&&&&&&
Alec stopped his bike in front of Joshua's apartment building. He was breathing hard. Why is that happening? It's just from riding my bike too fast . . . right? He knew that wasn't it, he was an X5, and one of the best. He walked up the stairs slowly. Something didn't feel right. Since he couldn't figure out what, he took another step and thought again. With every step, everything became increasingly wrong. Is Joshua OK? He ran as fast as he could, still with out making a sound. At the door of Josh's apartment, he heard it. Oh shit.
Alec leaned against the door to hear better, even though he knew he didn't have to. He heard Max laugh once again.
&&&&&&
Max decided to ask Josh about the dream after Original Cindy's words were anything but comforting. When she entered his apartment, he was painting a picture. She didn't want to interrupt; she loved watching him concentrate and put so much effort into each stroke of the brush. She could never put that much into anything. Whenever she did, it always got taken away from her. Then she sneezed, causing him to turn around and look at the intruder.
"Bless you, Little Fella." Josh said as he found the person familiar.
"Thanks. I love the painting," she said, avoiding what she was really here for. "How can you possibly. . ." she was cut off by the strange sense that something was wrong. Looking around, she continued, "How can you put such energy and love into something? It's amazing. If I put that much into a picture, it would probably end up being stolen or lost or something."
"Little Fella, what wrong?" Josh sensed something as she looked into her eyes.
Max laughed. He always knows. She started her story.
&&&&&&
Alec heard Max start, "Okay, there was something I wanted to talk to you about . . . but you can't tell ANYONE. Especially Alec."
Why not? Why can't he tell me? "What?" he whispered under his breath. Then he remembered her hearing. Shit.
&&&&&&
"Hold on, I think I heard something," Max said suspiciously. She walked to the door without a sound. She opened it, looking around. Then she saw two people walking down the street, talking and laughing. I swear, I thought it sounded familiar . . . She didn't realize that Alec was hiding behind the door, so she shut it.
"Okay, so last night, something really weird happened. I was dreaming..." The dream came back to her, flashing in her mind. She couldn't tell him. Not now, but definitely later. "...And when I woke up, my barcode started throbbing. I touched it, but that only made it worse. It only stopped when I took a cold shower."
&&&&&&
So? Why can't he tell me that? Is that so terrible? Or... Alec's mind ran with thousands of ideas, all pulsing through his brain. Wait...that sounded like a familiar experience. Hmmm...but what was she dreaming about?
He had to do something. He did the first thing that came to his mind. He knocked on the door. Damn...that was stupid. Too late now...
Josh looked surprised as he answered the door. So did Max. So did Alec. Max blushed furiously, then tried to thoroughly engross herself in the fridge.
"Come in, Alec!" Josh sounded cheerful as usual, so he stepped inside.
"Did I interrupt something?" which was a question he knew the answer to, but asked anyway.
"No. I was just leaving." Max took her head out of the freezer. "I'll talk to you later, Big Fella?"
"Yes, later." Josh replied, half-understanding, half-confused. He watched Max grab her coat and leave. He shut the door. "So, what Medium Fella want?"
"Well, the other night, I had this dream..." He started into the details. After he finished, he left out the part about his barcode.
Josh was amused. "Medium Fella and Little Fella gettin' busy? Hmmm..."
"So, what does it mean?" He was surprised that Josh didn't tell him right away. He gave him a few minutes to think.
"Alec likes Max." he stated simply.
"Yeah, we're really becoming friends now that..."
"No, Alec more than likes Max." again with a serene look and a tiny smile.
Well...uh...I can't really object to that fact, can I?
"Umm...but how do I stop the dreams?" he said, trying not to let on that he found them amusing. They did scare him a bit though. Max would kick his ass if she found out that he had the dreams and extra hard if she found out that he thought they were a little fun.
&&&&&&
Max jumped on her Ninja and revved up the engine. I KNEW something was wrong...how much of that did he hear? Thank God I didn't go into my dream... Still, that thought didn't comfort her. She was still contemplating the encounter as she sped into the darkness.
