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It had been happening as long as I could remember. Every night, I would go to sleep and I would see Them, the Person. At first it was unnerving, seeing someone I didn’t know in my dreams. But I quickly grew used to seeing Them. Things went from being acquaintances to amicable, to downright friendly pretty quickly. Eventually, Their presence put me at ease, and we began talking. But every time I asked Their name, They would dodge the question with nothing but a smile. So I stopped asking pretty early on.
We decided it would be fun to build things together. We started simple, with small things like snowmen and sandcastles. With Them, I learned that we could both control the shape of the Dreamscape. So we began to shape the world from our greatest fantasies. We built elaborate castles, trails winding through crowded woodlands, rolling hills and snowy mountains, sprawling cities and small towns… . everything. And it was beautiful. I didn’t want to wake up.
My mother always applauded that I was eager to go to sleep. She said she always treasured that she had a child who loved to go to bed on time. My siblings were insomniacs, and rarely ever slept. I never told Mother that I always wanted to sleep so I could see my secret friend.
Now you may be wondering, what kind of person were They? They were incredible. They aged, just like I did, and They seemed to be the same age as me. Or at least around there. I could never tell if They were a boy or girl, and frankly? I didn’t care to ask. They were a good friend to me, and it didn’t matter if They were a boy or a girl. And, like I mentioned earlier, I didn’t know Their name.
The years passed, and we became the best of friends. We told each other everything about ourselves, with the exception of Their name - which I learned early on not to ask. I told them about the people I developed crushes on, and asked for advice. They would laugh along and help me when I asked for it. I studied with them, having them prattle off questions as we raced unicorns through our meadows, or showing me flash cards in a cafe in one of our cities. We told each other about our friends and our personal lives. I learned that They did not have the best life outside of our Dreamscape, and that, for them, it was a welcome respite. It answered my never asked question: why They always had bruises and scrapes. I had never thought to ask about that, as They always looked so happy to see me, as if nothing else mattered.
And, eventually, it became that way for me. Mother drank a lot after Father left, and me and my siblings had to fend for ourselves. It was quite lonely at home, so I found every excuse to not be home or to be asleep when I was at home. Seeing Them was my reprieve.
In our Dreamscape, one fine evening, we were laying in the grass and watching the stars. It was years after we had both turned of age and moved out of our childhood homes. The cuts and bruises had long since disappeared, and They seemed to have found peace.
“You know. I’ve always loved you.” They said. It was a statement, just something matter of fact.
I turned my head to face them, rolling onto my side so I wouldn’t wake up with a crick in my neck, “Is that so?” I asked coyly.
“Yes.” Their eyes, as lucid as the dream, wide and awake and full of life, met mine. Under the moonlight, I could see the barest hint of a blush on Their cheeks.
I thought on it for a second. I always felt a deeper connection with Them than I did anyone else, but I never said anything because I was scared of losing them. Maybe this was a chance to find out if They felt the same way, “Do you mean like a friend, or…?”
They laughed at this. It was melodic, and lovely, and it filled my heart with happiness, “Or, indeed.”
My breath caught, and I almost felt like I was going to wake up. I fought every inch of my body to stay there, with Them, in that moment. I reached over and took their hand in mine. It was chilly from the night air, but still held the human warmth that I would have expected, “I feel the same way.”
They jolted up, and Their image blurred as if They were about to wake up. They came back into focus, and They asked, “Really?” Plastered across Their face was a huge grin.
“Yes. You’re my best friend. I know almost everything about you. You have always, always been there for me.” I said, sitting up with Them.
Without hesitation, They reached over and clasped my face between Their hands. They pulled me into a searing kiss, and as They blurred and faded away, I woke up.
The next several months were vastly different, but in a great way. Our evenings were spent hand in hand, exploring the lands we created together, enthusiastically talking to each other about our days and giggling every time we made eye contact.
My days at work seemed to improve, and when my coworkers and bosses asked me what was going on, I’d just smile and say that I had a good rest. I had never talked about my secret, and I wasn’t about to start now. Especially since, as I grew older, I learned quickly that people didn’t take well to the notion that you could fall in love with someone from the Dreamscape.
Even though I knew something was wildly different about Them, I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. Every other aspect of the Dreamscape was a figment of my imagination, or Their making. I’ve touched people in the Dreamscape before, aspects of my work or Theirs, and it felt like a cool breeze. Touching them felt real. I didn’t know how else to describe it. And it was the one thing that I never told them, was that I was curious about how or why they were in my Dreamscape. Or was I in Theirs?
On my lunch break one day, I decided to stop in at the new coffee shop in town. It had a unique theme, and I wanted to check it out. As I parked my car and took my keys out of the ignition, I thought of how out of all the things that I had told the Person, I don’t think we had ever discussed the names of the cities we were moving to.
As I passed the window, a familiar figure caught my eye. I blinked a few times, staring. They seemed to have the same reaction as I did, and Their face went from astonished to excited. They scrambled up and out of Their seat, and I rushed for the door. We almost slammed right into each other when the door opened, and Their arms came around me, peppering my face with kisses.
“It’s you!” They exclaimed, “I didn’t know you had moved here too!” Tears formed in the corners of Their eyes.
I buried my face into Their shoulder, ignoring the fact that we were causing a scene, and instead taking in Their familiar scent. It didn’t answer my questions, but it put me at ease to know that They were real.
“You dork…” I laughed through my elated tears, “You still haven’t told me your name.”