Chapter four
The afternoon faded into twilight as the group settled in at Adam's for the night. Trini had long since left for the airport, sorry that she could not stay longer, but grateful to be returning to her family. Kim and Heather set themselves up in the spare bedroom while Tommy, Jason, and Billy prepared for a camp out on the floor of the living room.
Thankful to finally be back in his sweats, Tommy walked down the hall from the bathroom towards the living room. Jason was lounging on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. He held the remote control in a death grip, cursing to himself that out of the 300 or so channels there was absolutely nothing worth watching on TV.
"Where is everyone?"
Jason sighed loudly and tossed the remote onto the table. "Adam's in bed, Kim's out back on the phone, and Billy and Heather are in the dining room talking about God knows what."
Tommy glanced into the dining room where Billy and Heather sat at the table huddled around Billy's laptop, engaged in what seemed like a private conversation. He still wasn't really sure why Billy had brought her to Adam's or what this big secret of his was, but his gut told him to trust Billy's instincts. When he was ready to share his important news with his friends, he would. Tommy turned his attention to the French doors leading out of the living room onto the back deck. Through the glass panes, he could see Kim sitting on the porch swing lazily swaying back and forth. She was talking on her cell phone. Probably to her fiancé, he surmised.
As she finished her conversation and put her phone away, Tommy decided that he wanted to talk to her. They hadn't really had time for conversation earlier, and he knew it was time. He stepped outside into the chilly night air and silently cursed himself for not grabbing a jacket.
"Hey there," He said simply.
Kim didn't seem to be surprised at his appearance. "Hey back, wanna sit?"
He settled himself next to her. He had initially thought that being so close to her would be awkward at the very least, but there was only the warm, friendly comfort that had always accompanied Kim's presence.
"We haven't gotten a chance to catch up." The words sounded lame compared to the poignant lyrics he would have like to have spouted.
Kim simply smiled. "You're right. Tell me what you've been up to."
"Not much really, odd jobs here and there, nothing much to speak of. I just can't figure out what I want to do. What will make me happy, you know?"
She nodded. "I totally get it. But it's okay, Tommy. Most people can't decide what makes them happy. The most we can hope for is that the decisions we make lead us in that general direction."
Tommy grinned at her. "Wow, I never thought of it that way. Usually people are always telling me to make up my mind...settle down."
She shook her head. "At least you haven't gotten yourself tied into something that makes you miserable. I think keeping your options open is a smart thing to do, whether it's in your career or relationships."
A silence fell over them as Tommy looked out at the trees in the yard, taking in her words. Then he looked at her. "What about you? Engaged, huh? I guess your choices have led you in the right direction."
Kim blushed slightly. "Yeah, I guess I've been lucky."
Another silence.
"I'm really happy for you Kim."
She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. She couldn't believe that she had kept her distance for so long from someone who had at one time been her best friend. She suddenly felt very stupid. "Thanks, Tommy."
Before she knew what was happening, she leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his chest.
"I've really missed you." She found herself talking into his shirt.
He smiled and laid his cheek on her hair. "Me, too."
Billy sighed as he closed his laptop. "This is all a little hard to digest, Heather."
"I know, but I'm hoping if we can get everyone else on board, we can get to the bottom of this."
He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm beat. We're gonna have to move forward in the morning. I'm going to change, then hit the couch."
She nodded. "I think I'll fix some tea and head to bed myself."
"Good night." Billy stood. "You'll look in on me tonight?"
"Of course. Good night."
As Billy departed Heather walked into the kitchen. After locating the tea kettle, she filled it with water and set it on the stove. From the kitchen window, she could see out onto the back porch. She saw Kim and Tommy wrapped up in a friendly embrace, and she smiled. It was always promising to see a reconnecting friendship. Those connections were going to be of the utmost importance if her suspicions were correct.
In the living room, Jason had finally had enough of the TV. He threw the remote down and walked into the kitchen, stopping short when he saw Heather standing by the stove. Without a word, he reached for a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink.
"Tired to the tube." It was a statement rather than a question.
"Yeah, I suppose." He followed her gaze out the window and saw Kim and Tommy on the porch.
"They're reconnecting." She said. "Two people who had an intimate relationship are finding each other again."
"What are you psychic now?"
She smiled. "Just a conscientious observer. It doesn't take a psychic to see that they had something special once. And the dissolution of that relationship has kept them apart for far too long."
He put his glass down and confronted her. "Since you're such a 'conscientious observer', then I guess that you know that I don't trust you, and I'm still not exactly clear why Billy has brought you here."
"I'm here to help you."
"Help with what?" He was getting frustrated not getting a straight answer.
Sighing, Heather decided to level with him. "Each of you has a special gift; a gift that used to be a part of your everyday lives. Somewhere along the way, those gifts got lost to your subconscious. I'm still not sure if it was a result of something external or if you have all blocked it out yourselves."
"And all of this stems from some crazy mind games that you've been playing with Billy. Well, I'll tell you what, sister, I am not buying it. Not without some kind of tangible proof."
"You want proof?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Alright, then. You go on to bed. By morning, you will have your proof."
Jason stopped suddenly weary that she was playing some head game with him. "Why not now?"
Heather sighed in frustration. "Jesus, do you have to be so difficult. Patience is a virtue. So, you'll just have to wait."
He stared at her for what seemed like forever, trying to find answers in her gaze. He found nothing. "Fine, we'll do this on your terms. But if in the morning, I don't get the proof I want, you're outta here. Agreed?"
"Fine." She lifted her chin defiantly.
"Fine." With that, Jason spun on his heel and retreated back into the living room. As he fixed his blanket on the floor, he wanted to believe that come morning she would be out of their lives, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind was beginning to make him uncertain.
