A Virtual World Turned Real (An Unofficial Minecraft Adventure)

Chapter nine: Friends

I turned my head around to the source of the voice and I found it. I found London standing at the top of the stairs. How she snuck up on me without me knowing kinda baffles me as there was almost no noise to conceal her footfalls. Regardless, she was there and I had to answer her.

"Hey. No, I couldn't sleep." I said, feeling kind of bad over it.

"Oh." She said sympathetically. "Are you ok?" I shook my head.
She walked over and sat down next to me.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently.

I hesitated before saying, "This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I had a nightmare."

"What was it about?" London asked softly.

"Well... I dreamed that we - our class - were in battle against hundreds of monsters. It was terrible." I told her quietly, so I didn't wake anyone downstairs. London didn't say anything so I continued.
"We were losing. I tried fighting as hard as I could, but still we were losing. We started to fall, one by one, under the onslaught of the monster horde, until it was just you and me."

London looked sad, but also sympathetic. "And then?" She asked quietly.

"We fought with desperation, slowly wearing their numbers down. But it still wasn't enough. I glanced over to you to see how you were holding up and that's when it happened. I saw you fall under the waves of attackers and..." I took a shaky breath before saying, "... and you died."

London gasped ever so subtly. I looked up and over to her and looked right into her eyes. They were filled with sympathy as well as what might be shock. I looked sheepishly to the floor and then said in a low whisper, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you my dream."
London put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Hey, it's OK. It's not your fault."

I looked back up. I saw she was looking intently at me.
"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Are you ok?" She countered. "You're the one who had the dream. You're the one who experienced it."

I thought for a second how to respond. I said then, "I'll be OK if you're OK."

London patted my shoulder and replied with, "Then we'll both be OK. You're OK, I'm OK. Everyone's OK."

I sighed with relief. I was glad London wasn't upset over my nightmare.
"Thank you London."

London looked confused and asked, "For what?" My answer was simple. "For being so understanding. And for being my friend." She smiled politely and said, "You're welcome."
London looked up at the sky, still smiling, and continued, "It's a really nice night out tonight. Even for a game."
"It is." I said, glancing up at the moon. Even though it was in Minecraft, the night sky reminded me of a night I experienced back in the real world. I elaborated, "Remember that night... with the school dance?"

London looked back down at me and paused to think for a minute, trying to remember. "Oh yeah," she said after a moment. "I remember that. You weren't a very good dancer." She added with a slight laugh.

"Heh, yeah." I whispered. True, I wasn't a good dancer, but hey, I wasn't too bad. I then realized something else too that was similar. London.

I reached out with my left hand and settled it on London's cheek. She looked at me intently. "You were beautiful that night." I admitted. London looked a bit stunned - but in a happy way - when I said that. I continued wistfully with,
"You still are."

London's face, even though it was covered in the dark of night, lit up with happiness. "No one was ever said that to me before." She said breathlessly. Before I could say anything else, she flung her arms around me and squeezed me tight. Even though I was stunned, I managed to put my arms around her in a warm embrace. "Thank you." She said into my shoulder, almost sounding like she might be tearing up. I didn't say anything in response, I just held her close.  And hold her close I did, for what felt like forever, but was actually maybe only a few minutes. When we finally peeled apart, I still had a gentle hand on London, and she me. Her glistening eyes were locked on mine with what I can only describe as passionate intensity.

"That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." London said with a breaking voice while smiling, with tears in the corners of her eyes.  "You deserve it." I answered.

I must've sparked something then and there, because London started to move closer towards me. "London - -" I started, but never got to finish.
"Shhh." London interupted as she put her arms around me again, but this time her head leaned up to mine. What happened next, I never would've predicted in a million years. There, under the light of a thousand stars and a square moon, time stopped for me when I finally shared a kiss with a girl, for the first time in my life.