see you later // Pablo Gavi

Chapter 93

~ Author's Note ~

Kylian is great and all but Antoine has been popular with the ladies for the last 10 years. Haven't you ever heard of Griezmannia?

𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.
𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.
𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖.

"𝐒𝐇𝐇𝐇, 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, 𝐈'𝐕𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔. It's okay now. I'm here. You're safe." He holds me tight on his lap as I cry into his chest, whispering these things into my scalp, rubbing my back. I hear a concerned voice whisper from outside the tent, "Ember? Gavi? Gavi, is she okay?" I think it might be Eric's voice, but I'm not mad. I know it wasn't a case of spying or trying to listen in. I probably woke them all up with my sobbing and screaming in my sleep.

"Yeah,"Gavi says a little louder so that whoever is out there can hear. "It's fine. Just go back to sleep, guys. Everyone gets nightmares; it's not something for you guys to freak out about."

"There was so much blood," I hear a voice that belongs to me sob a few minutes after that. "So much of it... you, me, Ferran, Pedri... So much of it..." I feel his grip tighten, and his body get a little tense at this comment. He is silent for a few seconds, before continuing to shower me with comforting, loving words.

I keep crying, and his soothing voice keeps whispering to me, until finally I use my logic and the comfort he's giving me to calm down enough to stop the sobs. My face is soaking wet, and I'm sure his shirt is too. I'm quiet, and I just curl up on his lap, letting myself breath slowly, gently, with my middle, as I should.

We sit there quietly for a short while, before he whispers, "Do you want to tell me the dream?"

I shake my head. "Ferran was bleeding, and I couldn't get away... Then you were bleeding, and then Pedri was bleeding, and then I was bleeding. Finally I could run and you... but it wasn't you. None of them were yourselves, except maybe Ferran. You were a monster and you were gonna get me and you were covered in blood and... and..."

"Hey, it's okay, you don't need to tell me," he whispers, his voice tense. We wait a few more seconds in silence, before he finally says, "I'm so sorry, Ember."

I look up at him. "You're the one comforting me. What is there to be sorry for?"

"My goodness, look at you, being so perfect," he says, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I was the one who fueled this nightmare, love. I punched Ferran and drew the blood. I was... the villian in your dream. I didn't know... I was mad, but if I had known how much you hate blood, I would not have let blood be drawn."

I sniff, shaking my head, not knowing what to say. So, as a result, I say nothing.

"I love you so much, Ember. It tears me apart to see you cry like that, especially knowing that it is because of something I did. Never again will I ever let you see blood again."

"Love," I shake my head, looking into his eyes. He uses the end of the blanket to wipe the tears from my cheeks. The end of his blanket. "It's okay. I can't just avoid my fears-"

There, I did it. I offically admitted I'm scared of blood to him.

He cups my cheeks in both his hands, whispering, his eyes, looking so sincere, "I never want to see you cry, Ember. I love you too much for that. Please don't cry. I will do anything I need to in order to make you happy."

"Gavi, that's not-"

"Just say no more, okay?" he says, pressing his forehead against mine. "I'm so sorry. I want to protect you from fear and sadness and stress, not be the cause of it..."

"Love, you're not the cause of it-"

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not," I mutter, shaking my head, pushing it back into his forehead. "You're not at all. I'm just pathetic enough to be scared of something as silly as blood. Like, oh my goodness, blood is what keeps us alive! I'm so stu-"

"You're not stupid!" he interrupts me. He says softer, "Everyone has fears. You don't have to tell me why you're scared of it. You don't have to tell me anything about it. All I know is that I don't want you to have those dreams. I don't want to see you cry. So look at me and believe me when I say I've got you, you're safe, you don't have to worry, and you're safe with me, okay?"

I feel tears come back to my eyes, and I nod, saying with a hoarse, cracking voice, "Yeah."

"Hey, hey, whoa," he says. "Don't cry again, love. I've got you."

I sniff and nod, muttering, leaning into him. "It was terrifying."

"I know," he says softly, rubbing my back. "I know."

"I don't want to go back to sleep, but I'm tired. But what if I have another dream, Gavi? I don't want another dream..."

He squeezes me tight, whispering in my ear, "You won't, because I won't let you out of my arms for the rest of the night. With me, you're going to be okay. You can go to sleep, love. You won't have any more bad dreams."

Even though it makes no sense for those words to seal safety from bad things in my mind, somehow, I completely believe him when he says it, and I'm worn. Tired. I need sleep. I curl up on him, muttering, "Make sure to wake me up if I'm having a bad dream."

"Okay, I will."

"I love you, baby," I say, the curtains of my eyelids covering the dark world at night from me.

"I love you too."

I go to sleep, warm and safe in the arms of my favorite person, completely at peace, despite the turmoil I was just going through. Before I go to sleep, another flash of the blood pictures come back, and I flinch. But Gavi just holds me tighter, so I let that leave my mind.

And for the rest of the night, my dreams are nothing but sweet.