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"So, Dream, we heard that you have a boyfriend," Dream chuckles and shakes his head, "Care to elaborate?"
"Well, that's the question that everyone's waiting for, isn't it?" He receives a few laughs and cheers. "Yes I do, in fact, and… and I'm very much in love with him. He has my whole heart, and I believe he will for eternity." The audience show their delight with a few 'awwws'. "His name is George, and we've been together for almost 3 years, and, as you all know, only decided to become public just a month ago or so? He's very much like… a cat, you could say. Clingy, needing attention all the time, can be a bit of a pain at times but also adorable. We've made a little home together, and I'm planning to live my entire life with him." Dream turns to the camera.
"Just you wait, George, someday in the future, I'll propose to you and we'll get married."
George stops the recording. He turns to Dream with a smirk on his lips, amusement laced in every word. "You'll marry me?"
Dream playfully rolls his eyes, a smile toying at his lips. "No, George, I'm going to break up with you and you'll stay single forever."
George pouts and makes his way over to Dream, sitting at the table scrolling on his phone. He stops before Dream, making Dream look up to meet his eyes.
Dream huffs, head dropping for a second, a smile taking over his face as he leaves his phone on the table and takes George's hand in his, thumb rubbing over his left ring finger. As he kisses his hand, he meets George's gaze with a fond smile and nothing but pure love glazing his eyes.
"George Davidson, one day I will marry you, even if you are a pain in the ass sometimes. Most times." George lightly smacks Dream's arm, making him dramatically pout and hold his shoulder as if seriously hurt, earning a scoff from George.
Dream stands from his seat, pocketing his phone as he pecks George's lips and makes his way to the front door. "George, I'll be back by 8, okay? If shooting goes overtime I'll send you a text and you can start the movie on your own." With that, Dream grabs his keys and coat, waves at George and leaves the house.
---
"Can you tell us how you met?"
"That's actually a funny story. My friend was bugging me about finding someone to date, and so he kept setting me up on blind dates, because I would not go outside of my home. George was the only person who I genuinely liked and, as a bonus, he didn't know who I was, and so we had a dinner date and talked for a while after that. Turns out we had barely anything in common, but he was an interesting person and we talked to each other about our interests. I feel so lucky that he was so patient with me, and was willing to know everything about my interests. He's literally perfect."
George hears the door open and close again. It's almost half past eleven, and the movie they had decided on watching hasn't been touched, instead the recording was in place of it. George looks behind him to the threshold, eyes finding Dream's figure leaning against it. He looks at the screen and smiles. "You really love me talking about you, don't you?" Dream chuckles and makes his way over to George, dropping next to him on the couch. He lays his head on George's lap, and George cards his fingers through Dream's hair, an automatic gesture that's almost muscle memory by now.
"I love it. Massive ego boost." Dream smiles, hands holding George's face and dragging him down to meet his lips in a sweet kiss. It's cold as Dream steals George's warmth, yet so heartwarming as they stay connected in a slow kiss.
They pull apart and George resumes running his hand through Dream's hair, as they turn the recording off and start the movie.
---
"So, how has it worked out for both of you, with how for the majority of the time, you're out for shoots?"
"I mean, that has been an issue in our relationship before. It probably still is, but it's much less of a concern now, because we've learnt how to deal with it, with small text messages and calls between shoots. It's almost like a long distance relationship, except I'll always come back home to him at the end of the day. Sometimes, I'll have to go abroad for my shoots, but I'll always know that my George will be waiting back at home. He's always been the protective type." The audience melts into a disarray of soft coos. "I think that our love is what keeps us together, as cheesy as it is. He knows that I'll always love him and I know that he'll always love me."
Dream stirs from his slumber, eyes slowly fluttering open as George pauses the recording and looks down at Dream laying on his lap. He mutters something about a pretty boy and makes George laugh, and not long after, George turns the TV off and they make their way into their bedroom.
They automatically find each other in bed, cuddling close to each other and sharing each other's warmth, bodies connected in all places possible, and George kisses Dream's nose one last time before he falls into his own sleep.
---
"How was it for you, you know, falling in love with George?"
