My master

Chapter 10

I'm walking down a narrow hallway lined with identical doors on either side. The carpet is a soft velvety red under my bare feet. I stop for a moment and wiggle my toes, feeling the soft fibers of the floor caressing them. I take a deep breath in and the distinct sent of roses greets me. I let out a sigh.
"Are they for me?" I hear Alex call from the end of the hall. I squint and see his form take shape. He's far away, but I can tell he's wearing a suit and tie and has slicked his hair back.
"They are for me aren't they?" He calls out again, almost sounding more distant than before.
I look down at my hands and see a large bouquet of red roses, matching the shade of the carpet. They must be for him, because I don't think there's anyone else in this world I would buy roses for. I'm not sure though. I don't remember where they came from. Was I always holding them?
I begin walking again, but feel a sudden sharp pain. There's blood on my finger tip. I feel it trail down my hand and drip to the floor, forming a small dark patch on the already dark carpet. I look down and see dozens of tiny thorns protruding from the stems in my hand.
I look back up to Alex but he's not there. My eyes widen as I strain to see farther into the darkness at the end of the hall. I make out the faint sound of Alex's voice calling to me. "I'm still here." he says. "Come see me."
With that I drop my roses and start walking faster. The hall seems to stretch out endlessly before me. The thuds lof my feet hitting the floor echo around me as I break into a jog and then an all out sprint. Something's wrong. I'm not gaining any ground. It's like I'm on a treadmill. "Alex!" I yell. "Alex where are you!" My voice echoes like my foot steps, but receives no reply. I call out again, this time louder. "Alex please answer me! Where are you!"
I hear a distant low murmur but I can't tell where it's coming from. The sound get closer and, as it does, becomes more clear. After a few moments I realize what it is; it's Alex. He's calling to me.
"Baby I'm right here. You're okay."
I look around frantically, but can't see him anywhere. The darkness at the end of the hall comes closer and my body begins to shake.
"Wake up." Alex calls to me, and my eyes snap open.
It was a dream...
I lock eyes with a very concerned Alex. I open my mouth the speak but he puts a finger to my lips. "Just breath baby. You can talk in a minute, but first I think you need to come back to the world a bit." He says, smiling down at me and pulling me into a hug. With each second that passes in his arms I feel my dread slip away as it's replaced by a wonderful sensation of bliss. Alex runs his fingers through my hair ever so gently and leaves soft kisses on my cheeks and forehead. After about four or five minutes he gives me one last squeeze before releasing me from the hug.
"Feeling better?" He asks, his eyes overflowing with love as they stare directly into mine. I nod in response. When Alex smiles I can't help but let a small smile creep onto my face as well. Then at the same moment we both open our mouths and say "I'm just glad you're okay."
For a brief second we're both noticeably taken aback, but that quickly fades as laughter fills the room. "Glad I'm okay? You're the one who drenched the bed sheets with sweat and caused me to leave my study because you were calling my name in your sleep." Alex lets out between deep chuckles.
The lingering fear from my dream seems to vanish as his laugh fills my ears. I crack a small smile and reply. "I just had a freaky dream. Thinking back on it, it's kind of ridiculous and not even that scary. It just felt so real." Alex gives me a look of concern. "It's okay to be scared of things that seem mundane or silly. It doesn't make you weak, just human." He says, lifting my chin with his forefinger to force my gaze to meet his.
I feel my eyes dampen a little at his kind words. "Thank you." I say, tightening my grip around his torso and pulling him in close. Alex places one hand back on my head and the other firmly around my lower back. The two of us just sit there for, I don't even know how long, but not long enough. Being with him like this for a millennia wouldn't be enough to me. This is what I had been craving without even knowing it. This kind of affection is unlike anything you could get from sex. It's pure. It's simple. It's love.
I finally break the silence when I look up into Alex's eyes. "Master?" I ask, my voice barely above a squeak. "Can we stay like this for a while? It's just that- that right now I feel so happy. My dream was..." my words trail off and Alex takes the time to respond. "Of course we can. And if you don't want to tell me about your dream now that's fine. I can tell it was bad and I don't want you to be upset."
Alex pulls away just enough to shift his body into a laying position next to me, never breaking the embrace. I move so that I'm facing him and shake my head slowly. "No. I think I need to tell you. I think I just need to get it out of my head." Alex nods in reply. "All right then, I'm listening."