~Chapter 3

I gasped, inhaling something other than oxygen. It was pitch black in my room. I could hear the sick sounds of something crackling, breaking, and squeaking. I coughed out the horrible air that my lungs had so desperately tried to breathe in. Smoke. I rolled out of my bed and onto the floor, but the smoke was heavy and filling in every corner of the room. I pulled my oversized shirt over my face and tried to filter out some of the smoke. I crawled to where I knew my bedroom door was and pried it open. The smoke was slightly less dense out in the hallway and towards the living room. I continued to crawl to where my front door was, coughing trying to will myself to just get outside.

Halfway down the hallway, the front door burst open. Only in this circumstance would I have been so grateful for someone barging through my front door. I stared up at the firefighter and surrendered my strength to the trust I had that he would get me out of the apartment. Sure enough, in mere moments, I was being picked up and carried into the night air. It was cold, but that was the least of my worries. My coughing had become strained wheezing and despite the shock and fear, my inebriated system paired with the lack of oxygen meant that I was fading, fading fast.

I felt myself being placed on a stretcher. I remember hearing terms like ‘smoke inhalation’ being spoken between individuals. I strained to open my eyes, hoping to get a better grasp of the chaos. I managed to pry my eyelids open for seconds. I took a look at the small grouping of neighbors that I barely recognized. An orange glow reflected onto several faces.

One face, in particular, caught the orange glow in the most magnificent way. His eyes were the only ones looking at me and not the fire.

“S-eh-,” but then the whole world turned black.

This wasn’t the park. It wasn’t, anything. I didn’t know where I was. There was nothing recognizable. It was just an expanse of space, filled with a hazy light grey. It wasn’t the magical fog that one thinks about in fairy tales and dreams. This was far more unsettling. There was only one thing that kept me from fearing my surroundings.

For the first time, upon my arrival, he was already there. Sehun stood about 6 feet away from me with an unreadable expression on his face. He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans. There was no need for jackets when we weren’t outside. At least, I didn’t think we were. I stared at his face, needing him to anchor me in this strange place so that I didn’t panic.

Suddenly, I remembered our conversation from the last time I saw him. Despite my best effort, panic set in. “Am I dreaming?” I asked him, not quite ready for the answer.

“No,” he answered. The expression on his face became serious, almost stern.

“Last time, you told me to wake up,” I murmured.

“Last time, you were dreaming. This time, it is not sleep that has brought you here.”

“Where is ‘here’?”

“You’re not just dreaming. You’re unconscious.”

“Am I dying?”

“I don’t know.” He suddenly felt miles away.

I felt the panic find a permanent place in my head. I looked around as if I might find an exit or, in the least, something to hold on to. Something that felt real.

“Do you remember what happened?” he asked. I looked up at him and tried to figure out the answer to the question. He must have sensed my confusion and added more to his question, “Do you remember what happened after I told you to wake up?”

I had to backtrack and try to remember. I remembered coughing and feeling warm, but then everything turned into a blur. I closed my eyes and tried harder to remember. Behind my closed eyes, I could only see the darkness. I remembered continuing to cough. Had I woken up like he’d told me to? Had I gone back to reality? I continued to keep my eyes shut and think.

I opened my eyes, exasperated. If there had been a correct answer, my brain wasn’t giving it to me. “I can’t…” I began as I returned my gaze to his. A vision of him with the same exact expression, only tinted in an orange light filtered through my memory. My previous sentence was forgotten.

“You were there. Or did I imagine you there? I saw your face, near the apartment. The whole building was on fire and you were there,” I questioned.

“You remember the fire? Your apartment?” he proded.

“No,” I shook my head. “I remember you.” A look of disappointment settled on his face. I didn’t want him to be disappointed. I didn’t want him to be angry or impatient with me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I looked down, not that there was anything to look down at. The grey thickness in the air seemed to grow, becoming more daunting and unsettling than it already had been.

Suddenly, I felt his hand brush against my cheek, cupping my jaw and pulling my gaze up to meet his. I gasped at the sudden proximity, unable to explain how he had so quickly approached me.

“Do not be depressed. You’ll only scare yourself more,” he stated.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered.

“This,” he waved his hand around so that the grey thickness moved slightly. “When your emotions change, so does the environment. If you begin to become sad, scared, or nervous there is a sudden change. When you apologized, the air thickened and you began to feel even more nervous due to the change in the atmosphere.”

