Dreamcatcher (Connor)

Peace and quiet was always such a welcoming thing. With life as hectic as it is right now it is nice to step back and think about how far you have come and how far you have yet to go. I enjoy being left alone with my thoughts as I sit by the lake, drawing in my sketch pad, and watch as time seems to stand still around me.

Ever since I was a little girl I had always had an affinity for nature and all things wild. As I grew older it soon turned into a passion of mine as I became fascinated by wildlife. As a determined young teen, I made sure to study hard, hoping that I would get accepted into university. It was hard, as was expected, but all that hard work paid off. Although all of it was at a great cost to my social life, for I never made any true friends, nor did I ever get to experience real life as a teenager. Strange enough as it was, I never did mind back then, because my future was all that really mattered to me. It was foolish of me to think of such things at that time but it was what I truly believed.

All the same my family wished me luck as I headed out into the real world. I moved into a small apartment that was relatively close by to my university. I felt so confident at that point that I felt nothing was going to get me down. However, once I had started my first few weeks at university, I found it rather difficult to make any new friends. I was shy and rather socially awkward. I didn't know how to fit in well and tended to be alone most of the time. Although I did make at least one friend or two, I usually went by unnoticed by everyone, and I would just sit by and watch everyone else have a good time.

I decided to change all of that. I needed to experience life more, do some things out of my comfort zone, and hopefully get my confidence up. So I did just that. I ended up getting a part time job at a local café in town and it ended up being a really nice job where I would have to deal with customers all day which helped me with my social skills and helped me out of my shell a little. I had made a few more friends by then and I was starting to enjoy life a whole lot more. I was still a little introverted somewhat but I felt that I was a better person through my short time at university. It has been half a year since I had started and I was really happy. But the one thing that I loved the most was the peace and quiet.

And so I sat by the lake, thinking about all that has happened to me, and appreciating what I had been given and what I have now. I took a break from my sketching as I gazed out over the water, where the ducks swam lazily across the surface of the water, quacking every now and then. The water was such a beautiful sight, clear and still, I always enjoy coming out here. I smiled ever so slightly. I wished everything could stay this peaceful.

I was soon stirred from my thoughts however when something cold and wet touched my leg. I jumped a little, startled by the contact, and looked towards the thing that touched me. A big husky stood next to me as its nose touched my leg and it looked up to me with big soft eyes. The husky then started to nudge my hand a little, signalling that it wanted a pat, and I giggled softly at the big furry creature and pet its head.

"Sorry for that, he doesn't mean to bother anyone, he just has a soft heart," I heard a deep and soft voice say. It turned to see a young man, possibly around my age, approach me as he called his dog back to him. The husky obeyed as it went back to its master.

I politely stood as I turned to the stranger. "You don't have to apologise, really, your dog didn't bother me at all," I smiled and the stranger smiled back.

"I'm glad for that. He can be a real handful sometimes," the stranger said as he pet the husky on the head. It was then silent for a few seconds, neither of us really knowing what to say next, but for some reason I could not take my eyes off of his face. His skin was tanned, strong jawline, shoulder length hair tied back, and piercing golden eyes. He seemed to be of Native American decent… but he certainly was handsome. "Do you live around here?" he asked me then, snapping me out of my gaze, and I felt my cheeks heat up as I realized how long I had stared.

"Uh… yes I do, my apartment isn't too far from here," I answered him, albeit a little nervously, and I prayed that he did not notice.

"Oh," he started, "It's just that I have not seen you around here before," he added then.

"Well… that is, I have only lived here for six months," I am studying at the university," I explained then.

"What is it that you are studying," he asked me then, and It was so sudden and I had never been asked such a thing before, mostly because no one seemed to care all that much. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry… I just-"

"No… no it's fine. No one has ever asked me such a thing before. Anyway, I am actually studying Zoology; I hope to work with wild animals one day," I said then, and although I felt rather embarrassed telling all of this to a stranger, I felt that this man was different.

"That sounds wonderful," he simply said, seeming rather interested in my dream, and that made me feel warm on the inside.

"Thank you," I replied as we smiled towards each other. Soon his husky started to get impatient as it whimpered at its owner, telling him that he wanted to continue their walk, and I couldn't help but laugh lightly. "I shouldn't keep you two from your walk. It was nice meeting you…" I started to say but I couldn't finish for I did not know his name.

"My name is Connor," he simply said.

"Connor," I repeated and it seemed to widen his smile a small touch.

"Will I see you here again?" there was some hope in his voice as he asked me this. I was going to say no, but a part of me wanted to say yes, and so I opted for the latter.

"Yes, I think so, perhaps tomorrow then?" he nodded and soon he and his dog continued on their walk.

