Dream Walker

Chapter 20 | It's All Part of the Job

Callie raised her fist to knock on Alex's door, then hesitated. She was shivering from the frigid breeze and needed to make a choice. After returning from Lyn's family home, Callie realized that she had run from her problems for years. She was still doing that, and it was time to stop. No more ignoring her dreams, no more drinking to block everything out, and no more avoiding Alex.

Making up her mind, Callie knocked firmly on the door. Her first thought was that Alex might not even be home. What if her resolve faded before she had a chance to talk to him? What if she ran away as soon as she saw him?

Before her thinking could spiral further, the door opened, and Alex appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his bare chest, smooth and lean, then drifted down to his abdomen. When her gaze hit the drawstring of his sweatpants, she jerked her head up.

She kept her eyes on his cheek, unwilling to meet his eyes while her blood ran hot with a sudden rush of desire. The corner of his mouth was drawn up in a close-lipped smile. She didn't want to know what story his eyes would tell.

"So—" Callie's voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and continued, "I have a lot of questions, and I'm not gonna leave this time." She crossed her arms over her chest to reinforce her confidence.

"Come on in," Alex said, stepping aside to let her into the apartment.

She walked past him, then slowed down as she looked at the kitchen counter. Bags of flour, sugar, and other baking supplies covered it. The remaining counter space was taken up by cookies sitting atop cooling racks. She couldn't picture him baking, but the proof was in the pudding. Or the cookies, in this case.

"Sorry for interrupting your...baking?" Her apology somehow turned into a question at the end.

"It's no problem," he said. "I'll just go put on a shirt." She looked at him right as he dragged a hand roughly through his hair. She looked away again. Apparently, her anger had transformed into lust, and it was far too distracting.

Callie nodded a little too vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, I'll wait right here." That was a stupid thing to say. It wasn't like she would follow him. Fuck, this isn't going well.

She sat down on the sofa and anxiously rubbed her hands together. A few deep breaths calmed her down and stopped the overthinking. Talking to Alex was no more terrifying than facing down demon dogs or taking a physics test. She had survived both of those things in the past few weeks, so her conversation with Alex would be a piece of cake.

Alex returned in a black t-shirt, and she did her best not to look at the way his shoulders flexed when he pulled a tray of cookies from the oven. She remained quiet while he transferred the cookies to the racks and turned off the oven.

He peered at her from the kitchen with a neutral expression. "Perhaps you'd like a beverage while you're here? Water? Soda? Cough syrup?" She chuckled at the goofy grin spreading across his face. He always knew how to diffuse her anxiety.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice light. She patted the sofa cushion next to her. "Let's just talk."

He obliged her request. Once he lowered himself onto the sofa, he threw his arm over the back and turned toward her. He made it clear that she had all his attention.

Callie sat up straight and pulled her knee onto the cushion to face him directly. "I think we left off talking about you killing the monsters that snuck into our world because of me." She held up her hand to stop him from interjecting. "Don't worry, I won't break down this time. I need you to be honest about everything."

She left her hand raised and took a moment to figure out what question to ask first. "Why am I a dream walker? I mean, I guess, why do I have this ability?"