A Midsummer Night's Fling

Three

Chapter Three

When I entered Emilee's dream the next night, I was surprised to find the usual dance hall gone. If I hadn't been familiar with the feel of her subconscious, I would have thought I was in the wrong dream.

I was standing along a thinning line of trees, much like the one I stood in every night as I joined her dreams. The view here was much different from a sleepy little town though; it was a beautiful, white-sanded beach, met by the cool, blue waves of ocean water, which softly lapped along the shore. It was just after sunset and a soft glow hung in the air. There were fireflies gently floating on the breeze. It felt very peaceful and serene here, almost like there was a permanent blanket of calm touching everything I could see.

I smiled as my eyes fell on Emilee who wasn't dancing as she had been every other time I'd seen her. She was walking in the surf—her bare feet buried themselves in the sand with each step. The sundress she had on very closely matched the dancing dresses she previously wore. Its turquoise-blue color nicely complimented her tan skin and the damp skirt stuck to her legs. Her hair was down the way I liked it, swaying with the breeze and her movements. I was struck by how graceful she was, dancing or not.

I stayed where I was for a moment, choosing to be the silent observer. She managed to take my breath away every time I saw her. I hoped that would never end. I kind of loved the suddenness of it all—like I was in a whirlwind romance. I felt a rush whenever I was with her. My palms tingled, my heart raced, and I didn't know what my future held for me anymore. It was invigorating—an emotional high.

Still grinning, I walked out from the trees barefoot, jeans rolled up to my knees, with a plain black t-shirt. It had been a while since I'd been anywhere near a beach, and I found the change refreshing. I wondered why Emilee had decided not to dance tonight, what had prompted her to dream of this place instead. A sudden onslaught of nerves caused me to falter as I neared her—paranoid she would be upset over the previous night's events.

I decided to be brave and walked up right behind her in the surf, wrapped my arms around her waist and nuzzled my face into the hair at the nape of her neck. All of the addictive feelings rushed to the surface once again, restoring me to my high. She smelled wonderful, as always, and I felt like I would never be able to get enough of her.

"Good evening," I said softly before I slid away. She turned to smile at me and—in a familiar motion—ran her fingers through her hair.

"Raith," she smiled wider. "I was worried you wouldn't come tonight." She turned her whole body and threw her arms around me in a tight bear hug. I loved the feeling and laughed. I could hold her forever like that, but I also wanted to see her eyes and hear her voice. Everything she did felt good and I was constantly at war with myself over what I wanted to do with her.

"Why wouldn't I have come?" I asked curiously, opting for talking.

"Well, you've only come to see me when I'm at the dance hall," she explained, stepping away. "I didn't know if you'd be here on the beach tonight." I smiled softly at her, twisted my fingers into her hair, and leaned in closer.

"I promise I will always come to see you, no matter where you are," I whispered. She smiled and leaned in to meet my kiss.

It was better than I remembered—if that was even possible—her lips cool from being out in the night air. I gently tightened my fingers around her hair, pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms tighter around my waist. The waves lapped our feet softly, making the moment more serene. I couldn't remember a time when I had been happier.

My hands released her hair as I eagerly stepped closer for more. I slid my left hand slowly onto her shoulder and then down to the small of her back. I brought her up against me, stopping the kiss only for a second to look into her wonderful eyes. An overpowering rush of love overcame me. As we stared at each other, I knew right then I wanted to tell her the truth—I never wanted to be without her, that I loved her more than I'd ever thought possible. I wanted to ask her if she'd be mine forever—to never leave me again—and hear her say she felt the same way about me.

I attacked her lips once again as we held each other tightly, our hot breath mingling together. Before I knew what was happening our tongues were wrapped around each other, adding a whole new level to the fire that raced through my veins.

I didn't want to stop. In desperation, I grabbed her by the waist and picked her up, guiding her legs around my waist. Somewhere in my mind there was a warning light going off, but I didn't care. All I could focus on was the need I felt. I clutched her to me like she would disappear at any moment—since that was an actual possibility. The anxiety was almost as strong as the fire.

I hadn't noticed the water rising when I arrived, or the waves becoming stronger around us. As I tenderly carried her out of the water, kissing her all the while, the sea suddenly plowed into us, knocking us over into the wet sand.

Emilee rolled out of my arms, simultaneously laughing and spitting sand out of her mouth. Her wet curls stuck to her face and her dress clung against her tightly. I lay in the surf for just a moment longer, catching my breath as I found my bearings. A disappointed twinge flip flopped uncomfortably in my stomach, but my brain was calm—the warning light finally switched off. The next wave started rolling in and we both scrambled up the beach to safety.

As usual, Emilee's laughter was contagious and soon we were both on the dry sand, cuddled in each other's arms, giggling and staring up into the night sky, which unfolded above us. I felt like a silly little boy.

A boy in love, I thought and smiled to myself.

"This place is beautiful," I said, talking more about her than I was willing to admit out loud. My eyes drank her in as I spoke. "Where are we exactly?"

"Just somewhere I saw in a picture once," she explained. "I haven't been many places. I've always wanted to see the world, but I don't know if it will ever happen." She frowned and looked away down the length of the beach. I didn't know exactly what to say so we stayed in an awkward silence for a while. I wanted to get down on one knee and swear I would take her to see anything and everything she wanted, but I knew that would seem odd. Instead, I chose to say nothing. All I could think of was to keep cuddling.

"Raith," she suddenly started, and turned to look at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied immediately. "You can always ask me anything." I smiled down at her, and raised my free hand to play with the damp hair around her face. I would have bought the moon for her, if she'd asked me to. Maybe if she hadn't, as well.

"What are you?" she whispered, looking straight into my eyes. My throat tightened and it felt like I had a mouth full of cotton. Crap, crap, crap . . .

"What do you mean?" I stammered. My heart started racing. What do I tell her? Do I lie? I didn't want to be dishonest with her. In my mind I felt like we were in an exclusive relationship. I winced a little bit as I thought of how that might not be true, but I pushed that away as she spoke again.

"Raith, I know when I'm dreaming. I always have," she said. "I've always been able to do whatever I wanted in my dreams, but not with you." Her expression remained the same while she spoke, calmly and curiously. Her eyes penetrated mine with a burning focus. All I could do was look at her; I didn't know what to say. The stupid alarm light was going off again. When she didn't get an answer, she continued.

"I didn't bring you into my dreams, Raith. I'm sure of it. The only thing I can think of is that you're something—maybe something not human—that keeps coming to see me. Why is that? And what are you?" I closed my eyes to escape her gaze and focused on breathing. This is why my powers don't work on her. She knows how to control her dreams . . . very well apparently.

"I am . . . ," I began shakily. It felt like the rest of my life would be determined by the answer she sought. I was panicking—I knew she could tell I was—and I imagined she wasn't too impressed with me at that moment. I didn't know what to do, and then a miracle happened. I could feel her consciousness begin to fade away. Has it really been a whole night? Thank the gods! I smiled at her, and opened my eyes. I kissed her quickly, sweetly. Knowing I didn't have much time and feeling courageous, I began my answer again.

"I am your friend," I said truthfully. I softened my gaze and ran my hands into her hair. Be brave. You love her. Just tell her the truth!

"And I think I'm very much in love with you already." Emilee's eyes widened some and she smiled shyly. My heart was racing a million miles an hour as I waited for her reply, but then my miracle ended. She was gone before she had the chance to say anything in return.