"you hungry?"
dream gets up from the couch, placing the tv remote on the living room table.
"yeah, kinda," i shrug, watching him pace into the kitchen.
"i could make us some dinner if you want."
"you really don't need to, dream-"
"but i want to."
i can never win.
hours have passed since he drove me home. i really didn't think he'd want to stay for long, but here we are. it's already past six, and i'm definitely not complaining. time flies when you're having fun.
i showed dream around for a couple of minutes, and he kept commenting on how cute he thought everything was. the many house plants i own, the led lights hanging wherever i could fit them, the fluffy carpet on the bathroom floor. i wasted countless hours on decorating this place, and i felt so proud of my efforts when he showered my interior design skills in compliments. like all those wasted hours finally meant something.
last but not least, i showed him my skirt drawer. i didn't think dream, out of everyone, could gasp so audibly. since i hadn't changed yet he insisted on picking one out for me to wear. i found it adorable, so i let him. he dug around in that drawer for several minutes, slowly taking in the unhealthy amount of skirts i own. in the end he settled for a pretty basic black skirt, with a white stripe near the bottom. i grabbed a black sweatshirt to match, and chased him out of my bedroom before changing.
as i pulled it on, i couldn't help but notice the length of it. or, the lack of length. it definitely looked to be one of the shortest ones i own. i wonder if that was intentional from dream's side.
after that we mostly talked. and watched some tv for an hour or two. it's been strangely calming. dream just radiates good vibes, and everything feels natural when i'm with him. in those moments of rambling about whatever shit we could think of, it felt like we had known each other since forever. like we're childhood friends or something, when in reality we met less than a month ago.
"you've got some leftover beef, and a lot of vegetables," he notes, snapping me out of my deep thoughts, "i could make boeuf bourguignon."
"boeuf- what?"
"boeuf bourguignon. it's french."
i laugh at the stupid name, hesitantly nodding to grant him permission.
"how'd you learn to cook such fancy things anyway?"
"i don't know, it's been kinda like a background hobby of mine for years now," he shrugs, "come sit over here and speak to me. this will take a while to make."
i get up from my comfortable position on the couch, stretching my limbs and groaning. it's already starting to get darker outside despite the early hour. just another bitter reminder that summer is coming to an end.
contrary to popular belief i actually love summer. the weather's always great, there's ice cream wherever you go, swimming, piña coladas... i could go on for hours. i have to stay fairly covered to avoid tanning though, which sucks. it's not an extremely strict requirement, but i prefer keeping my skin milky white. it's one of the biggest reasons why i'm desirable within my line of work.
"is it alright if i use some of your wine?" dream asks, "i need it for the recipe."
"yeah, go on," i reply, taking a seat on a barstool by the counters.
he inspects the labels of some bottles sitting on a shelf on the wall.
"why do you need to cook something so advanced?" i snort, "we could just order takeout and you could relax instead."
"because you only deserve the best, my dear."
oh, the endless flirting. it has me weak. i giggle shamelessly at the pet name, and dream just wheezes at my reaction.
he whips out a few pots and pans and starts boiling water in one of them. the other is for searing the beef, and the third is for making the sauce. my mouth is already watering at the sight of it all. i haven't had a proper fancy meal like this one in ages. well, apart from the filet mignon at the restaurant. all i eat every day is just boring, small salads, and the occasional "healthy" piece of chicken or fish. red meat is usually out of the equation. but, you've got to have cheat days sometimes too, right?
when the vegetables have been heated in the pan, he moves them into the pot with the beef to let it simmer. the wine bottle makes a clicking sound as it opens. without measuring, dream boldly starts pouring the deeply red liquid into the mixture.
"dream! chill with the wine!" i remind him, getting ready to stand up and make him stop.
"i'm just following the recipe by heart!" he jokes, "and besides, it's friday! we're allowed to treat ourselves."
"okay, okay, i trust you then."
he lets out that contagious laugh of his again, stirring the ingredients in the pot before lowering the temperature and putting a lid on.
"do you want dessert too? i could make-"
"no, dream! i have to think about my figure!"
"you know what i've said about 'dream!-ing' me," he points out, his voice deep and just above a whisper.
it gives me shivers, the way he takes a seat next to me and proceeds to make eye contact. i suddenly become very aware of the way i'm sitting. close your legs, george. this skirt definitely doesn't hide much.
dream observes my nervous actions with a slight grin.
"don't be shy, sweetheart."
my heart begins to race. he gets off the chair again, walking up so that he's just inches away from me. his hand carefully grazes the bare skin on my thigh, making me lose my breath a hundred times over.
"is this okay?" he whispers, hot air bouncing off my lips.
i nod silently, unable to form coherent words.
at my confirmation, he grips them a little harder, slowly pushing them apart again. i blush furiously as he steps in between my legs. we're around the same height now that i'm sitting on this high barstool. his freckles are so pretty, so visible from this distance. his curly hair hangs low enough to almost cover those breathtaking emerald eyes. i reach out to move it away, and to play with it. it's soft and silky. i adore the texture.
"give me a little kiss," he requests, pouting with his bottom lip.
all i can do is giggle, and turn a darker shade of pink. does he seriously want a kiss? i'm going to explode.
bravely i wet my lips, shut my eyes, and lean in for a quick peck. he doesn't have time to kiss me back because it's over so soon.
when i finally dare to look again, dream is blushing. dream is blushing! and holy shit, is it adorable.
"thank you," he mumbles, stepping away to check on the food.
i'm giddy, and over the fucking moon. even if that was just a little friendly peck, it meant so much to me. so so much.