Dreaming of You

“Sharon.” The man called from behind her this time.

She whirled around; her brown tresses obscured her vision. She brushed her hair aside. Her emerald eyes sparkling with longing, she stared at the man. He was always gorgeous, no matter what he wore. This time, he was casually dressed in blue jeans, a green t-shirt and white sneakers. His sandy blonde hair was cut shorter than last time, but his sky blue eyes sparkled as always.

“Sharon,” he said again as he opened his arms. She rushed forward, however her legs were slow to respond, as if wading through heavy surf. It was happening again, the recurring dream of her and the mystery man. She struggled, hoping this time she’d make it into his arms before -

“It’s time to wake up! It’s six A.M. and you know what that means!” The screaming voice of the radio DJ broke through the dream and jarred her awake. She sat straight up, breathing ragged. The DJ continued, “Now, I know it’s hard to get up on a cold January morning, so I’ve prepared a lively set of songs that won’t let you sleep any longer!” The DJ cackled with delight as if his only joy in life was to torment morning listeners. It probably was, she mentally cursed the DJ as she pulled the covers off and swung her legs to the side of the bed.

She had been so close this time. For weeks, she’d been dreaming about the same man. At first, he had been so far away that she had to squint to see him and strain to hear his voice. A chill ran up her spine; she could almost feel his arms around her. Bringing her fingers to her full lips, Sharon realized that she definitely craved his kiss.

But it was just a dream, she tried to convince herself. Yet it wasn’t. She knew it was a vision. Though, it surprised her considering she hadn’t had any visions for a couple of years. Not since her vision of her parents’ death, which she had been unable to prevent.

Shoving that thought aside before it could bring her down more, Sharon stood up then sat right back down on the bed. Her legs felt like wet noodles and she was trembling all over. She almost laughed at the after-effects of the dream. It had been so long since she had such a strong vision. As her body equalized, she thought that she had better meet this gorgeous man soon, or she’d have real problems getting to work in the morning.

That’s okay, she thought, a rocky start to my morning is a perfect excuse to stop at the coffee shop to get my favorite.





As she stepped into the warmth of the coffee shop, Sharon pulled the navy blue scarf from her face and slipped her matching gloves into the pockets of her raincoat, which was also a similar shade of blue. She looked around at the crowd. It was a normal Monday morning, packed with cranky workers who wanted nothing more than a cup of their addiction.

As she stood in the left line, she eyed the pastry counter. That looks good, she thought when she spied the cinnamon rolls. After a moment of drooling, she sighed and looked away. She was already breaking one of her New Year’s resolutions by coming here, she shouldn’t break another one. One of her resolutions was to lose weight, or at least maintain the weight she had. Buying new clothes was a nightmare, especially since she would probably go up a size if she didn’t control what she ate. Last year alone, she went up two sizes! It was stress, she had told herself, though she knew it was also depression and loneliness. She shook her head again. New Year’s resolution number one – Be more positive!

Finally, she got to the front of the line. The young man behind the counter beamed at her and said, “There’s nothing like a nice cup to go with your sunshine in the morning! What can I get you?”

Sharon glanced out the window at the dreary overcast sky. Shrugging, she turned back. As she opened her mouth to speak, she heard the man next to her order.

“I’d like a hot chocolate with caramel.” His deep baritone voice reverberated in her soul. She turned and saw him. The dream guy, he was standing right next to her ordering the same exact thing she was going to order.

Sensing her attention on him, he turned and gave her that grin that had lit up her dreams. She almost melted into a puddle right there. Thankfully, the cashier saved her.

“Miss? What would you like to order?” The man behind the counter looked from her to the man, puzzlement spread across his face.

“I’ll have him. No! I mean, I’ll have what he’s having.” She stumbled over the words, but managed to get them out.

The dream guy’s smile broadened and his eyebrow quirked up. He broke eye contact when he turned to pay his cashier. Sharon fumbled pulling out her wallet, and paid for her drink.

Together, they walked over to the waiting area and stood a little apart, but still near each other. They spent the few minutes waiting for their hot chocolates, passing glances at each other, then looking away. Then their drinks were ready and together they walked out the door. Once outside, they stopped.

