"Robert!"

Robert jerked awake in a pitch black room, completely disoriented, not knowing where he was or what was happening.

"Robert!"

Oh, God, he thought, sitting up.  It was Georgie.  Something terrible was happening to her.  She needed him. 

"Robert!" she screamed again.

Then he remembered where he was and laid back on Georgie's bed, with a deep sigh.

"Robert!" 

He could hear the desperation and fear in her voice.  He knew exactly which nightmare she was having. 

"Robert!" 

Why the fuck was no one waking her up, he wondered angrily.  Couldn't May and Marianne hear this?

Then Georgie's screams changed to the long piercing screams of grief and agony.  She'd reached the point in her nightmare where he'd been taken from the flat.  He laid there gritting his teeth as he listened to her screaming over and over and still no one was waking her up.  What the hell? 

Finally he couldn't fucking take it and got up, angrily pulling on his jeans over his boxers.  He yanked the door open and stalked into the sitting room.  As he got closer to the couch, he could see Georgie writhing in the dim light as she let out long piercing screams with choking sobs at the end. 

By time he reached her, the anger had drained out of him.  She hadn't woken him like this since they were back in the flat.  It made him sad to see her back to the screaming nightmares again.  It was obvious May and Marianne cared deeply for her.  Why would they allow her to suffer like this?

He shook her gently by her shoulders, calling her name loudly.  When she woke up and saw him, she cried out, "Robert!" and grabbed onto him, nearly pulling him over on top of her.  He managed to get his hand on the back of the couch just in time to steady himself.  While she clung to him sobbing into his chest, he stayed bent over, not knowing what to do.  He considered pulling her off him, but it didn't seem right when she was still so distraught from her nightmare.  

He sat down next to her with a deep sigh, feeling like he had no other option.  She wrapped her arms around him, grabbing handfuls of his t-shirt as she sobbed into the space between his neck and shoulder.  He could feel her body trembling with fear as she pressed herself against him.  He didn't want to hold her, but he hated seeing how terrified she was.

He put his arms around her with another sigh.  Her hair was loose under his hands and as soon as he felt its silky smoothness, he couldn't help stroking it as he rubbed her back to comfort her.  Then he began shushing her and rocking her a little, just like he used to.  Her body felt so familiar in his arms, like she was always meant to be there.  And her warmth was seeping through his t-shirt, going right inside him again.  He closed his eyes and lowered his head, pressing his cheek against her hair so he could smell her better.  He could feel the terrible ache in his chest easing a little.  He'd forgotten how soothing it was to hold her like this.

After several minutes, she stopped crying with a deep shuddering sigh, relaxing in his arms and he unconsciously tightened his hold on her.  In the silence, he heard her breathing through her mouth and felt her warm breaths on his neck as he continued to rock her and stroke her silky hair.  Then his eyes flew open and he suddenly stilled.  This was wrong, he thought desperately.  He shouldn't be holding her like this, especially now that she wasn't crying anymore.  He needed to let go of her, and he tried but somehow his arms weren't cooperating. 

"Thank you, Robert," Georgie said quietly, releasing him.  It was so unexpected, it took him a second before he realized she'd done it and dropped his arms, a wave of disappointment going through him as he felt the loss.  She wiped her tears away with her fingers, not looking at him.

"Uh, yeah.  Sure," he said uncertainly and stood up.  He expected her to grab his hand and hold it like she used to but she didn't and after a hesitation, he began walking back to her bedroom feeling awful. 

When he reached the door, Georgie said quietly, "Night, Robert."

"Night," he said as he closed the door behind him. 

As he pulled off his jeans and climbed back in Georgie's bed, he fought back against the feeling of disappointment and despair that he wasn't still holding her.  This was why he didn't want to come to Chicago, he thought bitterly.  The trip was already a fucking disaster.  He hadn't even been around her for twenty-four hours and he was already crumbling, wanting to be with her again.  He didn't want to fucking want her. 

He pulled the pink floral quilt over his head and tried desperately empty his mind so he could go somewhere else, but it was a long time before he fell back asleep.  When he woke up, he could tell it was quite early in the morning by the light coming through the window.  He looked at the clock on Georgie's chest of drawers and saw it was seven thirty.  Then he did the math and realized he'd slept past lunchtime back home.  Back to his old schedule, he thought grimly. 

He got up and pulled on his jeans over his boxers.  Maybe he could make it into the kitchen without waking Georgie and find something to eat.  When he walked in the sitting room, Georgie wasn't on the couch but all the bedding was still there, as if she'd just gotten up.  He walked in the kitchen and found May alone, sitting at the table wearing a light blue dressing gown and drinking coffee while she read from a laptop.

When she noticed him, she smiled and took off her reading glasses, saying warmly, "Good morning, Robert."  He smiled back at her and returned the greeting.

"We have tea here for you, if you'd like."

"Cheers, May.  That'd be brilliant," he said gratefully.

"If you're hungry, we have cereal but Marianne went to the farmer's market.  She was going to pick up bagels on the way home for breakfast.  Of course, if you'd prefer –." 

"No, that's fine.  I can wait," he said quickly with a smile.

