After a long and boring morning, I was happy to see Laz walk into the store around lunchtime. “Hey, Grades.”
“Hey. How’s your day going?” I asked as I cleaned up my mess so we could head to lunch.
“Fine. A little slow.”
“Us too.”
“It’ll pick back up in a few days, I’m sure.”
I shrugged and grabbed my jacket. “Ready to go?”
He grinned and nodded at me, and we headed outside after I turned the be back in thirty minutes sign around and locked the door.
After we grabbed our food and sat down, I said, “I had a weird dream last night… again.”
“Yeah? About what?”
“This guy.”
He lifted a brow. “Do I know this guy?”
I bit my lip. “Um… no. I don’t even know him.”
Laz scrunched his face up. “What do you mean? Like you’ve never talked to him before?”
I huffed out a breath and shrugged. “He’s… just some guy that I made up, I guess.”
Laz’s confused expression turned to a shit-eating grin, and I knew I’d made a mistake by telling him. “So this dream guy, is he hot?”
I rolled my eyes, but nodded—for some unknown reason. Laz is never gonna let me live this down.
“Does Mr. Dream Man have a name?”
I sighed. “Alaric.”
“Of the Visigoths!”
My eyes widened as I stared at the ridiculous expression on his face. “What?”
“The first king of the Visigoths…?” He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Sack of Rome…?”
“I hear words coming out of your mouth, but I have no idea what the hell you’re saying.”
Laz sighed and shook his head. “Why do I hang out with you?”
“For my good looks.” I shrugged.
He chuckled. “Definitely not for your brains.”
“Hey, I can be hot and have a brain.”
“I use you to attract the guys and gals, then after they talk to you for five seconds and realize you have nothing happening up there”—he pointed to my forehead—“I win them over with my smarts.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so mean.”
He lifted one shoulder and nodded to me as if in agreement. After a minute he said, “Tell me more about your dream about a king.”
“He’s not a king; he’s a…” I trailed off and decided I’d keep the whole warlock-y thing to myself. At least for now. “I feel like… he’s a real person.”
“Maybe he’s someone you’ve seen before in passing. Like at the store or something. Maybe he came into your shop.”
“Maybe.”
“You alright, Grades?”
I nodded. “The weirdest thing is that the guy is so, so clear in my dreams. Usually when I dream of people, their faces are all… blurry or indistinct, ya know? But not him. He’s very clear in my mind. I can see every detail, feel everything, and when I wake up, I remember it as if it really happened.” I accidentally sighed out loud at the memory. Alaric was handsome. His brown eyes, that brown hair that was wavy on top of his head, the five o’clock shadow that I wanted to feel, his pink lips that he tended to wet as he spoke, the crinkles around his eyes that formed whenever he smiled. He was so detailed, so handsome. Not to mention hot. He was the man of my dreams—apparently, literally.
“Yeah, that’s really odd. Most of the time, I don’t really see people’s faces so much as know who they are.”
“And the dreams have been… almost normal. Like no weird things happening at all. No changing scenery, no seeing things that shouldn’t be in the cabin, no… weirdness. When it’s happening, it doesn’t feel like a dream even though I know it is.”
“Like, while you’re dreaming, you know it’s a dream?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s… I don’t know, it’s weird. But…”
“But what?”
I grinned a little wistfully. “I know this is going to sound really fucking dumb, but this Alaric guy, he’s… he’s really sweet.”
Laz chuckled. “You’re probably just dreaming of all the things Eddie wasn’t and making the perfect guy out of them.”
“Ugh. Eddie wasn’t that bad.” I thought about how violent he’d gotten—and how I’d been caught off guard and too dizzy to fight back—and tilted my head. “Okay, yes, he was that bad. But he wasn’t at first.”
“Yeah, he was, you were just too desperate to see it.”
“Hey.” I frowned at him, and he grimaced.
“Sorry.”
“You’re kind of a dick.”
He sighed. “I deserved that.”
“And more.”
He shrugged. “Fair.”
Over the next couple of weeks, Alaric came to me in my dreams every night, and we spent hours getting to know each other. I looked forward to seeing him every night, so much so that I’d started to enjoy my made-up dream world more than real life… maybe I was losing it, after all. Maybe I’d finally snapped.
“You’re daydreaming again,” Laz said as he leaned on the cashier counter in my shop. My eyes jerked to him in response, and he chuckled. “Thinking about anything good?”
With a shrug, I replied, “Just the usual.” Which was the truth. Thinking about Alaric was the usual for me now. It was ridiculous. He was a made-up character inside my head, yet I couldn’t get enough.
“You’re stressed.”
“The holidays make me stressed.”
He gave me a look that told me I wasn’t fooling him. “You finished your shopping already.”
“Work stress.”
Laz rolled his eyes but let it drop and changed the subject. “Why don’t we go out tonight? Maybe we can check out a club and see if we can find some dates.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Those types of places aren’t where most people go to find dates so much as one-night stands.”
“True. Okay, so… let’s find a… oh, I know. Let’s go shoot some pool. Maybe not the best place to find a guy—or a girl—but it’s better than just lying around the house in our pajamas and watching TV on a Friday night.”