“We’re locked in here,” Sehun began, touching my forehead with his index finger. “Everything that happens is a result of what’s going on in there. Do you remember? Do you remember the other times we’ve been together?”

I nodded, but what I remembered was the conversations.

“The night with the loud thunder, remember?” he asked, and I nodded blushing slightly. “The rain and thunder was a product of the state you were in before you began dreaming. Do you remember when it changed?”

“You kissed me,” I mumbled.

“You stopped panicking. The thunder stopped and the rain lessened. When the park was covered in snow, you were so happy that you actually made it snow more,” he explained.

I reached forward and grabbed a handful of his white t-shirt. “What happens now?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m here to help you figure it out.”

“You said you were locked in here with me, why? And why, until the fire, have I never seen you outside of my dreams?” I gulped, it was still a hard realization to swallow.

“You have. You’ve seen me. I can prove it to you,” he smiled and dug his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a neatly folded strip of paper. He unfolded it carefully as if it were fragile. After smoothing it out, he handed the paper to me.

I held the receipt in my hand. I stared at the smilie and my phone number written in my friend’s handwriting. I almost felt embarrassed, but I was far more bewildered. Suddenly, as if it were being sewn together, memories of my dreams became woven with reality and I could remember everything. I looked at him in shock.

“Who, what are you? You said you were locked in here with me, why?” My heart rate escalated. I wasn’t afraid of him, but I was so very confused.

He framed my face with both of his hands and leaned in until the tip of his nose almost touched mine. That mischievous look in his eyes, that I recognized the first time I dreamt of him, was back. The corners of his mouth pulled up in a captivating smile. And then he whispered.

“I love you.”

My eyes flew open, taking in the expanse of white ceiling above my head. I lowered my gaze to the white walls with the soft, framed watercolor paintings. I registered the sound of hospital equipment and then felt the foreign objects that were attached to my arms, chest, and face. I coughed slightly, my mouth and throat feeling rough and dry.

“Hey,” a soft voice spoke near the right side of the bed.

My eyes shot to my best friend’s worried face.

“You’re going to be fine, but you definitely scared me. You seemed fine yesterday when we went out for lunch. But the doctor said you were heavily intoxicated. He guessed that you had passed out before the fire began, and that’s why you didn’t leave your apartment like all of the other neighbors. I didn’t think you were still drinking.”

I shook my head. My throat was too sore to struggle at talking. I lifted my right hand and pointed at my neck, making a weird wheezing sound. She seemed to understand and handed me a small cup of water. I swallowed it harshly, and then tried to make a sound again.

“Fall asleep,” I wheezed. “Just to fall asleep.”

“That would be like, one maybe two glasses of something. The doctor made it sound like you had a party for one,” she said, sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. It’s been hard,” I muttered. She nodded, understanding, but still seeming disappointed.

Silence stretched between us for a few minutes, and I used that silence to move muscles that had been still for far too long. I pointed my feet and stretched my legs. Shifted my shoulders and back and moved my head and neck. I moved my hands, my left hand discovering something lying on the hospital blanket.

I grabbed the flimsy piece of paper between two fingers and brought it close so I could inspect it. My jaw dropped open.

“What?” my friend asked. I held the receipt for her to see.

“Is that the receipt from yesterday? Why do you have it?” she asked.

“Sehun,” I whispered.

“What? Who’s Sehun?”

“The waiter. He was there last night. My beautiful stranger,” I mumbled.

“He was with you last night?”

“He was outside, when they were putting me in the ambulance,” I clarified.

“And he gave you the receipt? I don’t get it,” my friend stated, bewildered.

“I think he’s been trying to help me, but I haven’t been paying attention. I didn’t realize that was what he was doing.”

“I’m confused,” my friend stated.

I nodded, agreeing with her. However, I was probably happier about my confusion than she was.

My breath caught in my throat. I was at a park, but it wasn’t my park. It wasn’t Sehun’s park. I didn’t see my bench. The playground wasn’t in its normal spot. I was pretty sure that if I took off straight ahead, I wouldn’t find my field. I was more aware this time, and knew that I was dreaming. It was so weird to know that I wasn’t actually in reality. Yet, I was somewhat thankful for the realization. I wanted to see him. Would he still find me, even if I wasn’t in the same park? I had so much to talk to him about.

Everything about the park was relatively normal. The grass was normal shades of green. There was nothing odd about the weather; in fact, it was a nice slightly cloudy day. I began walking and exploring this new park, however, my brain focused on more important thoughts.

