When I opened my eyes, it was dark—pitch dark, with nothing in sight. I kept walking through the void, not knowing how I had entered it. There was neither an exit nor an entry, yet somehow I found myself engulfed in this terrifying darkness.
Then, suddenly, things started to appear. As I walked further, my surroundings began to materialize, followed by the sky above. The raven black sky was now tinged with bluish strokes that spread across as dark clouds formed. The clouds rumbled with lightning as a stormy wind gust hit. The wind blew cold and harsh, weaving dust and driving the clouds apart. The buildings around me appeared rusty and broken.
Now, putting all the pieces together, I realized I was in an old, abandoned city that had suffered a huge catastrophe. Suddenly, the surroundings became familiar. This was the same place where I had met that man. Who was he again? Where did I meet him? My thoughts kept circling back to him as I wandered through the desolate streets.
As I wandered through the desolate streets, everything was eerily still, except for the dust that rose with each gust of wind. The city seemed frozen in time, and any movement would have stood out. The overwhelming sense of abandonment made me feel sick with loneliness. It was a haunting, oppressive silence that pressed down on me. Looking for someone in this ghost town felt far more daunting than finding someone in a bustling crowd.
After wandering through the city until I was exhausted, I finally reached the same point where I had started. I collapsed beside a tree to rest, worn out from all the walking. The city felt never-ending; everywhere I went, things kept repeating themselves, and I lost track of time. Feeling dizzy and tired, I decided to rest for a while. I sat down, leaned against the tree, and closed my eyes for a moment.
I had a hunch from the beginning that I had forgotten something—something very trivial.
I opened my eyes as I sensed movement beside me. As I bent over to look in that direction, I saw him—the man who had been on my mind the whole time I wandered around. He was sitting on the other side, leaning against the same tree.
I could see his face clearly with each lightning bolt that streaked across the sky. There was a quiet sadness in his eyes, as if he were searching for something beyond the stormy clouds. His tousled black hair danced in the wind, adding a hint of wildness to his otherwise calm demeanor.
As I sat in silent admiration, I couldn't help but notice the depth in his eyes—their deep blue hue tinged with a silvery glimmer spoke volumes of untold stories and hidden emotions. There was a quiet intensity about him, a sense of longing that echoed through his gaze.
Despite his striking appearance, it was the vulnerability in his expression that caught my attention. His features, though perfectly sculpted, bore the weight of solitude, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I felt a pang of empathy as I watched him, his presence both captivating and haunting. It was as though he existed in a realm of his own, detached from the desolate surroundings yet somehow intertwined with its melancholic aura.
I couldn't help but feel drawn to him, to the enigma that he embodied. His loneliness mirrored my own, and in that moment, I felt that our encounter was destined to be more than just a chance meeting in the darkness.
The cold wind tickled my nose, and before I knew it, I sneezed—achoo! I had been caught. He flinched, turning his gaze from the sky to me, his expression one of disbelief, eyebrows arching in surprise. He looked at me as if he had seen a ghost, but then he stretched out his hand and gently cupped my cheek.
His touch sent a wave of warmth through me, a stark contrast to the cool weather that had chilled me to the bone. Staying out in the cold for too long had cooled my body temperature, and now, being held by him, I longed for more warmth.
As I basked in his touch, his voice broke through my trance. "Finally, you're here," he said. I looked up into his eyes—deep blue with a hint of silver, now filled with tears. My heart stung for some unknown reason. Before I could speak, he pulled me into a hug.
His warmth enveloped me in a way that felt both comforting and unsettling. It was as though I had been yearning for this embrace without even realizing it. I resolved to ask him, once and for all, just who he was and why I couldn't stop thinking about him. But as I melted into his embrace, my eyes closed, and consciousness slipped away as I fell into a deep slumber.
When I woke up, Hemma was knocking at the door. I found myself in bed, hugging a pillow. For a moment, I felt disoriented—where am I? Where is the man?
It took a moment for reality to sink in. Everything from before had been just a D.R.E.A.M., a vivid construct of my restless mind. I kicked off the sheets, grumbling at my brain for its tricks. What is this mischievous mind of mine up to? Creating a fantasy of a handsome man hugging me in a dramatic, stormy backdrop? Does this mean I'm so starved for affection that my brain is manufacturing romance scenarios?
I caught my reflection in the mirror, pointing at myself. "Ewww, brain, you're getting weird. We need to have a serious talk about boundaries." Hemma knocked again, louder this time, and Karun's voice followed, yelling, "We're late, dumbo !"
I sighed and shook my head. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" I called out, rolling my eyes at my wild imagination and the chaos beyond the door.