Her laugh was like his saviour; it kept him from drowning. Ironically though, he wanted to drown in it.
Just how was it possible to experience all these different feelings in a dream?
"What?" She asked, her laughter reducing to a light giggle.
That was when he realized that he had been looking at her for a beat too long. "I can't keep my eyes off of you.."
"You have got to stop saying that."
"Why is that?" He frowned and his lips curved up slightly.
She looked down, red streaks appearing on her face and neck. "Because.. You make my stomach twist into knots."
He chuckled and pulled her from the end of the sofa into his lap. He kissed her cheeks affectionately, resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back and let herself relax against his chest.
"You know," she began, "Cassandra is not actually my name."
"What do you mean?"
"I was given a different birth name. I switched to Cassandra later."
He buried his face in her neck, gently nuzzling it with his nose.
"What's your real name?" He mumbled into her skin.
"Ashling." She said without a moment's hesitation.
"Ashling? I've never heard of that name."
"It's an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic Aislin, which means 'dream, vision'."
She looked up at him and for a split second, he forgot how to breathe. She looked exquisite from every possible angle to exist.
He smiled, "That's a very beautiful name."
She raised her head to give him a quick kiss and then resumed her comfortable position.
"Ashling.." He found himself say the name. "I like the sound of it."
"Thanks, babe."
"What did you say it meant?"
"Dream or vision."
"So, you're telling me," he hugged her tightly. "That you're a dream?"
She eyed him carefully and her lips curved into a smile. "You got it."
"Maybe that's why I've been dreaming about you.." He mumbled.
When he got no response from her, he spoke again. "Why'd you say your name is Cassandra..?"
She turned around, so that she was sitting in his lap face-to-face.
"Because.." She bought her lips to his again, kissing him softly. "I didn't wanna freak you out.."
He felt his stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot at her answer. He eyed her curiously but before he could ask anything, she said, "Wake up, Tyler. Wake up."