A Dream

Chapter 7: The Dream's Promise

The world came back to him in a rush of harsh fluorescent lights and the low hum of the air conditioner. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the stark reality of his bedroom. It was a day, maybe two, since he'd last fallen asleep, but in his mind, it had been a lifetime. A lifetime spent in a garden of paradise, a lifetime spent with Luna.

He sat up, his heart heavy with a familiar ache. The scent of honeysuckle and jasmine, the gentle murmur of the stream, the warmth of the sun on his skin, it was all gone. He was back in his room, the walls a cold, sterile gray, the air thick with the scent of dust and loneliness.

He tried to remember the dream, to hold onto the feeling of Luna's hand in his, the warmth of her smile, the way her laughter echoed through the trees. But the memories were fading, slipping away like grains of sand through his fingers.

He spent the next few days in a daze, his mind replaying the dream over and over again. He couldn't focus on anything else, his thoughts consumed by the garden, by Luna, by the love that had bloomed in the heart of a dream.

He tried to sleep early, hoping to recapture that magical world, but the dreams that came were fragmented, fleeting. He'd wake up with a jolt, his heart filled with a longing that gnawed at his soul. He missed Luna, he missed the garden, he missed the feeling of being loved, of being truly seen.

He wandered through the halls of his school, his head down, his heart heavy. He couldn't find solace in the familiar faces, the comforting routine. He felt like a ghost, a shadow of his former self, haunted by the memory of a dream that had slipped through his fingers.

One day, as he sat in his English class, the door creaked open and a new student walked in. She was tall and slender, with long, dark hair that cascaded down her back like a silken waterfall. Her eyes were the color of the twilight sky, sparkling with a mixture of curiosity and warmth.

Aster felt a jolt of recognition, a feeling of deja vu that sent a shiver down his spine. He stared at the girl, his heart pounding in his chest. She smiled, a bright, genuine smile that seemed to light up the room.

"Hi everyone," she said, her voice as soft as the rustling leaves. "I'm Luna."

As she spoke, her eyes met his. And in that instant, Aster felt a surge of hope, a flicker of something he had thought was lost forever. He felt a sense of recognition in her eyes, a glimmer of something familiar, something that had been dormant in his heart for weeks.

He stood up, his voice trembling, and introduced himself to the class. As he spoke, he couldn't take his eyes off Luna. He had to know, he had to find out if this was real, if this was the girl from his dream.

After class, he approached her, his heart pounding in his chest. "Luna," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I... I think I know you."

Luna looked at him, her eyes widening in surprise. "You do?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yes," Aster said, his voice gaining strength. "I... I think I've met you before."

Luna's eyes flickered with a hint of recognition, a spark of something familiar. She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Where?" she asked.

"In a dream," Aster said, his voice trembling. "A dream of a garden, a paradise, a place where I met a girl with eyes the color of the twilight sky and a smile that could light up the world."

Luna's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. She felt a surge of emotion, a wave of something she had thought was lost forever.

"Aster," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I think I know what you mean."

And in that moment, under the soft glow of the classroom lights, they knew. They were not strangers. They were two souls, bound by a dream, reunited in the reality of their shared world.

The rest, as they say, is history. They spent the rest of their days exploring the world together, their love a beacon of hope in the face of uncertainty. They built a life together, a life filled with laughter, joy, and the shared memory of a dream that had brought them together.

The garden may have been a dream, but the love they found within its walls was real, a love that transcended time and space, a love that would last a lifetime.

[ volume 2 soon ;) ]