"All the voices in my mind,
Calling out across the line."
- Ed Sheeran
***
"In the flesh," he responds with a grin, looking down at me.
"This isn't happening," I say, eyes wide in disbelief. "You're not real."
"Wrong," he replies with a smirk.
"You're not real," I repeat, turning my head to the side and shutting my eyes to him. It feels like the very fabric of my reality is unraveling before my eyes. He can't be here. I've spent my entire life convincing myself that he's not real. That he's a figment of my imagination. That the boy of my dreams was just that. A dream.
"Sorry to disappoint, Love," he says. He shifts and suddenly I feel his thumb and index finger gripping my chin and turning my head back to face him. "But I'm as real as they come."
I open my eyes again to see him peering down at me, and the amused look on his face riles me up.
"Well, I've got multiple therapy sessions that say otherwise," I reply. "Now what do you want from me?" I start to struggle under his grip again, but I can barely budge. "I don't have much money if that's what you're after."
He laughs lightly, his chest rumbling with the action. "Wait, they made you go to therapy? That must've sucked. And I thought I had it bad." He mumbles to himself, seemingly not at all distracted by my feeble attempts to free myself.
"Just take what you want and leave, I won't try to stop you," I say, just trying my best to get this intruder out of my apartment without any major issues.
"I don't want your money, I came to talk to you," he defends, seeming slightly offended that I would compare him to a common thief.
"Fine, then talk, but get the hell off of me," I say shoving at his chest with my free hand.
"I would, but I don't trust you not to run," He says. "And believe me, you need to hear what I have to say."
I look away from him again and consider my options. He's too strong. I'll never get out of here if I don't play along. "Fine. I won't run.. as long as you stay away from me."
"Fine." He says finally, releasing his grip, standing up, and taking a few steps back from me.
I immediately get up and make my way to the furthest corner of the room, wrapping my arms around myself for comfort, and contemplating what to do to make it out of this unharmed.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"You already know who I am," he sighs exasperatedly, taking a seat on one of my chairs. It irks me that he's making himself so comfortable in my home. "I'm Liam."
"That can't be true, Liam is - "
"The boy in your dreams," he says, cutting me off. "The one you thought didn't exist."
"How do you know that?" I ask exasperatedly.
"Because...," he begins, deep brown eyes finding mine and almost pinning me to the wall with the intensity I find in them. "I might be the boy of your dreams, but you're the girl that makes my nightmares almost worth having.."
My stomach drops at his words as my eyes fall to the floor, lips parting; and even if my mind isn't ready to accept it, some part of me knows he's telling the truth. The silence hangs between us, almost deafening. "...You have them too then?" I start, breaking the quiet.
"Every single one," he states darkly, also looking to the floor. "Last night I woke up with the sound of you screaming my name still ringing in my ears. Now do you believe me?"
There's no way he could know that. I didn't tell anyone about that. So he must be telling the truth, right?
The realization that this boy who's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember is actually a living breathing person starts to hit me. I raise a hand to my head, starting to feel sort of light-headed.
How?
"This can't be happening, how is this possible??" I breathe in shock.
"Don't you think, if I knew, I would've led with that?" He replies caustically, causing my guard to go right back up.
"Well you must know something, otherwise you'd be as freaked as I am right now." I shoot back. "How come you're not? Did you know I was real??" I ask narrowing my eyes at him.
He sighs deeply, running a hand over his jaw. "Look, I've known about you for about a year now." He starts, and I look at him in shock. "All I know is that we're connected somehow, but I don't know why, and I don't know how."
"A year?" I repeat, advancing towards him. "You've known about me for a year, and you're just now showing up??" I ask incredulously.
He stands now too, making me regret my decision to move forward. His height is intimidating as he closes the distance between us. "For your information, I thought it'd be best if I stayed away from you, and trust me, I'm starting to think I should have gone with that instinct," he states.
"Why are you here now then?" I demand. "I was perfectly content to live my life thinking you weren't real."
His eyes turn cold at my words as he narrows them at me. "Believe me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be, but things have changed."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, you're not safe here, not anymore," Liam replies. "Neither of us are."
His words send a cold panic through my chest. "What?" I start. "That - that doesn't make any sense. What would anyone want with me?"
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it has to do with both of us, so you're going to have to come with me," he says matter-of-factly. "We have to get out of town. You'll be safe with me and my friends, at least until we figure out what the hell is going on."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I state, shoving past him and heading towards the door, but he catches my arm and yanks me back.
"You don't get it do you??" he asks incredulously, staring into my eyes. "Someone is after us, don't you understand that?"
"Bullshit," I say, attempting to pry his hand off my arm. "I don't care who you think you are, there is no us."
"That's not what you said last night," he says with a smirk, yanking me to him and snaking an arm around my waist.
"Shut up!" I shoot back, shoving away from him.
However, he doesn't relent, only pulling me closer until our faces are mere inches apart.
"Tell the truth Ira," he manages to get out, as I continue to struggle in his arms. "Someone followed you home, yes or no?"
His words make me freeze.
"Yes..," I breathe out. "I thought it was you."
"It was. Half the time," he says, and my heart starts to pound even harder.
"Don't freak out, I took care of the other guy," he continues, obviously having seen the panic in my eyes. "But he'll be back, and I'm thinking he's got friends. Now I don't care if you don't give a shit about your safety, but until we figure out what we are, I do, so you're coming with me. End of story."
***
a/n - Happy New Year guys! I'm sorry, writing has been difficult lately. Honestly, I'm supposed to be reading The Odyssey for school right now, but I'm doing this instead lol Anyway hope you liked the chapter!
Song up top is Bloodstream by Ed Sheeran
Akemashite Omedetou!!! =)
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Help Me Close My Eyes
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