Torn between Dreams and Reality

Chapter 24

You know, if you'd asked me about TBDAR when I was planning the plot, I would've said it's an okay, so-so book. Even I didn't imagine it would become this...... intense by now.

I was in a car.

To be more specific, I was in Conrad's car. I hastily looked sideways to see him sitting in the driver's seat and laughing. His metallic steel eyes met mine and his smile slipped off his face.

"What's wrong, Claire?" he asked as if he had no idea how much he had hurt me.

"Why?" I gasped, covering my eyes with my hands so he wouldn't get a view of my bloodshot eyes. "Why would you think that? Why would you change in an instant, Conrad? I thought we were friends?"

His face laced with confusion as he focused on the road ahead. "We are friends and you're the one who has been acting strange these days, not me. You've done the craziest shit that I thought you'd never do, but I'm not complaining."

"But you left me!"

The words came out louder than I thought they would.

"I never did? What's wrong with you, Claire? Can't you—"

His voice disappeared as his hand reached for mine. It was dry—like a plant that hadn't been watered. It scaled over my arm, as I watched it spread out like black and silver strings, trailing over my legs and around my chest, towards my neck. Suddenly, Conrad wasn't Conrad anymore, just a shadow of a person that might be there. The strings sliced through my clothes like knives, scarring my skin with it.

I screamed in pain, screamed like it would take away the pain, screamed like my life depended on it as my skin bled, soaking my clothes with my blood.

"Your dreams were supposed to make you feel free

Your dreams were supposed to make you happyNow you rush away and we stand and pityFor you can't run away from what is meant to be"

I gasped and sat up breathing heavily, hearing the doorbell ring. I looked around to find myself in my bed. Quickly getting up, I rushed downstairs towards the front door where the bell rang again. Opening the door, I saw Leo standing there with a wide smile and a box in his hand.

But his smile fell off as he scanned me from head to toe. "What happened to you?"

Looking down, I noticed my wrinkled clothes from yesterday. My hair was a mess and my cheeks were probably stained with trails of dried tears. I knew I looked devasted. I knew I looked like I just had a nightmare.

I shook my head and whispered a 'nothing' as I let him walk in. He walked up to the lounge drawer and then turned to face me. "I brought the lasagna that I promised."

His smile looked genuine, like a smile that was contagious... but I felt my mental walls getting harder, taller and thicker by the passing second. I didn't smile back, just looked at the box that he had to offer.

"That's nice," I replied hoarsely, immediately clearing my throat. "Thank you, Leo."

"I'm going to go set up the plates. You're probably hungry and nobody likes that feeling. Maybe that's why you look so. . . terrible."

I shrunk my lips into a thin line, squinting my eyes as I let out another shaky breath. I walked up to him, watching him as he opened the cabinets and took out plates, and forks, setting them on the table and putting the food in the microwave to heat it up.