Chapter 7 - Nick
My eyes snap open and I collapse against my desk. Luckily I managed to grab the edge of it and stop from falling, otherwise I could have hit my head.
Getting a concussion and thinking I dreamt this is not what I need right now. I know this is real, I know that Noelle is real.
Not just because I can feel it, but because I have a pair of panties stuffed in my mouth. Slowly pulling them out, I know they’re the ones that Noelle was wearing. I quickly put them in my pocket. Having her panties makes my heart beat like a hammer: they’re proof, physical proof that she exists.
If only I had gotten to talk to her.
“HEY, you should be out of here by now.”
I look up and see the custodian mopping the corridor and realize that time has passed here as well as in the other place.
“Oh, yeah, on my way out. Sorry.”
I gather my things and head home.
Miraculously, my bus turns up on time and I sit at the back, looking out of the window at the world passing by, thinking how dull and monochrome it is compared to the brightly colored lands I have been to.
A plan starts to form in my head. I know she’s named Noelle, I know from her accent that she’s American. How popular can the name Noelle be? Surely if I search Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn I can find her and convince her that I’m real.
I think of Sean stuck in that bar and how all it took was his girl thinking that it was a dream. What if the same thing happens to us? Never mind getting stuck in a fantasyland, I could be stuck here in my boring life and never see her again even though I know she’s out there.
It’s not just the sex. As soon as I saw her for the first time, it was like finding the missing piece of the jigsaw.
We just fit together so well and each time we meet that connection feels stronger.
I wonder if she’s thinking of me now, wondering where I am?
Or does she just think she had a sexy dream and nothing more?
The bus stops and a group of drunken revelers get on, all dressed in green and shouting and laughing.
Amongst them are Rick and Sally, sharing a kiss.
Looks like I wasn’t the only one who had a good night.
The rest of the group break into song, and cheer as they notice Rick and Sally making out.
I close my eyes and ignore them, having seen enough Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations today to last a lifetime.
I try to work out when the next holiday will be. I’m on a deadline now, I have to find her. And if I can’t, next time I have to convince her that it’s real, otherwise we might never see each other again.