It was lighter this time. I could see the bright rays of the sun as they cast strange shadows on the hot sand underneath me.
“Hey.”
I turned around and he was standing in front of me, his skin tan and his light hair shining under the bright light. His arms enveloped me in a tight hug and I forced all the painful thoughts away.
I could hear the sound of water crashing in waves and saw, from over Felix’s shoulder, that I was right in my assumption. We were in some sort of beach.
Felix pulled back and gazed at me in a way that made my heart flutter.
Are you okay?” He asked, his hand in mine as he walked me to where a blanket lay on the sand.
I guess. I’m actually confused more than anything.” Felix sat with his legs crossed and pulled me down so that my head was resting on his lap.
“I understand,” he whispered gently. I felt his finger play around with my curls.
“You picked this place,” I stated.
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure. I just had this really strong need to see the sea again. And I found myself here. Weird, right?”
“Very.” I said.
“What did you write this time?”
I blushed, “Um…”
“Come on, you can tell me.” I tilted my head up to look at his face and saw that he was smiling.
I muttered, “Your name.”
“I can’t hear you,” He teased.
“I wrote your name.” My cheeks felt like they were on fire.
He laughed and I felt his body vibrate.
“It’s not funny.”
“No, it’s just funny that I got you to admit it.”
"That’s not funny either.” I scowled.
“It is. I am honoured to have had my name written on your book of dream wishes.”
“It’s not a book of dream wishes,” I rolled my eyes, “it’s just an old notebook I found.”
“Whatever you say.”
We were silent for a while, just listening to the sound of water as it crashed on land. My fingers played with the material of the colourful blanket we were restign on.
I sighed.
And then sighed again.
“What?”
“It’s just...I’m kind of hungry.” I said.
“You’re asleep.” He deadpanned.
“Not in this dream.”
“What do you want me to do about it? You’re the one who usually controls those dreams. You do it.”
“But I want to see if you can do it too,” I whined.
“You’re so annoying sometimes.”
I feigned a gasp, “Me?”
He chuckled. “I was kidding…Fine, I’ll try. How do you do it?”
“You just concentrate on what you want and it’ll appear.”
“…Like that other night?”
I cleared my throat, “Yeah.”
I felt Felix’s body still for a moment. His face was clear, his eyes closed, and his lips slightly parted.
I sat up and pressed my lips to his. His eyes shot right open in shock. I pulled back, laughing.
“Kat. Don’t do that.”
I continued to laugh, “Revenge is so sweet,” I managed to say,
“That wasn’t fair!”
"You did the same to me last time!” My grin stretched.
“Oh, it’s on, Kat. It’s on.”
I gulped, his face suddenly turned dead serious.
He grabbed me by both hands and pinned me down on the blanket. One hand held both my hands above my head and the other found its way to my stomach. His fingers tickled the area and I squealed as I tried to get away from his hold.
“Stop!” I gasped in between laughter.
“Nope!” He said, popping the p.
“Felix!”
“I didn’t know you were so ticklish,” he smirked.
“Not fair.”
“Yeah, but it’s fun.”
“Felix please stop!”
“Not gonna happen.”
“C’mon!”
The hold on my hands loosened a bit and I managed to wriggle out of his hold. I pushed him back and stood up, running away from him and the blanket.
“Kat!”
I turned my head and saw him running after me.
I laughed as I picked up my pace. I turned so I was running in the direction of the water. I slowed down and felt the water crash against my bare toes. I inched towards the water slowly but I was suddenly dragged deeper into the sea.
Felix’s hand was wrapped tight around mine and we hovered a bit in the water.
“Deeper, let’s go deeper.” I said.
Felix tightened his grip on my hand and we swam in closer to sea.
“My face hurts from laughing so hard,” I stated.
“You’re welcome,” he smiled.
I just rolled my eyes.
He trailed one hand up my shoulder and griped my chin so that I had no choice but to look into his eyes.
“What?” I whishpered.
“I just…”
“Felix?”
His eyes were sad, almost guilty.
“Tell me.” I said.
“I can’t.”
I pulled back, “What?”
His hand dropped to his side, sliding into the water.
“I…I have a theory.”
“Okay…”
“Are you listening?”
“Yes, of course.”
He took a deep breath, “I think…It’s just a theory, I might be wrong…I think we all have a reason, to be here, I mean. Like Lily, because of the coma thing.”
