Chasing the Reddened Dream

Chapter 10

Dylan drove over to Gloria's house. The time had finally arrived and he was feeling anxious. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Although he wasn't inexperienced, he didn't know too much about how to please a woman. He figured that he would learn along the way about what Gloria did and didn't like. Everybody was different after all.

He wondered what the surprise she had was. He had no doubt that it was something sexual. He was somewhat surprised because Gloria was never too forward about things concerning sex in any way. She was reserved and a bit prudish. He also wondered if she was a virgin. This put extra pressure on him because he had to make it a good first time for her. This first impression of sex would be the most important because, no matter what, she would compare her first time to all the other ones.

He took a deep breath as he pulled up to her house. He knew she was waiting for him. He looked at his phone and it just turned eight. He walked up and knocked on the door. It mysteriously opened by itself.

"Hello?" Dylan asked into the darkness.

"Come in." a barely audible voice whispered.

He would know that voice anywhere. He stepped inside and closed the door. He searched around blindly until his eyes had adjusted. The shadows on the wall made everything look menacing and indecipherable. There was so much unknown about the darkness.

He saw a light and walked towards it. It was a tv and on it was the Netflix menu. He laughed. On the table there was a bottle of champagne and two glasses. On the bottle was a note that said "Pour me." He looked at the label and it was a really fancy brand. Gloria was sparing no expense. He tipped the bottle and filled the glasses to the top. He looked at the tv again and realized that there was a horror movie up to play. This was one genre that both of them could agree on. Plus, there would be a lot of closeness when the two of them got scared.

"Oh, Dylan?"

He turned around and saw Gloria in sexy lingerie. Time stopped and his mouth went dry. Words could not describe how beautiful she looked in that moment.

"What do you think? I bought this just for you. I hope you like it."

Dylan tried to talk, but his brain wasn't functioning well. It was as if all the blood rushed from his head to somewhere else in his body.

"Dylan?" she asked, almost pleading for an answer.

"You look... indescribable." he finally said. "I'm speechless. You look absolutely ravishing."

She giggled. "I hoped you would say that. I was worried about what you would think."

"Why would you even worry? The less clothes you wear, the better."

He started to reach for her, but she slapped his hand away.

"Oh, no. That will happen after we watch the movie, stud."

"We're actually watching Netflix? I thought that was just a euphemism for something else."

"Usually it is, but not tonight. Besides, they say that horror movies really get the adrenaline flowing, if you know what I mean." she said with a wink.

He sighed defeatedly. He knew he would have to wait a little longer. He handed her a glass of champagne.

"Thank you, sir. I see that you can follow instructions. This will be a fun night." she said mischievously.

They both took a sip of their champagne and it was strong.

"God damn." Dylan coughed.

"Don't waste any of that, dear. That's my parent's best champagne and they would be pissed if they knew you spit any out."

They sat down on the couch and started the movie. It wasn't too scary, but Gloria faked like she was scared only to get closer to him. They were cuddling on the couch and Dylan looked at her. She was too engrossed in the movie to notice. She looked like an angel and she looked even better up close. He could see her eyes even in the dark. Most times when you look closer at people, they turn ugly but not her. She was like a perfectly painted picture; although an artist would have a hard time capturing her beauty. She laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled into him.He could feel this tremendous build up and the same feeling returned. He enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed against his. This was his favorite part of intimacy. Sex was good, but holding someone in your arms was better and more personal. Not a lot of people took the time to do this and they usually rushed into the final act. He wished that this could go on forever.

The movie finished and Gloria turned to Dylan.

"What did you think of the movie?" she slurred. Dylan knew she was buzzed.

"It was alright. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but I'm just glad I was here to see it with you."

"You are just the sweetest boy that I have ever met. You make me feel like the most special girl in the world."

"That's because you are."

Gloria looked at him with a fiery look in her eyes. She started to lean in to kiss him. His mind went blank and the only thing he could think of was when Gloria said about eyes being the window to the soul. He looked into Gloria's eyes as she got closer until he saw the blackness of her irises. It was not her he saw, but rather himself. For the second time in his time, he saw himself for what he was. Suddenly, everything Julia said made sense and he finally recognized the feeling that had been plaguing him for a while.

He put his hands gently on Gloria's shoulders to push her away and she looked at him confused.

"Is there something wrong, hun?" she asked.

He tried to pick out the words to best describe what he was feeling.

"I'm sorry, Gloria but I can't do this."

"Why not?" she said in a hurt voice.

"It's not you, it's me. When I first saw you, I was captured by your beauty. I saw you as some beautiful, unobtainable object and I knew I just had to have you. So, little by little, I planned on how to get you. I felt uneasy when I realized that it was going smoothly and I could actually have you. It was honestly the thrill of the chase that attracted me most to you. That's what Julia was saying. I'm the hunter and you were the hunted. It's a game of cat and mouse. It's literal Tom and Jerry. I honestly don't know what Tom would do if he caught him. He would probably just release him and try to capture him again. That's what gave his life purpose. He never wanted to actually get him. It was the pursuit that excited him the most. I'm the cat, Gloria. I don't want you to misunderstand me and think that I don't like you. You're a wonderful girl and you did everything right. It's just me and my faults. I have some serious growing up to do. I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for this. Maybe when I mature and realize what I want, we can try this again."

Gloria didn't say a word as Dylan walked away from a girl for the second time in his life. He got into his car and drove away. He felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders and also felt very relieved. He could finally move on and try to achieve self-actualization. He didn't know how to do that, but he felt that this was a step in the right direction. This time when he looked out into the landscape, it wasn't darkness he saw, but the beginning of light breaking through to a new dawn.