Dreamt of a stranger

 "Who are you? Why are you familiar to me?" I asked a stranger. He smiled. His smile was ravishing. I couldn't tell whether it was real or not. I tried to pinch myself but he grabbed my hands. He didn't even talk a word to me. He brought me far from our so-called friends whom I couldn't recognize. Countless questions haunted me. He was wearing a simple silk shirt with white pants. Far from our tent. Far from the fire, we set up. I didn't remember anything that happened but I knew the story. It felt like a fairy tale that I dreamed of. We sat at the edge of a cliff. He held my hands tightly. At that moment, I did trust him. The shiny stars and the bright moon in a dark forest were all I could ask for. The chill breeze made me shiver.

Both of us looked down. Both of us were shy of something that we couldn't explain to each other yet. I heard a melody. It was surreal. I saw a shooting star. I closed my eyes tightly and prayed to God, "Please don't make this another dream," I kept saying to myself. When I opened my eyes, I saw my mother standing right in front of me with a disgusted look at me. I woke up calmly. I couldn't accept the fact that someone kept appearing in my dream, never spoke to me. He was too familiar but I couldn't remember his face vividly. "Get up! You're late for class," my mother roared at me. I climbed down from my comfortable bed and took a bath. She lunged out, "Make yourself breakfast. We're in hurry," I yawned as I saw the car moving far from our house. I kept thinking about the dream. That was a weird dream. I saw him more than once. Was it a sign of something?

I looked at my buzzing phone. "Ugh. Online classes," I groaned as I looked at the new assignments and tests I had. All of sudden, my eyes met the window of my neighbour. It was uncanny. There was no one in that house. Someone moved in. It was a young man that seemed as same age as me. I peeked through my window. It was a serene view till my teacher screamed my name. "Ms Avery Hillton! Pay attention to the class," she said dramatically. I apologized but something deep inside me kept whispering, "He's here." I waited for the class to be over already. I remember fantasizing about studying with devices when I was just a kid. It turns out not as fun as I fantasized. This pandemic just made everything worse. We battled with mental health instead of quality studies. We prepared for the worse and were expecting the best.

"Today's class is over. Ms Avery Hillton, update me on the attendance," she barked at me. She could have been nicer but I ignored her. I updated her on the attendance list of today's class. As ahead of the class, it was not fun to be known by the teachers sometimes. I had an hour break before my next class. It wasn't as bad as it usually been. I went near the window to take a clearer look. It was him. I was stunned to look at him. It was the same silk shirt and white pants. He smiled and waved at me. The smile was just perfect. I knew it was him.

"Hey! What's your name?" I yelled. He disappeared. I was quite upset. I went downstairs. My mother and father left for work. They worked as doctors. My stomach growled. I looked at the refrigerator for meals but there were just ingredients. An egg would never be enough for me. Suddenly, I heard the doorbell ringing. "Coming," I lunged out as I rushed towards the door. I answered the door. To my surprise, it was him, standing with a brown box. I was shell-shocked. He was staring at me. "So, you don't want to invite me in?" He asked. I felt awkward. "Sorry. Please come in," I greeted him. I looked at his hands. It was the exact similar hands that grabbed mine to stargaze.

"What's your name?" he asked me right before I asked him. "It is Avery. You can call me Ave. What's your name?" I asked him. He chuckled. He lent me the box he brought. "I saw you in my dreams and you said the same name," he blushed. My jaws hit hard on the ground. "I'm Haxton. Haxton Benjamin Stark," he said. I couldn't believe it. Was it destiny or a sign? A man that I met in my dreams was sitting right before my eyes. He had the same dreamy blue eyes. His messy curls were just perfect. I knew him the moment he smiled at me. No one had such a ravishing smile like he did. I explained he was in my dreams as well. We were both shocked but then we spent a great thirty minutes. He gave me delicious doughnuts that were just a chef's kiss.

He came over for days. Days become months. We were good friends. I still had dreams about him but we dreamed the same scenery. We went to places that we wished we could in dreams together. When we wake up, we meet each other and talk about our mysterious dreams. "Are you sure that we are normal?" I asked him whenever we feel creepy. "It's just special for us. The universe is trying to prove us something," he answers words to words without any changes every time. After seven years, I was addressed as Mrs Haxton. It was still sweet creepy memories of us meeting in each other's dreams. Maybe the universe did give us a sign. Maybe we were meant for each other. Maybe these were the dreams that were meant to be real. I guess I met him for a reason. For a lovely, enchanting and mesmerizing reason. 

(The dream is actually based on a real story)