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The soft light of the monitor screen stared back at Dream in the dark night of his room. What the hell did I just get myself into, he thought as he muted momentarily to curse at himself under his breath. Dream has no idea what suddenly possessed him to take this quiz. The “Are you in love with your best friend quiz?”. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment. Maybe it was the warmth he felt in his chest when George laughed with him or maybe it was the comfort he felt in his cool room after a harsh sunny day in Florida. Or even maybe it was just the way George spoke to him like he was the only one on the other end of the call. Whatever it was, Dream definitely screwed himself over. In front of George, and in front of 10,000 other people.
“You are a little in love with your best friend” Dream read aloud. It’s weird how this same, simple quiz was able to look into his soul and cut open his feelings for all of his fans and, more importantly, George to see. Dream was obviously shaken up by the results of the quiz, but he had to play it cool. He couldn’t stop thinking about the 10,000 and something people that were silently listening to him and George’s conversation, analyzing and reacting to everything they were saying. There was only a small, millisecond of silence that loomed over the call, but in this moment, to Dream, it felt like years of anxious waiting to hear George’s response. It’s almost funny that they could spend hours of comfortable silence together on a call, but this time, for obvious reasons, the silence was about to send Dream into a downward spiral of emotions.
George chuckled a bit. It was soft and if Dream wasn’t so hyper focused on his reaction, he would’ve missed it. It's a wonder how George’s mic was able to pick up on the light chuckle and the breath of his voice in the first place. “You’re an idiot.” George responded in a lighthearted manner. Dream quickly muted and gave a deep sigh of relief as he started to lean back in his chair and look at his empty white ceiling. Of course the fear, tension, anxiety, and whatever else he was feeling was still there, but the gentle reaction that George gave him eased a little bit of his worries.
He sat up and quickly unmuted his mic. “Well”, his voice dragging out the word for a moment longer, “I think I’ll be going now. Thanks everyone for being here”. Did he sound a bit suspicious to suddenly be leaving? Definitely. Were the fans gonna spam his timeline about this on twitter? They probably already were. But, to be honest, he couldn’t care less. It may be a little suspicious and, quite frankly, extremely cowardly to rush for an escape out of this call like a scared kitten, but Dream needed to get out before he said anything else he might regret. If he isn’t careful (which he hasn’t been for the last 10 minutes) he just might end up spilling all of his other life secrets.
“What? You’re leaving? What else could you possibly have to do at 4 am in the morning?”
Despite Dream’s current whirlwind of emotions, ready to spill out of him at any given moment, George’s deep alluring accent and the soft undertones of confusion and disappointment in his voice almost made him stay. Dream must be going absolutely crazy because from George’s words he could basically hear George say, “stay Dream, don’t leave just yet”. With all of the will power he had left (as minuscule as it may be), Dream shook his head and decided to ignore George’s questions.
“Thanks for staying, guys! It was a lot of fun chilling with you all. Bye” Dream said, he held onto the last word a little bit longer, trying his best to seem cheerful as always. He grabbed his mouse, ready to leave to call, when George responded in a rush sentence, “Uh? Dream, hold on a second. Don’t leav-” Dream cut him off by exiting the call in the same rushed fashion as the other man talking.
He hadn’t noticed until just now, but he was shaking and breathless. He felt so anxious and scared, but the worst part about it was that he didn’t even exactly know why he was feeling this way. Dream stood to his feet quickly while pushing the chair away from his desk. His knees felt as though they were about to give out at any second now and was feeling woozy just standing there. He was breathless, dizzy, and shaking. Overall, he was mess and this was all just from a stupid quiz on the internet.
He stood there a few minutes more, trying to gain his composure, but it wasn’t working. At the same time, this phone buzzed from his desk and the screen glowed on, easily standing out from the rest of his darkly lit room. “It's probably George. Questioning why I left in such a hurry,” Dream thought. His best friend was usually so predictable. But, he didn’t open his phone to look at the message. Instead, he went out of his room intending to go outside to get some fresh air. The cool metal of the door knob was a contrast to his burning skin. As he was walking down the stairs and through the house to the backyard, he remembered to stay quiet. It was already 4 in the morning and he didn’t need Sapnap coming out of his room to see the current mess of a state he was in.
The crisp night air was much needed after being holed up in his room the whole day. It was calm and peaceful during the late nights in Orlando and another major contrast to the storm that was brewing inside of him. Dream walked out into the middle of their backyard and laid down on the soft grass with a thud. Although it seemed like a clear night, Dream couldn’t see any of the stars. The city smog covered them up, like they were too special to be seen by just anyone. From where George is in London, he probably wouldn’t be able to see them either, he thought, trying to calm himself down. It's funny how his thoughts always lead back to the brown haired British boy. So, the silent sounds of the night left Dream alone with his thoughts and gave him time to reflect back on his actions.
Of course he must be some sort of idiot. He basically just confessed his undying love to George in front of thousands of people. But, a single daring question was the main cause of Dream’s clouded mind. Was he in love with George? Sure, they joke about it all the time and even their friends and fans like to join in on the banter, but it never really occurred to him that he actually might be in love with George.
Dream let out a deep, exasperated sigh, as he covered his face with his hands. Judging by the way he answered the quiz’s questions, even an idiot could tell he’s in love with George. Why couldn’t he just lie? Why does he always feel the need to be honest around George? Why can’t he be honest with himself? All of these questions and many others weigh down on Dream like a boulder, crushing him more and more as the confusion in his heart kept on piling. Dream stayed in that position, staring up at the deep void of the night, for hours as he questioned every interaction and conversation he had with George in their last five years of friendship.
In the morning, Dream woke up to the harsh summer sun and the feeling of the morning dew drops between his fingers. He found himself faced with a new challenge and in a new chapter of his life. He could honestly feel that last night was a turning point, a change in his life. Whether this change or chapter was a good or a bad thing? Dream would have to find out.