Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing. Rated M for later chapters.

A/N: Thank you everyone for your great reviews!!!

Chapter 5

There was a knock at the door. I pear through the peephole to see a dorky looking guy standing there with what seemed to be a floral arrangement. I sighed and opened the door.

"Can I help you?" I asked with annoyance.

"Delivery for a Miss Plum" the kid replied handing me the flowers.

"Yea, thanks." The arrangement was mildly nice. Nothing I found overly beautiful, just a bunch of flowers surrounded by baby's breath with a greeting card on a stick.

"Whatcha got there?" Mare asked from my bed. We were in the middle of a cram session for World History.

"Flowers." I replied flatly, as I pulled the card out and handed her the flowers. I pulled the card from the envelope and read the computer typed print.

Sweetheart,

I hope you like the flowers. I want to apologize for last weekend. You know I wanted to be there with you. I also want to apologize for for not calling this week. The professors have been riding us hard this week with homework. I know we're due at your parents on Sunday, but once again I'm buried in homework and can't make it.

I know the flowers aren't enough to make up for everything, but I will make it up to you.

Love you,

Dickie

I think I growled because Mare nearly jumped and fell off the bed. "Well?? Who they from? Did Mystery Man finally find you?" Mare asked fixing her books and notes.

"Hmph. I wish. Though if that were true, it probably would've been roses or something equally romantic. I doubt he'd look twice at an arrangement like that." I replied pointing at the flowers. "They were from Dickie. He's using these flowers as an apology for bailing on me then not calling all week. Well it was a sorry attempt because he didn't even write the note himself or sign it. It was typed!!" I handed Mare the card. I could feel the steam coming from my ears.

How could he! How could he think this was okay? Couldn't he pick up a damn phone? As it was, I had tried to call him several times this week. It would ring endlessly before going to voice mail. I find it hard to believe he has so little time.

"Calm down there killer." Mare said handing me the flowers again. "It's not his fault he's sometimes emotionally and romantically inept."

I took the flowers and looked at them. "He used to be! What the fuck happened?"

"Well from what he's telling you, it sounds like he's under stress over school. You've told me before how important this law degree is to him and his vision for a future. Cut him some slack Steph."

I grumbled some inaudible choice names for him and looked at the flowers again. "Maybe, but not tonight. I look at these flowers and see nothing but red. Here, take 'em. I don't want 'em." And I handed them back to her.

"Nu-uh, I don't want them either. I don't particularly like any of those, and Lenny would trip!" and she pushed them back on me.

"You can take this," and I pushed them back at her, "to the pope for all I care, just get them out of my sight!" I was almost screaming by now.

"Fine." she said and she took them and the card. She grabbed a pen and scribbled something on the back of the card quickly. She then put the card back on it's stick. She turned around and showed them to me. In big letters there was a single.

FREE!

"Fine, perfect, whatever." I said flopping down onto the bed. I looked up and saw her walk out of the room and back in a moment later.

"there, problem solved." she said as she joined me on the bed. "So...," she paused, "World History? Exam? Monday??"

"I can't even think right now Mare. I think I've come down with "fried brain syndrome" I let out a sign and laid back on the bed wit ha sigh and closed my eyes. Maybe if I lay here long enough I can fall asleep and lose myself to my mystery man.

"You still dreaming about him girl?"

"Huh?" I said as I opened my eyes and looked over at her. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Sure did, so spill."

And I did. I recounted my somewhat reoccurring dream. How overall they were the same. Both of us masked, never speaking, always touching, sometimes kissing.

"Mare, you don't understand. The dreams feel like real life. He feels real. I just wish the cat would release my tongue and allow me to talk. There's so much I want to ask him. Apparently he has no problem talking because sometimes he does, but it's usually the same word. 'Babe'. It's what he called me that night at the club."

"Damn girl. Well it seems like you're dreaming lucidly enough. Just make yourself talk."

"Lucidly?" I asked confused.

"You've never heard of Lucid Dreaming?" I should my head. "It's where you become aware of the fact that you're dreaming. When you're aware, you can control your own actions instead of dreaming like you're watching a movie." She explained.

"Hmmmm." I thought about that for a minute. I decided that it wasn't a bad idea. I already knew that I was conscientiously aware of those dreams, but never knew that I'd might be able to control them. I figured that it was worth a shot. I'd try it tonight. I didn't know 100% for sure, but I had a feeling that I would be returning to that room and into his arms.

***

Mare left shortly after that. Her and Lenny had a date tonight. He was taking her to Rossini's and then somewhere "special" afterwards. He was keeping tight lipped about the special plans and it had Mare ecstatically excited.

I spent the rest of my afternoon with Ben & Jerry, and attempting to finish some of my other homework. The rest of my afternoon and evening was pretty uneventful. I spent a lot of the time thinking about him. Thinking about what I would say if I could manage myself to actually speak. Before I knew it, it was eleven o'clock. I showered and climbed into bed. Turning off my bedside lamp, I snuggled myself into my blankets and fell asleep almost instantly.

Chapter 5 word count : 1074