I should say something, she thought, but what should I talk about? She turned to him, still trying to figure out what to say.

After a long moment of silence, he asked, “Why so blue?”

She blinked, absorbing his question. Oh no, she thought, he already thinks I’m a sad sack. It’s not my fault the cold dark weather gets me depressed. Or that I’m completely alone in the world with no family or friends. She began blabbering. “It’s just that it’s so dark and gloomy and lonely and I already broke one of my New Year’s resolutions, though I don’t know why I bother since I’ve never managed to keep any of the resolutions I make. I always break them within a month, but I’m trying to stay positive! That’s the one resolution I’m trying to keep firm!” She stopped to gulp in some air.

“I actually meant your raincoat, scarf and gloves.” He pointed to the gloves sticking out of her pocket.

Her eyes widened in horror and her cheeks flushed a deep red. He probably didn’t want to hear any of that!

“In all fairness, this time of year makes me completely depressed.” He glanced up at the darkened sky. “And I’ve already broken my third resolution.” He held up the cup of hot chocolate. “However, the one resolution that I was firmly adhering to was that when a woman flirted with me, I wouldn’t go and say something stupid to ruin it.” His cheeks turned a slight shade of red. “Which I just did.”

“I don’t think things are ruined,” Sharon murmured, thinking that he was quite yummy. Raising her chin, she declared, “It goes to show that New Year resolutions are a plague on humanity and set us up to fail.” He laughed, and she joined him.

He cleared his throat. “By the way, my name’s Andrew Hawkins. I work two blocks over at the Huxley building.”

“Me too!” she exclaimed.

“So, your name is Andrew Hawkins too?” The corner of his mouth quirked up.

“No silly.” She tittered. “My name is Sharon Miller. I meant that I also work at the Huxley.”

“Amazing that we’ve worked in the same place and never run into each other.” He began walking across the street towards their work. Sharon fell into step beside him.

“True, it’s not a big building. However, I bet we’ve never seen each other because we don’t work in the same area. I work in contracts on the second floor,” she said as they walked down a block.

“Ah, I work on the third floor in finance.” They stopped at the intersection. He took a sip of his hot chocolate. Seeing him try it, she attempted a sip of hers and burned the tip of her tongue for the effort. Gasping, she fanned her tongue with her free hand, as if that would actually help.

“Careful.” He gazed at her softly. “I probably have a tougher palate than you.”

She glanced up at him then looked back at the sidewalk ahead. A light pink tinged her cheeks, and it wasn’t from the cold. She was unused to such attention in real life! “Well, sometimes they don’t make it so hot. Guess I’ll have to wait until I get to my desk.”

The light turned green, and they walked across in awkward silence. Sharon wanted to talk about so many things, but she was so nervous that she couldn’t think straight enough to choose one topic. As they neared the steps of the building, she felt panic rising up in her. She didn’t want to let the moment go and risk not seeing him again. They walked up and through the doors, showing their badges to security. At the elevators, Andrew stopped and fumbled in his pocket for a moment. He pulled out a card and handed it to her.

“Here’s my card so you can call me. Maybe we can hook up for lunch sometime.”

She stared at the card in amazement. I can’t believe this is happening, she thought. Realizing she hadn’t responded, she grasped the card and said, “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry if I’m too forward.” He looked apprehensive.

“Oh no!” she blurted out. “You surprised me. I mean, no guys are interested in me. At least not cool guys,” she mumbled, and then her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

“I’m a cool guy?” Andrew seemed to inflate at this compliment, while a ridiculous grin traveled from ear to ear.

“Well, maybe not that cool.” She muttered. Amusement colored her eyes belying the serious tone of her words.

He chuckled. “Then, you’ll call me?” He pressed the up button for the elevators.

“Definitely.” She smiled, happiness lacing her voice. “For lunch.” When the doors opened, they both stepped in with the crowd. Maybe this year will be different, she mused as the elevator doors closed.





Sharon met Andrew for lunch that day. They continued to meet in the morning for hot chocolate and at noon for lunch Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Conversation was casual, mostly about work and the light topics of the past, such as previous jobs and school. Talk was dictated by the short meeting in the morning and the public nature of worksite break rooms. Sharon wanted to discuss deeper subjects, but didn’t dare due to the circumstances. If only they could go somewhere off-site for lunch.

