Dreaming of Reality

Chapter 1

My face was heating up and I was laughing so hard I wasn't laughing anymore. I was clapping and laughing but no sound was coming out of my mouth. By this point my face was probably tomato red, like it always was when Brandon made a weird face at me. I could hear Brandon laughing, then he hit the floor next me me. His body was warm against mine and we laughed together, holding our stomachs and rolling on the kitchen floor. When we finally stopped, we caught our breath then looked at each other. As soon as our eyes met we started laughing again, I started cackling, I hated it when I did that. If it wasn't enough that I hated my normal laugh, I started cackling and making all these weird sounds when I laughed too hard. I loved laughing with Brandon, and I hoped he liked laughing with me too.

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I dried off my hair with a towel until it stoped dripping. The mirror was fogged up so I wiped it down with a dry towel so I could see myself. I tilted my head, trying to see what Avery had seen in me. I was average, nothing special. I wouldn't exactly call myself pretty, I was kind of low on self esteem like that. I felt prettier with my contacts in. Ever since I had started wearing them, I didn't feel pretty wearing my glasses. I was okay with glasses, I mean I wasn't beautiful, but I wasn't ugly. Then I started wearing my contacts and every day, when I put my glasses on at the end of the day, it wasn't the same. My contacts had changed my judgement on myself, which made me mad, considering I had just gotten them for sports and theater. I had never wanted to be that girl. I didn't want to be afraid. Now I was, I hated contacts but I needed them. They made me feel confident, but I wasn't myself. I hated it so much. I always thought about those girls that were driven to get contacts because they felt ugly. I wasn't driven, I got them for other things, and now I was caught. Now what did those girls think? Were they afraid?

I heard a knock on the door and almost fell over.

"Raina, there's steam coming out from under the door. Are you okay?" it was Brandon's voice. Duh, who else would it be. Was it weird that I had expected to hear Avery's voice?

"I'm fine," I hoarsely whisper.

"Rain?" He was starting to sound concerned.

I stared at myself for a few more seconds before clearing my throat and answering. "I'm okay, don't worry," I force out a laugh, but realize it sounded like a dead person laughing.

"Raina," Brandon said softly. "Can I come in?"

I wiped my eyes, wrapped my towel around myself and opened the door. Brandon was waiting on the other side. He walked in and leaned on the sink. He looked tired, as if my weak voice had drained him. "No," I thought to myself. He wasn't Avery, and he never would be. Why did I always think he was?

Brandon slowly moved forward and wrapped his arms around me. He was warm, a tear slipped from my eye as I started thinking of Avery's hugs. As the tear fell, I realized that Brandon wasn't wearing a shirt. When the salty drop hit his bare skin, he hugged me tighter, pulling me in closer. I loved the warmth and the tight embrace. I wished I could stand in Brandon's arms forever.

After a while, he pulled back and looked at me. There was a look in his eyes that I felt like I'd seen before. It was so familiar, I couldn't figure it out. He slowly leaned towards me and I felt his warm lips against mine.

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My eyes flashed open. I blinked my eyes, bringing everything into focus. I was watching something on TV, it was dark outside. I looked to my right and saw someone sleeping on the couch next to me. His dark hair fell onto his face, I could hear his soft breathing and the faint beating of his heart as I leaned closer to him. I swore it was.. No, it couldn't be.

"Avery," I whispered.

The body stirred next to me and his eyes slowly opened. He turned to look at me, and even in the dim light, I could see his soft eyes. His lips slowly turned up into a smile.

"Hey," he said.

I flinch when I hear his voice. I remember the dream, the softness in his eyes, the casual "hey".

"Are you okay?" He looked at me, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I whispered again.

"Raina," my insides melted when he said my name. "Why are you whispering?"

Despite my confusion, I laughed and smiled. "I have no idea."

"This is why I love you."

I smiled. "What's so special about me?"

"That's easy," he says, leaning over to me. "You're beautiful in your own way. You're not afraid what people think. You're different, in a good way, of course. And.."

"And what?" I ask.

"And you love me just as much as I love you."

I feel myself blush and put my head down. He cups my chin in his hand and lifts it up. My eyes meet his and he leans toward me. When his lips touched mine I felt something spark within me, something that I hadn't felt in a long time. I pushed forward, kissing him harder. His lips were soft, I couldn't get enough. I ran my hands up into his hair and he slid his hands down my back on fixed them on my waist, pulling me closer. I pushed him forward more, until he was laying on the couch. He pulled me down on top of him and held me tight. I curled my fingers in his hair, feeling the soft thickness of it. His lips move along my face to my ear.

"I love you," he whisperd. He kissed my neck gently.

"I know, and I love you too."

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I'll write more if anyone likes it. I want to see if anyone likes it before I write more. So if you like it comment and I'll do Chapter 2. :)