"Well, I always believed in getting to know someone before you actually fall in love with them. It was a matter of weeks really, before I really started to like this man. He was so honest with everything, and could keep any conversation going for hours, and we'd have sleepless nights of us just talking over text, over a phone call, over face time. It was even better when we moved in together - he was always there and I could talk to him anytime, kiss him anytime-" he's interrupted by a wolf whistle from the crowd. Dream laughs, "Overall, falling in love with George was the most beautiful thing I could've experienced."
The sound of George's ringtone makes him stop the recording and look over at his phone. Seeing the contact name, he picks it up with ease.
"Hello?"
"George, hello! I just wanted to check up on you. How are you?"
George smiles. It's been a while since he'd last talked to his mum. "I've been doing good, thank you. Just rewatching Dream's interview, have you seen it?"
"Yes, I have, actually! It was very interesting, and god, you know my heart melted when he talked about you. I'm so lucky to have him as a son-in-law!"
"Mum! Already? We haven't even acknowledged that yet, let alone talked about it!"
"Nothing's wrong with that though! Did you see the amount of times he spoke about marrying you in the interview? Oh god, I'm tearing up already!"
George blushes. It is true, the amount of times that he'd referenced to marrying him in the interview was too much to count on two hands, and it was all so endearing. "Mum! Still!"
"I mean, you never know George, he might be genuine."
---
"So, could you tell us a little about any dates you've been on?"
"Well, George is more of an indoors person. He likes to just cuddle and watch movies, or have a little homemade dinner date, you know, not the type to always want to go out. So, on the very few occasions that I manage to drag him out of our house, it's usually a dinner out, or watching a movie in a cinema, or a simple walk around a lake near us. Personally, I think our dinner dates are the best; after all, it is the way I met him, and he looks so goddamn gorgeous in the dark. Not that he doesn't always, it's just that the nighttime suits him a lot. There was one time, actually, when we'd gone out for dinner at this expensive restaurant, and it turns out we were at the restaurant when a proposal was happening, so we both cheered and then I turned to him and was like 'that's going to be us in the future,'" Dream turns to the camera and tries his best to wink but fails. "And he gives me the most adorable blush I'd seen on him. It was very cute."
"We're going on a date, George." George looks up at Dream, who's approaching the table George is sitting at. "Eight pm. Dinner date." Dream wiggles his eyebrows with excitement, and George groans and drops his head onto the table dramatically.
"Do we have to go? I'm tired." Dream makes his way to George, lifting his head and shaking his shoulders.
"Yes, George, we haven't gone out in months, I tell you, months." George puts on his best pout and puppy dog eyes, and looks up at Dream again. "Nope, that's not going to work." George frowns. "We're going no matter what, because I've already booked it, and it's a special restaurant."
George raises his eyebrow in confusion. "Why are we going somewhere special? Why not just go to like, a local restaurant?" Dream cards his hand through George's hair, a gesture that makes George lean into Dream's hand.
"Because I'm feeling a little special today. In the mood." George tries to stifle a laugh, but Dream quickly catches on."No! Not like that! I mean, unless you want to." Dream wiggles his eyebrows again.
"Dream!" Dream cackles, holding his hands up and moving towards the front door.
"I was joking! Just be ready by quarter to eight, okay? I need to pick something up, I'll be back to pick you up and we'll go." Dream picks his keys up and leaves, with one firm shut of the door. George sits at the table, a little confused at the cryptic message Dream had just left him with.
"Need to pick something up?" George mumbles. He thinks for a moment about what it could be, before deeming it not too important. It could be anything, he doesn’t need to know.
---
“This may be a little deep or personal, but it’s something that everyone has, I guess. Do you ever think of losing him?”
“Well that got deep very quickly,” Dream huffs, “I guess there will always be that fear somewhere in my heart of losing George, but I mean, that fear is always overlooked because of the way that George always shows his love and emotions. He wasn’t as open with me at the start of our relationship, but the closer we got, the more he learnt to trust me." Dream anxiously twiddles his thumbs on his lap. "But, of course, then again, there's always a fear in every relationship. I think it hurts a little more in my relationship with George because I couldn't ever imagine being without him, let alone losing him forever. He's one of the first people in my life that I've loved with my whole heart. As selfish as it is, I'd rather be dead than lose him." Dream huffs and brings a hand up to wipe the wetness in his eyes, his audience waiting, small sniffles once every now and then. "Without him, I'd be a lost cause."
