REM // Van McCann

18. It's a Date

By the time I woke up, she already removed her mask and probes, setting them on the chair beside her. I sat up and began removing everything, relieved that my clothes were no longer sticking to my skin and that my boots were just fine.

"Oh good. You woke up. If you took any longer, I would've slapped you awake for scaring the shit out of me!" she yelled, causing Bondy and Larry to look our way.

"I was just trying to help! We would've been there for ages if I didn't do anything," I fought back, standing up and making my way to the computer.

"What did you do?" Larry asked.

"Nowt. She's making a big fuss over nothing."

"I had my eyes closed and he got real close to my face to scare me. He enjoys messing with me. I mean—look at him! He's over there laughing as I speak!"

It was funny seeing how worked up she got. If I did this to the other lads, they'd just laugh it off but this woman kept going on and on; it was quite entertaining. I saved the run before shutting down the computer. Even though she was angry, she helped put away the probes, complaining about me the whole time.

After Florence woke up, I decided to stay behind. The nagging feeling that Clara was still in the water bothered me but from the ground, I couldn't see anything so I went back up. Once I was at the top, I got on my knees and crawled towards the edge and sat there, waiting for her body to surface but it never did. After waiting for what felt like forever, I decided to go back down to the beach. I've not gone down to the beach in my dreams before so it was a place I've never drawn. The image was still fresh in my mind as I made my way to my desk in search of a notebook to draw in. I grabbed my pen and started drawing the large rock I jumped off of to search for her.

Florence continued talking and her voice became background noise. I was so focused on finishing my drawing that once I looked up, I realized Florence was recalling the dream for Bondy and Larry to hear. They listened intently, no doubt curious what I dreamt about.

"Who is she, by the way?" Florence asked suddenly.

"Who?" I questioned.

"Clara, the person you were looking for. Is she your girlfriend?"

I could see Bondy and Larry exchange looks. I've never mentioned her to anyone before and now that they know her name, they were curious. I've told them about past girlfriends I've had—even women I've hooked up with and women I've fancied but never Clara. Why was I hiding her from them?

"I've no idea who she is," I lied. "I don't have a girlfriend." I closed my notebook which made a sound louder than I expected and put it away. "That's all I had for today. We'll see you on Thursday."

My sudden change in behavior made them quiet. It was clear that I wanted her to leave and she didn't question it. Just scurried over to grab her things. I followed her to the door, holding it wide open. She made eye contact with me before leaving.

"Thank you. See you Thursday," she replied.

There was a look of determination in her eyes that wasn't there before which worried me. She knows I lied to her about not knowing who she is. No person in their right mind would frantically make their way down to the beach and into the water for someone they didn't know. She knew this person meant a lot to me, that's why she assumed she was my girlfriend.

We dated for several months but things didn't work out. I wanted to move to America for work and her dad got moved to Portugal. Neither of us were willing to compromise but it's not like we didn't think about it. I spent several days mulling over the pros and cons of moving to Portugal with her but in the end, decided not to. Portugal didn't have the opportunities I needed to advance my career.