Crossed Dreams

Coming Together

"Can you drop us off in the city?" After the concert, Emily asked them if they wanted to walk around the city for a while. Since Melissa's feet weren't hurting yet she agreed. Connor didn't deny the little detour so Emily took it as a silent agreement.

"Sure, that will save me a trip back. A problem surfaced during the pre-launch of our newest game. Will you be fine for a few hours?"

Melissa winced. That had to suck having problems pop up so close to the actual launch date. She guessed that was why they held a pre-launch. It was a good thing that Emily wanted to stay in the city. The drive from the Moore's to the city was an hour and you had to go near the city to get to the stadium. It would have been really bad if Mr. Moore had to take them home first.

"Yeah, daddy. That works."

"It should only take a few hours, six at the most. If I’m not done in six hours, you can catch the train." If they took the train back then Mrs. Moore could pick them up. If not, then that would be approximately a ten mile walk from the station to their house.

Emily nodded causing her red hair to bounce. "That's fine. We'll walk around and grab something to eat. You just make sure to fix everything and don't work too hard."

At the mention of food, a twinge of pain sparked in her stomach telling her that she was hungry. The last time she ate was breakfast and all she had was a bowl of cereal. "Maybe we could eat first?" She suggested.

Emily looked at her dumbfounded. "You're hungry already?" As if summoned by words alone, a growling stomach filled the quiet that had ensued from Emily's harsh question. A grimace replaced Emily's features and she covered her stomach with her hands. "Maybe we should eat first."

"Really?" Melissa shook her head, her tone incredulous. Looking out the window she watched as the city came into view. The tall buildings towered high into the sky, a complete contrast to the little backwoods town that she was from.

Crawling at a turtle's pace, Mr. Moore navigated the car down the streets. After making a couple of turns, he parked the car in an underground lot underneath a ten-story steel building. The building was where Mr. Moore's gaming company was located. He didn't own the entire building but he did rent the second floor.

Everyone climbed out of the car and Melissa took that time to stretch her arms. "Have fun." Mr. Moore waved bye to them from the elevator.

"Where are we going to eat?" Connor asked them.

"You mean you were actually paying attention?" Exasperation tinged the shock in Emily's voice. Melissa couldn't blame her feeling that way. After the concert, Connor had become eerily quiet and kept staring at something that neither of them could see.

"How 'bout Subway? There's one a couple blocks away." Melissa suggested. The siblings nodded in agreement, fine with anything.

They walked out of the garage and onto the busy streets. Melissa laughed inwardly at some of the tourists. It was easy to recognize a tourist by the way that their eyes widened when looking at the buildings or the way that their mouths would hang open. It was especially easy when they were those hideous tourist shirts that vendors sold at elevated prices.

They shuffled at a fast pace. Weaving in and out of the crowds until finally reaching the Subway. After they were done eating they hit the sidewalks again.

"Where to next?"

Emily rubbed her hands together. "Coffee shop. I need a cup and I know a place that sells a mean cannoli. Their coffee is also amazing." It turned out that the coffee shop was on the same block.

Emily ordered a small cafe mocha and a chocolate cannoli while Connor just ordered a small coffee. Melissa stuck to water and a donut hole. They sat inside the small shop talking about the concert while they sipped their drinks. It was peaceful inside the shop compared to outside. It would have been better if the place didn’t reek of the smell of coffee.

When they finished, they threw their trash away and headed for the door. A guy was walking in as they were going out. He was slender and Asian. He wore all black clothes with a white ball cap and a black mask covered his mouth. His almond-shaped eyes were a deep milky brown. They reminded her of the eyes of a puppy. "Emily." She leaned in close to her friend. "Does he look familiar?"

Connor heard her and looked at the guy who was momentarily distracted by his phone. "He's cute, almost like Tae-joon." The stranger glanced up from his phone and looked at them with worry etched in his eyes, though she could have been reading too much into it since his eyes were the only thing that she could see. He lowered his head and pulled his hat down lower, hiding his eyes.