As if reading her mind, Andrew called her Thursday afternoon right before she left work. “How would you like to go out for lunch tomorrow?”

She beamed into the phone as she whispered, “We have been meeting for lunch.”

“No, I mean, go out to a restaurant.” He paused. “My treat.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She glanced across the aisle, but her co-worker had already left for the day. She relaxed and stopped whispering. “Sounds great. Where?”

“Wherever you want to go.”

“Well.” She twirled the phone chord around her finger as she thought. “There’s this good Chinese food place a few blocks from here. It’s small, but it -”

“- has private booths.” He continued for her. “Run by a nice family, the Chans.”

She could hear his grin over the phone. “I guess you’ve heard of it.”

“No, I’ve never heard of it,” he said straight-laced, but then broke into a low chuckle. “We should probably go early to beat the crowd. Not that I would know any such thing.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, but that sounds like a good idea. How about eleven-thirty?”

“Your boss is okay with that?” he asked.

“Oh, he and the boys usually go out early on Fridays for pizza,” she replied, not really thinking about the question, but about lunch with Andrew.

“It sounds like you know their schedule a little too well. Looks like I have competition.” Worry tinged his voice.

“No silly, it’s nothing like that. It’s that they never invite me.” She pouted.

“Would you rather go for pizza then?”

In a deadpan she said, “No, I don’t really like pizza.”

“But, you said. Now, I’m confused.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” she asserted.

“I’ve learned not to eat on principles. It usually gives me a stomachache.” He groaned, feigning sickness.

“You’re so funny.” She giggled. “But good point. And that’s why we’re going for Chinese.”

“Right. See you in the morning for hot chocolate?”

“With caramel.” Her voice tinkled with amusement. “See you in the morning.” She sighed. “Andrew.”

“See you in the morning,” his voice deepened, “Sharon.” Then he hung up. Sharon lingered a moment with the phone to her ear, reveling in the way he said her name.





“I love this place.” She beamed, sitting down in the cozy booth for two. She especially loved the oriental decorations. On the wall, above their booth, was a beautiful fan depicting a woman in the midst of a thriving flower garden. A cute touch was a little white cat figurine on the table.

“Me too,” he agreed as he sat down across from her.

The attending waitress bowed her head at the compliment, then handed each of them a menu. “I’ll be back in a moment to take your orders.”

“I’m ready now,” they said in one voice. Surprised, they gazed at each other for a moment, their eyes smiling with delight.

The waitress nodded, taking out her pad, she asked, “For you, Miss?”

“I’ll have the Honey Walnut Shrimp combo with chow mien and white rice. Water to drink.”

The waitress jotted it down. “And for you, Sir?”

“I’ll have the Sweet and Sour Chicken combo with only chow mien and Dr. or Mr. whatever.”

The waitress nodded. “Thank you, I’ll be right back with your drinks.” She walked away.

“So,” Sharon exhaled, not exactly sure what to talk about now that they could speak about anything.

“So,” he echoed. “How about this weather, eh?”

She looked at him confused then pursed her lips. “Sorry, I guess I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

“Overwhelmed?” He raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

Sharon was about to elaborate when the waitress returned with their drinks. She waited until the waitress left. “Well, there are so many things I want to talk about that I don’t know where to start.” She pulled the paper from her straw and stuck it in the glass of water.

Andrew took a long drink before he spoke. “Why don’t we begin with something easy. What do you have planned for the weekend?”

“I don’t have any plans. I hardly ever do.” She sipped on her water.

“Then what do you think you’ll do this weekend?”

“Boring stuff. Laundry, dishes, probably play a video game.”

“Video game? I didn’t know you played video games. What system?” He leaned forward.

“Um.” She hesitated, wondering if he thought she was geeky now. She hadn’t told anyone at work, because she didn’t want them to think she was a weirdo. Even though, that’s exactly how she felt.

He saw her hesitation and said, “I have the Max Drive. My gamer name is LairdHawkins.”

“Laird?” she questioned.

“Ah, yeah.” He cleared his throat and said in a hushed tone, “A laird. As in a Scottish lord.”