Even though that sounded like the perfect thing to do on a Friday night to me, I knew he was right on some level. I’d been in a rut lately. Eddie had been a total asshole, and the only other potential guy I knew wasn’t even real, so… “Alright, let’s do it.”
“Great.” He grinned at me before biting into his sub. “I’ll pick you up at seven. We can grab a bite to eat there, too.”
“Perfect.”
After I finished getting ready, I walked into the living room, and for some unknown reason, I began talking to the snow globe. “Laz is taking me out to shoot pool. He thinks that’s a better place to find a potential date, but I’m not very hopeful. Maybe if you happened to be there, that’d be a different story, but seeing as you’re not real…” I sighed and pushed my hair down. “It would be pretty awesome if you were, though. I mean, if you were real, you wouldn’t be interested in someone like me, but still, it’s a nice thought.”
For a split-second, I could’ve sworn I saw the little figure’s eyes blink and his jaw tick, but when I moved closer to it, he was still frozen in place. I shook my head at my own ridiculousness, obviously letting my imagination get the better of me. Laz’s car horn beeped outside, so with a nod and a wave at the snow globe—why, who knew?—I headed outside.
Laz chatted away as he drove to the pool hall. I responded when necessary, but I wasn’t fully paying attention. I couldn’t seem to get Snow Globe Guy out of my head. But I needed to. I mean, who in the hell became this obsessed with a made-up guy in your dreams? And one that was nothing more than a little resin model inside a snow globe on my mantel, no less? So stupid.
Once we were seated at a table, I ordered the biggest draft beer they had, and when Laz gave me a questioning look, I shrugged and said, “It’s been a long week.”
“So you’re planning on getting shit-faced tonight?”
“Pretty much.”
He snorted and shook his head. “Well, maybe we’ll get a ride home then, so I can get shit-faced, too.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Four hours later, when I stumbled into my house, giggling at something Laz had said before I got out of the car, I decided that the stairs were far too difficult a venture for me and went straight into the living room. I walked over to the mantel and pointed at the snow globe. “Why are you still in my head?”
When it didn’t answer, I tsked at it, then belly flopped onto the couch. I was out in seconds.
“Are you alright?” Alaric’s voice made me groan.
“I’m drunk.”
“I can see that.”
I sat up from my place sprawled on the couch in the cabin, and I grabbed my spinning head. “Woah. Why am I drunk, even in my dream?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never dream-walked with an inebriated person before.”
“Dream-walked?” I squinted one eye open, seeing him standing a few feet away with his hands behind his back.
“That’s what we’re doing. The magic we’re using right now.”
“You know, the way you speak about… everything… it’s almost believable. But you’re not real. If you were, you would’ve told me already or figured out a way to commu-commu… communicate… or something by now.”
“It isn’t that simple, Grady,” he whispered, somehow sounding sad and lonely.
“We’ve been hanging out for weeks, don’t you think you should come clean?” Made no sense. I was talking to a damn dream guy, not a real person, and definitely not a little figure that lives in a snow globe.
“I’ve told you that I’m trapped in the snow globe, what else would you like to know?”
Feeling a headache coming on, I groaned out my frustration and rubbed my hand over my face, wishing I could make the spinning and piercing stop. Squinting at him still standing there, I asked, “You gonna stand there all night or are you gonna come sit down?” I patted the seat beside me.
A smile played over his lips before he sat down, angling himself toward me. “I’m unsure of whether it will work or not, but may I try something?”
“Go for it.”
He scooted closer to me, reaching his hands out, but paused and murmured, “I have to touch you.”
Heat rushed over my body at those words even though I knew he hadn’t meant in a sexual way, and I found myself saying, “Do whatever you want to me.”
He began reaching forward again, but paused to make eye contact. If I wasn’t mistaken, there was heat in those brown depths, too, and seeing it there made my own grow. I had to hold in a groan. Very gently, he pressed his fingertips to my temples and that same strange spark was there, pulsing between our skin. Alaric closed his eyes, and I felt this… energy coming from him. Small puffs of mist floated past my eyes, so I closed them. Slowly, the dizziness of alcohol began to fade, and after a minute, I re-opened my eyes to find Alaric’s brown ones staring at me. He smiled softly and whispered, “Feel better?”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
His smile grew and he dropped his hands, then stood.
“Where are you going?”
“To get you a glass of water. I hear that helps after consuming alcohol.”
I watched as he walked into the kitchen. “You’ve never had alcohol before?”
“I had a few sips of wine before, but only because I snuck them. Father didn’t allow me to partake in the celebrations important enough he brought out the wine. Father didn’t enjoy wasting his commodities on everyday gatherings.”
Sometimes the way he spoke made him sound like he came from another time, but other times, he used modern language. It made no sense to me, but he’d confessed to watching a lot of TV over the years and learning the nuances of modern language today. My brain was good at making shit up, apparently.
