71 " Elenore"

He pinched me one more time. "Ahh! Hey, stop doing that!" I exclaimed, pulling away.

"Well, I'm trying to wake you up," he said, his expression serious, as if this were a matter of life and death.

"You can't just keep pinching me!" I shot back, frustration mounting as he reached for me again.

"John, stop that!" I cried out, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.

"I'm just trying to wake you up. You insist this is an illusion," he defended himself.

"You said it first!" I retorted, crossing my arms defiantly.

"I didn't even really think it through, and it doesn't even make sense. I don't know why I told you that," he admitted, shaking his head, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Yeah, right—your rainy eyes make me weak again."

I felt a flutter of warmth at his compliment, but I quickly pushed it aside. "And I'm saying it could be possible—maybe we are… no, no, John, don't!" I warned, seeing him inch closer, ready to pinch again.