Lost in Hollywood

Back to Black

Last night's dream was holding Sky in a tight grip, even if it was already late afternoon.

She was sitting in the passenger seat of Yasmine's car watching the luxurious boutiques swim by the window as they cruised down the avenue that was lined with palm trees and shops. The sun was a hot, blazing sphere high in the sky, but the insides of the car were nice and cool, the expensive leather of the seat was the smoothest thing Sky had ever felt. Yasmine kept talking about the shops they passed, about the shoes and the dresses and the purses she had purchased in them, but Sky was barely listening.

Her mind was slipping back to the dream, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She is sitting with Cody on a beach. The sand still holds the warmth of the day, even if the wind that blows from the sea is fresh and cool. The taste of salt and seaweed is crisp on Sky's tongue but the night is so dark she can barely see the waves that hit the shore - the sun has set a long time ago but the moon is not yet up and the only light they have comes from the distant, flickering stars. The water is ink black, and the only thing visible, are the white tops of the waves that crash against the rocky shore filling the night with a steady, heaving roar. It sounds like the sea is a living thing, the rhythm of the waves its breathing.

"My God, look at the stars," Cody sighs, his voice so silent that it's almost lost under the sound of the waves. "They're so bright. I've never seen anything like this."

"I know. It's gorgeous."

But instead of the black dome over their heads, she looks at him. Under the pale starlight, he is beautiful, more magical than any starry sky. His black and white features are like an old photograph, the wind is ruffling his black hair, making the strands dance around his face, his impossibly long eyelashes cast dark shadows on his cheeks. He is so handsome that it's almost painful. She could watch him like this for the rest of her life, and never get tired. The sharpness of his cheekbones, the soft curve of his full lips mesmerize her, they make her chest feel full and hollow at the same time, as if her heart is caving in on itself.

The stars dance in Cody's eyes when he turns to look at her, but those are not the same stars that are in the sky, they form constellations and galaxies Sky has never seen before.

"I wish I could make you see all this brightness," he says, a small smile playing in the corner of his lips as he reaches a hand and pulls some of her wind-ruffled curls behind her ear.

"I don't understand. What are you talking about."

"Nothing. Don't worry, all is well. All is so perfectly, damnably well."

But those are not his words, it's a book quote. Sky knows it because she is the one who once read those lines to him, a lifetime ago, and with that realization comes the painful truth. This is a dream. None of it is real.

And just like that, the dream shatters, the night disappears around her, and she wakes up in her bed, covered in cold sweat, and Cody is gone just like the night, like the waves, the stars that are like diamonds on the black velvet of the sky.

"Sky—" Yasmine's annoyed voice yanked Sky back into the moment. "Sky, are you listening at all?"

"Sorry, I'm just— tired. I didn't get much sleep."

Sky blinked and the remnants of the dream disappeared. The night wind and the starry sky melted into the bright sunlight. The stars in Cody's eyes died and Sky was back in the car with Yasmine, who was looking at her all funny. She had parked the car in front of the luxury dress shop, and Sky hadn't even realized they weren't driving anymore.