Dancing to Your Heartbeat

Playlist for this Chapter: Chlorine by TwentyOne Pilots, Symphony by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson.

I woke up in the middle of the night once again, covered in sweat and my heart beating fast, tears streaming down my face.

I looked beside me and saw Nico sleeping peacefully, his face looking so calm and serene. His features had softened now and the moonlight falling onto his bare back made him look ethereal and so beautiful.

I'm so lucky to have him.

I brought my hand up and ran my fingers through his soft hair and placed a kiss on his forehead, slowly lifting his arm off from on top of me and getting out of the covers.

I put on Nico's dress shirt that was lying on the floor, courtesy of me tearing it off of him a few hours ago.

Whoops.

With one more look at him, I make my way out of the room and downstairs towards the kitchen, passing by a sleeping guard.

He'd be dead if Nico saw him asleep.

The faint light coming from outside showed me my way as I tiptoed into the kitchen and opened the fridge, getting out the water bottle and pouring myself a glass, I sat next to the kitchen island and downed it in one go.

Automatically, my thoughts went to what had woken me up in the first place - another nightmare. Except this one seemed to heighten my fears to a new level.

And it wasn't about me at all. It concerned someone completely different. It concerned him. And as much as I hated it, I knew this was his life and there was nothing I could do about it.

Another gunshot is heard in the dark sky and I watch as it whizzes past me, as if in slow motion and hits him, piercing his heart.

His pristine white shirt turns crimson, and he looks at me with those glossy eyes as he falls to the ground, my screams echoing in the dark night as I run towards him and hold his hands, trying to get him to wake up, but he doesn't.

He struggles to speak, but I can see the words he wants to say in his eyes.

"I love you."

And I watch as the life drains out of him, until there's nothing left of either of us.

I snap open my eyes to get rid of the horrible nightmare, the same one that has been playing on repeat for a good few days now, and it doesn't seem to stop as tears threaten to spill from my eyes.

Why won't it stop.

Only when warmth surrounds me and two arms wrap around myself do I find myself breathing normally once again and closing my eyes as the tears fall out and I draw in a shaky breath.

He's here, and he's alright.

"What's wrong baby?" He whispers in my ear and I shake my head, but he watches the tears spill onto his arms and as a small sob escapes my lips. He turns me around swiftly, gazing into my eyes to find the answer to my misery, except, there isn't any.

"Nico..." I whisper and he gives me a small smile, his dark blue eyes filled with so much love and concern it makes me break and I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest, crying my heart out while he rubs my back and whispers sweet nothings into my ear.

"It's alright my love, everything's fine. I'm right here." He whispers and kisses my temple as he places me on the kitchen counter and kisses my tears away.

He's here.

"Promise me you wont ever leave me." I whisper when he smiles and takes my hands into his own, kissing them softly.

"I promise, I'll always be with you and I'll never leave you. Ever." He reassured me and I sniffle.

"Now you tell me what happened, okay?" He says softly and I nod as he squeezes my hand slightly and waits for me to speak patiently.

"I... I had a nightmare." I start and he stiffens.

"Do you want to talk about it? Was it the same one?" He asks me cupping my cheek and I find myself leaning into his touch.

"No... it was different. It was about you." I tell him gathering up all my courage and he frowns.

"What about me?" He asks and I bite my lip.

"You... someone shot you and the bullet hit your chest and I... I couldn't save you." I whisper so quietly he wouldn't have heard me if not for the complete silence. But he did.

I heard his deep sigh as he stands straight and grabs my face with his hands and strokes my cheeks, kissing my forehead.

"I'm never leaving you my love. Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm right here, see?" He said and I nodded, although we both knew it was a lie.

His life is in constant danger all the time but the fact that he was here right now was good enough for me at the moment.

For now.

His arms come around me as he pulls me in his embrace, running his hands through my hair as my hands go around his neck once again.

"I love you." He whispers and I smile faintly.

"I love you too." I whisper back as he pulls away with a smile and looks around us before grinning, he holds his hand out to me.

"Dance with me?" He asks softly and I nod with a big smile as I place my hand in his and hop off the island.

"There's no music." I tell him and his grin grows wider.

"Then sing us something, hmm?" He asks me and my face lights up and I nod, thinking for a moment before I decide on the perfect song.

"Ready?" He asks me placing his hand on my waist and taking the other in his, intertwining our fingers.

"Ready." I reply, placing my hand on his shoulder and he gives me a heart warming smile as I start humming a sweet melody, and then sing the lyrics to the song I felt I like was perfect for this moment.

I repeat the lyrics to Symphony by Zara Larsson in my head as I gaze into those beautiful blue eyes that changed my life forever.

Placing my head on his chest, I hear his steady heartbeat and both of us move to the rhythm, dancing in the moonlight streaming in through the windows.

"And now your song is on repeat, and I'm dancing on, to your heartbeat..."

I listen to his heartbeat as it increases its pace and I raise my head to look into his eyes.

"You're so beautiful." He whispers and leans down, our lips a breath apart, when he kisses me slowly, as if he's conveying all his feelings through his kiss, our lips moving with each other as one.

When we pull apart, I look into his eyes, so full of love and when he whispers those two words, I feel like everything fell into place.

"Marry me."