Crossed Dreams

The Gift

The taxi rolled to a stop outside a hotel in the middle of the city. It was only a few blocks away from where they were. Easy walking distance, but that was made impossible from the gathering crowd of onlookers. Word had quickly spread that an internationally known singer was spotted running down the streets of the city.

Melissa was scrunched in the backseat with Connor and Tae-joon while the lucky Emily was upfront with the driver. Tae-joon leaned over her and paid the fair before climbing out. A car behind them honked impatiently before speeding off around them.

"You brought us to a hotel?" She really hoped that he hadn't taken her words earlier seriously. She already regretted speaking them, knowing that he would tease her with them in the future.

"We'll have privacy to talk." He rushed them past the doorman and into the building. With a grin spread wide across his face, he turned to face them while still walking. "You'll get to meet the others. At least I think they're still here. I know most of them will be."

Emily sucked in a sharp breath and silently whispered In-jae. "I think he and Chan-woo went to Central Park," Tae-joon informed her, somehow hearing her whispered desire. Melissa knew that there was no way that he had actually heard her. She wouldn't have known that Emily had spoken if she hadn't looked at her friend when she heard the sharp intake of breath.

Connor leaned forward so that he was by her ear. "This is so cool. We're actually meeting the band."

Melissa chuckled. "You're getting drool all over me."

Tae-joon led them to a row of elevators. When one of them opened they gathered inside and he pressed a button and the doors slid to a close. The elevator jerked before starting its ascent.

When the doors slid open they were on a floor that only had a few doors that were spaced far apart. He led them down the hallway until they stopped in front of a door. He held the door open and quickly ushered them in while the hallway was still empty.

The inside of the suite was large enough to be an apartment. The kitchen was to one side of them and Melissa could see two doors. She figured one of them was probably the bathroom. Bathrooms always seemed to be located near the kitchen. On her other side was a small sitting area and past that was another door. There was a set of steps in the sitting area that led up to a room that she couldn't see.

Taejoon led them to the steps. They opened up to another small sitting area but this one had a TV and game system set up. It also had Jun-hae, Joo-hyun, and Jin-woo. "Of course, no In-jae." Emily angrily whispered underneath her breath.

"That doesn't look like coffee." Jun-hae mumbled in English, stifling a yawn. Joo-hyun looked up from his book then quickly looked back down, a light blush creeping to his face. Jin-woo didn't even bother to look up from his phone.

"Better than coffee," Tae-joon replied with a smile. "Keep these two busy." He demanded more than asked. He lightly pushed a shell shock Connor and a grumbling Emily forward. Before anyone could refuse he pulled Melissa by the hand and dragged her back down the steps and led her to the door by the sitting area.

The door led to a decent sized bedroom. He pushed her through it then shut it behind him. "Wha...what are you doing?" She stuttered.

"Now we can talk in private." Walking over to the bed, he sat down and patted the spot beside him. He did say talk. She was pretty sure that wasn't code for anything.

On unsteady legs, she went over to him. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked when she sat down.

"What's your name?"

She completely forgot that she had never actually introduced herself to him. "Melissa. Melissa Wolf. But most people usually just call me Mel.

His mouth gaped open. "You're kidding? Your last name is Wolf, as in like the animal?"

That brought a smile to her lips. "Yeah. Next question." She motioned with her hands for him to continue.

"What was with all of the rocks?"

It took her awhile to realize that he was asking about the collection on the TV stand. He must have remembered that from the dream. "The three of us are studying geology. Well, actually, Connor and I just graduated with our undergraduate degree. At the end of next month, I'll be starting graduate school at Berkeley."

He surprised her by leaning over and hugging her. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." His proximity brought a blush to her face and she knew that there was no way that she could hide it.

"Last question before I give you a gift. Be my girlfriend?"

Her face jerked up. Did she hear him correctly? "Didn't we like, just meet?" Was she missing something?

"We did but we've known each other for a while. I like you and now that I know you are real I want to be with you." He wiggled his eyebrows which did nothing to help her racing heart.

This situation was ridiculous. Everything seemed so surreal. Was she ready to date a stranger? Sure, she did kind of know him but not that well. She knew that people did this all the time. Okay, so not the dreaming part but the dating strangers part.

She looked into his eyes. The light streaming in from the window lighting up the gold flecks that were hidden in them. He sat there expectantly with a smile. It was as if he wasn't expecting her to deny him. Oh hell, she knew she couldn't deny him. Especially since she's already felt him up twice plus she wanted that rematch. She was definitely going to kick his but the second time around.

She licked her lips, suddenly feeling parched. "Yes. I'll be your girlfriend." His smile widened and he leaned in to give her another hug. She brought her hand up and stopped him. "But only if you give me a rematch. I wanna play that one game again."

That brought out another smile. The eye crinkling kind. "Deal." She removed her hand allowing him to hug her. As he pulled away he kissed her forehead. "Want your prize now?"

She brought hands together and rubbed them, acting like a child during Christmas. "Yes, please." He got up from his spot and opened the laptop that was laying on the desk. It was funny how she didn't even notice it when she first entered.

He opened an app and clicked on something. The soft sounds of a piano and guitar started playing. She shot him a puzzled look. Chuckling, he answered. "I promised you a song."

That was right. In one of their later dreams, he promised to sing her a song once it was finished. "It's done?"

He nodded then placed a finger over his lips telling her to be quiet. She waited to hear his voice float out of the laptop's speaker. Instead, she received another surprise, a live performance. Tae-joon inhaled and closed his eyes. His voice came out quiet at first but quickly picked up volume.

He sung in soft tones. His voice following the music perfectly. The beginning of the song was in Korean. She had know clue what he was saying but she could tell that the words were beautiful. The way he sung pulled on her heartstrings. His voice was both sad and hopeful. Full of longing.

"You breathe life into me. Forever become my Crime Soreciere. Forever I'll be your Fairytail." Her eyes flew open at the sudden realization that he had switched to English. His voice no longer sounded deep and husky as it did in his own language. The way his pitch change gave a unique quality to the song. "Two sides of the same coin. Only good things ahead." He switched back to singing in Korean. The rest of the song went on like that. He would sing some parts in English while the majority of it was in Korean.

He exhaled for a final time before the music ended. Most of the song was in Korean but there were a few parts that were in English. Those parts brought a smile to her face. "Did you like it?" His voice was low and breathy. She decided that she liked his voice that way.

She stood up and went over to him. Standing on her tiptoes she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Best present ever." She breathed against his lips. He smiled and closed the distance capturing her lips. Why in the world did she ever refuse him the first time he tried to kiss her?

The kiss only lasted a few seconds even though it felt longer. He pulled away, his arms still wrapped around her waist. "I do have one more present."

Reluctantly, he dropped his arms her waist and walked over to the suitcase lying by the dresser. When he stood up, there was a small item wrapped in colored paper. "I thought of you when I saw it."

She unwrapped the paper away from the item hidden inside. Once all the paper was removed she found a dark blue necklace that belonged to one of her favorite anime. "I love it."

Something cool pressed against her breast plate beneath her dress. She removed the necklace that she wore around her neck. "I actually have something for you too." She handed him the icy blue Kyanite that she had wrapped just a few weeks before.