George remembers no time when Dream has once been late to a set date. He's always been on time, sometimes even early for any special date, because he knows just how much George hates going outside. It's always been a thing, Dream arriving not a minute late to make sure George doesn't give up at the last second, eventually dragging him out and both of them having fun together. It's practically tradition now, with how many times it's happened.
George's eyes flick to the clock. 8:07. Maybe he's just running late. Maybe whatever he needed to pick up was taking a while. Whatever, it wasn't something he should be thinking overly about. Dream will turn up. He'll wait.
Ten minutes pass, then twenty. George has tried calling Dream seven times now, but no answer. It's nothing to worry about. Usually when Dream doesn't pick up, George receives a small text reassuring him, or a quick call that leaves Dream's sweet voice stuck in his head until he calls him again.
No texts. No calls. Not a single word from Dream reassuring him that he's okay. George, rightfully, starts to worry.
The sudden sound of his ringtone interrupts his train of thoughts. His head snaps to his phone on the coffee table, hurriedly picking it up to check who it was.
Dream's dad.
"Hello? Simon?"
"Uh, George? Are you at your house?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I'll be on my way in around 5 minutes, I have something to drop off. Just, make sure you don't leave the house, alright?"
"Okay," Simon cuts the call. It wasn't often that Dream's dad would call him, and even then, they were only for emergencies. There was something in his voice that showed that he was upset, and Dream wasn't here, and George is worrying, and this can't be good.
A few minutes later, there's a knock at his door and George is making his way to the front door with worried steps and confusion blatant on his face. He opens the door to reveal a very worried looking Simon, his eyes slightly glistening. It doesn't help much with how worried George is, but he doesn't voice this as he lets him enter with a step to the side, closing the door behind him.
"You look very nice, George. I'm guessing for the date today with Dream?"
George nods, small and confused. He figures Simon is avoiding a certain subject with the way the atmosphere seems thick enough to be able to run a hand through it, so he breaks his calm facade and lets his impatience show.
"Simon, what's wrong? Dream hasn’t shown up and you're acting all weird, just tell me what happened!" Simon's eyes find the carpet, and he sighs, before meeting George's eyes again.
"Now, uh, I know this will be hard for you to take in, and it's so unfortunate for this to happen to you, and honestly, I don't think even I have fully processed this information just yet, but… Dream was on his way to pick your ring up. For your engagement, to propose to you," George's eyes wells up with tears, the man in front of him being blurred by them. "And, uh, on his way back, he was obviously in a rush to get back to you, and this completely wasn't his fault, but a drunk driver…"
George tunes out of the conversation. He knows what's happened. It's clear, and he doesn't need to hear the end of it to put two and two together. He covers his mouth with his hand, letting the tears fall as he backs away from Simon, back colliding with the wall before he sinks to the ground.
Dream's gone. Forever.
Simon settles down beside him, offering his comfort in any way possible, quiet as he lets George mourn. George feels nothing, his body is numb and his brain is nothing but a mess of thoughts, with how Dream's special date was a proposal, how he had left to pick up George's ring, how he's never going to come back. It's not long before George is sobbing out loud, no care as he longs for Dream's touches again, his smile, his eyes, anything before he leaves for eternity. It's no use, crying over something that won't come back, but the tear tracks on George's face don't leave as he furiously wipes at his eyes, willing the tears away as he tries to recompose himself.
Both Simon and George sit in a tense silence, minds racing with thoughts and the loss of a loved one. It stung, and George could feel his throat closing up again, just managing to keep his tears away as he holds his breath and lets it out slowly.
"Now, I said that I had something to drop off. Knowing my son, I know that he'd want you to keep this," Simon reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small square box, opening George's hand and placing it inside.
A ring.
George chokes on a sob as he opens up the box, revealing a plain gold ring, with the word 'Dream' engraved on the centre. The tears stain his cheeks once again as he silently lets them roll down his face. He holds the ring in his palm, a reminder of their future, something they would have looked forward to, something that could've tied them together for eternity. Now, George stands alone without anyone to fall back on, no one to catch him as he still falls for the man over and over. It's becoming a repetitive motion, and each fall shoots pain through each and every limb as he crashes into nothing without any pauses.