I tried to process what he was saying.
“It makes sense,” I finally concluded.
“I guess.”
“I think my ‘purpose’ or whatever is finding someone to talk to or a distraction…” I said, thinking it over.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t remember if I told you or not, but the first time we met…I was heartbroken. I just broke up with my boyfriend and had a horrible fight with my best friend. I was devastated.”
“Oh…Oh, it makes sense.” His expression cleared.
“Yeah I said that.”
“Right, yeah, it just clicked.”
“So those dreams, just like this one, are meant to take our minds off things? Solve our problems?But we’re not the only ones in the world with life problems.” I frowned.
“Maybe it targets certain problems. Or people at a certain age?”
I nodded.
“Whatever, we’re here, it doesn’t matter how or why.” He sighed, wrapping his arm around my side.
I smiled, “Yeah, you’re right. I was just curious.”
“You have the right to be…Now where were we?”
I shrieked as I tried to get away from his tickling hands. I moved slowly in the water, the current dragging me back.
I managed to get on the sand and sprinted back to the blanket, where I threw my self on the ground.
“Stop. This is safe ground, you can’t tickle me here.” I ordered, as Felix neared the blanket.
“Fine, now I can focus on conjuring food.”
He sat beside me on the blanket and closed his eyes. I was tempted to steal another kiss but my stomach did not agree to that temptation.
Felix blinked his eyes open and a basket of food appeared next to him. I reached out and pulled open the flap. Inside the typical woven basket were all sorts of fruits, drinks, and snacks. I picked up a sandwich and sat closer to Felix so that our sides gently touched.
“Happy?” He asked.
“Mhhm.” I nodded as I chewed.
My skin tingled as Felix’s hand brushed over mine as he reached out for a drink. He gulped down a water bottle before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him.
“I noticed something.” I said.
“What is it?”
“That we never talk about stuff outside those dreams.”
Felix’s arm loosed, adding to my already huge pile of curiosity.
“We don’t have to.”
“I think we do. I mean, don’t take this the wrong way…you’ve always been there for me but I sometimes feel like I barely know you. And I haven’t said much about myself either.” I confessed.
Felix ran his fingers through his hair in what seemed like frustration. I couldn’t tell. “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know, tell me about your family or friends…”
He untangled himself from me and stood up, facing the water that glittered under the sun.
“Or not.” I said, narrowing my eyes.
He sighed as he turned around to face me again. I had to squint and tilt my head up to look at him properly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you…I just can’t.”
“Nothing you can say could ever turn me against you, you know that right?”
“But you said it yourself, Kat, you don’t know me. If…I can’t do this right now, okay? Not with everything going on.”
“Everything going on?” I echoed. “Felix, why do I have a feeling that this isn’t just about…Lily.”
“Because it isn’t.” He blurted.
I took in a deep breath and held it there, counted to ten, then let it out again.
“You’re not going to tell me what’s bothering you? Fine. Just tell me something. I need to know something about you. I can’t…”
“You can’t be with me otherwise, am I right?”
I just turned my head away, tucking my untamed hair behind my ear.
I heard Felix move as he sat beside me. His hand found mine, and he laced our fingers together into a tight hold.
“I just want to know you.” I turned my head to look at him.
He stared at me.
“I like the color blue, it reminds me of a time when I was younger and I had this pet rabbit that I dyed the fur of with blue hair dye. I’m the only child. I never met my mother’s side of the family, I never asked my parents why. If I had to name one fear, I’d say I’m scared of being alone. Of losing the people that matter to me. Like you. Like Lily…”
“Do you think she’s really gone?” I asked, before I could stop myself.
He shook his head. “I really don’t have a clue.”
He stroked my fingers soothingly as I sighed.
“Hey, I bet you wherever she is, she still remembers you. And how nice you were to her.”
I smiled sadly, “Thank you.”
“You know she told me about what you did that time. With the unicorns. She really appreciated it, Kat. She told me it was the best thing anyone has ever given to her. It kind of made me jealous at the time.” He chuckled.
“It was fun seeing her so happy. I’m glad she liked it so much.”
We lay there under the sun, just talking about random things. The stuff we wanted to do when we grew up, our favorite food...
Felix leaned over me and dropped a chaste kiss on my forehead, just before my eyes opened.
