, I feel it growing weaker every day.

Even in my dreams I can't escape Chris. They haven't been getting any better either. Each one feels more real and happier than the last. I once read somewhere that dreams are a product of our bodies' deepest desires that we aren't even aware of sometimes, but that can't be true. I don't feel anything for Chris except for dislike. They are probably just nightmares. But still, with these thoughts in mind, I'm afraid to wake up sometimes, fearing that it will actually happen.

I'm embarrassed and ashamed to say, but yesterday when Chris and I were talking before going to bed, I actually thought about kissing Chris. I thought that it was a dream, but thankfully I "woke up" just before the end. That only caused more problems for me because how will I get out of here if I can't tell dream from reality?

"Where are we going?" I ask tiredly. After having one of my nightmares, I stayed up most of the night feeling petrified in Chris' arms. I'm still not comfortable sharing a bed with him, and my dreams haven't been making things easier. Eventually, after laying stiffly for hours because I was afraid to wake him, I fell into a dreamless sleep that didn't last very long.

Chris is walking around in black suit pants and a white button up shirt. He has a dark blue tie hanging loosely around his neck. His normally messy hair is swept to the side. I can't help but think how good he will look in a suit, but I silent these thoughts immediately. Not answering me, he walks to the wardrobe and pulls out a beautiful midnight blue dress.

I gasp at it. I've never seen it before. Even though I never looked at the dresses, I can tell this was made for a special occasion. It's simple yet elegant and it isn't anything showy like I've seen so many girls wear. It has lace capped sleeves and it is tight at the top, but just below the ribs it flows out into a skirt that will stop mid-thigh. It was as if the dress was made for me.

"Put this on," he says cautiously, as if afraid to say it. As if I'm going to slap him for telling me to wear a dress. I probably would've, too, if it wasn't this dress.

"Ok," I say delicately grabbing the dress by the hanger. I run my hand along the material; it's soft and slightly stretchy.

He nods, "Hurry up and shower. We're running late."