A Dream Not Intended to Last.
Rain pounded on the sidewalk, leaving silver traces on the pane of glass. For a brief period, each droplet glinted in the city lights before vanishing into the night. The rain outside the window distorted the outside world, making it seem as though reality had become softer and more dreamy.
Dave and Nora stood silently inside, letting the rain tell its tale. Although the steady beat was calming, Dave could hardly hear it above the thump of his heartbeat. In his pockets were his hands, one balled into a fist over a little, velvety ring box.
He was uncertain whether the little trembling in his fingers was due to nerves or something more serious.
He had witnessed this scene in romantic novels and movies, where the protagonist would drop to one knee and utter the four words: Will you marry me? The words were insufficient now that it was true, that he was the one on the edge of eternity.
Too easy. What if she chuckled? But what if she was hesitant? But what if she declined?
Breathe deeply. A steadying sigh. Then he turned to her before he could question himself. "Nora." She moved as she was pulled from her reverie.
She looked curiously into his deep brown eyes. She must have heard something odd in his speech. In his ears, Dave's pulse roared. Now there was no going back.
He jerked the ring box out of his pocket and fell to one knee in one move. Nora didn't respond for a second because the movement was so abrupt and unexpected.
Her eyes widened in shock, and her lips parted in a wordless gasp. Only the two of them remained in the world. Dave forced past the lump in his throat with a forceful swallow. He spoke, though his voice faltered.
He uttered the words, "I love you," with a mixture of fear and excitement.
"I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Will you wed me?"
Nora gasped for air. Her fingers shook against her lips as her hand shot to her mouth. He feared the worst for a moment. Then—she grinned.
At first, it was gentle, like the first rays of sunlight peeping through the mist of the morning. Then it expanded, filling the gap between them, dazzling and full. Her body shook as she nodded slowly, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.
She did not, however, wait for him to put the ring on her finger. Rather, she knelt, met him on the floor, and kissed him, tasting of warmth and rain and all the desires he had ever experienced.
Her voice was barely a whisper as she withdrew, her breath irregular.
"Yes..."
CRACK!
Nora felt a searing pain in her forehead. Her fantasy broke into a thousand sharp fragments.
Her eyes snapped open, and instead of Dave's loving stare, she saw the angry frown of a young woman who was standing next to her bed, her arms folded, and just a few seconds away from killing someone.
"Are you serious, Nora?" Rose's voice was harsh with annoyance as she ordered. "What the hell were you even saying just now?" Nora moaned and rubbed the spot where she had just been struck across the forehead.
Though the shards of her dream continued to cling to her like a dying tune, the reality was rapidly encroaching, impolite, and unwanted.
In sharp contrast to the dream's calming rain, she blinked against the brilliant brightness coming through the drapes.
She moaned, "Ugh, Rose!" How come you woke me up? You destroyed my dream. Rose's eyes may have dropped out of her skull from the force of her roll. More times than she could remember, she had gone through this ritual.
"Wow," she sarcastically drawled. "Nora, five whole years. I've been fantasizing about the same guy for five years. Do you not believe that it's time to move on? With her eyes still half-lidded from sleep but glistening with unquestionable excitement, Nora sat up suddenly. She smiled, ignoring the jab, her dimples showing.
"No, no, you don't understand!" she exclaimed, interrupting Rose in the middle of her tirade. "He proposed! You destroyed it just as he was ready to put the ring on my finger. Her expression flickered with displeasure as her exhilaration subsided a little. It was no ordinary dream. It was the dream.
Dave's first time seeing her the way she saw him. The one where he chose her instead of ignoring her and leaving. And in an instant, Rose had grabbed it. Rose sighed with frustration. "Nora, for the love of—"
"Don't wake me up when I'm dreaming!" Nora interrupted abruptly.
Rose raised her hands in the air. "Oh, so when it's a wet dream, I should just let you moan in your sleep?"
Nora's face heated with anger as her expression contorted into a scandalized stare. "Yes, Rose! That would be pleasant."
She lost her temper. "I've loved him since I was eight years old!" Her words reverberated around the little bedroom, pulsing with unadulterated passion. Rose looked at her, stunned for a second.
Then, with a moan of exhaustion, she pivoted and rushed out, slamming the door so forcefully that the walls shook. Nora's dresser's photo frames shook from the strain. Nora, however, did not recoil.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she just fell back onto her bed and forced herself to go back to that dream—to the time when Dave had been on his knee when she had said yes, and when they had shared a kiss in the rain.
However, despite her best efforts, she was unable to return to the dream. That was the harshness of reality. She sighed in frustration and rolled over. and immediately rolled out of bed. THUD. The room reverberated with the sound of a body hitting the floor.
"...Ouch." Rose's dry voice wafted back from outside the door. "Serves you right."
"...Ouch." Rose's dry voice wafted back from outside the door. "Serves you right." Nora let out a dramatic groan as she lay on the floor, gazing up at the ceiling. She smiled despite the dull discomfort that was growing through her back.
Because Dave Trump had been hers for those little moments in her fantasy.