As soon as I was done with breakfast, I headed outside to look for Aaron. I tried calling his cell but it directly sent me to voice mail. I figured since it was sort of early, that he’d still be at his villa.
I rang the bell and waited a few minuets before the door opened.
“Oh, it’s you again.”
I forced a smile on my face, “Hi, Adam. Do you know if Aaron’s still here?”
Adam stood behind the slightly parted door in a loose grey shirt and shorts that fell right over his knees. His hair was tousled and his eyes were hooded with sleep.
“I think he’s still somewhere here, one second.”
I waited as Adam called out for Aaron several times but to no avail.
“The guy’s either in his room or out doing whatever. Do you want to come in and check his room?”
I hesitated, my eyes wondering past Adam’s shoulder.
“Why not.” I smiled again.
“First thing on your left.” He directed, rubbing his eyes.
“Thanks.”
I hurried over the steps of the wooden stairs as I tried to ignore Adam’s intense stare over my back. I thought he was probably still wary about me and Aaron, I could still hear his warning in my head.
I knocked on the first door to the left, as Adam instructed and waited for a reply. I could hear loud music coming out of the room as I looked around the hallway. I remembered Adam’s boyfriend from last time and tried to remember his name.
I knocked on the door again, louder this time. “Aaron? You in there?”
Of course he’s in there, it’s his room. Part of me chided.
The music cut off and I heard shuffling behind the door just before it opened.
“Kat. What are you doing here?”
Aaron stood with the door open at his side, shirtless. My eyes kept wandering to his bare chest uncontrollably.
I cleared my throat. “Um, I need to talk to you. About…you know.”
Aaron stared at me blankly for a few seconds before blinking, his eyes wide.
“Oh, right. Come in.”
I stepped into the room. The air smelt faintly of men’s cologne and something else, Aaron’s distinct scent. I hugged my arms as I gave the room a quick scan. It looked like the same room as mine back at the villa, but infested with Aaron’s things. The dressing table had a few of his items, and I noticed a pile of books on the bed side table.
I sat on the freshly made bed, uncomfortable, as Aaron shut the door behind him.
“So…?” He sat beside me.
“Could…could you put on a shirt first?” I asked, my cheeks flaming.
“Crap. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even notice.” He quickly got up and found a shirt, tugging it on.
“It’s fine.” I laughed nervously.
We sat silently for a moment.
“Um, I talked to Felix. Last night.” I began.
“I figured.”
I explained Felix’s theory, trying to add as much details as I could. I tried making sense of what I was saying, giving him examples of my situation with Jace and Amy. And how Lily’s “purpose” was probably waking up from the coma.
“So is she really gone?” He asked.
“We’re not sure. I mean, she wasn’t there last night…”
He nodded slowly. “Did he tell you what his purpose is?”
I shook my head, “No. But it’s probably something bad, he seemed pretty upset. Didn’t want to talk about it.”
Aaron made a sound from the back of his throat, and I shot him a quick glare.
He held up his hands in defines, “I didn’t say anything.”
I sighed, “Whatever.”
“Didn’t you solve your problem or purpose or whatever?” He asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…If your purpose was finding friends because you were feeling lonely after the break up…shouldn’t you stop getting those dreams?”
I frowned. “You’re right. I guess maybe there’s more to it than we think.”
“Maybe…we’ll figure it out.”
I smiled, “I guess.”
I pushed my self off Aaron’s bed. “Guess I’ll see you around?”
“Tonight.” He grinned.
“What’s tonight?”
“You forgot? Wow, I don’t know if I should be disappointed or angry.”
I felt guilty, “Was it something important? What’s tonight, Aaron?”
“Your mom invited me to dinner, remember?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I winced.
“It’s fine. You didn’t seem too exited about it yesterday. I shouldn’t have expected you to remember.”
“Sorry. It’s just with everything going on, it just slipped my mind.”
“Whatever, let’s just hope your mom didn’t forget. That’d be awkward.” He chuckled lightly.
“Yeah,” I let out a deep breath. “I’ll see you then, tonight.”
“Looking forward to it,” he winked.
I waved a quick goodbye and hurried out his door and down the stairs. Adam was sitting on the couch in the living room when I approached the front door.
“Bye Kat.” He called, his cold eyes focusing on my face.
I took a shaky breath.“Bye.” I said, and hurried outside and towards my own villa.
~
Again, I would really appreciate a vote or a comment. Please? That empty star is feeling, well, empty.