Despite the warmth of Tommy next to her, Kim shivered slightly.
"You cold?" That was a stupid thing to say, he thought as he released her.
"Yeah, and really tired. I should go to bed."
Tommy stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah, I could use a few zzz's myself."
When Jason had finally settled his mind enough to allow him to sleep, he found himself sitting at small round table in a large smoky room, crowded with people. The neon on the walls seemed to glare at him as the techno music threatened to split his ear drums. He was staring at a set of maroon velvet curtains that he could tell hid a stage behind them.
A young, cute waitress stopped at his table, smiled brightly and left a drink on his table that he didn't remember ordering. He sipped it and grimaced as the unmistakable bite of tequila burned its way down his throat.
Suddenly, the music stopped and the lights dimmed as the crowd around him began to take their seats. The room grew silent as the curtains began to open to a large almost empty stage, save for a large platform that ran the length of the back wall. As the stage lights came up in the back, five silhouettes, decidedly female, could be made out standing on the platform. A slow, moving rhythm began to play as a light fog began to penetrate the stage. One by one, the figures emerged downstage and into the light, each singing in a low, sultry voice that would bring any man to his knees.
Jason was mesmerized by the five women, swaying and gyrating their hips to the beat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something seemed vaguely familiar about them. He knew that he didn't recognize any of the faces, but it was their clothes. They were all dressed in very slinky, very sexy satin dresses, but each was a different color. Red, blue, black, yellow, and pink. Something about the colors hypnotized him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out the significance.
"Wow, that's quite an imagination that you have." A female voice purred in his ear.
He jumped and blushed as he realized that he had been staring at the scantily clad women on the stage. Then he turned and glared at Heather, who was now sitting right next to him.
"Don't worry," she smirked. "I won't tell anyone."
He rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"
She reached forward and took his hand in her own. "I want to show you something."
Suddenly, Jason found himself standing in another large room. But there was no music, no stage, and no hot dancers. Instead, the room was nearly empty save for a large fireplace casting an orange light on a single table centered with candles and a vase of flowers.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Heather who was still standing next to him smiled. "You wanted answers. I'm prepared to give you a taste." When he looked at her in utter confusion, she continued. "When I was seventeen, I discovered that I had this...gift. I could enter into other people's dreams and take an active part, if I chose to do so. I can take people anywhere they want to go, at any time." Jason raised a skeptical eyebrow. She sighed. "Just watch."
She closed her eyes and raised her hands slightly. A soft, romantic stream of music began to lilt through the room. Two currents of smoke appeared from nowhere on opposite ends of the room. As Jason watched, two figures began to manifest before his eyes. As they became clearer, he immediately recognized them. Tommy and Kim.
The pair looked dazed as they stared at each other in wonderment, neither saying a word. Then, as if swayed by the music, they began to approach each other.
"Can they see us?" Jason was amazed as the scene unfolded in front of him. Tommy and Kim stood face to face now, talking in hushed voices that he could not make out.
"Only if we want them to. But for now, no, they can't see us."
Jason was beginning to feel lightheaded. "Okay, so are they in my dream, or am I in theirs?"
"Actually, we're all sharing the same dream."
He turned away from Kim and Tommy to look her in the eye. "And you did all this. Can you control them?" Suddenly he was afraid of the answer, because if she could control them, then she could control him. He started feeling very anxious.
Heather shook her head. "I can only manipulate the dream, not the people. Anything they do is of their own volition."
Tommy blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. He had been on a fishing trip that he and Adam had gone on not too long ago, and then he was staring across the room at Kim. He shrugged as he moved toward her. What the hell? It could be worse.
He towered almost a foot taller than her as she stared up at him, her eyes mirroring the same questions that were flying through his own head. "Tommy," she found it hard to even say his name. "What are we doing here?"
Not really sure how to answer, all he could say was, "I think we're dreaming."
Kim found herself being swayed by the soothing music as she watched the fire light flicker across his handsome features. She gave him a sassy smile. "Is it my dream or yours?"
Feeling a little lightheaded, Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"
"I guess not." The prospect of playing the dream out with no consequences to speak of was making Kim feel a little brave. "I mean, if it is only a dream..." The words stopped in her throat as his lips met hers in a dizzying kiss that suddenly made her weak in the knees.
"Holy shit!" Jason blurted out as Tommy and Kim locked lips.
Heather shook her head. "Very poetic."
"I'm just...well; I'm shocked to be honest." Jason had seen the pair kiss in high school. In fact, they did it so much that it got downright annoying. But he never expected to see it happen again.
"You know the expression 'I drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts?'" He nodded. "Dreams are kinda like that. People can be more expressive in dream without any fear of consequence or retaliation."
They watched as the scene began to heat up as hands began to roam around bodies and kisses became more passionate. Finally, Tommy reached for Kim's shirt and began to pull it upwards.
"Uh, oh." Heather said. "Time to go."
Jason stared as Kim's shirt went over her head and landed on the floor at their feet. "Come on, it's just getting good."
She rolled her eyes, "Would you want your friends spying on you while you were getting in your dreams?"
He shrugged in defeat. "Alright, let's go. But could you send me back to the cabaret show with the hot singers? That was quite nice."
"You're incorrigible." With a wave of her hand, they disappeared.
Jason sat straight up and shook his head his head as he found himself staring at the bright blue clock on Adam's DVD player. It was the only illumination that told him that he back on Adam's floor, Tommy and Billy on either side of him, snoring peacefully. What a crazy fucking dream, he thought as he dropped his head in his hands. He had truly never thought that he would see the day that he would be having wet dreams about his two of his best friends. He pounded his palm against his forehead, trying to erase the image from his mind. Finally, he lay back down and tried desperately to bring back the girl's on the stage.