Willow and Jacomus enter the apartment building as she unlocks the front door. They start climbing upstairs while Jacomus asks, "What do you think you're going to get for food tonight?"
Willow replies, "I was thinking of getting the Kalamari dish and maybe one of their basic tossed salads. What about you?" They keep walking through the old, carpeted hallways, lit by the yellow lights that dangle from the cracked ceilings. Jacomus is only a foot behind Willow.
Jacomus responds, "Well, I was looking at the menu and might honestly grab a pound of chicken wings tossed with either their hot sauce or Thai sauce." They finally reach Willow's apartment door, and she unlocks it with the key and lets them in. Pixie is waiting patiently on the other side. Willow expresses shock when Jacomus says that he might order a pound of wings, "That's a lot of chicken wings, are you going to eat all that?", she asks.
"For sure! You always like to tease me about how I eat all your food and snacks," he chuckled, and Willow joined in, both of them amused. As they removed their shoes and settled in, Pixie trotted towards them. She rubbed against Willow's legs and then Jacomus' legs, purring softly. Pixie kept going back and forth, meowing and purring as she sought their attention. "Okay, Pixie, calm down. Let me get inside first before I prepare some food for you," Willow said as she picked up Pixie and showered her with love and kisses. "Would you like to go ahead and order the food? I'll take care of Pixie's meal," she asked Jacomus, glancing over at him.
"Got it, captain!" Jacomus smirked, then walked over to the living room and took a seat on Willow's couch while she started preparing Pixie's dinner. "You wanted the Kalamari dish, right? And one of their tossed salads?" Jacomus shouted across the room so that Willow could hear him. "Yeah, please!" she responded.
Willow had just finished preparing Pixie's dinner. She mixed dry kibble with wet shredded chicken pieces and added some salmon oil on top. Pixie was overly excited and kept pacing back and forth as Willow brought her dish over and placed it by her water bowl. "There you go, sweetie," she said, kissing Pixie on the top of her head before joining Jacomus on the couch. Willow sat down at the opposite end of the couch from Jacomus, curled up her legs, and got comfortable. Reaching for the TV remote, she looked over at Jacomus asking, "How long until the food gets here?"
"ETA says 6:30, the time is currently six. So about 30 minutes."
"Perfect.", Willow replied, "What would you like to watch? I have Stack TV, tons of options.", she said while turning the TV on.
"Well, it's up to you. Your place.", Jacomus said. Willow smiled.
"Alright, let's watch Rick and Morty then."
Willow and Jacomus watched Rick and Morty while they waited for their food. After finishing an episode, Jacomus received a notification on his phone indicating that their food had arrived. They both got up and headed towards the door. Willow put on her slippers, and Jacomus proceeded out the door wearing only his socks. Willow giggled and suggested, "We should keep a pair of slippers for you here whenever you come and visit." She glanced down at his socks and then looked back up at Jacomus with a silly look. He silently mocked her and stuck out his tongue. They both broke out in laughter and both headed down the hallway. As they arrived at the entrance of the apartment building, Willow held the door open for the delivery driver to come inside. Jacomus took out his wallet and paid for the food, while Willow accepted the food packages from the driver. Both of them expressed their gratitude towards the driver, saying "Thanks so much!" The driver smiled and nodded, then left the building to return to his car. After that, Willow and Jacomus turned around and walked back to her apartment.
Upon returning to Willow's apartment, Willow removed her slippers and carried everything to the kitchen, with Jacomus following her. She unpacked the food and asked, "Do you want a plate for your wings, or are you eating them straight out of the container?" Jacomus replied with a negative shake of his head, mouth full of food already. Willow playfully shook her head and laughed. She took two glasses out of her cupboard and filled them with water. Then, they both went to the living room to resume watching Rick and Morty while holding their food in one hand and their drink in the other. About two hours had passed. They had finished all of the food, except for a few of Jacomus' wings left in the box that they had arrived in.
"I'm sorry to bring it up again," Willow said as she turned down the TV volume. "But I'm worried I'll have another dream tonight, even if you're here," she finished, Pixie jumping up beside her.
"You shouldn't be. I understand why you are, though I don't think it's going to help you very much if you are consistently thinking about it. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but thinking about the dreams and what comes with those dreams will increase your chances of them happening."
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" Yes, I am well aware of that," Willow let out a frustrated sigh. "But it won't change anything. These past three weeks have been treacherous, and the dreams have been happening every night instead of once a month. Before that, they used to occur once a year, and before that, it was every five years. There seems to be a pattern to these dreams that I can't figure out. It feels like they are trying to tell me something, or maybe even show me something." Willow concluded, slumping into her couch.
