Escape

The next morning, Delia woke up screaming, gasping for breath. Her heart was pounding and a shiver ran through her body. She opened her eyes with difficulty, but all she saw was darkness, drawing closer with every breath.

Jo, instantly awakened by her scream, quickly turned to her and, seeing her in such a state, asked in panic:

"Delia, what happened? Are you okay?"

His voice was full of worry. He grabbed her hand, trying to calm her down, but Delia still couldn't calm down. Her eyes were empty, and her breathing was ragged.

"It… it was a nightmare," she finally breathed out, struggling to find the words. "I… I killed you, Jo. I… I don't know what it was, but I… killed you. It was so real, so scary…"

She couldn't even finish the sentence, her voice was treacherous with panic. Jo froze for a moment, and then slowly leaned towards her, carefully placing his hand on her shoulder.

"It's just a nightmare, Delia," he said softly, "you didn't do anything. You didn't kill me, it was just a dream. You know how often dreams are scary, but they don't come true.

Delia looked at him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was really going to happen. She gripped his hand tighter, unable to overcome her anxiety.

"But what if this is a sign of something bad?" Her voice was shaking. "I don't want this to happen. I can't… I can't let this happen, Jo. I'm afraid that if I keep thinking like this, it might become reality. I… I can't handle this fear."

Jo, seeing her face distorted with worry, tried to calm her down by hugging her.

"Listen to me," he said with certainty, "it was just a nightmare, nothing more. Don't let yourself think that. I'm here, and we'll be fine. You won't do anything like that, you can't. We're together, and I won't leave you.

Delia tried to exhale, but her heart still couldn't calm down. She looked into his eyes for a long time, trying to find comfort in his words, but the shadow of fear still didn't leave her.

"Do you promise?" she asked barely audibly.

"I promise," Jo said, and there was such sincerity in his voice that, despite her fear, she felt the oppressive darkness that had hung in her soul recede a little.

After Jo calmed Delia down, they decided to relax a bit and clean themselves up. Together they went into the bathroom, and Delia allowed herself to forget about her fears for a while, feeling the water running down her skin, taking her worries away, at least for a while.

They stood there in silence, and then Delia, trying not to look at Jo, finally broke the silence:

"I don't know what to do next. It seems to me that everything is too hard, that I won't be able to bear it. I just want to drop everything and run away somewhere, forget myself... Put this heavy burden on myself, forget everything. Just leave, so as not to think about it anymore."

Her voice was shaking, and despite her best efforts to hide her thoughts, they still came out. In this state, she felt more vulnerable than ever.

Jo looked at her, despite the drops of water running down his face, and sighed heavily. He realized that she was worried not only about the nightmare, but about everything that was happening in her life.

"Delia," he said quietly, but firmly. "You don't have to run away. We can get through this together. Let's just get through these last few rehearsals, play the premiere, and then when it's over, we'll just go away. We'll go somewhere where no one will bother us. I love you, and I don't want you to run away from this. All you have to do is get through this now, and then… we'll be together. Nothing else matters."

His words were full of confidence, and despite her doubts, deep down Delia felt his faith in her beginning to ease her worries a little. She looked at him, and a small spark of hope appeared in her eyes.

"Do you really want this?" she asked with quiet uncertainty, almost a whisper.

"I want this more than anything," Jo replied, not taking his eyes off her. "You and I, we've been through a lot. But if we stay close, everything will be okay. Do you believe me?"

She was silent for a long time, listening to his words, and although her heart was still full of doubts, at that moment she felt her view of the future become a little clearer.

"I believe you," she finally whispered, and a weak smile appeared on her face.

Under the streams of hot water they embraced, and the warm curtain of water seemed to hide them from the whole world. Jo gently pressed her to himself, and at that moment she felt his heart beating next to her own. They looked at each other, and in his eyes she saw that very sincerity that she had so lacked in recent days.

Delia couldn't completely shake off the thought that the nightmare she had experienced might not have been just a dream. The fear that remained in her soul felt like something alive, like some kind of animal tormenting her from within, wrapping itself around her thoughts, making her doubt and fear.

But when Jo leaned down to her face and kissed her, she forgot everything for a moment. He was there, close, and his touch brought her such a comforting warmth that her fear began to recede, as if with each kiss it lost its power. Her lips responded to his, and the world around her grew dim.

Everything she felt was tied to this moment. She tried to push the nightmare out of her head, trying not to think about what had happened in her dream. It was just a dream, and she shouldn't let it ruin what was here and now.

Her arms began to seek him out, wrapping around his body, and all her fears began to melt, to dissolve in this kiss. Jo was her anchor, her salvation from all those dark thoughts that tormented her soul. His touch was so real, and his love was so sure. He pulled away slightly and, looking into her eyes, said quietly:

"Delia, I love you!"

The words seemed to fill the room. They were so simple, yet so incredibly important, as if their meaning could change everything. Jo said it sincerely, with such feeling that his eyes lit up and his voice trembled with emotion.