For the next month I would always look forward to sitting by the lake and waiting for Connor to come by. We would walk his dog together as we talked with each other. We talked about our interests, where we grew up, how our day has been and even to what we had planned for the next day. As the days went by I started to feel something towards Connor, however, I was too afraid to tell him anything in fear that he might not feel the same towards me and I would ruin our friendship.

By the second month Connor would visit me at the café where I worked and it soon got to the point though where my co-workers would ask me if I was dating him. I would profusely tell them that such a thing was not the case and that we were only friends… but that did not convince them.

When Connor and I were not together we would text each other occasionally. Those texts soon became more frequent and we had gotten to the point that by the third month we would both wish each other a good morning and a good night. It soon had me believing that there could be something more between the two of us. So by the fourth month all my doubts about our relationship disappeared with a very thoughtful gift.

"Are you alright?" we were walking by the lake like we have been doing since we met. I had been feeling rather tired lately and I guess it must have showed which is why he asked such a question.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," I replied, not wanting Connor to worry any more than he does. I had told him last month about how I experience nightmares occasionally. As a result I don't sleep often and I am tired often. Connor didn't seem too convinced with my response, I let out a sigh, and I gave him the real answer. "I… just had more nightmares recently," I spoke timidly, feeling rather embarrassed about my predicament.

"Are they getting worse?" I nodded. There was silence for a short time before he spoke again, "I've never asked before, and if you don't mind me asking, what are your dreams about?" I thought about it for a moment before I replied.

"I'm not sure, I can never really remember… I always wake with a start though," I added. Connor responded with a hum but we never continued that conversation and moved onto other topics.

We soon finished our walk and headed to where we parked our cars. This was when we usually bid each other farewell and head home. But this seemed rather different, and Connor seemed as if he had more to say, and he had to clear his throat before he did.

"Actually… I-I have something that I wanted to give you," he spoke nervously as he reached into his car and pulled out a small box. He gently handed it to me and I simply stared at it. "Open it," he encouraged. Listening to his instruction I carefully opened the box and upon looking inside I saw a beautifully crafted dreamcatcher.

"Connor… this is…" I couldn't find the words to say as I lifted the object from the box and examined it.

"I made it for you… for your nightmares," he smiled as he watched me place the dreamcatcher back in the box.

"This is beautiful Connor, thank you. This really means a lot to me," I looked up to him and smiled brightly. It seemed as if Connor wanted to say something more, but he only brought me into a hug, which I returned gratefully and soon we both drove off to our homes.

It was such a peaceful night. I had finished some studying, cooked a warm meal, and sat down on my bed to read a good book. I glanced up at the head of the bed and looked to the dreamcatcher that hung there, and I smiled widely, feeling very appreciative of Connor's gift. I should have told him today about how I truly felt. I should have told him that I wanted to be more than friends. And what I really wanted to say most today was that I love him. But I was just too nervous to say anything or do anything about it. I really do appreciate the friendship that we share, but I often wish that we could be something… more. I sighed heavily as I continued to read my book, trying to take my mind off of such things. Before too long I started to grow tired and figured that I should get some sleep, however, there was a sudden knock at the door. It gave me quite a fright but I headed to the door all the same.

"Who is it?" I asked before even thinking about opening the door as I was not sure who it could have been.

"It's me, Connor, may I come in?" I heard Connor's muffled voice from the other side of the door. I opened the door up then and sure enough Connor was standing on the other side.

"Connor? Do you know how late it is… what are you doing here?" I questioned suddenly and he brought his hands up to stop me from talking further.

"May I come in, I have something important to tell you," his eyes held such determination and as I let him into I wondered what was so important. I closed the door and we stood together in the living room. He seemed rather nervous, but a lot more confident than before, and he was intent on telling me what was on his mind. "We have known each other for quite some time now, and I appreciate our friendship, I really do… but…" he tried to find the words to say but he seemed at a loss.

"Connor," I spoke, trying to calm his nerves, and hopefully encourage him to continue. He then held both of my hands gently in his and he stepped closer to me, never breaking eye contact, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"I want us to be more than friends, I want to be there for you more, and I want to be a part of your life," I stared in disbelief; I couldn't believe that this was real. Did he truly have feelings for me? "I love you," at that moment time seemed to come to a standstill. The silence was heavy as Connor waited for a response. He loves me… he really does love me.

"… I love you too," I finally said, and it seemed as if Connor heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly his lips crashed down onto mine as he pulled me into a passionate kiss. A kiss that I returned with as equal passion. In that moment I knew that I loved Connor more than anything… and I would not have it any other way.

So here is another little... uh... one shot I guess you could call it. I guess I'm going to eventually do that with this Fanfic. So any OC's I put in these are going to be nameless, but I don't feel comfortable writing a Reader Fic, mostly because I feel that there is a lack of creativity there... I dunno. But you can just pretend that you are the person that falls in love I guess.

Anyway, Happy Reading

-Midnight