Dream Lover

#5

"Go ahead, Mick." Mike pushed me towards the orange, wooden door. We had driven an hour to meet Anna at her home in Westchester, California. Westchester was a small remote town on the coast. 

I cringed and hesitantly knocked on the door. Less than a second later it flew open, and there stood the girl from Mike's photograph. Yet somehow she was prettier. She stood before me with a giant, white smile. Her features animated in such a way that transfixed my eyes upon her and refused to let them divert their gaze. 

Her lips moved and I was aware she was speaking at me. But the words were lost in my brain. I shook my head to clear it and looked to Mike for a translation. Mike was smirking at me. 

"Um, Sorry." I laughed to Anna. "Could you repeat that?"

She giggled and the sound was like music to my ears. "I said Hello." She extended her hand to me. 

"Oh, hello!" I chuckled breathy as I took her hand and shook it lightly. I liked how it felt encased in mine. Sadly she pulled away first and then welcomed us in. Mike pushed past me and entered the dark house. Anna directed us into the living room and asked us to excuse the mess. The place was neat as a pin, there was nothing that needed to be excused. This made me smile within. 

"You two make yourselves comfortable. I have to finish folding my laundry and then i'll be right there." She called from the hallway. 

I turned to Mike when I was sure she was out of earshot. 

"I like her already, Mike." I complained. 

Michael smiled. "Yeah I noticed, but why do you make it sound like a bad thing?" 

"I can't like her this much without even knowing her!" I said desperately. 

"Why not?" 

"Because that means once I do get to know her better I'll REALLY like her, and then what if we break up?! The higher I am, the harder I'll fall." I whispered harshly. 

"Man I already told you, you're not going to have any problems with Anna." Mike said. But didn't even seem to believe what he said. 

"And how do you know that?" I whispered with venom. 

"What are you two babbling on about?" Anna flirted as she entered the room once again. 

Mike and I straightened up. 

"Nothing." Mike sighed. "So uh, what are we gonna do? Have you decided?" 

"No. I was waiting for you boys to get here." She smiled nervously. 

"Let's not go to dinner." Mike said almost disgusted at the thought. But why I never knew. 

"Yeah, dinner is not my favorite thing to do when i'm trying to get to know people." Anna said with equal aversion. 

"We could go bowling." Mike suggested. 

Anna frowned and shook her head no. "The lanes are closed."

"What a drag. A movie maybe?" Mike tried again.

Anna shook her head in apparent dislike. 

"What if we just walked up the boardwalk." I asked. 

Anna looked from to Mike. A smirk appeared on both faces and  Anna nodded. 

"That sounds amazing." Anna laughed. "Let me get some shoes on and we can go." Anna trotted out of the room. 

I turned back to Mike. 

"Let's assume you're right." I whispered.

"Why the sudden change of mind?"

"Because I can't not pursue her. Did you see that? She just turned down dinner, and a movie! I've always told you those were the two types of dates that I couldn't stand." A wild smile appeared on my lips. And as Anna came back in her tennis shoes, and a knee length, yellow dress I somehow smiled even wider. The bright yellow contrasted well with her hair that's color strikingly resembled my own. 

I opened the front door for her and Mike, Anna, and I walked out of the house and down the street towards the ocean. We visited many stores and talked about very basic things. In fact Mike and Anna did most of the talk. I just watched them.  By the time the sky was dark with night Mike and I were on our way home. 

I rambled on and on about Anna's beauty. About how she spoke, the words she used, and misused. The way she walked, as if on her tip toes, barely touching the ground below her. The way she smelled. Her, and her house alike, smelled faintly of incense. Just enough to be recognized and admired without being over powering. It smelled sweet and personified her character as nothing else could. 

"Mike her hair, it was so perfectly styled and...and..." 

"Micky, would you shut up already!" Mike yelled a bit frustrated.

I had rambled on for an entire forty-five minutes.  

"Sorry." I sighed.

Mike shook his head. "I honestly don't get you Micky. One minute your fussing at me because you might like a girl and then the next you're head over heals in love with her!" Mike laughed.

"I don't understand it either." I sighed. "I don't want to like her, but I do. And it feels nice to have these feelings." I explained. 

"It's nice to hear you happy again." Mike patted my shoulder as he was driving.

I smiled at him but my mind was stolen by more thoughts of Anna. I smiled outwardly even as we drove into our driveway. Lani came running out to greet me. 

"I missed you dad!" She exclaimed as she opened the passenger door. I exited the car and ruffled her blonde curls and planted a kiss on her widows peak. With out a word I walked inside and went to bed.

"What's with him?" Lani asked Mike after I walked away.

"My sweet girl, that is the look of a man who's going to be hurt pretty badly." Mike told her. 

Of course Lani didn't understand what he meant, nor would I if I had been in her shoes. I would have assumed that he was making a joke, not stating a fact, as was the case.

Hey guys! So im selling my Penitence book. The one about Micky's struggle with depression. If you are interested please check out my penitence book for more information and if you'd like to write it please dm me.