My Fictional Boyfriend

Chapter 5 ~ Marvin Shace

I dozed off with thoughts of my ideal guy. Thinking about him—admiring him, at the same time—made my brain go haywire with mixed emotions.

Something soft... something gentle... dreams of Marvin Shace and me occupied the sweet recesses of my dreams. I felt him caress my hair.

It felt so real. It felt like a dream come true, no pun intended.

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling that same gentle touch on my hair. Someone was in my room! I flinched at the thought of a stranger in here. With a sharp motion, I ended up falling down my bed.

I hid myself behind a chair and scream, "Who are you?"

"Don't be scared, Ella," he said with a tender tone. I could not make up his features, but his silhouette reminded me of someone familiar.

Realizing my not-so-good choice of a hiding place, I crawl backwards into the farthest corner. "How'd you know my name? Who are you? Don't go near me."

He slowly walked towards me; his confidence manifested in every stride. There was something familiar about him, something that made me feel he was a part of me.

I reached for the walls behind me. I needed a closer look at the person. He wore jeans and white t-shirt that had black text printed on it.

Dream like you'll live forever.

I narrowed my eyes at his face. I caught a glimpse of its radiance under the light of my night lamp. He reminded me of someone. It wasn't until a few seconds later when I gawked at the realization. "Wait, I know you!"

He smiled, showing off his dimples, knowing I'd already recognized him. "Hi, Ella. I am Marvin. Marvin Shace." He offers his hand for me to shake,

Marvin Shace!

"You can't be." I withdrew my hand before he could take it. Something was wrong. He's definitely not real! "You aren't real. How can this be possible? Am I going crazy?" A laugh escaped my mouth and I almost fainted but he caught me.

"Careful, you're all tipsy." I forgot to mention that I also created him with a sense of humor. He held on to me and guided me to one side of my bed.

I stared at him with disbelief. This couldn't be real. I might have dreamt within the dream. I woke up, but I was still living inside the next dream. What the hell was I thinking?

This is unbelievable! He is—he is Marvin! I poked his cheek to feel if he was real. I brushed my thumb over his brow then his dimpled cheeks. It felt unbelievably real, too! I tousled his hair and stared into his eyes. They were the same deep green eyes I described in my story. I gazed them longingly. His eyes... they seemed to swallow me up—drown me into an endless pit of fulfilled promises and dreams turned to reality. It compelled me to hug him.

Hugging my Marvin was the most natural thing to do. It didn't last forever though. Mom knocks on my door and opened it without waiting for my response. Ugh, mom! "Ella? Your friends are waiting for you downstairs."

My heart skipped a beat, realizing our situation. Marvin was on my bed, and Liam was the only guy allowed on it. If only they could switch faces. But I realized Mom did not even cared to look at him.

He was gone—like he did not even exist. Imaginary... Mirage... Fictional...

Mom waited for my reply.

"Oh, okay, tell them I am going down in a bit."

"Is there something wrong, Els?"

"Nothing," I forced a smile. Nothing. He was nothing.

She nodded and closed the door.

I hadn't had a bath, so I stepped in the bathroom and closed the division of the shower. I turned the shower on and take a bath.

Was it merely a dream? Was Marvin really in my room? Was seeing him a figment of my imagination? I needed to wash my craziness away and wake myself up. What came in to my mind to think he was real? That whatever I wrote could be real?

"Sorry I left you earlier," a familiar voice said.

"Fudge!" I cursed out loud. I turned the water off and covered myself. Cautiously, I peeked above the shower's smoked glass division. There he was again, sitting on the covered toilet seat. I slapped my face repeatedly, reminding myself to wake up.

He chuckled. "Don't slap yourself, Ella Gomez. I don't want you to get hurt."

I fastened the robe around my body and stepped out. Seeing any guy inside my bathroom stressed me out; seeing a stranger seeing me with only a robe around me was wracking my nerves. "I am crazy, aren't I?"

"No, I don't think so." Marvin crossed his arms and leg in a gentlemanly fashion. "Or just a little bit." He winked.

"Why are you here? What's the reason of you appearing—vanishing—then reappearing again?" I demanded, somewhat confused and annoyed with my predicament.

In two silent strides, my fictional character was now standing in front of me. He cupped my face and smiled lovingly. I could feel his warm hands on my cheeks and his eyes bore deep into my soul. "Your love is the reason why I am here—the reason why I am with you. It keeps me alive—fuels my life."

I shook my head, cursing my body's betrayal for enjoying the contact of our skin. "But how can I love you if you are not real? When you're simply a product of my imagination?"

"Just because I'm fictional, 'doesn't mean you can't love me. I love you, and you're real... but I still love you. I am real because you make me real." He couldn't have said it any better.

My heart pounded faster... stronger... harder. There was no point in wasting my time trying to figure out why he existed. Marvin Shace was in front of me. I felt him; he felt me. I'd loved his character and he had loved me back, those were what matters more.

"I—I love you, too." I blushed at my own revelation. "But I really need some privacy to change my clothes." It's not like I'm marrying him soon anyway!

"Oh, right." He laughed, embarrassed by his unconscious choice of intrusion. "Sure. Here"—he opened the door out the bathroom to my bedroom—"I'll wait for you outside."

"Okay. Promise me not to peek?" I asked like a little girl playing hide-and-seek.

Raising his right hand, he solemnly swore, "Promise!"

With a blink of an eye, he was gone. I immediately putted my clothes on, matching his blue jeans and white shirt. "Hey, I am done. Marvin?"

"You look beautiful," Marvin said, his voice filled with admiration.

I turned around and saw him. "You have to stop popping in and out. It's not normal." I playfully punched his shoulder. "The laws of Physics don't work that way, okay? It scares me a little."

Without a single word, he hugged me tight. "Love can defy laws, that's what Thonia and Joshua said in the book Metanoia, remember?"

The effect of his words and hug sent tingles throughout my system. It travelled through my veins, sparking an undeniable attraction that forces me to gaze longingly at his eyes. "I—I—I need to go somewhere. Can you come with me?" I stuttered as undeniable tension threaten to break my sanity.

That was just too good to be true...

"I'll risk anything for you—whatever it takes just to be with you." He winked at me. I remembered that line. I wrote it for him; I wrote it for Mika. Now he was telling it to me.

Marvin Shace was real, and he was in love with me. Fiction had become reality, and the main role was starring the real me.