The dream was so vivid it felt like it was real. Rain fell in blinding sheets, headlights cutting through the darkness. Finny was gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles pale, his jaw set tight. Sylvie sat beside him, her face twisted in anger and disbelief.

Though I couldn’t hear the words, I knew what was happening. They were breaking up. He’d promised me he’d do it after spending the night with me, after I’d begged him to stay just a little longer.

But something was wrong. The dream twisted, the rain falling harder, the world spinning like I was trapped in a kaleidoscope. A blinding flash lit up the road ahead as a power line snapped, sparks raining down like fire.

The car jolted, a terrible screech of tires filling the air. The wheel jerked in Finny’s hands, but it was too late. The car skidded off the road, slamming into a telephone pole. Metal crunched, glass shattered, and smoke curled up into the rain-soaked night.

I screamed his name, my voice echoing in the nightmare, but I couldn’t move. I was frozen, helpless as I watched the chaos unfold.

I woke up, a cry tearing from my throat. My chest heaved, my entire body trembling as I gasped for air. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was—the darkness of the dream still clung to me, heavy and suffocating.

And then I felt him.

Finny’s arms were wrapped around me, strong and steady, his chest rising and falling against my back. His warmth was grounding, a stark contrast to the cold terror lingering in my veins. His voice, groggy but soft, broke through the haze.

“Hey… what’s wrong?” he murmured, pulling me closer. “You’re shaking.”

I turned in his arms, burying my face in his chest as the tears came. His hand moved to the back of my head, fingers threading gently through my hair. “Shhh, I’ve got you,” he whispered, his voice a soothing balm against my panic.

“It was a dream,” I choked out, my voice muffled against him. “You… the car, and Sylvie, and—”

“Hey, hey, stop. I'm here-” he said, leaning back slightly so he could tilt my face up to his.