"Are you okay?" she'd ask whenever he woke up from the same nightmare.

In reply, he'd force a smile and pretend that everything was fine. "Yes, I'm okay," he'd lie.

She'd then crawl in closer to him, and he’d inhale the same scent of ylang ylang and coconut from her hazel hair. They'd fall asleep again like that. In each other's embrace.

Everything was fine. At least that was what he wanted to believe in.