TwoSetViolin Stories: By Request

Figment

They were sitting in silence, their hands comfortably intertwined between them. Neither of them could actually feel the touch, but it felt nice. At least, Eddy had convinced himself that it felt nice.

"Can you please tell me your name?" Eddy asked, his grip slightly tightening.

The man with glasses sighed, "How do I even know you're real?"

Eddy wanted to say that if anyone was imaginary, it was this man who's been visiting him night after night, "Of course I'm real. And I've told you my name. Do you want me to repeat it?"

The man with glasses shook his head firmly, "I haven't forgotten."

"So then, let's make it even. Please tell me your name." Eddy pleaded, shifting to move closer to his mystery man.

The man with glasses stood up, letting go of Eddy's hand, "I can't. Why does it matter?"

Eddy stood up as well, but he started to feel himself slowly fading, "Because I want to know that you're real." He finally admitted, ignoring how the world around them was starting to evaporate.

The man with glasses sighed before turning back to face Eddy, "I am real. I wish you were, too."

Eddy woke up in tears. For the past week, he's been trying to make the final leap of faith with the mysterious man he's been dreaming about for months. He's failed every time he tried.

Ever since he moved to Brisbane, six months ago, he'd dreamt of this man – every single night, without fail.

"He's not real. He's not real." Eddy repeated to himself as he made his way to the bathroom. He hastily washed his face, wanting to fully wake up and forget the disappointment spreading in his chest. "Of course he's not real." He said quietly as he started taking off his clothes.

"Why does it matter?"

Eddy shivered under the cold shower, standing frozen as he waited for the water to heat up, "Because if you don't have a name, then that means you're not real."

"I am real. I wish you were, too."

The water was starting to feel warm and gentle on his skin, "What does that even mean? Of course I'm real. You're the one who's not real. And yet..." Eddy hugged himself as he fell to the floor, the shower doing nothing but remind him he's awake, "Why do I feel this way about you?"

The shower, now too hot to the touch, continued to overwhelm Eddy. The water seemed to be taunting him, as if to say he should pull himself together. Eddy ignored the burning on his skin as he got back on his feet.

"It doesn't matter. I have a good thing going on here. I shouldn't ruin anything." He seemed to be talking to the shower curtains, or the bathroom in general. He mentally noted that he should probably look for a roommate, just so he didn't lose his mind completely.

After the uncomfortable shower, he threw himself on his bed. Even after six months of adjusting, he hadn't really roamed around the city. And he didn't feel the need to. After all, he and his mystery dream man had walked all over the city in his dreams.

In his dreams, he and this man would go on dates. They've talked about everything and have grown increasingly fond of each other. It was just like getting to know someone, except Eddy didn't know if the man was a real person or not.

For a while, this didn't bother Eddy; until he realized he didn't even know this man's name.

He knew pretty much everything there is to know about this man. This man is a violinist, same as Eddy. This man had a childhood in Taiwan and then his family moved to Australia. This man had eyes that glowed, as if galaxies were in them. This man had a sense of humor, and a laugh, that could ease Eddy's mind. This man liked holding Eddy's hand. This man was shy when talking about kissing – they promised not to try it, so they didn't.