With broken screams that are held in his body and a ring held tightly in his hand, he stands on his two feet and waits until Simon stands as well, eyes staring ahead and lifeless. He tries to remain calm, water still welling up in his eyes as he tries to keep the tears from falling once more.
"Uh, Simon? If it's okay with you, can I have some time alone?" George manages to find his voice, weak and broken but loud enough for Simon to have heard. Simon nods, making his way to the front door and opening the still unlocked door, before stopping in his tracks and turning his head.
"George, we're here for you. I know just how much you loved him, and trust me, he loved you just as much. Just know that you were like a son to us. You don't have to be alone." Simon sends a smile George's way, it doesn't meet his eyes but it provides somewhat of a comfort. He leaves the house with barely any sound.
It's eerily quiet. Not that it wasn’t before, when George was waiting for Dream to turn up, but something about the silence now makes it so much more worse. Dream’s not here. There are still parts of him stuck to the walls, hanging from nails and picture frames, but it’s not the same. It’s not the same because he's not here to touch, to feel, to breathe in.
George walks down the hallway with feet that drag with each step, taking him into the hall. His phone sits on the couch, untouched since the last phone call. It lies unblinking, unaware of the storm in George’s heart, the clouds that fill George’s mind, the lightning that strikes every vein in his body until he feels nothing but numbness. He makes his way over to his phone and turns it on. The light of the screen makes him squint his eyes for a moment before staring at his lock screen. It was a photo of George and Dream together, Dream’s arm wrapped around George’s shoulders, and George looking into the camera with a big smile plastered across his face. He remembers the time they took the photo; only after George saw the photo in his camera roll was when he saw that in fact, Dream wasn’t looking at the camera, but at him, with soft eyes and a small smile. He remembers immediately setting it as his phone screen and smiling whenever he’d open his phone.
Now, it hurts. It stings and burns in every place possible, memories of their life together floating to the top of his mind. It’s as if someone has plunged him into the ocean with no way out, constantly being pushed and pulled by waves of memories tinged with bittersweetness. The tears return, welling up in George’s eyes and blurring the picture in front of him. He throws his phone onto the couch and brings his empty hand up to his face, wiping his eyes of tears once again. He lifts his other hand and carefully opens it, the ring sitting in his palm, waiting.
George thinks about how excited Dream must have been and how long he must have planned this certain date for. It would've been perfect. Knowing Dream, he would've booked a date at their restaurant, the one they met at. The fact only does more to hurt him, rather than comfort him.
A life that they could've lived was waiting for them, just in front of them. A life where both of them would be happy, with each other, and no one else. They didn't need to be anything for anyone, they could've been married and together for life. But fate didn't like this. Fate had played its game. Maybe they were never meant to be, but George was grateful for their time spent together, even if the world didn't allow them to be together for life.
It didn't mean it didn't hurt though. It was as if half of himself was torn away from him, the other half only feeling pain and numbness. Memories of their relationship still washed through him, reliving a life they'd already had, mourning the loss of a life they could've had.
It was so selfish of him, of Dream, to leave him behind just before their engagement. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all, but what could George do? Go back to before Dream leaves and tell him not to leave? There's nothing he can do. He sits on the couch, turning the ring in his hands before carefully sliding it onto his ring finger, where it was meant to be. Where it should've been placed by the one he loves. It felt wrong, doing it himself. It only made him feel lonely. It only reminds him of what was meant to be. And it hurts, but George will not let go of the ring. It's the only solid memory of Dream that he has left.
He brings his legs up to his chest, and waits. He waits for Dream to return, to marry him.
---
"Katherine, please, take it. I can't have it with me. You know about me. I can't bear having it. Please, for me."
"George, I know what you're going through, again, he's my son, too. But you've got to keep it, otherwise there's no chance of you letting go of him."
"No, Katherine,you don't understand. I can't keep the recording, because it only makes me miss him so much more. The things he says in it, I can't take it! It's too much! It only reminds me of what we could've been," George's lower lip begins to tremble, but he holds back his tears with all the strength that he has left. "You don't understand. Please, I can't keep it." he whispers. George looks into Katherine's eyes, the same forest green as Dream's. It hurts.