&&&&&&
Alec stopped his bike in front of Joshua's apartment building. He was breathing hard. Why is that happening? It's just from riding my bike too fast . . . right? He knew that wasn't it, he was an X5, and one of the best. He walked up the stairs slowly. Something didn't feel right. Since he couldn't figure out what, he took another step and thought again. With every step, everything became increasingly wrong. Is Joshua OK? He ran as fast as he could, still with out making a sound. At the door of Josh's apartment, he heard it. Oh shit.
Alec leaned against the door to hear better, even though he knew he didn't have to. He heard Max laugh once again.
&&&&&&
Max decided to ask Josh about the dream after Original Cindy's words were anything but comforting. When she entered his apartment, he was painting a picture. She didn't want to interrupt; she loved watching him concentrate and put so much effort into each stroke of the brush. She could never put that much into anything. Whenever she did, it always got taken away from her. Then she sneezed, causing him to turn around and look at the intruder.
"Bless you, Little Fella." Josh said as he found the person familiar.
"Thanks. I love the painting," she said, avoiding what she was really here for. "How can you possibly. . ." she was cut off by the strange sense that something was wrong. Looking around, she continued, "How can you put such energy and love into something? It's amazing. If I put that much into a picture, it would probably end up being stolen or lost or something."
"Little Fella, what wrong?" Josh sensed something as she looked into her eyes.
Max laughed. He always knows. She started her story.
&&&&&&
Alec heard Max start, "Okay, there was something I wanted to talk to you about . . . but you can't tell ANYONE. Especially Alec."
Why not? Why can't he tell me? "What?" he whispered under his breath. Then he remembered her hearing. Shit.
&&&&&&
"Hold on, I think I heard something," Max said suspiciously. She walked to the door without a sound. She opened it, looking around. Then she saw two people walking down the street, talking and laughing. I swear, I thought it sounded familiar . . . She didn't realize that Alec was hiding behind the door, so she shut it.
"Okay, so last night, something really weird happened. I was dreaming..." The dream came back to her, flashing in her mind. She couldn't tell him. Not now, but definitely later. "...And when I woke up, my barcode started throbbing. I touched it, but that only made it worse. It only stopped when I took a cold shower."
&&&&&&
So? Why can't he tell me that? Is that so terrible? Or... Alec's mind ran with thousands of ideas, all pulsing through his brain. Wait...that sounded like a familiar experience. Hmmm...but what was she dreaming about?
He had to do something. He did the first thing that came to his mind. He knocked on the door. Damn...that was stupid. Too late now...
Josh looked surprised as he answered the door. So did Max. So did Alec. Max blushed furiously, then tried to thoroughly engross herself in the fridge.
"Come in, Alec!" Josh sounded cheerful as usual, so he stepped inside.
"Did I interrupt something?" which was a question he knew the answer to, but asked anyway.
"No. I was just leaving." Max took her head out of the freezer. "I'll talk to you later, Big Fella?"
"Yes, later." Josh replied, half-understanding, half-confused. He watched Max grab her coat and leave. He shut the door. "So, what Medium Fella want?"
"Well, the other night, I had this dream..." He started into the details. After he finished, he left out the part about his barcode.
Josh was amused. "Medium Fella and Little Fella gettin' busy? Hmmm..."
"So, what does it mean?" He was surprised that Josh didn't tell him right away. He gave him a few minutes to think.
"Alec likes Max." he stated simply.
"Yeah, we're really becoming friends now that..."
"No, Alec more than likes Max." again with a serene look and a tiny smile.
Well...uh...I can't really object to that fact, can I?
"Umm...but how do I stop the dreams?" he said, trying not to let on that he found them amusing. They did scare him a bit though. Max would kick his ass if she found out that he had the dreams and extra hard if she found out that he thought they were a little fun.
&&&&&&
Max jumped on her Ninja and revved up the engine. I KNEW something was wrong...how much of that did he hear? Thank God I didn't go into my dream... Still, that thought didn't comfort her. She was still contemplating the encounter as she sped into the darkness.
&&&&&&