When had I first met Sehun? Was it in the dream? Did that count as a first meeting? He said he was there to help me figure things out. He knew that we were in a dream together each time. He hadn’t been delusional like I had. He also knew who I had been in real life. I had merely noticed him. I certainly hadn’t placed him as the waiter or the boy in the park as the same one who had been in my dreams. Until that morning in the hospital, I hadn’t remembered any of my dreams with Sehun during my waking state. I was so curious. Above all of it, I felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation. His confession hadn’t skipped my mind, despite all of the questions.

I kicked a small rock in front of my shoe and watched it bounce along the pathway settling several feet away. In the empty park, I felt his presence nearby only moments before his hand touched my shoulder. I inhaled sharply and spun around.

“Sehun,” I breathed as if I’d been devoid of oxygen again.

He smiled brightly at me. His cheekbones became pronounced, his jaw strongly outlined, and his crescent eyes sparkled. He was wearing dark pants, a white t-shirt and light blue jean jacket. He looked so simple and so breath taking with his blonde tousled hair.

“I was worried that you wouldn’t find me here,” I stated.

“It’s you that I have to find. Not the location.”

“Is it a hard thing to do?” I wondered.

“At first. It gets easier with practice.”

“How? How does this work? How do you find me and why?”

He laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. “That’s a lot of questions,” he began. He reached forward and linked his fingers with mine. He pulled me along behind him as he walked down the path. I knew he would answer me, and I was going to wait patiently. We finally found a bench and he pulled me down next to him. He was nervous. How interesting.

“I met you, well saw you, for the first time about 4 months ago. The first time was near where I work, the restaurant. The second time I saw you was at a grocery store. I saw you several times after that, but I didn’t know what to say to you. I watched you, though. I know it sounds weird. At first I was worried because you seemed always preoccupied, upset, or almost sick. I began to pay attention to things you bought at the store and how you were always alone when near the restaurant. I wanted to ask you if you were okay. However, the longer I went without saying anything, the more I thought that if I finally started to talk to you, you’d think I was crazy or a stalker. You looked as though you were fading away. If I watched you for much longer, you’d slip from existence.” He was repeatedly squeezing and releasing my hand. I squeezed his hand and tugged on it to get his attention.

“Is that why I dream of you? Because I’ve seen you, but wasn’t paying attention?”

“No. I wish that were the answer. I wanted to figure out what was wrong. I wanted to be there for you and help you figure out whatever it was that you couldn’t.”

“What makes you think I couldn’t figure it out myself?” I wasn’t angry, just really confused.

“The alcohol. The one consistent thing that was always in your shopping cart. You were always sad. There had to be something that you couldn’t deal with on your own."

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe, I just like the stuff? Or that my issues aren’t really worth your effort.”

“No,” he stated quickly. “Many people deal with issues in their lives through dreams. Even if they can’t remember dreaming.”

I interrupted him, quickly. “Are you saying that you somehow purposefully put yourself in my dreams?” I stared at him in astonishment and waited for an answer. He neither nodded nor shook his head; he just stared back at me. “How?”

“Aish!” he used his freehand to comb through his hair in a frustrated manner. “There’s this thing called shared dreaming. It’s like dream telepathy. I can share the same dream as you. I’ve always remembered my dreams, really well and in great detail for most of my life. And, I’ve remembered every dream we’ve shared after waking up.”

I gulped. It was weird. I wasn’t sure how to react. It was invasive, but my dreams had been so interesting and full of warmth compared to my waking world. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. “Now that you’ve told me, will I still dream of you?”

“Do you want to?” he asked incredulously as if he expected me to take off running, or wake myself up from a nightmare for that matter.

“I…” I looked down at the path below my feet. The answer was yes, but I wasn’t sure if it was the correct answer.

He let go of my hand and turned to face me on the bench. He cradled my face in his hands and waited until I locked my gaze with his. “I will do things correctly. I will meet you, when you are awake and you can tell me your answer then.” He leaned forward and I felt his soft pink lips touch mine.

The smoke damage was covered by my renters insurance. Thank goodness. Nothing in my apartment had actually been burned, but my bedroom had taken the brunt of it since it shared a wall with the apartment that had suffered the most damage. They had told us that it was faulty wiring within the unit. I began to assess the realistic need to move into a smaller place. Maybe it was finally time.

