Dreamcatcher

Chapter 7 - Monday

The next day came and went, and I worked my entire shift at the diner, but Dean never showed up. A part of me felt disappointed, missing the easy banter and those piercing green eyes. I couldn't shake the nagging feeling of worry—what if something had happened? What if he wasn't okay? But I pushed it aside, telling myself I was being ridiculous. After all, I barely knew him.

That night, I snuggled up next to Daniel on the couch as we watched some movie about aliens. I wasn't paying much attention; my mind was elsewhere. Lost in thoughts of Dean, wondering why I even cared that he didn't show up.

Daniel shifted beside me, pulling me from my wandering thoughts. "Ashlyn, my love," he said softly, his voice cutting through the haze. He gave me a gentle smile and took my hand, holding it in his. The warmth of his touch should have been comforting, but instead, my heart felt like it was sinking.

"I wanted to continue our conversation from the other day at your parents' house," he said, his tone calm but serious.

I blinked, confused. What conversation? My mind raced, trying to remember what he was talking about. Seeing the confusion on my face, Daniel chuckled softly. "Ashlyn, baby, you're so forgetful. Remember? At the table, after your brother's announcement?"

And then it hit me. He was talking about getting engaged. My stomach twisted into knots as I realized what was coming next. Before I could react, Daniel reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

Oh no. Not now. This can't be happening now, I screamed inside my head, my heart racing.

"Ashlyn, I love you so much," Daniel said, his voice full of sincerity as he opened the box. Inside was a simple, elegant diamond ring. "Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

I felt like the world had stopped spinning. Everything around me froze as I stared at the ring. I wanted to be happy, to feel the joy I should've felt at a moment like this. But instead, all I could feel was confusion. My thoughts were a tangled mess of emotions—Daniel, Dean, everything.

Without waiting for my response, Daniel slid the ring onto my finger, and I couldn't take my eyes off it. I was speechless. What could I say? What should I say? The weight of the moment crashed down on me, suffocating.

I was supposed to be happy. Right? The voice in the back of my head screamed at me to say yes. This is what people want—a loving partner, a proposal, a future. And before I knew it, one of those yeses slipped out, barely audible, "Yes," I said, my voice shaky, almost foreign to me.

Daniel's face lit up with pure joy, and before I could fully process what I'd said, he pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel his excitement, the happiness radiating off him in waves. But inside, I felt hollow. Where was that same joy inside of me? I knew I was making the right decision—I loved Daniel, didn't I? Then why did it feel like something was missing?

He cupped my chin and kissed me hard, his lips pressing against mine with intensity. I kissed him back, but there was no spark, no fire. It was just... a kiss. Nothing more.

That night, as I lay in bed, I twisted the ring around my finger absentmindedly, the weight of it unfamiliar and oddly heavy. The more I turned it, the more I wondered why it didn't feel right. Why wasn't I over the moon like Daniel?

I drifted off to sleep, hoping my mind would settle. But even in my dreams, Dean didn't show. The absence of him in my thoughts was like a strange emptiness—something I couldn't quite explain, but something I felt deep inside.

Instead, I dreamed of a dark room—cold, empty, hollow. The air was thick with fear, a suffocating dread that seeped into my bones. I tried to move, but it was like something was holding me down, my body paralyzed under an invisible weight. I couldn't see what it was, but I felt its presence, looming, watching, like a predator circling its prey. The chill in the air cut through me, making me shake uncontrollably. The cold seemed endless, wrapping around me tighter and tighter, like it was closing in on me, suffocating me.

Then, out of the darkness, I saw them—two glowing blue eyes, piercing through the black void. They weren't just looking at me; they were looking through me, as if they could see everything—every fear, every secret, every hidden corner of my soul. I wanted to scream, but my voice was trapped inside me, just like the rest of my body. The eyes grew brighter, closer, the cold intensifying as they hovered in the darkness, watching, waiting.

And just as the cold, paralyzing terror became unbearable, I woke up. I was freezing and sweating all at once, my heart pounding. I glanced at the dream catcher hanging above the bed, the one Daniel had given me, its feathers swaying gently in the dim light. I reached up and let my fingers brush against the delicate strands, the cool beads tickling my skin.

"Why aren't you catching the bad dreams?" I whispered to the catcher, frustration seeping into my voice as I turned and snuggled closer to Daniel's warm body, hoping his steady presence would chase away the lingering fear.

But even as I settled back down, wrapping myself in his warmth, the unease clung to me like a shadow. Something about the dream felt... too real. And the worst part? I wasn't sure if it was the dream or the empty feeling inside me that scared me more.