19 You thought I was gay?

Someone was watching me. I fought against the darkness and woke up to Josh sitting on the edge of the bed in black slacks and a T-shirt, watching me.

"Thought you'd never wake up."

I stretched. "What time is it?"

"Noon," he answered. "You’ve slept for fourteen hours."

"And I still feel like I haven’t slept at all. I felt so off and weird when I woke earlier.

And I had this dream that felt so real…”

"What was this dream about?"

"That’s the thing, I can’t remember it. Yet my mind won’t let it go."

He took my hand in his and shifted his gaze out to the balcony. "Who's Nelly?"

"What?"

"You kept murmuring the name 'Nelly' in your sleep. This someone I need to know about?" His gaze remained out to the balcony, eyes narrowed, expression distraught.

"I was dreaming, Josh. And I honestly don’t remember what about. The hell do I know who’s ‘Nelly’?"

Silence ensued as he circled his thumb in my lifeline.

Abruptly, my head felt as if it’d been hit with a brick as a severe headache smacked me.

J