So... Hello! It's been quite some time, hasn't it? And here comes my excuse, drum-roll please! *insert epic drum-roll here* I've gone to school! No shit, but seriously, this is my second to last year of... I guess the proper translation would be high school, and even that is about to end. Next year a couple of months from now I'll graduate and move on to college. I feel old. And then there's been work, there should be another drumroll here since I work at the very glamorous, wait for it... McDonald's! At least it's enough to hopefully cover an apartment for next year, though I'm not so sure of that since the prices in London are said to be very high! Yes, I am moving to London – if everything works out the way I want it to – and believe me, I can't wait to leave the boredom of Sweden behind. So, I've been studying, working and sleeping, but enough about me, I bet you want to read about the chaos of Mel and Reid's lives – well, the chaos to come *winkwink* ;) Here goes nothing...

Chapter 8
Romance and hurt

A sigh left my lips as I slid back into a consciousness I wasn't sure I wanted. Instead of the warmth and protection that had lulled me to sleep, there was an emptiness against my back. Shivering slightly I opened my eyes, only to find the light spilling through the curtains. As I rose to lean on my elbows I indeed noticed that I was alone. Left cold and lonely when I'd expected a confrontation.

Not sure if this was good or bad I decided to go take a shower, surely that would help chase some of the tension from my back. And as I was just about to enter the common showers, my eyes stopped on a flash of long man and blond hair. My heart nearly stopped as I hovered by the door, not sure what to do. Should I call him? But what if he knew...? I couldn't answer his questions; I didn't have any answers either. Just the ones I'd made up myself.

A few seconds after that thought crossed my mind, he turned his face and met my gaze. Something unfamiliar crossed his features before he turned away and headed in the opposite direction. What the...? Frown in place I headed for the showers and as the hot water ran down my body my thoughts wondered.

Something important had changed. Of that I was certain. But what? Could he have recognized me from the dream? But that didn't seem to be it. In that case, shouldn't he have at least fallen to my feet and claimed his infinite love to me? Rolling my eyes, I brought back the memory of the look on his face just now. He had always looked at me with desire and passion, even want and longing at some points, but this... It was completely different. His lips hadn't been close to a smile nor had his eyes had their usual gleam. Instead he'd almost looked concerned. But why the heck would he be concerned? It didn't make sense.

Growling from frustration I started drying my skin with a vengeance. I'd finally decided to take the chance with the guy and now he'd crept out of bed with me while I was in it, naked, and he didn't have the guts to face me. It almost seemed like he avoided me, but why would he do that?

Gosh, boys! Who needed them anyway?!

You need Reid, dumbass, he's the only reason you're alive and the only person who can keep you put together. Without him you would fall apart and eventually fade into nothing. You'd exist just like in the dream and what could be better than that?!

Snarling foul words to the sarcastic voice that was – unfortunately – right, she dressed and exited the bathroom to make her way back to her dorm room. However the door was ajar. Falling into a confident stride she slammed the door open to find her room... empty. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The lights flickered off suddenly and the door closed with a slight thud before the lock twisted.

Standing absolutely still, I felt movement behind me, and just like I would in any other situation I twisted around only to find myself face to face with...

… Reid. Who else?

"Don't scream," he mumbled as his hand shot out and caught my waist, pulling me toward him with a jerking movement.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Candle flames flickered and cast a soft light over my desk, to show something I had never expected from him. A buffet of breakfast dishes stood neatly placed over the wooden surface, interrupted at places with the flicker of a low flame. What...?

"I wanted to surprise you, but you almost screwed it up in the hallway," he pouted, the flirty sound of his voice making the butterflies in my stomach stir.

"I'd never thought you could do something like this," I mumbled, applying the same flirt in my own voice. "I never took you for the breakfast in bed type..."

"Oh, I'm not, but it seems to take a little more effort to get inside you, than anyone I've ever had," his voice was muffled as he talked with his lips attached to the skin under my ear. My breath hitched in my throat at the romance this moment had, even if his choice of words wasn't the nicest, this was him, and for him to find me worth the effort of this... It was amazing, Reid was such a sucker. "So, considering what I've done for you..."

Seeing just were that sentence was heading, I rolled my eyes and put a finger to his mouth. "Don't ruin it, sweetheart, I haven't had breakfast yet, and I sure am hungry."

"Oh, I've got something for you to eat, right here." This seduction technique was getting him nowhere. Shaking my head at him I broke free from his grasp and went to the desk to pop a strawberry in my mouth.

"You know, I prefer raspberry, I bet it would taste good on you."

Scoffing I picked one of the bubbly berries up only to turn and throw it at him, he caught it, of course, before he propped it into his mouth.

Digging into one of the pancakes, I asked him, "What do you usually do for fun?" He smirked and was just about to answer, but I quickly swallowed and interrupted him by putting up a finger in his general direction. "Let me guess, you flirt, screw and Use."

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed my arms and pulled me from the chair I had sat down on, only to swing me around, sit down himself and guide me onto his lap. "This is much better," he breathed, smirking his usual smile. "And I can assure you, there are some awesome things that can be done while Using." He winked, before he grabbed a handful of berries and one by one he ate them, in a manner made to seduce.