In the meantime, I was spending my nights at my best friend’s house. The smoke damaged apartment was a bit scary and the place still smelled. I went back during the day and packed up belongings that I really wanted to keep. I spent the evening looking through listings for apartments with the help of my friend.

I felt a sense of determination for once in a long while.

And, I wasn’t using anything to fall asleep at night. I spent the evening talking to my friend until I was exhausted. I fell asleep on my own.

I was in the newer park again. I supposed that sleeping at my friend’s place was the reason for the change in scenery. Maybe not, but it was an interesting assumption. This time, the park was filled with visitors. It was sunny, bright, and full of energy. I took a deep breath in and enjoyed every moment. It reminded me of the first time I met dream-Sehun. It had been so bright and wonderful that first time.

I walked the entire perimeter of the park, discovering every new part of it and memorizing where the best views were. I wondered if I would find another new park once I settled into a new apartment. The thought was bittersweet. I missed the first park, but only a little.

Time meant nothing in my dreams. Sometimes, it lapsed by noticeably as the sun moved through the sky. Other times, it felt as if time never moved at all. Today, time stood still.

After making my way through the park, I wandered back to the bench that Sehun and I had sat during our last shared dream. He said he would meet me in my waking state. When Sehun? I missed him, dreadfully.

I brought my hand down to the bench, where our hands had been intertwined together. I moved my fingers slightly, wishing I had the ability to will him into my own dream. Couldn’t I just dream of him when I wanted? I brought my hand up to my lips and closed my eyes tight. When I open my eyes, he’ll be here.

I kept my eyes shut. I wasn’t willing to be disappointed. He would alert me to his presence if it had worked. He wasn’t there. I couldn’t feel him anywhere near me. I kept my eyes shut tight.

“Here are the keys. You’ll have to pick up your mail keys from the post office.”

“Yes, thank you,” I replied accepting the keys to my new apartment after signing the lease.

I had found the small studio apartment within 2 weeks from when I initially started to search. I had been grateful that my friend had put up with me for so long. I walked to the front door of my new place, inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. I walked in as the smell of fresh paint hit my senses first. The room was open, white, and much cozier than my previous place. I walked over to the large window to the right side of the room and opened the blinds all the way. The apartment looked out into a small open grass area with a few trees. Just beyond the lawn were the parking and the leasing office. At least in this sense, I felt rather safe with the placement of my apartment.

I turned away from the window and looked around the walls again. I knew exactly how I was going to arrange the room with the furniture I had decided to hold on to. My apartment. The first real step to moving on with my life and finally emerging from the cave I had resigned myself to. I walked into the kitchen area and checked that everything was on or working. Then I walked into the restroom to do the same simple check. I had brought a few boxes of things with me in my car and decided to go retrieve them quickly.

I placed the 5 boxes of knickknacks just inside the doorway. I fished through one of the boxes that contained some of my desk supplies. I pulled a pushpin from a small plastic container and then fished through my purse for my wallet. I pulled out the slim piece of paper held it up to the wall, a few inches from the edge of the doorway, and pushed the pin through the middle top of the paper fastening it to the wall. I took a step back and smiled in appreciation. The smilie face on the receipt smiled back at me.

I hadn’t seen him in dreams or anywhere for a couple of weeks now. I owed it to him for the small token of hope he’d instilled in me. That hope had gotten me at least this far. I took a step forward again; softly touched the piece of paper, and then left the apartment to retrieve my furniture and the rest of my belongings.

I knew it would be like this. I knew that I would be in a new park once I’d settled into my new apartment. This one was lovely. There was a gazebo nestled in the middle of a small clearing. Around the clearing were evergreens of many various heights and fullness. Small white daisies clustered in small groups sprinkling the otherwise pure green grass with dots of white. The grass grew slightly taller, just a little higher than my ankles and looked like it would be soft to the touch. The entire scene begged for silent appreciation.

There were no people in my new park. I knew better than to wait for him. I had spent several dreams just sitting and waiting, only to wake up feeling tired and slightly anxious. I hadn’t forgotten his promise to approach me outside of this dream world, but since he hadn’t yet, I still waited for him here. I didn’t know how long I could stand the wait. Sometimes I worried about him. Sometimes I wondered if the things he had told me were lies, or if I really did imagine him. The small receipt that I had safely attached near my doorway was the only tangible evidence that I had of both dream and real Sehun existing.