“Yes, but I’ve only heard of lairds in romance novels.” She saw his face turn a deep shade of red. “You read romance novels!”

He nodded in response as he cast his eyes down.

She stared at him as if he had grown a second head. It was almost like he had been made for her. So far, they shared almost all the same likes and dislikes.

“Is that okay?” He looked back up at her. “Do you think I’m a weirdo?”

“No, I don’t,” she professed. “You surprised me, that’s all. I didn’t know guys read romance novels.”

“They’re the only books where you can find sexy ladies doing naughty things.” A sly smile crossed his lips as a devilish look entered his eyes.

She stared at him for a moment and then cracked up. As her laughter subsided, she said between breaths, “I can’t believe how perfect you are.”

“I’m not the perfect one.” His face flushed. “You are. You’re like straight out of my dreams. My dream girl.”

Choking on her water, she coughed. “Really?” She cleared her throat. “Me too.”

He raised an eyebrow again. “You’ve dreamt of yourself as your perfect girl? I’m not sure what that means, but I have to admit, I’m intrigued.”

She giggled. “No silly. I mean, you’re like my dream guy.”

“Oh good. I was afraid I’d read you all wrong.” He leaned back. “You still haven’t told me what system you have.”

“A Max Drive, and I’m TrainGirly,” she said.

Brow furrowed, Andrew contemplated her. “TrainGirly, hmm. Does that have anything to do with toy trains?”

She nodded. “My father and I had a Lionel train collection.”

“So did me and my dad, though I was very young and only did it for a few years.” He stretched his arms across the back of the booth.

Sharon face softened, memories of her and her father rising up. Though, unlike Andrew, her memories were only a few years old. She frowned as bad thoughts started to surface. Unsure how to continue, she looked down and played with her napkin.

Sensing the change in her mood, Andrew leaned forward. “I’m sorry. Did I say something to upset you?”

She shook her head, and then said, “It’s just.” She took a deep breath. “My parents died a few years ago. Thinking of them is still painful.” She continued to stare down at the table attempting to keep her emotions in check. She did not want to cry here in front of him.

“I understand.” He reached across the table and held her hands. “Time has helped, but I still miss my mother.”

She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. There, she saw sadness and sympathy. “When?”

“I was young, twelve.” He sighed and squeezed her hand. “The emotions are the same no matter the age, but the understanding is different. When you’re young, you think it’s easy to change things. To stop her from getting into the car -” He trailed off as he stared into the past.

“Heh.” She chuckled under her breath. “I don’t know about that. Two years ago, I thought I could change things, but I couldn’t. Nothing I said mattered. They still died.” She closed her eyes tight against the tears threatening to spill out.

“It’s not your fault.” With a soft touch, he caressed her cheek.

She opened her eyes and gazed into his. “It’s not your fault either.” She saw more in his eyes now – guilt. He must be feeling guilty for not being able to stop his mother, like I feel about my parents.

He cocked his head to one side while maintaining eye contact. “Did anything, um, positive result from your parent’s death?”

Furrowing her brow, she thought back over the past two years and the jumble of emotions and information surrounding the plane crash. “Well, at first, they thought it had been a freak accident, out of the ordinary for a plane’s engine to suddenly combust the way it did. The government came in and did an investigation -”

“What did they find?” He held both her hands with his, which gave her the strength to continue.

“They found several things wrong with the safety measures and protocols of the company. The government required them to practically re-write and re-design everything.” She paused, remembering something else. “And since my parents were both high-ranking elected officials, the government investigated all of the airline companies and found that the problems were widespread.” For the first time since they died, she didn’t feel so guilty, but a little happy that a bit of good came from something so tragic.

Seeing her face lighten, he said, “Now, not all bad things result in good things, but I’ve found that a lot of the time, they do.”

“So, anything happen from your mom’s death?” she asked.

“Yup.” He nodded. “She was in a car accident at an unmarked intersection. Both drivers and the one passenger died. It resulted in the city putting in ten stop signs and two signal lights at similar intersections with bad traffic reports.” A gentle smile settled on his face. “Saved a busload of kids a year later from a drunk driver who ran the stop.”