With much reluctance, she holds out her hand for the recording. George carefully places it in her hands, looks at it longingly once more before looking up to meet Katherine's eyes again. It reminds him of Dream's eyes. Katherine nods, and George leaves.
---
People come and people go. It's normal in life, and it happens very often. To everyone. At one point in their lives, someone will leave. It's inevitable. In some cases, the person doesn't return. Maybe the loss of someone greatly loved by one individual hurts more than other losses, because half of their soul was given to the other, half of their heart. And as they realise that they will never get it back, they feel empty.
Empty is the feeling that George has been feeling. There's no longer tears or sleepless nights, it's simply as if everything was pulled away from him, a ribcage that no longer holds a heart. A heart that's been ripped away from him. It belongs to someone who is no more. Someone who walked out of his life without saying a goodbye.
People say that their last memory of someone is always blurry, because they don't know it's their last. The day that Dream had died is a hazy memory. An unexpected dinner date, unanswered calls, a ring, and a sleepless night spent mourning. It was all over the news the next morning. George didn't dare turn the television on. The funeral was worse. George couldn't get through the whole day, no one's attempt to comfort had worked. He was numb, and he was missing Dream.
As the months passed by, George stayed cooped up in his home, in their home. The very few times he had opened the front door was to let Dream's mum, Katherine in. She came every now and then to drop off groceries, to make homemade meals, to try and make him stay with them. George felt bad for her, having to deal with his state, but all Katherine would say was that it wasn't a bother and that she thought it was the least she could do.
Having decided to move back to England and stay with his parents, George sells the house. It was something that he'd always cherish as theirs, Dream and George's, but it was painful to sit in it all day and watch as the picture frames collected dust.
A young married couple bought the house. He was happy for them, but looking at them, he only sees what him and Dream could've been. He tries not to stare.
George starts packing his things, one by one, the house becomes a little emptier every day. Soon, his house was bare, almost no furniture, apart from the few that needed to be shipped. The walls were stripped of picture frames, carefully packed into a box somewhere, with treasured items. The only part of the house left to clear was the attic.
George makes his way to the attic, a place which wasn't entirely used, but a few stray boxes lie. He opens the door and is met with around five boxes, all dusty and filled to the brim.
By the time George is almost finished, four boxes have been opened and looked through. The last box remains, and he opens the box. A familiar recording catches his attention, and he picks it up carefully, wiping the dust away.
Did Katherine place it back without me knowing?
He regards it for a moment, remembering what exactly was on it. He steps back, debating on whether or not to rewatch it.
One last time.
He leaves the box and slowly makes his way downstairs, still giving the recording more thought before simply putting it in place and turning it on. He skips to the part that he knows he's watched over twenty times already, mouth dry with what memory he's about to relive.
He stops on the exact time, eyes flitting over the screen as he sees a familiar man, one he hasn't seen for months, sitting in the middle of the screen. His hair was a little fluffed up, he sat in a tight fitting suit, and he had a gorgeous smile on his face.
Dream.
He looks almost exactly the same as the last time he saw him. A few months ago, now, still a blurry memory but clear enough. A smile on his face, happiness that filled his eyes, and love. George sighs.
He plays the recording. He tries not to break as he hears Dream's sweet voice again. His laugh. His beautiful eyes. His humour. His charm. George bites on his lip as he keeps it from trembling again. He can't cry. Not when he's moved on. Not when he's leaving their life together behind. Yet he can't help as the tears slowly build up in his eyes before tracking down his face. He watches Dream turn to the camera through blurry eyes, trying to hold his tears back. He knows what's coming.
"Just you wait, George, someday in the future, I'll propose to you and we'll get married."
The recording becomes white noise in the background as he looks down at his hand. The ring sits on his finger, still, and he twists it, revealing the writing on it.
Dream.
He can't help but let the tears fall. He's meant to be moving on, not sitting here and mourning for a man who won't come back. He's never going to return. And George knows this. Still, he sits, waiting.
"I'm still waiting, Dream. I'll wait as long as it takes."