Dandelion Lover

"I was alone, all over again, in a forest I had never even seen before; I could see myself reflected into the cold emeralds eyes that were following me no matter where I ran. Puffs of white mist were escaping my lips as I exhaled each time, taking a bigger, more definite form with each breath.

I was paralyzed by fear but I knew I had to run, to get away from the laughter that was becoming louder each time I took a step. Instead of running away, it seemed that I was running in the direction that the laughter was coming from.

As I stopped a second to look for a way out of the thick forest, I felt something reach out and grab my leg. It wasn't a hand; it felt more like I had stumbled into something while staying still; however, whatever was holding me down was crawling up my leg, swirling around it, confining my moves even more.

I was too scared to look and, in a panic, I closed my eyes. Even if I was to die, I didn't want to see the moment it happened. Then I woke up." I told my grandmother over coffee.

"You must be careful today, I don't think it's a good sign to be feeling constricted and scared in a dream. You should throw some salt over your shoulder before you go out tonight." my grandmother responded while taking her medicine with the black coffee she always had at breakfast.

She was a true believer in superstitions and would often make me do silly rituals to ward off evil. At first, I had been hesitant, but then I'd noticed it made her feel like I was safer after performing them, so I had just stopped complaining.

I made sure to avoid telling my grandma that those cold green eyes that had been following me and the slightly hoarse laughter I had heard were awfully similar to that of my boss. I also "forgot" to mention Rob being in that dream, taking me in his arms as I was petrified by fear, and holding me in a warm embrace.

"It probably just means that I'm tired or have watched too many horror movies lately." I tried to reassure her while drinking the last of my coffee.

"I'm going to take a bath then start preparing for tonight. You know it takes me forever to get ready." It was true, it literary took me hours to make something of my hair and apply makeup, something other girls did in 10 minutes.

Slowly exiting the kitchen I went to my room and turned on my computer. Every weekend was the same thing: I got up, drank my coffee with my gran, then turned to the computer for company.

I rarely went out, and usually only on special occasions such as the birthdays of my few friends, or to buy stuff I couldn't order in. I was quite lazy when it came to this. I looked through the many folders of music on my PC and finally picked a few upbeat ones to make me snap out of my laziness. After the music started I began to feel nervous and excited at the same time.

I got my new dress out and struggled to find the pale pink shoes stored in my cupboard. I also remembered to turn on the water for a bath and started looking online for a hairdo to try on tonight. I browsed through some online videos of how to do it yourself and found a simple side-swept that I thought would work with my outfit.

It took a few hours for me to finish with my bath, change into my dress, do my makeup and my hair as best as I could. The hair was indeed quite easy to fix and for the makeup I just left it as natural as possible, using only some foundation, blush on my cheeks so I wouldn't look like I was sick, some mascara and a hint of eyeliner which I had to re-apply a couple of times thanks to my fumbling hands.

I still had around half an hour before Ann would pick me up together with Adrian, but I was ready. Using a small pink bottle of perfume, I sprayed around me and fell into the usual daydream where I mapped out all the possible scenarios of me tripping over stuff, bumping into people, spilling drinks and even falling when dancing, not that I would ever go near a dance floor.

Soon I heard my phone buzz and after bidding my grandma good night I stepped outside to look for Ann.

We arrived at the bar in no time and took a seat at our reserved spot which was also the meeting point for all of us. Similar to how we were sited at the office, Adrian was staying between Ann and Jonny, I was right beside her and Rob was somehow sitting next to me.

Soon the drinks were brought and we all started drinking, inventing games to have shots, and playing truth and dare.

Not long afterward, Gray arrived together with Vivian, as Ann so "innocently" noticed, and the party was in full swing. Adrian was the first to get drunk, followed by Jonny and Ann. I myself was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the loud music and my eyes were always under attack from the many lights shining all around.

I took the chance when everyone was dancing to slip outside for some fresh air. I was just thinking how chilly it had gotten outside, as my hands felt the need to wrap around my arms in a feeble attempt to keep warm.

I was a bit taken aback when firm arms wrapped around me and I felt warmth envelop me like a blanket. For some reason, the first face that flashed before my eyes was that of Gray, and as I started panicking and wanted to make a move to escape the grasp, I heard a lazy voice shush me.

"I just want to keep you warm," Rob said using his arms to pull me even closer in his embrace. His chin was rested on top of my head and I could feel his c.h.e.s.t slowly moving up and down, making my heart beat rapidly. I was definitely not used to this much skinship but it wasn't bad. Rob was an attractive man, friendly and kind and would always help me out. If it was him, it wasn't against all odds for us to become happy together.

"Why so quiet?" Rob said turning me to face him and grabbing me in his arms once again.

"You know, I always thought you were very cute." he continued and with every breath he took, my face was becoming similar to a tomato, my breathing became rough and I was unsure how to act.

Seeing that I wasn't saying anything, he raised his hand just bellow my cheek, cupping my chin and slowly moved my face upwards, forcing me to look into his shiny brown eyes. He was probably intoxicated but so was I, and in just a short moment his face closed up to mine and his lips were on my own, at first searching, asking for permission, then more violently looking for a way to capture my attention.

I felt like I was melting in his arms, making me forget where we were. It had been some time since the last time of having been kissed and now I realized I had missed the feeling. After what felt like a good half an hour or so, he let go of my lips and looked at me with a smirk on his face.

"And now you're mine." He simply stated with an authoritative voice and without waiting for my answer, we returned to the loud bar, taking our place at the table. Without fully registering what had happened, between the alcohol, the music, and the dancing, I pushed the memory back in my head. I would worry about it tomorrow.