i accidentally met dream

sixteen

The next week was weird. I opened and closed the shop, baked the cakes, decorated the cakes, baked the cookies, et cetera. The couple that usually runs and owns this place, is getting worse, unfortunately. Their daughter is starting to learn to run the business and hire new folk, but no one has applied or been able to and unfortunately, I may not be able to work here anymore, unless they get a few people hired. I would prefer to go back to my normal part time job.

Other than that, I saw Clay once this week, when he wanted me to go through his merch and pick out some stuff. Not sure why? I think a lot of it was stuff that he didn't like, so he didn't sell it, which is understandable, but why would he give it to me? He did have a lot of it so maybe to save space? Not sure. All I know is, I got free merch. "That's pretty pog." I blurted, on accident. Luckily, I was at home and not at work.

I've called Dani almost every day this week, only because I really needed to vent about the Karens I served to this week. Good thing she was fine with me talking about it, otherwise, the week would've been worse. I don't know what I would've done without talking to her. Suffered maybe? Suffered alone like usual.

I flop down on my bed, tired of overworking tonight. Luckily, I have a few days off and all I want to do is spend every bit of my break with Clay. I checked my phone, the time read 2:34 am. I texted instead of called, in case he was in the middle of recording. He texted back, quicker than expected.

hey, im off for a couple days, wanna hang?

yeah of course. wanna come over tomorrow, or i can come over? whichever works. i don't have anything planned.

online i mean.

also in real life, i have nothing planned, except hanging out with you. hanging with you is planned.

yeah im gonna stop trying to save this

lol, come over tomorrow then, or whenever you want. we'll hang out here and watch a movie or something.

okay, looking forward to it :)

I put my phone away and changed out of my work clothes, deciding that I was ready to get some sleep and I did just that. I fell asleep right after I changed.

+++

The knock at the front door was loud. "Coming!" I shouted, finishing putting on socks, slipping a hoodie on. I opened the door to reveal Clay. "Hey." I said with a smile. He smiled back and I gestured for him to come in. I closed the door behind him and gave him a small tour, since my apartment was small. There was my room, a bathroom across from it on the left, then the kitchen and living room space connected to each other on the right. There was a small hallway that the front door opened too, but that branched off to the different rooms.

Clay removed his shoes and walked over to sit on the couch. "There's the remote right there in front of you on the table."

"Thanks." He says, looking back at me in the kitchen. I'm leaned over with my elbows on the counter, palms on my face to prop myself up. "Nice apartment, very small."

"Well, yeah, it's only me." I sigh, turning around to grab a bag of chips.

"Do you ever get lonely?" He asks, turning the TV on to Netflix. He puts a movie on, one that I am curious to see but haven't yet.

"I mean, I guess, but I'm so caught up in work that I don't realize. That or I'm always texting my friend. Or hanging out with you." I open the bag and grab a bowl. "Pretty funny you ask. Aren't you lonely in your house? You have Patches, sure, but other than her?" I pour the chips in a bowl and exhale, bringing the bowl to the living space and sit on the couch next to Clay.

"I don't know, I don't think about it often." He says, kind of quiet. We both end up shutting up because Clay presses play and the movie starts rolling.

+++

"What if..." He pauses, shaking his head and turning his attention towards the rolling credits. "Nothing, never mind."

"No, what were you gonna say?" I ask, getting up to stretch. While I'm at it, I'll wash the popcorn bowl. I grab it and walk over to the kitchen. The bar stool area was quickly taken by Clay. His figure leans onto the counter, waiting for me to finish.

"You're gonna say no." He says, his voice flat and unreadable.

"You won't know unless you ask." I say, finishing up the bowl and placing it on the drying rack. I lean against the counter, an arm propping me up. "So, what were you gonna ask?"

"What if you moved in with me?" He blurted, immediately shutting his mouth. We felt the silence grow with each passing second. I didn't really know what to say, so I turned around and grabbed a towel to dry the bowl. "That's a no."

"I never said 'no'." I sharply mumbled. "I'm comfortable here, finally. It took me so long to get here."

"I know you've worked hard on your own, but we're both lonely and-" He stops. His eyes are straight daggers in the back of my head, watching my every movement from finishing with drying the bowl to putting it away. "And we always try to hang out together. But if we lived together then we could hang out all the time."

"You'd get sick of me-"

"-I could never get sick of you."

"Clay."

"(Y/n)."

I threw the towel at him, he protested playfully, with me laughing. It dies down a little bit and the silence creeps up behind us once again. "I don't know. I'm content with living here and being alone. I have never had roommates, so even if I agreed, I don't know how I would be in a situation like that." I answered, truthfully. I grabbed the towel that he placed in front of himself and put it on the counter by the sink. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course, but the offer won't sit for long. By next week, let me know?" He perks up, looking over at me, beaming. His smile is warm, comforting.

I want to move in with him, but I'm afraid it'll be weird because of my crush on him.

+++

We ended up moving back to the living room and we watched movies until he fell asleep. I didn't fall asleep, not yet. It's been about 30 minutes since I'm just sitting in his grasp, cuddled next to him. I really wish this meant something more. I move my head slightly to look over at him, his light snores are calm and his breathing is slow. I have an arm around the back of him, his arm is gripping softly around my body while the other is trying to keep me close. My free arm is reaching up to brush my fingers through his hair.

When I do just that, I melt into him more. His hair is soft, well conditioned. He scrunches his nose slightly, then adjusts himself a little before getting comfortable, bringing myself along. I am not pinned between him and the back of the couch. We're laying faced to face, well my face is in his chest, but close enough. A blush creeps up onto my face and I hide my face in his chest. I use this opportunity to take a deep breath in. He smells so nice, and not in a creepy way.

It sucks that this doesn't mean anything. "It fucking sucks." I whisper. I move slightly, his arms instinctively wrapping around my waist. My arms wrap around his neck and I brush my fingers through his hair, quietly playing with it. I stop moving when he makes a noise, but he doesn't wake up. God, I wish I didn't have such a stupid crush on this man.

I felt him slowly begin to brush his fingers through my hair, which made me yawn. I was growing tired by the second. After the second yawn that quickly happened after the first one, I closed my eyes and let the sleep engulf me.