“Wow,” she murmured. “That’s great.”

“My momma always said to look on the bright side,” he commented. “There’s a silver lining to most dark clouds.”

She smiled basking in the warmth and love he showed even when remembering something so sad and painful. She squeezed his hands. He squeezed back.

As Sharon was going to say how happy she was that she had met him, the waitress appeared with their food. They let go of each other’s hands as the waitress put the plates down in front of them.

“Enjoy your meal,” she said before she walked briskly away.

“Yes, I will enjoy.” My life with you, she thought, smiling at Andrew.

“Me too!” Andrew grinned. Then they both dug into their food as if they hadn’t eaten for days nor enjoyed food so much. Maybe they hadn’t until now.





“No!” Sharon screamed when she woke Monday morning. Her beating heart was pounding in her chest. Her ears rang from the explosion. Her eyes still saw the destruction of the building where she worked. And Andrew! God, Andrew’s bloody body haunted her. His lifeless eyes had stared at her as she had waded through the rubble and other bodies.

She ran to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She was soaked with sweat, yet felt cold. So cold.

“I have to save him,” she spoke aloud, staring at herself in the mirror. She saw the water drip off her face and the look of absolute determination in her eyes. “I will save him. Somehow.”

She knew she couldn’t tell him about her dream. She had told her parents about her dreams, and they had thought she had a wild imagination. Now she knew that she had to do or say something else that would have the result that she wanted. I need to be creative, she thought as she got ready for work.





Even though, Sharon hurried through her morning routine, she still had run late. She missed Andrew at the coffee shop and barely caught up to him at the front steps of their building.

“Andrew!” she called out.

He stopped and turned to her; a broad smile on his face. “Good morning, Sharon! I thought you had maybe stayed home today.”

“No. No.” She exhaled. She took a few deep breaths to calm her hammering heart.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He paused and then added, “Other than being out of breath.”

She flashed him a smile. “I wanted to catch you, before you went to work.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Oh. Why?”

“Well, I.” She paused, trying to make a quick decision as to which of her plans she wanted to go with. “I wanted to take the day off. To go out and have a fun day. What do you say?”

He frowned. “That’s not very responsible of us. I have an important project to complete today.” He looked closer at her. “If you feel you need a day off, you should go home.”

“But -” She trailed off. She knew she hadn’t proposed her idea the right way.

“I’m sorry, Sharon. I can’t.” He brushed his fingertips along her cheek. “But you can.”

Sharon leaned her head against his hand loving the feel of his touch, but then stepped away and shook her head. “No. I have work to do as well. It was just a thought since we didn’t get to see each other this weekend.” She glanced towards the street and noticed a gas utility van parked next to their building. She frowned as a tingle spread through her body.

“How about we go out to lunch? Maybe that’ll make the day better.” He stepped closer to her; a look of concern on his face.

She pushed the odd sensation aside, and forced a smile onto her face. “That would be great.” Maybe, that’s when the blast will happen, she thought, the sun had been high in the dream.

“Great!” he exclaimed. “Then, let’s get to work so we can get to lunch quicker.” He started up the steps.

Sharon sighed. I have to find another way, she thought as she trudged after him.





At 11:30 A.M., Sharon sat at her desk, staring at her computer monitor without seeing what was displayed on it. A half of an hour left until lunch. She hoped they left in time, but she had a bad feeling. A feeling that had worsened as the morning had progressed. She feared she wouldn’t be able to save him. To get out before the whole building exploded.

The whole building. Everyone.

The color drained from her face as she realized that everyone was in danger, not only Andrew. She felt so stupid for not figuring that out before. She had been focused on saving him that she had forgotten about everyone else!

She stood up almost knocking her chair over. She had to do something to get everyone out. Looking across the aisle at one of her co-workers, she saw that he was engrossed in whatever he was working on. She shook her head. Telling everyone one by one wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t believe her.

Think Sharon, she ordered herself, what gets everyone out of the building all at once? A fire drill! She almost shouted with joy, but stopped herself. She still couldn’t help smiling, realizing that everyone would leave if the fire alarm went off.