I walked up the small set of stairs into the gazebo. I walked in a circle inside of the gazebo taking in the outer scenery from the view inside. Everything about this park was perfect, visually. However, I was so very tired of being alone in my dreams.

“You said you would meet me when I was awake. Where are you?” I whispered. “My answer was… is… yes. I still want to dream of you, with you. I want more than that. I want to be around you when I’m awake too.”

I stared off into the distance and tried to conjure him in my imagination. I wanted to see his dark eyes, those small pink lips, and that unnatural bleach blonde hair.  I wanted to wake up and see if there was any difference between his kisses in my dream and his kisses in reality. I knew nothing about him, but there was one thing that I had known for sure.

“I love you,” I whispered.

I risked a glance around my new park, again. It was still so beautiful, but it was still empty.

“I won’t return here again, Sehun. I won’t dream of this place if it’s always going to be empty,” I stated out loud, as if it made the threat real when there was no one there to hear it. “I won’t come back,” I muttered again.

“YES!” I shouted.

My coworkers looked at me as if I had lost my mind. The way things had been going lately, I probably had. It had been another quiet day at work, and I had been thankfully told that I could leave early. I ran to the employee restroom and changed out of my uniform. I had already planned the afternoon, but this meant that I would get a jump-start.

I ran out to my car, throwing my purse onto the passenger seat and pulling my seatbelt across and clicking it into place. I turned the keys in the ignition and backed out of the parking spot. I drove the short distance to the shopping outlets. I had enough. I was going to find him. I was going to give him hell for making me wait! I pulled into the parking lot, cut off the engine and grabbed my purse.

I excitedly walked up to the front of the restaurant and waited just inside the door. I quickly tried to spot every waiter working and find that familiar bleach blonde hair. I had not yet spotted him when a hostess approached me at the door.

“Do you wish to be seated?” she asked.

“Actually. I’m trying to find one of the waiters who works here, Sehun. Is he working today?” I asked.

“Sehun? He isn’t working today. He’s been on vacation,” she replied.

Vacation? To where? He would be back, right?

“Thank you. Sorry for bothering you.” I gave a slight nod towards the hostess and walked out of the restaurant.

Suddenly, I felt lost again. I had been completely convinced that if I showed up here and made the move to find him first that I would be rewarded by my efforts. I idly walked from the restaurant in the direction of the small park. Where was he? Had he lied about loving me? Did it not count because it had been in a dream? If I had told anyone this, they would think I was crazy. Damn him for making me feel crazy!

I sat down on a bench and stared straight ahead, lost completely in thought. I remembered him standing there, off in the distance, taking pictures on his cell phone. I remember thinking that he had taken a picture with me in it. I had dismissed myself as being part of the background only. I am waiting for someone who told me he would find me in a dream. Oh my, I really am crazy!

I felt my cell phone buzz in my purse, zapping me back from my frantic moment of realization. I looked at the screen and slid my thumb across it to unlock the display. I clicked on the green icon with the red number 1 indicating a new text message. The next screen showed a number I didn’t recognize or have saved in my contacts. The contents of the message contained a street address.

Who is this? I replied.

I wouldn’t have given you back the receipt without saving your number first.

I dropped the cell phone. It hit the edge of the bench and fell to the ground. I felt moisture gathering in my eyes and a sudden dull headache form towards the front of my head as every emotion hit me at once. I had to will myself to breathe in and out for a few moments. I looked down at my cell phone, seemingly unharmed by the fall to the ground, and then picked it back up.

I reopened the display and read the message again.

I jumped from the bench and made a dead sprint to my car.

I must have been here before. There was no way that I could have ever dreamed this park into existence if I hadn’t seen it before. There was no way my dream park could have existed in real life unless I had been here and saved it somewhere in my subconscious. After plugging in the address into my GPS and faithfully following the directions for the 45-minute drive, I had arrived at a park. It wasn’t just any park. It was my dream park. It was the park where I had first met him.

I took a few steps along the pathway and saw my bench. My bench! I walked quickly to its edge and touched it as if it were made from glass and would break. I was aware that a few people were staring at my odd reaction to the bench. In my dreams, no one paid any attention to what I was doing, except for Sehun.

My breathing became unsteady. I was nervous. I lifted my gaze and scanned the park. I walked away from the bench and walked towards where I knew my field would be waiting for me. Sure enough, the lawn stretched out and I could easily imagine it covered in snow. It really never snowed here, and no amount of wishing would make it happen like it had in my dream. I scanned my surroundings again and became more nervous.

