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This was supposed to be a chill movie night, Baran thought, miserably curled up against her girlfriend’s side. Well, miserable was a strong word, but she had just been shaken to her core, so she believed that it was quite fitting for her state.
It had been Cassie’s turn to pick out a movie, and she liked, from time to time, to watch movies that Baran described as downright terrifying. Tonight Cassie had wanted to watch one of those horror movies—because what was a little more adrenaline after an already exhilarating shift in the ER?—and Baran hadn’t wanted to say no to her beautiful pleading eyes, so pure and irresistible. So they’d put on a slasher movie, whose name Baran currently couldn’t recall, and had spent the last two hours watching people get hunted down, scared to death or just simply murdered.
Sometimes Baran wondered how she had fallen in love with Cassie, because she certainly hadn’t signed up for this.
So now she was taking in deep breaths, glad the murderer had finally left her screen. Baran knew that this was fun for Cassie which is why she tried her best not to look too disturbed, in order to show her girlfriend that even though she didn’t like these movies, she was still there to give everything Cassie liked a chance. As Cassie always did in turn. That’s why they worked so well.
“That was amazing!”, Cassie beamed, radiating with joy. “I love a good horror movie, it’s so refreshing.” The words horror movie and refreshing in the same sentence didn’t make much sense to Baran, but at this point she’d given up on understanding Cassie’s passion for bloody movies.
“Yes. Well, it was definitely something,” she answered, pushing some loose hair back from Cassie’s face. “I’m happy you enjoyed it. Even though I will probably never be able to walk down the street again without looking behind me every few seconds,” Baran chuckled and Cassie pulled her closer, kissing her cheek.
“I’ll make sure you’re safe,” she winked. Her eyes were soft now, still passionate, but focused on Baran and making sure she understood what Cassie said next. “Thank you for watching this with me. I know it’s not your favourite genre, so it really means a lot that you’re here with me.”
A warmth spread through Baran’s chest as it always did when Cassie looked at her like this, with so much adoration and gratitude it made her want to cry. These little things meant everything to Cassie when to others it was just another night. But to her it was the world. That was one of the many reasons Baran loved her the way she did.
“Of course, my love,” she assured Cassie, getting up from the couch and starting to walk towards their bedroom. “Come on, let’s go to bed before we start watching any more scary movies that make me want to hide behind a pillow.”
That made Cassie laugh, her free and low cackle echoing throughout the room and making Baran smile in turn. With an outstretched hand, she waited for her girlfriend to catch up to her so they could go to sleep together. When Baran felt Cassie’s hand in hers, she turned towards her and pressed a kiss to her lips, losing herself in the moment. There was nothing like the feel of Cassie’s skin under hers, and she knew that she would do anything to make sure this woman was safe.
But tonight, she was somewhat more worried about her own safety. “You better make sure I don’t get kidnapped tonight,” Baran murmured when climbing into bed, half joking, half serious. She hesitated before turning off the light, scooting close to Cassie to not be alone in the dark of night.
“C’mere.” There was some movement and then Baran was enclosed in Cassie’s embrace, holding her with a tenderness that made her feel more at home than anything else ever could.
“Good night, Cass,” Baran whispered, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. “Sleep well, baby,” Cassie replied, pressing a kiss to Baran’s neck. And so they fell silent, each drifting in their thoughts. Eventually, Baran could hear Cassie’s breathing evening out and she knew her girlfriend was now part of the land of dreams.
But sleep would not find Baran. She kept seeing a masked shadow in the dark corner of the room, and while she knew it wasn’t real, it still unnerved her. After multiple times almost yelping and jumping out of bed, she decided she should probably just sleep with the lights on. Not in here though. She didn’t want to wake Cassie.
After slowly twisting out of Cassie’s embrace, she scooted to the edge of the bed and silently got up. Baran almost tripped over the carpet when moving to the door but she caught herself before doing any damage. And while her walk towards the living room was in no way graceful at least she had a destination.
Baran flopped back down onto the couch and grabbed one of the blankets, simultaneously switching on the small desk lamp set on a nearby cupboard. She let out a deep breath. At least now she could see that she really was alone.
