Dreamers- Book 1

Chapter Thirty Five- Pippa

Her lips quivered, a warm blush creeping up her cheeks. Pippa reached up and lightly brushed her fingertips against her lips. He had kissed her. She hadn't expected it at all. Not that she didn't like it. She liked it very much. She just didn't think he saw her in that way.

But then. It was her dream. And even though he insisted, there was a huge part of her- her brain, mostly- that was telling her that he was a figment of her imagination.

But then there was her heart. And the idea that the impossible was always possible, in some way. That in some bizarre and brilliant way, Bellamy was indeed alive. In the future.

As soon as the thought came to her she groaned in frustration, rolling over in the spare bed in Finchey's house, pulling her quilt up over her head as a crash of thunder shook the building.

Peeking out, under her quilt, she eyed the edge of the bedroom window with distain. The small part of the window not covered by Finchey's drawn curtain showed what she had feared. It wasn't raining anymore, instead thick sheets of water were falling from the black sky.

There was a quick rap on her bedroom door, as Finchey's mother opened it and peeked her head around.

"Morning sleepyhead! The weather has got even worse, if that's even possible!" She sighed, exasperated. "So I'm going to drive you home before the floods come in, that ok?"

"Yeah of course!" Pippa said, hopping out of bed. "Whenever you want to leave, I'll be ready."

"Great, I'm just cooking some breakfast. I'll go and wake up sleepy head. Once you have eaten I'll drive you round."

The door shut, and with a huge amount of effort she shrugged out of the clothes she had worn to bed and slipped into the washed and dried clothes she had worn yesterday.

Trudging down the stairs in a sleepy haze her fingertips kept wandering towards her lips. Her mind spinning over what to think.

Lightning cracked through the sky, lighting up the darkened house, the only light on in the kitchen flickering precariously.

"I think we are going to lose our power completely today. The thunder and lightning is practically on top of us today. Wouldn't be surprised if it flooded as well, in fact, I'm surprised it hasn't already." Finchey's mum said, Finchey grunting in response.

Pippa laughed at the state of her friend. His hair in a skewed mess, clothes crumpled, shoulders slumped over the dining table as his eyes flickered open and shut.

"Shhh...." He replied, nudging her as she laughed again.

"Sorry guys, this is all I could be bothered to rustle up this morning... eat up!"

Two large bowls of cereal were placed in front of them, Pippa smiling up at his mum with thanks, Finchey merely grunting again before practically diving into the bowl head first.

They devoured the cereal quickly and with ease, Finchey giving her a big bear hug once they stood up, before silently stalking back up the stairs to his bed.

"Let's go!" Pippa's mum said, overly enthusiastic about the prospect of entering the wall of water.

They pulled on raincoats and Pippa took off her shoes and socks to save them from drowning in the mass of puddles outside.

"Ready?"

"Yep! Got your car keys?" Pippa asked, knowing what she was like.

The shock and preceding rustle through pockets and draws told her she had saved herself from standing in the rain while his mum tried to find her keys.

"Yep!" The keys jingled as they were held triumphantly in the air.

Another rumble of thunder shook the house, a bolt of lightning hitting a tree on the corner. They both stared at the door in apprehension.

"I can always walk..." Pippa offered, halfheartedly.

"Nonsense. Let's go!"

Pippa knew that as soon as his mum had opened the door she had regretted not making her walk.

Together they trudged through the puddles, her feet and toes freezing as they splashed on the pavement.

The wind weaving around her as she pulled the car door open with as much strength as she could muster before throwing herself inside and slamming the door shut behind her.

The inside of the car offered only a little protection from the rain and the wind. The engine started with a sputter, and they cautiously drove through the few streets that separated their house. The black skies and downpour of rain made only a small distance in front of the car visible.

Not that there were any other cars on the streets to run into. Only the twitch of the occasional curtain in the houses that lined the streets confirmed that people were actually home.

In the minutes that it took them to drive around a few corners and up the street to her house, Pippa's mind wandered back to Bellamy. He had kissed her, and she had kissed him back.

She knew that when she closed her eyes tonight, he would be there, waiting for her. Her heart pinched tightly at the thought of him not being there. Was this what love felt like?

The thought struck her hard as they pulled alongside her house.

"Thanks for having me, and dropping me off home." Pippa said, pulling up the hood of her coat, bracing herself for the torrent of water.

She slammed the car door behind her and ran to the door, pounding on it as she rattled the locked handle.

In the minute it took for her mum to run down the stairs and unlock the door, her coat hood had dropped to her shoulders, hair now matted in a wet mess to her face. She looked straight ahead, eyes out of focus as silent tears fell down her cheeks masked by the rain.

She was in love with him. Her dream boy. Something niggling deep inside her mind told her that he was very, very real.