Chapter Text
They told you it’d be weird at first. Going to sleep and waking up in another world for the night. Then, immediately forgetting every detail about it the moment you opened your eyes the next day.
But nothing could’ve prepared you for when it actually happened.
You spent most of your day working on overdue assignments, getting texts from some friends. Having a birthday on the weekend was surprisingly uneventful. You fell asleep, curiosity bubbling in the bottom of your stomach. Drowsiness pulled at your tired bones and in the end, it won.
Suddenly, you were falling. Falling but not through the air. More like falling through water, only to come up and out on the other side. You took a deep breath, calming your racing heart. You were somewhere in a field. There was a cliff not to far away, showcasing clear blue water for as far as the eye could see. Sitting knees up to his chest was a blonde boy, facing the sea. Or what you guessed was the sea.
Hesitantly, you walked up, being sure keeping your distance. “Oh, hi.”
He threw his head around, red eyes burning. Seeing you were a teenage girl instead of some kind of monster, he untensed. But only slightly.
You wait for him to at least attempt a reply but when none came, you decided to take a seat next to him. Albeit a couple feet away. “It’s pretty isn’t it?” you offered.
He didn’t look your way, offering a hum of agreement. You hated the awkward tension, fidgeting with the edge of your nail. For some reason, everything hit you at once. A sinking weight hit your chest. You don't know where you are. You don't know this guy. This is all fake. The little voices in your head made your throat feel tight, your mouth filled with cotton. You covered your face in your hands, trying to slow your breathing. Remembering all the things your friends told you about getting overwhelmed. One breath in, one out. Repeat.
“You good over there?” He spoke up, voice traveling in the wind. His eyes were boring into yours, as you peeked one out from behind your curtain of fingers.
Looking into his eyes was not the best choice; you opted to keep your gaze on the view before you. Feel the light blades of grass between your fingers, notice the hint of sweetness in the air. “It’s just a lot, don’t you think?” You kept your voice from wavering.
He shook his head, the only reply he seemed to provide. You huffed, going on. "I mean, all of this.” Your hands waved vaguely. “You.” Your hands gestured more so in his vicinity. “When I wake up, it's like none of this would have happened. It's a dream. I don't even know if you're real."
He looked taken aback by your last words. "I'm real. Plus, so what? What has you freaking out so much? It's not like we didn't know this was going to happen." His voice is gritty and filled with spite.
You scoffed, devoid of any anger. “So… I don’t even know your name! What are we doing in the middle of nowhere? Where did all this water come from? Where are you from? Is any of this even real?” A thought dawned on you, "If we can't remember this, does that mean it never happened?
He turns away from you, letting out a heavy breath. "I don't know where we are. I don't know where the water came from. And I'm pretty sure this is all real. Do you feel real? ”
You give him a wary side glance. "I couldn't feel more real." He shrugs.
Waving your concern away, like a leaf in the wind, he goes on. “There you go. And obviously we know why we're meeting.”
“Well, that one’s obvious." You stated, reply ready. "We’re soulmates.”
"Yeah?" He quirked an eyebrow lazily. “What’s my name again?”
You stiffened. “Right.” It got quiet again. The simple sound of water and the distant chirping of birds. “At least we’re stuck somewhere nice.”
He hummed.
“You don’t talk much do you?” You asked.
He gave a clipped reply, bitterness seeping in. “Thinking.”
“Ah. Sorry.” You lowered your voice to a whisper. “Don’t want to disturb your thoughts.”
He rolled his eyes. "Not everyone is as… talkative as you are.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?”
“Do what you want." He smirked, remembering your question from earlier. "Not like you’ll remember.”
You glared. “Great.”
His lips twisted in what you could almost call a smile. "You're not as annoying as I thought you'd be.”
You brought a hand to your heart, mock admiration. "Stop, you'll make me blush.”
He deadpanned, "I take it back.”
A corner of your mouth lifted, almost voluntarily, "This isn't too bad. Just us hanging out and being able to talk.”
“Just us.” He repeated, eyes on you.
You laid back, face towards the darkening sky. The ground was incredibly soft and lush… for being grass.
“So how much time do you think we have to kill?” You asked more to yourself than to him.
"Probably not much." He grumbled.
You kept talking. “I doubt we’re anywhere that's a real place. Like on earth.”
That caught his attention. “Why?”
“I’ve never seen grass like this.” Your arms moved up and down, fingers carding through the light texture. His hands moved instinctively across the grass, mimicking your movements.
His voice was quieter, missing it's rough edge. “It is pretty soft.”
“Pretty soft? It's super soft!” You jumped up a new vigor shooting through your bones. “And that water! It’s so…”
“Blue?” He offered.
“So blue! Isn’t it all just so amazing?” You weren't sure where this fresh energy was coming from but you didn't mind riding the high.
He nodded. “So amazing.” His words were monotoned. You decided to ignore his mocking. "It's almost like I can't look away." He added. Except at that moment, he wasn’t looking at the soft flowing grass. Or the opal water. Or even the full white clouds passing by. He was staring at you.
You spoke up. “Hey. One more thing before we wake up.”
He clicked his tongue. "What is it?” The wind blew harder around you two. His hair moving like straw around his face.
“I don't know your-”
The blaring of an alarm awoke you. You groaned, leaning over to shut it up. For some reason, a certain word was stuck in your head, on the tip of your tongue. You shoved it to the side figuring dream you would figure it out soon enough.
The feeling of missing memories was weird enough. Having to get up early on a Sunday was a whole different kind of weird.