This time, I turned to my right and walked the back way to where I knew I would find the smaller clearing. I was beginning to think that I was dreaming again. I grabbed my left arm with my right hand and pinched. I had definitely felt it, but then I realized that there had been a great many things that I remember feeling while I had apparently been dreaming. I took several steps out into the middle of the clearing. I couldn’t believe how perfectly duplicated it had been in my mind. I could have really been there for all I knew or understood.

“I knew this place was real. I recognized it, but it took me a few days to find it.”

Relief and anger flooded through my body simultaneously. Relief would have zapped my strength, leaving me in a puddle on the ground. However, anger gave a well of extra strength and I spun towards the sound of his voice.

“A FEW DAYS!?!?” I screamed. “I’ve been waiting for weeks! Weeks not days!”

Sehun in a breath and held it tentatively. He genuinely looked as though he’d not expected such an outburst or the anger.

“You’ve had my number this whole time! You could have said something! You could have found me in my dream and told me anything. I’ve been beginning to think I was crazy for listening to something someone said in a dream!”

He took a few steps towards me. I was so ecstatic to see him. I was so completely thrilled that I wasn’t dreaming. I was so angry that he had waited, and that I had waited for him.

“You look different,” he stated.

“What?” I was confused at his change of topic.

“There is more color to your complexion. You don’t look tired. You’re radiant.”

All anger evaporated from my system. I watched his eyes sweep over my face several times. A smile began to tug at the corner of his mouth.

“I am dreaming, aren’t I?” I asked.

“No.”

“We’re in this park. Everything feels confusing and unsettling. I thought I was doing so much better, but missing you was making me crazy. When you said you would meet me, I assumed it meant maybe a day or two,” I rambled.

“I am truly sorry that I made you wait. I don’t want you to doubt what I say. I don’t want you to doubt yourself either, or what you’re feeling. I promise, you aren’t dreaming. I am really here with you.”

“Prove it,” I caught myself saying.

He stared into my eyes for a moment. The smile that was playfully tugging at the corner of his mouth began to spread. Those addicting mischievous eyes began to dance. My heart began to pound and my breathing felt uneven. The rush was more intense than I remember feeling with anyone, ever.

His hands caught mine in their grasp and fire shot through my nerves from my fingertips to my brain causing all sorts of butterfly reactions. That was definitely not the same as holding his hand during a dream. He dropped my hands a moment later and s his right arm around my waist, placing his hand at the small of my back. Fire shot through every inch of my body as he pulled me flush against him. From knee to chest, there was no space between us. Out of habit, I bit my bottom lip out of nervousness. His gaze zeroed in on the movement.

His free hand rose to cup the back of my neck, plunging through the mass of long hair that had hung freely that day. He brought those soft pink lips an inch away from mine and paused for just a moment.

“I missed you and I love you.”

I smiled a nanosecond before his lips finally found mine. At first, his lips moved slowly, as if pleading for something. I couldn’t stop the small moan that escaped my lips. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. If it wasn’t for the onslaught of sensations, the impact of the kiss on my brain could have easily been perceived as existing within a dream state. I returned his ardent kissing taste for taste, wanting him to know just how eager and impatient I had become. I didn’t think he could pull me any closer to him, but just in case I grabbed a handful of shirt on both sides and pulled myself closer. I never wanted to leave these arms again. He took control of the kiss again, slowing it down and tasting what he wanted before breaking it off in favor of needing to breathe.

“I love you too,” I said breathlessly. “I don’t want to stop dreaming of you,” I added.

I felt the small rumble of laughter in his chest. “I hope you dream of me. But, it won’t be because I put myself there on purpose…”

I felt my smile fall.

“I don’t plan to leave your side. Any dreaming with me will be purely recreational,” he laughed. The bright smile spread through his face.

Finally, I thought while staring at his smile, a dream that came true.

A/N

OMG! That ended soooooooooo much more... fluffy than the draft of it that existed in my head... At one point... I almost made Sehun ACTUALLY disappear...

Would you have cried??? 

:D

Oh well, happy endings are good too!

*btw, after writing this fic, Sehun moved up on my Exo bias list to 2nd place... he was at #4.... this punk ^^

Thank you for reading this!!! (It's almost 4 am for me, and I just had to get this finished! I'll regret it in 3 hours when I have to be awake again! Good night!)