"Well, there isn't much either of us can do. Willow, look,", Jacomus put his hand on her knee and Willow looked up, "They are just dreams, and I promise you won't ever have to worry about them becoming a reality.", Jacomus finished, looking at Willow with a soft smile to try and ease her anxiety. She couldn't help but let out a soft smile as well. Jacomus checked the time. "Well, it's currently 8:30, what would you like to do?", he asked.
"I'm going to get ready for bed. I normally fall asleep around nine, sometimes ten. Depends on the day, and today feels like it's going to be a nine o'clock bedtime. Are you okay with that? You're more than welcome to use the TV if you're not tired yet.", Willow said.
"Alright well, I will get ready for bed as well then. I am pretty tired as well, all that swimming today tired me out. The wings did not help.", Jacomus chuckled.
"Perfect, I think you have a toothbrush in there, but if not, feel free to use a new one. They're just underneath the bathroom sink," Willow said with a smile as she got up off the couch. Pixie got up too, and trotted away. "I'll go set up my bed and get a fresh glass of water. Once you're done in the bathroom, I'll brush my teeth. It's just too small for the two of us to be in there at the same time," she added with a small laugh, annoyed at the stupidity of her apartment building.
After completing their tasks, they both sat on the couch in silence. The TV was off now, and the only sound was the kitchen fan. A few minutes passed before Jacomus broke the silent air. "What's the plan here?" he asked, looking over at Willow. However, Willow didn't move an inch. "Hey, Willow?" he called out her name like a song lyric but still, she didn't budge. She was quiet and staring at her wall, lost in thought. Jacomus realized that she must have zoned out. Out of nowhere, he let out a loud "Hey!" which startled Willow and made her jump.
"Oh, sorry. I zoned out," Willow finally responded, collecting herself after being startled.
"Yeah, I noticed. You okay?", Jacomus asked.
"Yes, I am fine. Thank you. This has been happening every night, for about two weeks, before I go to sleep. I just get nervous and wonder what I am going to see tonight in my dreams.", she sighed, "But like you said, there isn't anything either of us can do." Willow gets up and looks over at Jacomus, "I'm going to bed now.", she said with a forced smile.
"Okay, I understand," Jacomus said as he got up and opened his arms for a hug. Willow accepted the embrace wholeheartedly. Almost crying. Jacomus took a moment before asking, "Do you want me to sleep with you tonight? I could hold you if I notice anything wrong, or if you want somebody to stare at the ceiling with before you fall asleep. I'm sorry for asking so bluntly, but I believe it would benefit you. You might even sleep the whole night, or have a more peaceful dream.", he finished. Willow was silent for a moment before she agreed.
Willow, feeling timid, got into bed first and covered herself with the blankets. She had never been this physically close to Jacomus before. Jacomus joined her but stayed above the covers, getting comfortable as well. They both sat in silence, Willow feeling awkward but comforted at the same time. A couple of minutes passed by when Pixie came along and hopped up into the bed. She curled up and got comfortable. Willow shifted her body to face Pixie so she could pet her. When Jacomus saw her shifting, he looked over at her, sending butterflies to swarm her stomach. I don't think I've ever gotten butterflies because of Jacomus before. Willow thought to herself. I never noticed how gorgeous his eyes were either. They look like green and blue stars dancing in the midnight sky. She couldn't help but stare at him. When Jacomus noticed, he gave a soft smile. Once again, butterflies swarmed Willow's stomach.
"Everything okay?", Jacomus asked quietly.
"Yes, yes I am okay. Why do you ask?", Willow responded.
"Well, you're staring at me. You've never done that before."
"Oh, am I? I'm so sorry.", she looked away. Her face became flush.
"It's fine, don't be sorry. Do you mind if I ask why?", he said with a big smile.
"Well, you're very pretty.", Willow said with a soft tone.
"Is that so?" Jacomus chuckled as he spoke, "You're very pretty too." They both lay still, smiling at each other.
"You can get under the covers if you'd like.", Willow suggested. Jacomus didn't respond but proceeded to get underneath the covers. Without noticing, they both got closer to each other. I wonder if he would get upset if I laid my head on his chest. No, no that's just weird. Willow thought.
"You can lie your head on my chest.", Jacomus suggested. Willow quickly turned her head up to face him. Did he just read my thoughts? Jacomus smiled as Willow thought to herself of the possibility. No, that wouldn't be real. That stuff only happens in fairytales. Jacomus chuckled. "Are you going to lie your head down?", asked Jacomus. Without responding, Willow moved closer and placed her head on his chest. When her body made contact with his body, her sight turned black and her ears went deaf. Suddenly, Willow found herself unable to speak, and unable to move. She realized she was no longer in her bed, next to Jacomus and Pixie.