Sleep Keeper (2 page)

We have stayed inseparable ever since. He was my other half. When it came time for college, there wasn’t a second thought about picking the same one. We even discussed getting married after we graduate college. As for moving out together, that took MANY thoughts.

              Before I could reminisce any further, I was walking into class.

After two classes and a four-hour shift working at the school library, I headed out to dinner with Mitchell and back home to celebrate in private. When his birthday night was over and Mitchell was sleeping peacefully beside me, I glanced over at the clock, unable to sleep… again. As far as I could remember, I had always fallen asleep quickly. But since we moved in together last month, it had taken hours to fall asleep. I tried to push aside my impatience, but that was not something I was ever good at. Frustrated, I sighed heavily and closed my eyes.

Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep! Ugh!

I tried desperately to clear my mind, but it wouldn’t work. I lay in the quiet night for a long time, until finally the blackness under my eyelids began to cave and pulsate darker and darker -

A flood of light poured in. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut, shielding them with one hand.

“Mitchell, what are you doing?” I moaned as I reached across the bed.

My hand only met air and I stumbled backward, taking a few steps to balance myself. I cracked open one eye; my hand still hovered over my brow. A blur of bright green shimmered in my view. I opened both eyes. After several blinks, my eyes adjusted to the brightness and I removed my hand. I was standing barefoot in an annular meadow surrounded by forest. I stood there for several moments, dumbfounded.

“How did I…?”

I turned around several times, with only the forest surrounding me. A bug circled around my head and zoomed off. I looked upward and caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar sky. A faint half moon was carved into an amber sky brushed with shades of light lavender and blue. Brightly pillowed clouds gently glided by. I had never seen this sky before… or had I? For a split second it seemed familiar, but the thought vanished.

I must be dreaming. Yes, a dream. A vivid, surreal dream.

The warm sun soaked into my skin like a toasty blanket on a cold night. There was an unusual scent in the air. It was a faint, yet distinctive, sweet and earthy flavor. I stood motionless for several moments, sucking in full breaths of air with my mouth partially open. I couldn’t quite place its scent; a strange blend with hints of fresh flowers, caramel apples, wood, and pine. I liked it. It reminded me of something… like when you catch a scent you know buried in the back of my mind but can’t place it.

I felt a sudden rush through my body. It started as a prickly sensation across my arms and fingertips then quickly spread. The vibrations intensified, like a small current of electricity dancing through me. It was energizing. I wanted to move. I had to move.

At first I wiggled my bare toes in the dense grass below. The cool dew tickled my feet. I took a step… I felt light, almost like I was floating. I moved quickly through the forest, taking in the towering trees and kaleidoscopic flowers. I was part of a bright world full of greens, reds, yellows and oranges. Even the browns of the bark and fallen debris were rich in color and texture. Every tree and shrub seemed somehow animated.

I continued through the forest, feeling completely content. I felt… safe. I felt something else too… good. Not just happy, but I felt physically good. Great actually. Every fiber of my body was on a euphoric high. And I could feel EVERYTHING. I was in tune with every inch of my body, inside and out. I was connected to my whole self in a way I had never been connected before. I felt so alive… it was exhilarating!

Like a child with a burst of energy, I giggled aloud and began to run. I wasn’t sure how long I ran because my body never tired. I continued to run faster and faster through the forest. Everything else in my mind disappeared but the steady beat of my heart, my breath echoing through my ears in a smooth rhythm, the crunch of the forest under my bare feet. I ran as fast and hard as I could, until… something caught my eye. I came to a halt.

A few feet away lay a creek; it’s water rushing past in a natural berceuse that crashed against the boulders beneath. As beautiful as it was to see and hear, that wasn’t what caught my attention. He was sitting on a boulder with his shirtless back toward me. The sun glimmered off his sun-kissed skin, outlining the curves of every muscle.

I paused, unsure if I should approach or keep running. I took a deep breath, which came out more like a gasp. He turned his head over his shoulder. Our eyes connected and a surge of excitement shot through my chest. My heart started to race, even though I held my breath. It must have caught up from my run. His eyes were hypnotic, holding me in limbo. I couldn’t tell from this distance their color but they looked right through my soul and held me in a trance. I felt exposed, embarrassed, and excited all at the same time.

This feeling was new to me. I wanted to look away but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His light-brown hair looked almost blonde in comparison to his tanned skin. His face had sharp distinctive features that must have been sculpted by an angel. He flashed a bright welcoming smile as he ran his hands through his thick wavy hair. I realized I was smiling a crocked smile in return, without meaning to. He was beautiful.

I shifted, too awestruck to move forward. My heart thumped hard in my chest. I fidgeted with my clammy palms trying to force the words out of my open mouth. My mouth went dry and my top lip momentarily stuck to my teeth as I tried to spit out a hello. I stood there with my mouth parted like an idiot.

“Alexis,” he confirmed in a voice that made my stomach flutter. It was a semi-deep baritone, but more sweet and mellow… with the slightest touch of a gravelly tone.

My body vibrated with elation yet a strange sense of serenity washed over me. In that moment, nothing else mattered - just him and me.

He opened his mouth to speak again and I took a step forward.

Instantly, it was dark and the alarm clock was blaring, “beep beep beep!”

I rolled over to my side in confusion.

“Beep, beep, beep!” continued the alarm.

Mitchell poked my shoulder several times with a groan until I reached over and hit the off button. Six o’clock in the morning.

I couldn’t believe that was a dream. It felt so real. A second ago I would have sworn I was somewhere else. I peered around the dim room, still unsure of my surroundings. My pulse felt normal, not the nervous flittering a few moments before.

I closed my eyes again and the dream came back to life in my mind. I could make out every detail of the scene… the rushing water… the forest… his eyes…

My breath deepened.

