The Night

Ariella realizes that Asher's first instinct will be to run towards Scarlett and hold his hand. Asher looks at her in confusion. "What? I have to go and see what's going on. Calm down. You're naked. Why don't you put some shorts on?" Asher practically jumps from the bed, gets in his shorts, and runs out of the room before Ariella can get off the bed. She grabs herself and walks towards Scarlett's room. When she gets there, she can't believe what's in front of her eyes.

Scarlett is wearing a scanty dressing gown that has ridden up, exposing all of her thighs, her back, and half of her breasts. She is crying in Asher's arms, who is wearing only his shorts with his chest and every other part of his body naked. They are there in the bed as Scarlett cries into Asher's chest and Asher holds her in his arms, cuddling her and shushing her to calm down. The picture is too much for Ariella to comprehend. It's too painful.

Ariella closes her eyes for a few moments before she opens them again and coughs to get their attention.

"Cough….cough"

 "Is everything alright?" she asks. Nobody makes a move to separate from the other as she walks inside, and she wonders if they think this is normal behaviour.

"Scarlett just had a bad dream," he says, and Scarlett starts crying again. 

"I couldn't fall asleep. As I closed my eyes and I was in this room all alone, I found myself going back into that dark room where they kept me. And it was just so suffocating. I can't take it," Scarlett explains, continuing to cry like a child, with Asher there to comfort her.

"Asher, why don't you go and get dressed? You're practically half naked," Ariella points out. Asher looks down at himself, then glances at Scarlett, realizing her state of undress.

"Oh! Um….." Asher tries to get off the bed, but Scarlett holds on tighter to him.

Ariella stands in front of them, watching, and decides to let this happen and see what they will do next.

"Ariella, please get me something to wear from the bedroom," Asher tells her, still holding Scarlett in his arms.

Ariella widens her eyes at him but decides to keep quiet. She gets some loose pants and a T-shirt for him and goes back towards Scarlett's room. This time she finds Asher tucking Scarlett inside the blanket and helping her get comfortable. Her arrogant, cold husband was turning into a nurse right in front of her eyes.

"Here," Ariella says as she gives Asher the clothes. Asher takes them and heads into Scarlett's bathroom to get dressed. Ariella watches Scarlett lying in bed as she keeps wiping tears from her eyes but does not make eye contact with her. Luckily, Asher doesn't spend a lot of time in the bathroom, and within a few minutes, he's already back. He looks at Ariella and says, "You should head back. I'm going to stay here for a while until Scarlett falls asleep."

"What? Why?" Ariella asks. "Can't you see the state she's in? You see she's afraid. Let me just stay with her. She'll fall asleep in a little while and I'll come back." Ariella defeatedly leaves, looking at them behind her before she goes. She gets into bed alone and sleeps on her side, staring out the window. "How long will this go on? It's just two weeks."

Hours later, Asher sneaks back into the room and gets into bed. After a few minutes, she feels him relax and knows he has gone to sleep. She turns back from her side to watch him sleep. And with him back in bed with her, she eventually falls asleep. But then later, there are screams again. Asher is the first one to stir and run outside the door towards Scarlett's bedroom again. Ariella wakes up too and tiredly follows them. She finds Asher sitting on the side, cradling Scarlett. Again, but this time in a better position. Scarlett is crying.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to interfere with your sleep. I feel so bad, but I just can't fall asleep by myself. I don't think I can go back to sleep again. I'm so scared," Scarlett cries.

"Calm down. Calm down. It's going to be okay. You know what? I'll just stay here. I'll just sleep here. Down on the bed. It's going to be fine," Asher suggests.

"What?" Ariella asks.

Scarlett, says through her tears "No, no, no. I wouldn't do that to you. I can't ask you to do that. Oh, my God. I feel so bad,"

"Or you could come and sleep with us in the bedroom," Asher suggests.

Ariella feels like she is going insane. "Excuse me, what?" she asks them.

 Asher says, looking tired and at his limit. "Look, she either comes to sleep with us in the bedroom or I sleep here in the room. She can't sleep by herself. What do you want me to do?" Asher shouts at Ariella.

"I don't want the two of you to fight over me. I hate to be the source of your arguments. It's fine, I'll find something to entertain myself. Just go back to bed," Scarlett says softly.

Asher interjects, "No, it's okay. You know what? I'll sleep here today and then we'll just figure out something to do tomorrow. I'll just get blankets and a mat and I'll sleep down here. And then we're going to figure out what to do tomorrow. It's going to be okay."

Ariella feels her resolve weaken. "Are you trying to tell me you really do not have a friend or a relative you could practically go to stay with?"

"Ariella, please stop it. You're not helping matters," Asher says firmly.

Ariella sighs and stomps out of the bedroom. Asher looks back at Scarlett's teary face and says, "I'm sorry. It's going to be okay."

"Thank you so much, Asher. You are all I have right now" Scarlett tells him with a hidden smile.