Chapter 11: Who'd have thought a love could be so good?

(Aisha)

I walked out of Roderick's bedroom and found him staring intently at the stove. I smiled and tiptoed quietly behind him.

"BOO!"

Roderick jumped and turned around and looked at me. I started cracking up.

"Hell is filled with people like you," he said in mock anger.

"I'm sorry," I said, giving him puppy-dog eyes.

Roderick didn't reply as he turned back to the stove.

"Are you trying to use telekinesis to light the stove on fire?" I joked.

"No," Roderick said, facing me. "I actually wanted to make you breakfast."

"Oh, that's so sweet," I said.

"But, then I remembered that I can't cook, so now I don't know what to do."

"Well, I'd make something, but I can't cook either."

"So, we starve?"

"Here's an idea. Why don't we just get some breakfast to go and then take it back to my place?"

"Okay."

I turned to get my jacket and my shoes, but Roderick turned me around and wrapped his arms around my waste.

"Thanks," he said.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was talking about.

"You're welcome," I replied.

He gave me a sweet long kiss and then smiled at me. Last night had been wonderful. At that moment I realized that this wasn't high-school puppy love that was going on between us. We shared a deep connection. It was familiar, like I had experienced before, but I never actuallyhad.

Suddenly, my stomach gurgled loudly reminding me that I didn't eat breakfast yet.

"I'm really enjoying this right now," I said. "But, I'm really hungry."

"Me, too," Roderick said, kissing me again.

"No, really I am."

"I know. I was kidding. I'm hungry, too let's go."

I chuckled as we walked out the door. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," I said, quoting Casablanca.

(Roderick)

"You want something to drink?" Aisha asked, when we got to her apartment. "Coffee? Orange juice?"

"Coffee's fine," I replied.

Aisha went into her kitchen and started to make a cup of coffee and I walked around the living room. In the corner was an easel set up and there was a piece of tarp on the floor that spread up to the ceiling.

There were numerous paintings around that area most of them were of a woman who looked exactly like her and a guy. There was one with two of them in what looked like a tomb together. There was another one of them kissing. On the easel was a painting of the guy dressed in Egyptian clothing and next to him was another guy dressed in today's fashion.

As I studied the painting, the guy looked really familiar. Five seconds later, I realized that they guy in the painting looked exactly like me. I looked around at the paintings. All of the guys were me and the women were Aisha.

Then another thing dawned on me: the paintings were like little scenes from my dream. I was suddenly very confused. I didn't know what I should feel. Should I have been freaked out and left? Should I have been scared?

"Coffee's done," Aisha's voice broke my thoughts.

I walked over to her little table and grabbed my bagel out of the bag. There was an awkward silence for a while.

"So, I saw your pictures," I said, breaking the silence.

"Did you like them?" Aisha asked.

"Yeah, they're really good," I replied.

"Thank you," Aisha replied.

"So, um, what was your inspiration for them?" I asked.

"This is going to sound crazy," Aisha said. "But, they're based on dreams that I've had."

I suddenly started choking on the piece of bagel that was in my mouth. Aisha quickly rushed over and whacked me on the back.

"Are you okay?" Aisha asked.

"I'm fine," I rasped out. "Thanks."

I cleared my throat. "So, these paintings are like little scenes from dreams that you have?"

"Yeah," Aisha said.

"Weird," I muttered under my breath.

"I know," Aisha said.

"I didn't mean it like that," I said.

"What did you mean, then?" Aisha asked.

I didn't know how to reply. I couldn't tell her that I was having the same dream as her. She would think I was lying to impress her or that I was crazy. If I said something else she would think that I thought she was crazy.

"Well, you see," I said, clearing my throat. "I kind of……………You see, I…………Well, it's kind of like this………………..I um……….."

YOU IDIOT! A voice in my head screamed.

"Oh, just spit it out!" Aisha said, annoyed.

"I think I have the same dreams," I finished lamely.

"You're making it up, aren't you?" She said, pointedly.

"No!" I exclaimed. "It's the truth!"

She stared at me for a while and I stared back aware that I wasn't blinking.

"Oh, my God," she said, softly. "You're not lying."

"No," I said, imitating her tone. "I'm not."

She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

"Can you be serious and not talk like the kid from The Sixth Sense?" she asked.

"Sorry," I said. "It's kind of what I do in awkward moments."

For the rest of breakfast we talked about our dreams and how weird it was that they were exactly the same. After a while, conversation shifted and we just started talking about things like TV and work and other things.

After a few hours I looked at the clock and noticed it was noon. It hit me just then that I was meeting my sister for lunch in fifteen minutes.

"Shit," I said, getting up. "I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Aisha asked.

"Lunch with my sister," I said. "I didn't even brush my teeth yet."

Aisha handed me and Oral B strip. I stared at it quizzically.

"It's not that hard to do," Aisha said. "It's self-explanatory on the commercial. 'Rip, zip, brush, ah.'"

I laughed at her impression of the commercial. "Thanks," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Seven o'clock?" Aisha asked.

"Yeah," I said.

I kissed her good-bye and went out in the hallway. When, Aisha closed the door after me, I leaned against it, not wanting to move. This was one of the longest dates I'd ever been on and it was better than I thought it would be. In fact, it was perfect despite the weird factor earlier.

"Are you still out there?" Aisha's voice on the other side of the door broke my thoughts.

"No," I said, lamely.

"You're sister's waiting," she said. "Don't want to make her mad."

I chuckled. "Bye," she said.

"Bye," I replied.

I still didn't move.

"GO ALREADY!" I hear the playful tone in her voice.

"All, right!" I said. "I'm going!"

I finally walked down the hallway and pushed the button for the elevator. What Aisha and I had was way past the middle school "does-she-like-me" love. It was deeper than that. It was more adult and it was alsofamiliar. I'd never experienced this with anyone and I loved it.

To Be Continued…………….

A/N: Yeah, corny. I don't care. Chapter 12 is coming soon.