"There's a deli not far from there that has the best bagels in town.  Georgie thought you'd like that for your first breakfast here."

"Oh," he said more quietly.

She closed the laptop and stood up.  "Georgie made sure we got the tea you like best." 

"Oh.  Uh, alright," he said, turning away as if he was looking for it.  He wasn't aware there was a tea he liked best.

"Marianne and I drink tea but it's usually iced tea and made from tea in a bag, not the loose leaf kind you like," she explained, handing him a box of tea and a mesh stainless steel ball. 

While she was getting him a mug, Robert stared at the box with shock.  It was the same brand of tea he'd always had in the flat.  Why the fuck would Georgie get that tea for him?  He made an effort not to let on how angry he suddenly felt when he took the mug May offered him.

"Georgie said you have an electric kettle back home but we hoped you'd be okay with the old fashioned kind," she said with a smile as she pointed to a kettle on the range.

"Uh, yeah, it's fine," he said quietly, making an effort to smile at her.  He turned to take the kettle to the sink so May couldn't see his face. 

He didn't want to hear how hard Georgie had worked to prepare for his visit.  If she'd worked half that fucking hard to sort their problems when she was with him, they'd still be together.  He made an effort to push away the anger while he put the kettle on the burner, not wanting May to pick up on it.  It wasn't her fault what had happened between him and Georgie. 

While he was busy making his tea, May said, "Tomorrow we're going to have a barbeque, a kind of welcome party for you.  It won't be big, just a few friends and neighbors.  I hope that's okay."

"Oh, yeah.  It sounds fun," he said, making an effort to sound convincing as he turned towards her.  It wasn't exactly something he would choose to do, hanging about with a bunch of strangers, trying to think of things to chat about.

"It's also a welcome home party for Georgie.  She hasn't –," May stopped suddenly and he saw a troubled look briefly cross her face before she managed to recover.  "Well, she hasn't had the chance to see many people since she's been back."

"I see," Robert said mildly, trying to hide his surprise.  She'd been home for over two months, plenty of time to catch up with mates.  What had she been doing all this time?

"That's why Marianne went to the farmer's market so early.  She's shopping for the party.  We hoped – maybe you wouldn't mind helping us get things ready today?" she asked apologetically.

"No, not at all, May.  Whatever you need, just ask," he said quickly with a smile.  It would be the perfect distraction from the awkward tension between him and Georgie.  And maybe he'd be so busy he wouldn't have to be around her that much. 

"Thank you, Robert," May said with obvious relief.

While he poured the boiling water in his mug, he asked, "Did Georgie go with Marianne?"

"No, I had her go in our room.  I hoped she'd be able to get a few more hours of sleep if she was in there.  She has such a hard time getting enough sleep," she finished sadly.  He didn't look at her as he sat the table, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.  There was a moment of silence between them and he kept his eyes on his mug.

"I'm sorry about last night," she said quietly, and he looked up at her.  "She told us not to come to her anymore after the first few nights.  She said was fine once she woke up and she didn't want to be bothering us." 

He remembered Georgie saying nearly the same thing to him in the flat after she'd woken him with a nightmare the first time. 

"I think it embarrasses her.  At least, that's my theory."  The pointed way she was suddenly looking at him made him uncomfortable and he immediately dropped his eyes to his mug.  He pretended to be busy dunking the steel ball in and out of the water even though it was unnecessary.

"Will you please tell me what happened to her?" May begged suddenly.  When he looked at her, she looked troubled again.  He quickly looked back at his mug, feeling even more uncomfortable. 

"I'm sorry, May.  I – shouldn't," he replied quietly.  "Georgie has to be the one to talk about it."

"Can you at least tell me why she wakes up screaming your name every night?"  

He looked at her with shock.  She'd been having that nightmare every night?  When she saw his expression, her face fell. 

"She wasn't having nightmares when she was with you?" she asked loudly with despair.  He quickly looked at his mug again. 

"Not that one," he muttered.  As far as he knew, she hadn't had that nightmare since the early days they were a couple back in the flat. 

"But I don't understand, Robert.  Why did she leave England?  She loves you so –."

"You're going to have to ask her that, May," Robert said loudly to his mug, interrupting her.  And then he couldn't help adding bitterly, "It wasn't my decision."

He heard her sigh but she didn't say anything more.  As the minutes passed, he drank his tea, trying to push down the anger. 

He heard May say a warm, "Good morning, Georgie," and automatically looked up as Georgie walked into the kitchen wearing a pink dressing gown.  She looked exhausted with dark circles under her eyes.  He quickly looked back at his mug as she walked behind him. 

"Hi, May," she replied tiredly as May stood up to give her a hug and kiss.

"Hello, Robert," she said quietly.

"Georgie," he muttered to his mug.  He didn't think it was a good morning either. 

She got a mug and poured herself some coffee, then sat in her chair.  While she helped herself to the sugar bowl and small pitcher of cream, it suddenly seemed too quiet at the table.  To escape the awkward tension between them, Robert got up to make more tea.

"Were you able to get some more sleep, Georgie?" he heard May ask while he took the kettle to the sink.