I snapped open my eyes.

Wow – that was an intense dream.

I felt embarrassed for my reaction and shook away the thought. I crawled out of bed. My body felt heavy as I moved. I shuffled toward the shower.

The day turned out to be a typical one. Sophomore classes at the university were not very exciting. I tried to pay attention in class, but images of the dream kept sneaking back in. The strangeness of the forest… the heightening of my senses… it was surreal. I became even more tired now just thinking about how great I felt in the dream. Or maybe it was the boring lecture.

Two hours later I was in my next class and quickly lost interest. I thought more about the dream. I could recall every detail. Usually when I dream I never saw the eyes, and the faces are always a blur once I wake. I couldn’t remember them that well in reality, to be honest. Yet in this dream, I could. And I could still smell the sweet, piney aroma in the air. And I could still see the rich colors of the forest. And I felt my body vibrate as if it was calling me back, tugging on me to return.

I closed my eyes and smiled as I looked up at the picturesque sky. And my dream guy… well, not
my
dream guy… the guy of my dreams… I mean
from
my dreams,
from
my DREAM!

Get a grip Alexis, you have a boyfriend!

Committed women don’t fantasize about other men, real or not. I’ve never in my life fantasized about another man. It was wrong.

Stop thinking about him!

But eventually my mind took me back. I visualized his sharp eyes and glistening skin. The way his lips moved when he spoke my name, as if he had been waiting there for me.

“Alexis…”

I could hear it as clear as a bell. My stomach swam as I thought about him saying my name again. I focused on his mouth… those perfect lips. I parted my lips. My heart was racing.

“Reminiscing about last night with Mr. Birthday boy, are we?” Mandy said with a wink as she took a seat next to me.

I snapped open my eyes and blinked back to reality. Class was over and students were shuffling out the door.

“Umm, uh,” I stammered, completely abashed. “He liked the watch. Thanks for going with me to pick it out.”

“Told you I have exquisite taste,” she chirped, shifting her thick blond locks over her shoulder with a twist of her hand.

She toyed with her hair all the time. I doubt she was aware how often she did it.

I began gathering my stuff. “I never doubted you. Well, maybe a little,” I teased as I rose from my chair.

She stuck out her tongue and flashed a big smile. She ran her hands down her skirt to smooth it out, then checked her makeup in her compact mirror, stroking her fingers through her hair a few more times.

“You look great,”
like always
, I reassured her.

Mandy ignored the compliment, probably used to receiving them. We walked together to the other side of campus. I’d known Mandy Meyers since second grade. She was a member of the small group Mitchell and I hung out with in high school. Easy enough to get along with, but she was not really the type for deep conversation. She was more concerned with her looks than anything going on around her, not that I blamed her. If I was 5’10” with a size 2 waist and ample breasts, I might stare at myself in the mirror more too. But I was blessed with a scrawny physique at a stature of 5’3”.

We arrived at the gym lockers and dressed for our match. We were teammates on the school’s tennis team and were playing doubles against a competing university this afternoon. I’d only been playing tennis since my freshman year of high school, not like Mandy who started when she was seven. But I picked it up fairly easily and it landed me a scholarship. The best part of tennis for me was the competition – the win. It gave me a high I couldn’t find anywhere else.

After a successful game, Mandy and I headed to the campus lounge to celebrate our victory over blended mochas. It was a ritual we indulged in; at least until we hit 21 which will likely transform into martinis.

“So my sister is having a party Saturday at her house for Emma’s birthday if you and Mitchell want to stop by,” Mandy invited.

“Is your niece four already? Wow, time sure flies,” I responded.

“Tell me about it! Her husband is already hinting about having a second one! She can barely handle one, but you know men… he’s looking forward to having a son,” she laughed, and sipped on her drink. “Robert will be there,” she continued.

“Wow, you are still dating Robert? What’s it been, three months? A record for you,” I teased. “Sure, we would love to come,” I answered, trying a little too hard to sound sincere. “What time?”

“Three o’clock.”

“Great, we’ll be there.”

I finished my drink and glanced down at my watch. “I better head out. I’m going to my mom’s tonight for dinner. I promised I would cook and I still need to prepare.”

“Okay darling. You have a nice night and I will see you later.”

An evening of grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning at Mom’s then I finally made it home. Mitchell was sound asleep by the time I crawled into bed at eleven. My upcoming exams and unfinished papers were swimming in my mind. I pulled the covers over my head and took in deep breaths, trying to relax. It didn’t take long in the darkness for my mind to wander to last night’s dream.

I visualized the forest and quickly melted into the soft bed. I took another deep breath as I recalled the unique scent held in the air. Wiggling my toes, I could almost feel the grass under my feet. I concentrated on the details as my body became numb.

With a flash, a bright light replaced the darkness. Even though my eyes had yet to focus, I recognized my surroundings. That satisfying sweet scent flooded my nose. I felt a wave of both excitement and tranquility. A thick fog lifted from my mind. My new sense of self was uninhibited and free. I blinked several times and focused my eyes onto the bright and beautiful dream world.

The sun peeked through the treetops of an endless forest. A blanket of thick grass lay at my feet. I caught a hint of the moist pungent scent from the moss-covered gargantuan trees that towered above. Wildflowers sprinkled the ground, casting a rainbow of colors. The painted sky slowly turned above. I reached my hand into the air and could almost touch it.

Something flashed out of the corner of my eye. It paused a few inches away from my shoulder. I leaned in closer, mouth parted slightly, trying to identify the exquisite creature. Smaller than a golf ball, its long delicate wings fluttered faster than those of a hummingbird. Only a glance, but I could almost swear it resembled a human. Before I could blink, it flew behind a tree and disappeared.