Prologue: The Truth About Dreams

I sat down on the green blanket with a sigh.

Despite it being autumn already, the weather felt like something from summer. While the trees provided nice shade, they also provided resting places for bugs of all kinds. I knew that very well, considering how I already walked into a spider web a few days ago. Why did it have to stay summer for so long?

Taking off his shoes, he took his place next to me. I listened to the sound of cars rushing by in the background. The sounds of birds shifting through the leaves of the trees above. The sounds of nature, working together in perfect harmony.

After a second, I let my head fall onto his shoulder. My hands followed suit by tightly wrapping his arm and drawing him closer to me. The smell of his jacket drifted towards me as I breathed in deeply, ingraining it into my mind forever. How many times have I done this? Too many, yet not nearly enough.

The wind blew. The sun shone. The days passed.

Glancing up, I brushed his hair out of the way of his eyes. He turned his head towards me, away from the trees ahead. His eyes stared back at mine intensely, occasionally twitching a little from the dust or a ray of light. They say that eyes are the doors to one's soul, but I don't think that's true. They're the black holes of the world, drawing you in forever and never letting go.

Finally, I moved my eyes downwards.

His lips.

Slowly, without closing my eyes, I leaned in.

He quickly pulled me in for a deeper kiss.

Time seemed to stop as the world around slowly faded out. The sounds of the cars, the birds, the leaves, all disappeared without a trace. The sun seemed to stop in motion and the rays of light cradled us gently.

This was all that mattered, and I was happy. His eyes, his embrace, and...

I pulled away, the two of us smiled at each other.

Yes, and his smile.

That was all that mattered.

**********

Although I didn't realize this at that time, like all dreams, you have to wake up eventually.