"Oh, really, like what?"

Chuckling, he reached up to stroke a curl behind my ear. "I'll show you, but first, you'd better eat up!"

Giving him a genuine smile, I complied, and he didn't say anything else until we had stuffed ourselves full of the delicious food, then he rose, me still in his arms, and slowly let me put my feet back on the floor.

"You should change." Smiling, he headed to my closet to rummage through my stuff. Grabbing a pair of black jeans, a black and white printed t-shirt and a knitted black cardigan, he threw them at me and had the decency to turn his back as I changed into said garments. However, I can't say he didn't peek.

"Throw me a pair of socks, will ya," I smiled, catching them as he indeed threw them at me, pulling them, along with my black Doctor Marten's, on, I was ready to go.

"You look hot as hell," Reid purred, coming forward to yet again grab my waist, kissing me hard on the lips. Distracted by the intensity of the kiss, I didn't notice the change in my surroundings until I stood on a dead field. Looking around wide eyed, I waited for the illusion to fade. It didn't. "Wait for it, it only gets better." His eyes black, Reid stared at me, a slight frown of concentration on his face, and as his eyes regained their light blue color, mine, if possible, grew even wider.

No longer brown and dry, the grass reached our knees, swinging in a slight breeze that hadn't been there before. Purple and red flowers mixed themselves with the green, occasionally interrupted by specs of yellow. It was breathtaking, and it had only taken him minutes to create. It was like something out of a dream and I didn't really know how to behave around it. I'd never seen anything nearly as beautiful as this.

Having been so busy viewing my surroundings, I hadn't noted Reid sitting down, and I didn't until I heard the clicks of a camera. Frowning I turned to face him, only to see the smug smile on his face.

"What are you doing?" I asked, making my way over to him.

"I'm savoring the moment of utter amazement on your face, clearly it is from my awesomeness and well, I needed something to hold against you." He winked.

"Hold against me?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, 'cause I bet you're going to deny the perfection of this date, so I'm sampling evidence." He went back to look at me through the camera lens, twisting the objective to take pictures of the same facial expression from all ranges.

Smiling at him, I walked up to him, going down on all four over his lean body, raising an eyebrow at him. "You want to get that out of my face so I can kiss you senseless?"

The camera vanished instantly, and he leaned in to meet my lips as I slowly closed my eyes. It started out as a soft touch; just a whisper of intimacy, but it was a perfect whisper. In that one moment, it felt like all my dreams came true on the spot; a beautiful man, a fairytale-esc surrounding, and the feeling of being cherished. A soft click could be heard to my right and I smiled as I realized the camera were flouting in the air beside us.

Reid rose a little from his careless position, and one after the other his hands stroke my cheeks in a way that was so out of character for the bad boy that it made it all so much more perfect. This was heaven.

A slow rhythm snuck its way into the kiss and soon I found myself draped on top of him, savoring every second of it all.

"You know, I wouldn't have pegged you for a romantic," I mumbled, not getting up from my place on his chest. It felt like I had been born to lay just there, perfectly draped over him, and since I had, that thought didn't feel all that romantic.

"I'm not." And that answer just made this moment even more special.

I hadn't seen Reid after the day we'd spent on the field, just laughing and enjoying the beauty of it. It was Monday and I was walking through the hallway on my way to my first class when I caught sight of Reid and Tyler's backs, just a few steps ahead of me.

I was just about to call out to them, when I heard their words.

"You know, I think I've seen her before," Reid muttered, a hand running through his hair.

"What? Where?"

"This is gonna sound way stupid, and you can't laugh, but I think she's the girl I've been dreaming of for weeks now."

Tyler didn't answer him, but I could imagine the stunned look on his face.

"I know, it's seriously messed up," Reid scoffed, scratching his chin.

"No, it kind of makes sense, doesn't it? She's involved with Chase, and we know there is something weird going on with her, what with her going from seeing, to blind and back again. It just doesn't make sense, you know. But since she can do all that, couldn't she be able to sneak her way into your dreams too?"

"Probably," Reid agreed, "but I just don't think she'd do that willingly... those dreams... she's dead in them, and who would make another person dream of themselves dead? That's just weird."

"Sure it is, but wouldn't it make you even more eager to fall for her tricks?"

Reid seemed to ponder the thought, and I held my breath, waiting for his answer. Did he really think I'd do that to him? Trick him into trusting me? Maybe that had been my intent, but not anymore. All of my heart was in this.

The next movement on his part almost broke my heart. He nodded. He actually nodded. Agreed to the fact that I was tricking him into falling for me. How could he?!

My legs stopped moving by themselves, and I practically fell against the lockers, a hand covering my mouth to stop the hurt from spilling out. I could almost hear Chase's laugh in my ears, mocking me for being stupid enough to actually ponder committing to the player. This was too much. How could he even consider that after the day we'd spent together.

And that dream... That stupid dream had ruined it all.