The Dream

Push

-Zain Danial-

"Favourite movie?" 

I repeated and she nodded at me. We were on our car journey back from the airport when Carla asked me this question. "Why?" I asked back and she shrugged,

"No reason specifically, my favourite is 'Your Name'," she told me and I made sure to make the mental note of that. 

"The movie sensation of Japan in 2017?" 

"You're well informed" She grins, watching the road ahead. The truth was that I knew a lot about things that were useless, this information would never have benefited me but alas, I had it in my head for whatever reason. I guess if I got to use it here it wasn't so bad.  "And yours?" 

I thought for a bit, I don't know what exactly I would say would be my favourite, I was more into reading than watching. Never up to date with the Marvel films, the only ones I have watched being spiderman. I watched Disney as a kid, no idea what the movies nowadays are like. If there was one, "Fight Club," I tell her. I had watched the movie a long time ago, remembering it influenced my life a lot growing up. I haven't watched, or read it for that matter, for a while though. 

She gave an interesting hum, "Fight Club? That's quite ironic since your apartment was blown up the same way the narrator's was," Huh, she was right. 

I turn to look at her for a second before focusing on the road again, "You know the movie?" I ask, 

She nods again, "I've watched the movie but I haven't been able to read the book yet. However, some of the things I've told you were inspired by it,"

I thought back to the first night at her house, the words about the materialistic that had hit me so deeply. I let out a little laugh, "And next you'll tell me you're only a figment of my imagination, my alter ego," 

She doesn't reply to this but when I glance at her again, she has a little smile on her face. 

-

I finally pull up to her house after a while, it still amazes me despite living here for almost a month now. Its presence, how grand it is, I'm grateful for the opportunity to live here at all. It reflects her perfectly too. With her facing her home, I can definitely see it felt the same. 

"What are you doing?" I ask as I watch Carla walk towards the boot of the car, genuinely confused. 

She turned back to me with an equally confused facial expression, "Getting the luggage?" She says but it comes out more like a question. 

I shake my head at her and walk to the boot myself. "I'll get the bags, you go in and get some rest, you're expected in a meeting tomorrow morning," I open the boot and reach towards both of our suitcases when suddenly Carla's hand comes into the frame and gets a hold of her bag before I could. 

"You say that as if you're not going to be in that meeting as well. Besides, it's my bag, I should carry it in." 

"I'm the man, I can handle it," 

I could see her smile from behind her open hair. "Alright alright," she sighs and lets go. I grin in victory and pick up her bag. To get to do even this much for her makes me happy. "I should probably scold you and your-man pride considering it's the twenty-first century and we gotta start talking about equality between men and women, but honestly," she says but before she could finish what she was about to say, she pauses, looking down at her house door. 

"Honestly...?" I say but she just shakes her head to herself. 

"I guess having you carry my bags isn't such a bad thing, kind of like a butler," she jokes which makes me scowl. She laughs at my reaction as she opens the door but just as she turns to look inside, she freezes again but this time it was in shock.