He opened and closed several cabinets before finding a glass and filling it with water from the tap. I hadn’t really expected it to work, but this place was full of surprises. When he walked back over and held out the glass, he said, “Hopefully this helps. Since we’re in the dream realm, I’m not sure if it will do any good when you wake, but it could.”
Since I had nothing to lose, I took a sip. It tasted like water. “Thank you.”
He smiled, looking proud of himself. “You’re welcome.”
“So… clearly I got drunk tonight. What did you do?”
“Tiberius and I played a game we made up with some of the fallen leaves from the tree in front of our cottage, and… we waited for you to return. I’m glad you arrived unharmed. I was worried.”
There was a lot to unpack there, but I was tired, so all I asked was, “Why were you worried?”
“I’m still worried Eddie is going to come back since he called you yesterday.”
“He wanted to know if I had his red hoodie—I didn’t—and he said he must’ve left it at another guy’s house.” I rolled my eyes. “He wanted to make me jealous, but I actually don’t care at all.”
“You don’t believe he’ll call on you again?”
I blinked at him. “You mean like come over?”
He nodded.
“No, I don’t think he will. There’s nothing to worry about, Alaric.”
“He was very displeased when you broke up with him.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll get over it.”
“May I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure, but only if I get to ask you one.”
“Why did you stay with him after the way he treated you?”
My first reaction was to get angry, but after a breath, I realized it would be stupid to get angry at him for asking the same thing I’d asked myself a million times. “I’m not sure.”
He frowned. “You deserve someone that treats you like a prince.”
I snorted at that, but shrugged and said, “No one that nice ever wants me.”
His brow furrowed. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s a fact. And I guess… I guess sometimes I’m lonely enough to look past the bad things just to have someone that wants me…” I trailed off with a shrug.
After a long moment, he whispered, “I hope you find someone who deserves you.”
I sent him a soft smile, and we fell silent for a bit.
Thankfully letting the subject drop, he asked, “So tell me, what is something you wish for?”
“Right now, I could go for some chocolate.”
He let out a surprised laugh, and the sound was so free and elated, I wished I could bring it out of him more often. “I’ve never had chocolate before.”
My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Father was… strict, and as I said before, he didn’t like to waste his precious goods, so he certainly would never waste them on me. He didn’t allow me the pleasures that other, more dignitary men had. He saved his wine and desserts for those that deserved them.” He turned away from me, but not before I saw the sadness of his expression.
Without a thought, I moved closer on the couch and grabbed his hands. The same buzzing that was filled with an icy undertone filled my skin, but I ignored it in favor of getting his attention. When he tilted his head and caught my eye, I said, “I’m sorry your father was… unfair. As far as I can tell, you’re a good man, Alaric. A very good man, and if anyone deserves wine and desserts, it’s you. If I knew how, I’d give you some chocolate right now.”
His eyes searched mine for a moment before a smile graced me. “Thank you, Grady. That’s very kind of you to say.”
I squeezed his hands and blew out a breath, suddenly extremely tired.
Alaric caught that and said, “Why don’t you lie down on the couch and get some rest.” He started to pull away.
My brow furrowed. “I don’t want you to move away.”
He stared at me for a long moment, then licked his lips and quietly asked, “Would you like me… to lie down with you?”
I
smiled widely. “I would love that.”
Luckily, the couch was wide enough for us to lie side by side as long as his arms were around me and my head was on his chest. He was pressed against the back of the couch and my ass was hanging off, so I was squishing him some so I wouldn’t fall, but he held me tight to him and rubbed my back.
As I closed my eyes, I heard him whisper, “I never imagined holding someone again.”
I jolted up and immediately knew Alaric was no longer beneath me. Patting the couch, I blinked my eyes open and realized I was lying on a brown couch not a blue one. With a sigh, I pressed my face back into the cushion, wishing I could go back to my dream world instead of staying here in the real one.
A knock sounded at my door—probably what had woken me in the first place—and I sat up, calling out, “Just a minute!”
I wiped the sleep from my eye as I walked to the front door, then opened it, finding a man standing there with a fancy-looking basket. He outstretched his arms and said, “Grady Shaw?”
“That’s me.”
“This is for you, if you could please sign for it.”
Blinking in surprise, I signed his little sheet and took the basket from him before he ran off to his van, and I shut the door. I carried the basket to the coffee table and sat on the couch as I pulled out the card. In a flourished handwriting, it said:
Grady,
May all you wish for come true.
Yours Truly,
A.B.
Squinting at the card, I knew I didn’t recognize the handwriting or the initials, so I set the card to the side and peeked into the basket. A gasp fell from my lips as I took in the twenty different types and shapes of chocolate inside. “What the…?”
I opened the clear plastic wrapping and examined the chocolates more closely. They were expensive and looked delicious. But who? And how? When… that had been a dream, hadn’t it?
I stared at the snow globe and asked, “Did you do this?”
Of course, no response came because I was talking to a fucking decoration, but I’d hoped one would’ve come anyway.
After rereading the card twenty times, I called Laz. As soon as he picked up, I asked, “Are you playing a trick on me? Because if you are, it isn’t funny and I’m going to be really pissed at you.”
Wishing on a Dream Page 4