Normally she didn’t get scared easily. Baran had lived through so much pain and suffering—and not only her own—that by now she was used to pretty much anything. But masked murderers, those always did a number on her. She didn’t even know why. It wasn’t like she actually thought someone was gonna come to kill her, but her body didn’t always seem to understand that. There was still that fight or flight mode deeply ingrained into her.
So now she was curled up on the couch, switching through TV programs to find something that could distract her. She ended up settling on a documentary about penguins, the little animals giving her a strange comfort. The monotone voice of the narrator helped calm her down as well and soon she was lying down sideways, drowsily watching the penguins wobble across the screen.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice said: “Hey, you okay?”, and Baran almost fell off the couch, her arms flailing as Cassie suddenly stood behind her, a slight frown on her face. Baran yelped in surprise but managed not to outright scream.
“God, Cassie, don’t sneak up on me like that,” she said breathily, sitting up to be able to look at her girlfriend properly, who had moved around the couch and was currently towering over Baran. “And to answer your question: yes, I’m fine. Go back to bed, love.” Most of the time, Baran’s skill to persuade Cassie was solid, but now it seemed to have no effect at all. Cassie just sat down next to her and spoke up once more, with a tender look on her face.
“Can’t sleep?” She nudged Baran’s leg with hers and then laid her head on Baran’s shoulder, sighing. “Maybe watching that movie wasn’t a great idea after all. I’m sorry, baby.”
“No, don’t be,” Baran quickly replied, not wanting Cassie to feel guilty. “This is not your fault. My body just seems to think that I am the one in danger and not actually the people in the movie.” She chuckled quietly, stroking Cassie’s hair absently. “Did I wake you?”
Cassie made a noise that seemed to want to convey that Baran was indeed not the culprit of Cassie’s being awake. “Mhh no, just had to go to the bathroom and saw the light on. I figured you were out here, cause you certainly weren’t in the bed,” she explained. Her words were slightly slurred by sleepiness and Baran was so enchanted by it that she just wanted to hold Cassie and make sure she was safe forever.
“Yes. I needed some light. I kept seeing creepy figures standing in the shadows of our bedroom,” Baran elaborated and indicated her state on the couch. “I thought I’d sleep out here, so I could leave the light and TV on to keep me company.”
That got Cassie’s attention, because she lifted up her head and protested, “If you need company and light to fall asleep, you can absolutely come back to our bedroom and we’ll sleep with the lights on. I’ll watch over you until you’re asleep. Just… don’t stay out here. Please?” And Cassie pleaded with such tenderness that Baran could physically not say no to her. This woman… she had a hold on Baran that was hard to explain. Well, you could probably call it love.
Without much fight, Baran gave in. “Alright. But you really need to stay awake until I’m asleep,” she stated with a little pout. Cassie nodded quickly, smiling at her softly. “Of course, baby. I will, I promise. Now come on, or I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you to bed.” Cassie’s tone was playful, but Baran knew all too well that Cassie would definitely pick her up if she didn’t come to bed soon.
So together they walked back to their room, turning off the light on the way. For the instant it was dark, Baran held onto Cassie’s hand as if her life depended on it, but then their bedroom was illuminated by Cassie’s bedside lamp and Baran relaxed again. They clambered into bed and curled up together, making sure each of them was comfortable.
Cassie slowly stroked Baran’s hair, whispering sweet affirmations. “You can go to sleep. I’ll be here the whole time, and I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me,” she promised, and while she was still a little amused by how scared Baran was by a work of fiction, she did mean every word she said.
They quickly fell into a soft, drowsy state, and soon Baran was dozing off. She mumbled, “I love you, Cassie.” And with a kiss on Baran’s head, her girlfriend replied: “I love you too. Sweet dreams, baby.” She smiled assuringly, though she knew Baran couldn’t see her. She just couldn’t help wanting to protect her.
With that, Baran drifted off, and as soon as Cassie knew that her girlfriend was fast asleep, she closed her eyes and fell into sleep as well, knowing that they were both safe and sound, even though out and about there might still linger some yet-to-be-discovered masked murderers. But tonight, they had made sure the light was on and all was well.