Timeless Snow ✓

Ch. 22 - Dream

It was a dream you had, many years ago. An autumn night after an ordinary day. A few days into your freshmen year, just after your sixteenth birthday. It had been nearly two decades and you could remember that dream clearly. Dreams are just a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during sleep. A screen saver for the brain. No one truly understood why humans dream. It has been a topic of scientific, philosophical, and religious interest throughout recorded history. Mystery mankind wasn't meant to solve?

You've had less than a hand full of dreams that you couldn't shake off. Most of your dreams were forgotten within minutes of waking up. Due to your medication, as well as dosage changes you weren't always guaranteed a dream. Sometimes, your eyes closed then opened hours later feeling physically recharged - not always mentally. Yoongi, however, lingered deep in your cranium. His presence lurking in the cracks of your soul, waiting for just this moment to show its worth.

"How long do you honestly believe you can continue to live in a world of fantasy, Kasey!?"

Those were the legendary lines of the fabled Yoongi, as well as solve the mystery of why the name 'Kasey' seemed familiar. That was nothing more than a fever dream about insecurity, wasn't it? You're crushing on Taehyung had started to blossom around freshmen year of high school. You had chalked it up to your fear of your parent's disapproval of him. It was the logical explanation why you'd have such emotional drama regarding love. Hormones didn't explain how Madam Amara knew of this fictional man in a dream you had when you were sixteen years old. You kept the dream to yourself, deciding despite its impact on your memory, that the emotions felt too raw to express to another. Not even Taehyung...

It never dawned on you. That the mysterious Yoongi had called you by another name. For many years, you assumed you misheard him. For a while you convinced yourself, it meant something in another language. Which was quite possible now. Madam Amara's message. It was in Latin. You did a paper on the history of the Latin league sophomore year, right? Yeah, there was no way your brain was actually going to retain any of the information from that paper after all you had been through. "Y/N!" Taehyung yelled suddenly, causing your whole body to jerk to life. Your hand ripped back from the crystal ball as your neck whipped in his direction.

"I was saying your name." Taehyung's tone conveyed his worry. "Could you not hear me?" He asked softly, trying to be tender as he searched the wonder in your eyes for distress. Rapidly, your lashes fluttered, trying to clear the fog you felt in your head. Honestly, your head moved side to side to answer Taehyung question as you tried to collect yourself. "I think this is enough." He added, reaching out to place his hand on your shoulder and giving it a comforting grasp. Lowering your head, you brought the palm of your right hand and rubbed it against your eyelids. Your body was sluggish and slow. Each inch of you felt heavy as if the energy had been leaving you bit by bit from the moment you stepped in there.

"We're leaving." Taehyung decided immediately. Shifting out of his puffed pillow seat he kneeled beside you, bracing your shoulders as he supported your postures. "N--" Amara got only a syllable out before Taehyung quickly cut her off with a curt. "We're not going to asking for a refund." The gesture was rude. However, he needed for the woman to understand the point he was making. There was no debate on this, there was no further discussion. Each word raised your risk, every action a minefield to insanity.

With compassionate assistance to your feet, Taehung shifted his arm to the small of your back. You managed to muster up enough strength to keep yourself balanced. Taehyung tried to clear the way, kicking his seated pillow out of your path with a gentle foot. Your eyes foreshadowed by your bangs looked over to Madam Amara. Her brows were turned up, her green eyes hopeless and apologetic. "I'm sorry." Her painted lips mouthed. Before the situation could be prolonged any further he grabbed your hand.

Stepping toward the tent's billowing exit he lead the way out. Being pulled back to reality by Taehyung's warmth. You turned your attention to him, abandoning your lasting look on Madam Amara. You trusted Taehyung knew what was best. You couldn't deny things weren't looking good. Bursting through the curtains you were thrust back into the bustling carnival crowd. Frustration rattled his bones, anger causing his fingers to tremble in your hand. Rushing forward in his angst, he nearly took out the man advertising at the entrance of the tent. He searched for an area with a little privacy, not wanting to drag you along for long.

He took a sharp right, rounding one of the carnival tents. Slipping past a few storage boxes and hidden supplies from the public, he spotted a private place behind a tin shed that someone had converted into another food stall. The scattered sounds of people talking and screaming became more muffled as you stood with him on the five by five foot of grass between a shed and a chain-link fence. Wasting no time, Taehyung spun around and open his arms wide. Like a claw machine, he wrapped his arms around your shoulders and crushed you against his chest. You felt his chin dig into your scalp, the five-o'clock shadow on his jaw prickling you. His arms wrapped you in comfort. "I'm so sorry, baby." His sultry voice whispered into the night. You could feel his body shaking. His words served to break you. The guilt he must have felt.

With each step from the tent you took, your energy seemed to return. Working your arm between the two of you, you pressed your forearm against his chest as you reached up to his face. Cupping his cheek in your palm you leaned close to him. Your eyes stared into his, looking long and deeply to ensure he believed what you were saying. "I'm okay." Your finger traced his waterline. "I promise." Adding as you leaned up to meet his height. "Please." You whispered in a begging breath. "Can we finish our date?" Tilting your head to the side, you fought back the water that threatened to collect in the corners of your eyes. The idea of your mentality being another date-killer. That you'd ruin another great day. Any other day, just not today. You needed today.

His brown eyes were as polished amber in the first rays of dawn as they looked back at you. The surprise shining in shimmers of gold, never imagining you felt such lost at the idea of losing time with him. In the same breath, he resented the world for creating a situation where this conversation was required. He wanted so much more for you. He wanted to give you the world, but he couldn't. Instead, he gave you his life. His entire world. "Of course." His deep voice rumbled. Reaching up, his hand laced into your head just behind your ear. His lips raised, pressing against the skin of your head in a tender kiss.