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AJ and Sam talked for a while longer that night before she started to yawn.

“I think it’s time for bed.” she said and climbed out of the easy chair she had crawled into after dinner. “I’m sorry that I unloaded all of this stuff on you.”

“I asked you to.” he replied. “Did it make you feel any better?”

She contemplated his question for a few minutes. It took a lot out of her to share all of that but it also felt good not having to hide all those secrets anymore.

“I think so. It’s good that you know everything now.”

AJ nodded and followed her upstairs; just as she started to turn towards her room, he tugged on her hand. She turned to face him and she noticed he was nervous about something.

“You said you trust me?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have opened up to you like that if I didn’t.”

“Ok.” AJ said. “Wait here for a minute.”

He barely heard her reply as he took off towards his room. Sam stood there, curious, as she heard doors and drawers being opened and closed. It sounded like he was rearranging the room and she was surprised when he pulled open his door and asked her to come in.

Nothing had really changed since the last time they’d been together while she was Max. The walls were still blue, the balcony still opened up towards the beach and he still had a king sized bed. It was the bed that finally caught her attention as she noticed a huge mound of pillows and blankets dividing the bed down the middle. She looked over at AJ who was grinning like a little kid.

“Why does it look like Martha Stewart’s linen closet exploded on your bed?”

He walked over to where she was standing and took her hand. “I want you to sleep here tonight.”

“AJ, I…”

“Hear me out.” he pleaded.

She wasn’t sure where this was going but she agreed to listen and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Sometimes, when you have nightmares, it takes a little bit for me to hear them and get to you.”

“I know…”

“It also seems like they’re getting harder and harder to pull you out of.” he said interrupting. “If you stayed here, I could get to you right away.”

“But…”

“I know.” AJ said as he knelt down in front of her. “That’s why I made the great wall of pillows.”

Sam chuckled. “Thank you but…”

“Please Sam.” he pleaded as he gripped her hand. “I promise that I’m not trying to make any moves on you. I just want to keep you safe.”

Sam watched his face as he talked and she could see how important it was to him. He was being straightforward and she knew he meant what he said. She nodded after a minute and told him she’d be back.

He debated on whether he should have done all that as he went to change. The whole thing probably shocked her and he was pretty sure she wasn’t coming back that night. She pleasantly surprised him though when he made his way out of the bathroom and found her standing by the bed.

“Are you sure you’re ok with this?” he asked as they climbed into bed. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Sam just smiled at him and reached out for his hand. They talked for a little longer until she started yawning again. He was touched when she locked her fingers with his. Both fell asleep with their hands connected on top of the pillows and it was the first time in months that she slept the whole night with no nightmares.

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Sam continued spending the nights in AJ’s room over the next few weeks. It was comforting to know that someone else was there with her and it seemed to keep the nightmares at bay. She kept busy during the days working out with some gym equipment Lauren had suggested and an old treadmill that Drew had brought by. The workouts weren’t because she needed to get in shape but as an outlet for all of her stress and anger. She had realized that she needed to make some changes in order to help herself.

Even though Sam had gotten closer to AJ, she didn’t feel comfortable working out with a guy so Lauren came over a few times a week to help keep her motivated. All the exercise really helped to burn off the excess energy and Lauren had been very supportive. The one thing that kept bothering her though, even with all the workouts and sleeping with AJ, was the sight of the beach behind his house. When she had been with him before all of this, she’d spent days and nights on the beach; it brought back great memories from her childhood and gave her a sense of peace. What she really wanted at this point was the chance to spend five minutes out there.

Sam had just come up from one of her workouts when she heard the doorbell ring. It was one of the few sounds that still scared her and she raced to the stairs, almost plowing into AJ on the way.

“Whoa speed racer!” he said, jumping out of her way. “It’s just Nick and Lauren.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked with her foot already on the stairs.

“Positive.” he responded. “I watched them on the camera.”

AJ had purchased a new security system equipped with cameras covering every available spot around his house. Both he and Sam could see if there was anyone around by using an app on their phones.

Sam let out the breath she’d been holding and sank down onto the stairs. AJ waited a few seconds for her to calm herself down before opening the door; she smiled once she saw it was them.

“Who called for pizza?”