The Night Between Us | Dream or Reality

Part title

The first time Mara dreamed of him, he was little more than a shadow at the edge of her vision. No face, no name—just a presence that lingered like a half-formed memory. She couldn't explain it, but something about him felt familiar, as though she'd known him once or was meant to know him.

Her days were as unremarkable as always: work, silence, and evenings spent alone in her apartment. The kind of quiet life where even the smallest disruptions stood out. But the dreams were different. There, everything was sharper—the air heavier, the colors richer, and always, he was there.

She never knew when he would appear. Some nights he was already waiting, other times he'd emerge from the darkness without a word, just a glance, a fleeting brush of his hand. They didn't speak much, but they didn't need to. His presence was enough to keep her coming back, night after night.

Tonight, Mara stood on the shore of a still lake, the water so smooth it mirrored the sky, stars hanging low in the distance. She sensed him before she saw him, the air shifting with his arrival.

"Mara."

The voice came from behind her, quiet but distinct, as if it had always belonged there. She turned slowly, her pulse quickening. He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, dark hair swept across his brow.

"You're here," he said, his voice a low murmur.

"I always am," she replied, though her voice came out softer than she intended. There was a strange weight to these words, a truth she didn't fully understand but accepted nonetheless.

Lucas—she wasn't sure how she knew his name, but somehow, it fit—took a step toward her, his gaze steady. His hand hovered near hers, but he didn't touch her, not yet.

"You feel it, don't you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "The way this place holds us."

She didn't answer, but she didn't need to. The pull between them was undeniable, as much a part of these dreams as the lake or the stars overhead.

"Why only at night?" she asked, her words feeling strange in the silence. She'd never spoken this much to him before. She wasn't sure why she was now.

His eyes flickered with something she couldn't place—regret, maybe. "Because night is all I have left."

Mara's chest tightened at the words, but before she could ask him what he meant, the stillness around them shifted. The lake rippled, and the shadows along its edge seemed to grow deeper, darker.

"Lucas..." She started, but he shook his head.

"There's no time." His voice was urgent now, the softness gone. "Soon, you'll have to decide."

She frowned, her pulse racing as the darkness crept closer. "Decide what?"

"To stay," he said, his voice low and distant. "Or to wake."

Mara jolted awake, her chest heaving as she sat up in bed. The room around her was silent, too still, and the lingering chill from the dream clung to her skin. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to steady her breath, but her mind was racing.

She reached for her phone, the light casting a faint glow in the darkness.

2:47 AM.

For a moment, she just sat there, staring at the screen, Lucas's voice still echoing in the back of her mind. Find the place where this began.

But that was ridiculous. It was just a dream. It had to be.

She rubbed her eyes, shaking off the disorientation, but the feeling wouldn't leave her. What if it wasn't just a dream? What if it meant something more?