Back to You | Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Chapter 8

Mia's POV

An extremely loud noise woke me up and my pillow felt different. I looked carefully and realized that my head was on Jeffrey's arm. So I panicked. We fell asleep right after last night. We slept in the same bed. We slept like a fucking couple. Fuck. He looked so peaceful, just like he did that first night he fell asleep on my couch. His body was fully naked, just covered by my thin sheets and I wanted to explore his tattoos. My hand almost went to uncover his stomach but thankfully I stopped myself.

Suddenly I realized that the loud noise I was woken up by was thunder and lightning outside and I started freaking out. It kept going and my heart was beating really fast, legs shaking, and I was sweating. There it goes.

''Woah, what's going on?'' Jeffrey woke up too, looked around confused and then saw me with tears in my eyes. ''Hey, hey, what's wrong?''. I could barely speak so I just pointed at the window and he got it. ''You're scared of thunder'' he said as I nodded. When lightning stroke one more time I thought I'd fucking pass out.

''Hey, come here'' Jeffrey wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his warm, naked body. I made myself into a ball and laid my head on his chest while he held me close to him. ''You're good, I'm here'' he whispered as he caressed my hair. From where I was I could hear his beating heart and I tried to listen to it instead of what was outside. It calmed me down a bit. Fuck.

''Your phone is ringing'' Jeffrey said. I was zoned out listening to his heart beats that I couldn't even hear my phone. It was Tony.

''Hello'' I answered, my voice shaky.

''How are you, hun? Want me to come over?'' he asked. He always called me to check on me when there was a loud storm outside. Tony was the most amazing friend in the whole entire world and I was grateful for him and everything he did for me.

''I...I'm good, I think'' I was going to tell him about Jeffrey being there later.

''Do you want me to breathe with you? Just the way we usually do'' his voice was calm and it made me feel better.

''Yes, please'' I replied.

''Okay, here we go'' he started counting and breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth. My best friend was so good at that and there wasn't a single time it didn't work. ''Are you feeling better?'' he asked after a few minutes.

''Much better'' I said as I smiled. Jeffrey was still holding me tight, our naked bodies so close to each other and not even in a sexual way. It was intimate and raw and it shouldn't be. No, no. ''Thank you, T. You're the best human in the whole world''.

''Call me if you need anything. I'll come over later in the evening anyway''.

''Yes, do that. I can't wait'' I said before we hung up.

I looked at Jeffrey and realized that maybe...maybe we shouldn't be so close. I didn't even know anymore.

''What was that all about?'' he asked me as he still held me. Why couldn't I get away from him? I kept laying there as if he was a strong magnet. It was surely the fact that it was storming outside and I needed comfort. ''How come you are so scared of thunder and lightning?''.

''Well...'' I started. I hated that memory so much. ''When I was 12 I was minding my own business, playing with my favorite cat in the barn next to our house, when lightning hit the tree right next to it and it caught fire. It was the loudest bang in the world and suddenly I could hear the tree breaking'' I was already starting to shake again, so Jeffrey brought me even closer to him. ''My parents were running towards the barn, screaming for me to get out, so right when I got up and started running towards the door the tree fell through the roof in front of me and the barn caught on fire'' my eyes were watery, my voice shaky and I felt so vulnerable.

''I'm here'' Jeffrey assured me as he caressed the soft skin of my hand. Fuck.

''There was so much smoke that I couldn't see and I was slowly starting to inhale way too much. My parents were trying so hard to get to me and I was screaming so much...I was terrified. After a while I could barely make any noise, my breathing was slowing down because I was so intoxicated with smoke. My sight was blurry, and the fire was coming closer and closer to me. I was sure I was going to die'' I wiped a tear that had escaped my eye.

''But you didn't'' Jeffrey smiled at me to make me feel better.

''Every time there's very loud thunder I am taken back to that moment when I couldn't breathe and that's why I act the way I did now''. Well, there it was. He now knew more about me than anyone else did, besides Tony. And why did I even tell him these things? 'No feelings attached', didn't we fucking say that?

''I understand that. You're safe now. The thunder is over'' he said and I sat up and looked at him. Just looked at him and admired his face. My mind kept taking control over me and telling me how handsome he is, how he kept me calm, how he made me feel safe and it shouldn't. It fucking shouldn't.

And oh my god, his face my suddenly getting closer to mine and mine to his and I was afraid. I was afraid because there was no sexual tension between us - even though we were naked. I didn't want us to kiss, not in that way. No, please Jeffrey don't kiss me. Fucking please.

''I should go, got an interview later on'' he said right before our lips met. Good. I guess.

''Okay'' was all I could say. It's been an overwhelming morning. I watched him get out of bed and quickly looked at his whole body. Lucky me to have such a handsome man be the one I had sex with whenever the hell we wanted. ''What is the interview for?''.

''It's for Rolling Stone. From what I know, they wanna have a small photoshoot too'' he explained as he put on his shirt. 

''I'll find my way out'' he smiled at me before he opened the door to my bedroom and left.

My heart was still racing – no idea if it was from the earlier memory scare or because I kept thinking about how Jeffrey and I made love, slept in the same bed and got to have a normal conversation, but I think I knew the answer. And it was fucked up. It was trouble. Big fucking trouble.