She stepped out into the aisle and steeled herself. She could get into trouble, but it’d be worth it if it saved lives. She walked briskly out into the hall, but not so fast that she’d draw attention. Right next to the stairwell door was the fire alarm. Glancing around to make sure no one saw her, she pulled the alarm.

As soon as she did, the siren blared and the lights flashed. She flung open the stairwell door and rushed up the stairs to get Andrew. Halfway up, people started pouring down. She struggled for a few moments to get through until someone yelled at her. She tried to contain her fear as she followed the flow down. What if he ignores the alarm? What if a lot of people ignore the alarm?!

Seeing a member of the emergency team at the bottom of the stairs made her feel a little better. She remembered that employees volunteered to help everyone in case of an emergency. They would make sure that Andrew and everyone else got out.

As the throng of people ushered her across the street to the small park, she noticed several uniformed men near the gas utility van. They had a lot of equipment out and were talking amongst themselves.

Gas, she realized, there must be a problem with a gas line. That’s what blows up the building! They must not know how serious it is if they haven’t evacuated the building. I’m their hero, but they’ll never know that.

Shrugging it off, she looked around the park for Andrew. Not seeing him, she panicked when she realized that no one else was leaving the building. She wanted to look for him, but knew she needed to check in. She took a few steps towards her section when she heard someone calling her name.

She spun around to see Andrew waving at her. Relief flowed through her. She jumped up and down as she waved back. Everyone around her gave her odd looks, which she ignored as she walked to her designated spot. She was happy. She had finally done it right. Everyone was safe, not just the one she loved.

A shiver ran up her spine, and a feeling of success flowed into her heart. Then a thought entered her mind – what must be, must happen. She turned towards the building as it blew up. She stood still as people around her dropped to the ground, screaming and shouting. Detached from what was happening, she saw it all clearly. The gas utility employees ran across the street to the safety of the park. A car caught on fire. Sirens got louder as the fire trucks and ambulances arrived. She would have continued to stare if warm strong arms hadn’t wrapped around her and turned her around.

She stared up at Andrew’s face and saw a soft smile and a raised eyebrow. Seeing him broke through her shock, and she grabbed him into a tight hug. He returned the hug, running his hands down her hair and back.

“I’m so glad I pulled the fire alarm,” they both murmured. They pulled away from each other and searched each other’s faces.

“You, what?” she stuttered.

Andrew’s eyes widened. “You pulled the alarm too? Do you have visions?” His voice faded.

Sharon swallowed hard. “I.” She felt her throat constrict, so she nodded yes in response.

“Me too.” Andrew whispered. They continued to stare at each other for a moment until he asked in a soft tone, “Did you dream of me in the explosion?”

“Yes. It was horrible.” She shuddered as the dream filled her mind.

Andrew pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “It was awful seeing you that way.” He gazed down at her. As she looked up at him, thoughts of the ugly dream flew out of her mind and were replaced by him.

He chuckled. “Now, I understand why you wanted to play hooky this morning.”

Her face turned red. “Well, it was an idea.” She added without pausing, “However, it wouldn’t have saved all these people.” She looked away, ashamed that she had thought only of herself and her own happiness.

“Hey.” He turned her face back and looked her in the eyes. “I had the same thought, of saving you. It’s only human to want to save the ones you love.”

Sharon’s eyes widened. “The ones you love?”

“How could I not?” A big goofy grin spread across his face. “You really are my dream girl.”

Sharon gasped. “You mean, we shared that dream too?!”

“I think so. Or at least similar dreams. I’m glad that finally one of my dreams was a good one.”

Sharon smiled. “Yeah, me too. Though why you were being so elusive is beyond me.”

“You were the one being elusive, calling out my name to tease me.”

Brow furrowed, she said, “Wait, you were calling me. I never knew who you were.”

Andrew shrugged. “It doesn’t surprise me that the dreams wouldn’t let us know each other’s name before we actually met. I’m just glad our gifts brought us together. If we hadn’t dreamt of each other, we never would have noticed each other that day in the coffee shop.”

“Yes that’s true,” she agreed.

“Speaking of that dream, there’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.” He cupped her chin.

She closed her eyes as he leaned closer to her. As his lips touched hers, she melted. Yes, Sharon thought, tonight let’s bring our dream to life.





(word count: 5,312)