Chapter 2: Wake Unto Me
Cold winter sunlight seeped through the blinds on the bedroom windows, slowly pulling the room's occupant back to wakefulness. "Hm, it's New Year's Eve," Syd said sleepily, pulling the covers back over her head. "I need to sleep in so I can stay up."
A second later, those same covers were tossed onto the floor. "New Year's Eve!!" she exclaimed, sitting upright in bed. "Vaughn's coming over for dinner tonight! I've got to get up, I've got to get ready, I've got to... Wait... it is real, isn't it? It doesn't feel like it's a dream this morning, but maybe it is."
But before she had time to get worked up, the phone rang, answering all her questions. A wide grin crossed her face as she threw herself across the bed to reach the handset. "Good morning Vaughn!"
"How's my beautiful dreamer today?" he asked, just as he had every morning this week.
"Fully aware that she's not dreaming," she answered, her smile growing even bigger. "And I wasn't dreaming yesterday when we went to the park, or the day before when you brought me flowers, or the day before that when we just sat at home and watched a movie."
"And just like dinner tonight at your place will be real," he added.
"Speaking of which, I supposed I should start getting ready," she said, reluctant to hang up.
"I'll let you go then, but I'll see you at 7:00," he promised.
"See you at 7:00," she echoed, staying on the line until he hung up.
Syd turned the phone off and laid back on the bed, her eyes closed as a smile spread across her face. Vaughn had given her a wake up call every morning this week, starting on the 27th. "That was a surprise," she mused as she rose from the bed and grabbed her robe.
She was still thinking about the week, especially her morning calls, when she stepped into the shower a few minutes later. "I was so afraid when I woke up on the 26th that it had all been a dream, and that I'd get up to find Lauren still here and Vaughn still married..." she said, unable to suppress a shudder as she remembered the rest of that day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Vaughn?" she said, staring at him as he stood in her doorway. "You're really here, right? This isn't a dream?"
"I'm really here," he promised, letting her reach out to make sure with her own hands.
Once she made contact with his solid chest, she threw herself into his arms. "I was so afraid! I woke up and I couldn't remember if it was a dream or not... I've had so many dreams about you coming back to me and I didn't know if it had all been another one," she choked out."
"Oh Syd," he whispered, holding her close until she calmed down. "Now listen to me," he said firmly a few minutes later as she took a step back. "I'm here and I will always be here, so the faster you get used to that idea, the faster we can get on with the rest of our lives."
"That sounds really good," she said shakily. "So... would you like some coffee?" she offered, trying to cover up her emotions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But he always did know me too well," she muttered as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. "He could tell I was still afraid he would disappear... the next morning, the calls started."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Who are you and why are you calling me so early?" she half muttered, half yelled into the receiver.
"This is your wake up call, beautiful dreamer," a familiar voice said.
"Vaughn? Is that you?" she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Why are you calling me?"
"So you know that yesterday we really did make cookies together, and remember that today we're going to go to Blockbuster and take the whole store home with us."
"You called so I wouldn't freak out like I did yesterday?" she asked, overwhelmed.
"I told you I'd always be here, I just figured now was as good a time to prove it as any," he answered nonchalantly.
"Vaughn... you're buying the popcorn," she said with a smile before hanging up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But today, today I finally didn't need him to call to know it was real," she realized as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping her towel around herself and reaching for her brush. "Today, even though it still felt too good to be true, I knew it wasn't just a dream."
She watched her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair. It was a face she'd known all her life, and yet there were still surprises there. She hadn't really thought she could ever fully accept that Vaughn was hers again, but apparently the recuperative powers of... "of love," she whispered... apparently they were stronger than she'd thought.
Cold winter sunlight seeped through the blinds on the bedroom windows, slowly pulling the room's occupant back to wakefulness. "Hm, it's New Year's Eve," Syd said sleepily, pulling the covers back over her head. "I need to sleep in so I can stay up."
A second later, those same covers were tossed onto the floor. "New Year's Eve!!" she exclaimed, sitting upright in bed. "Vaughn's coming over for dinner tonight! I've got to get up, I've got to get ready, I've got to... Wait... it is real, isn't it? It doesn't feel like it's a dream this morning, but maybe it is."
But before she had time to get worked up, the phone rang, answering all her questions. A wide grin crossed her face as she threw herself across the bed to reach the handset. "Good morning Vaughn!"
"How's my beautiful dreamer today?" he asked, just as he had every morning this week.
"Fully aware that she's not dreaming," she answered, her smile growing even bigger. "And I wasn't dreaming yesterday when we went to the park, or the day before when you brought me flowers, or the day before that when we just sat at home and watched a movie."
"And just like dinner tonight at your place will be real," he added.
"Speaking of which, I supposed I should start getting ready," she said, reluctant to hang up.
"I'll let you go then, but I'll see you at 7:00," he promised.
"See you at 7:00," she echoed, staying on the line until he hung up.
Syd turned the phone off and laid back on the bed, her eyes closed as a smile spread across her face. Vaughn had given her a wake up call every morning this week, starting on the 27th. "That was a surprise," she mused as she rose from the bed and grabbed her robe.
She was still thinking about the week, especially her morning calls, when she stepped into the shower a few minutes later. "I was so afraid when I woke up on the 26th that it had all been a dream, and that I'd get up to find Lauren still here and Vaughn still married..." she said, unable to suppress a shudder as she remembered the rest of that day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Vaughn?" she said, staring at him as he stood in her doorway. "You're really here, right? This isn't a dream?"
"I'm really here," he promised, letting her reach out to make sure with her own hands.
Once she made contact with his solid chest, she threw herself into his arms. "I was so afraid! I woke up and I couldn't remember if it was a dream or not... I've had so many dreams about you coming back to me and I didn't know if it had all been another one," she choked out."
"Oh Syd," he whispered, holding her close until she calmed down. "Now listen to me," he said firmly a few minutes later as she took a step back. "I'm here and I will always be here, so the faster you get used to that idea, the faster we can get on with the rest of our lives."
"That sounds really good," she said shakily. "So... would you like some coffee?" she offered, trying to cover up her emotions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But he always did know me too well," she muttered as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. "He could tell I was still afraid he would disappear... the next morning, the calls started."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Who are you and why are you calling me so early?" she half muttered, half yelled into the receiver.
"This is your wake up call, beautiful dreamer," a familiar voice said.
"Vaughn? Is that you?" she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Why are you calling me?"
"So you know that yesterday we really did make cookies together, and remember that today we're going to go to Blockbuster and take the whole store home with us."
"You called so I wouldn't freak out like I did yesterday?" she asked, overwhelmed.
"I told you I'd always be here, I just figured now was as good a time to prove it as any," he answered nonchalantly.
"Vaughn... you're buying the popcorn," she said with a smile before hanging up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But today, today I finally didn't need him to call to know it was real," she realized as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping her towel around herself and reaching for her brush. "Today, even though it still felt too good to be true, I knew it wasn't just a dream."
She watched her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair. It was a face she'd known all her life, and yet there were still surprises there. She hadn't really thought she could ever fully accept that Vaughn was hers again, but apparently the recuperative powers of... "of love," she whispered... apparently they were stronger than she'd thought.