"Yes, a little," Georgie said quietly.

"That's good," May said gently.  "Marianne went out a while ago.  It shouldn't be long before she's back with the bagels."

"Oh, okay."

"Well, I probably ought to get dressed," May said, getting up as Robert put the kettle on the burner.  "There's lots to do and it's not going to get done by itself." 

Robert's stomach sank.  If he'd known May was going to leave, he wouldn't have started making more tea.  The last thing he wanted was to be alone with Georgie.  But what could he do now?  He was stuck. 

He emptied the steel ball in the bin and got the box of tea.  As he refilled the ball with more tea he stared at the box, the anger boiling through him again.  As soon as he was finished, he picked up the box, walked over to Georgie, and stuck it in front of her face.

"Why did you get this tea for me when you know it was the kind he gave me!" he hissed angrily through his teeth.  Georgie looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise.  "And why the hell would you tell May this was the kind I liked!" he added, tossing the box on the table in front of her with disgust.  

Her face fell and she looked like she was about to cry.  He turned and stalked back to the kettle where he stood with his back to her, his arms folded over his chest, seething. 

"I'm sorry, Robert," she said quietly behind him, her voice full of pain.  "I wasn't thinking.  I should have realized it would upset you."  The kettle started whistling and he picked it up to pour the boiling water into his mug. 

"It's just – you know I don't like tea and – this was my mom's favorite."  Robert set the kettle back down on the burner a little hard as he slumped, the anger suddenly draining out of him.  "I always made sure you had it when we were – back there.  I wanted you to at least have good tea while –."  She trailed off, not finishing the sentence.  With his tea made, he had no choice but to go back to the table with his mug. 

"But you're right.  I shouldn't have bought it," she said quietly, quickly wiping her eyes while he slumped in his seat, feeling awful.  "I'll get different tea for you today."

"I'm sorry, alright?  I didn't know," he muttered, unable to look at her.  "I'll drink the tea, yeah?"

"No, Robert.  You're right," she said more loudly with her voice breaking.  "I'll get something –."

"I don't want you to do that, alright?" he muttered more forcefully.  "I said I'll drink it!"

"Okay," she whispered. 

They sat in silence, slumped in their seats, not drinking anything while Robert wondered bitterly for the hundredth time why the hell he'd agreed to come to Chicago.  When Marianne arrived a few minutes later, struggling to open the door with a newspaper stuck under her arm and carrying several bags, both of them jumped up, eager to help her.  Then May was there and it wasn't long before they were settled at the table with their breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, lox and orange juice.  The two women chatted quietly to each other about the party while Robert and Georgie were silent, hunched over their plates as they ate.

It turned out there were a lot of things that needed to be done to prepare for the party, and Robert threw himself into the tasks.  As soon as he was finished with one chore, he begged the women for another one.  At first they seemed reluctant to have him do so much, but once he'd convinced them he truly wanted to help, they gratefully relented.  He mowed the lawn, trimmed the bushes, and weeded Marianne's many flower beds in the front and back of the house with her.  He went with May to pick up tables and chairs she'd rented and even insisted on sweeping out the small garage before he put them in there to store overnight.

Once he'd finished everything that needed to be done for the party, he begged them for more work, wanting to stay busy so he wouldn't have to be around Georgie.  Luckily, the two women seemed to have a backlog of jobs that needed the kind of attention only a strong male could provide.  Georgie spent the day indoors helping clean and making food for the party.  The only time he saw her was when they had lunch.  While they ate sandwiches, homemade sweet pickles and potato salad, he made the effort to chat with May and Marianne, mostly to avoid the awkward tension between him and Georgie. 

By that evening, all of them were tired after the long day of work.  May ordered what they called 'Chicago style' pizza to be delivered to the house for dinner.  Robert was surprised it was so thick and had the toppings in reverse order, sauce on the top and the cheese on the bottom, but it was delicious.  While they ate, Robert and Georgie were quiet while the two women chatted about their plans for the next day.  Once they'd finished, thankfully everyone seemed ready to go to bed, allowing Robert the excuse to escape to Georgie's room after a quick shower. 

While he laid under her pink floral quilt, he thought about how he had twelve more days of this left.  What was going to happen after tomorrow when there'd be nothing to do but hang about with Georgie?  What if the coming days were as much a disaster as this morning had been?  How the hell was he going to get through it?

But he didn't really have any choice, did he?  He was going to have to manage it somehow.  He just needed decide he wasn't going to let her get to him.  And he was going to have to do a better job of keeping his anger under control.  It was only twelve days.  Not that long really.  He should be able to handle it. 

He sighed as he rolled over, pulling the quilt over his head.  He just wished it didn't feel like twelve years. 

 ****

This was a rocky first day for Robert and Georgie.  As you can see, the situation they're facing is incredibly complicated as both of them struggle, not just to deal with the breakup, but with everything they've been through. 

I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter.  Please let me know what you think.  And please consider supporting this story with your votes.  Wattpad uses the number of reads, votes and comments in total to determine which stories make it onto the Hotlist.  The higher Love You Forever goes up, the more readers will discover Robert and Georgie's story.