Emily smacked her brother. "Connor, this is not the time to fantasize."

"I'm not fantasizing. I'm just saying that he reminds me of him."

Melissa looked behind her shoulder, giving the stranger a final once over. He looked so familiar. Maybe Connor was right. The stranger was approximately the same height and body build of Tae-joon. Maybe that's why she thought he looked familiar because he reminded her of the singer.

Now that she thought about it, the guy from her dreams was the same height too. His personality was also similar to the singers’. Could that be where she based him off of? Was the guy of her dreams based off the singer that she had at some point developed a small crush on?

. . .

At the mention of his name, Tae-joon looked up from his phone. The three that he had noticed from the concert were there casting glances his way. Looking away, he lowered his head and pulled his cap down lower. With quick steps, he walked into the coffee shop.

When they arrived at the hotel after the concert he needed his caffeine fix. Heading out, he went to a small coffee shop that he had found during their last visit. The place sold really good coffee and the best sweets he ever had. It was just his luck that he had to run into some fans.

The inside of the shop was surprisingly empty. There were some people there enjoying the quiet while sipping on their drinks. Usually the place was packed to the point where there were no available seats.

He gave the server his order then moved out of the way to make room for the people who had just walked in. The new people, who looked like regulars, placed their order then sat down at an empty table.

While he stood there waiting he found his mind wandering. He thought about the girl in the green dress. He was sure he had seen her before. She looked and smelled familiar. He sounded like a weirdo thinking that but it was true. When she had passed by he caught a whiff of her perfume. She was wearing his favorite, vanilla.

The server came back to the counter and handed him his drink. He took in a deep breath savoring the bitter smell. He thanked the tired looking girl and happened to look at her name tag. So her name was Emily too. He laughed at the coincidence. His server had the same name as the girl in the pink dress.

He had overheard the girl in the green dress whisper her name. If he remembered correctly the guy that they were with was named Connor, or at least that's what he thought the red-headed girl said when she berated him. Too bad no one mentioned the one's name. He bet her name was just as pretty as she was.

With the hot cup of fresh coffee in hand, he headed toward the door. Connor and Emily. Those two names together sounded familiar. Did he ever work with anyone with those names?

Taking a step out into the waiting crowd he took a sip of his drink and burned his tongue in the process. A bell-like chuckle reached his ears. It sounded familiar. Everything seemed familiar today. The girl in the green dress and her scent. The names Connor and Emily. That laughter.

"All the ones on the top shelf belong to my flatmate, Connor."

"Emily says that my wardrobe is the complete opposite of my personality." The voice of his dream girl laughed.

The cup in his hand fell to the ground, the contents splashing everywhere. A couple of bystanders grumbled and threw nasty words at him. He didn't hear them. The words of his dream girl repeated in his head. Wind whipped through his hair and the buildings beside him passed by as he found himself running after the laughter. Running to the girl that it belonged to.

He weaved in and out of strangers all the while keeping his eyes peeled to the goal in front of him. There. He spotted a splash of green a block away from him. He ran toward it.

Someone grabbed his arm, jerking him to a stop. He was ready to yell at the stranger who had stopped him when a car came flying down the street, he would have run straight into the path of the moving vehicle. While he waited for the signal to change he thanked his savor. "Stupid kid." The stranger muttered. The light changed.

Tae-joon shot off like a rocket, forgetting about the rudeness of his savor. He only thought about her and reaching her. The green disappeared from his sight. He came to a stop at an intersection. He didn't see which direction she went. Looking both ways he found her. She and her friends had turned down a street and were now entering a building. He ran after them.

He came to a stop in front of the building that they had entered into. Only, they hadn’t entered it. They were standing underneath the alcove of a theater building. The two called Emily and Connor were looking at posters that were hanging up while the girl that he was chasing was staring at him.

Her grey eyes widened when she saw him. Did she recognize him? Or was it fear? He knew he probably looked a mess. He lost his hat a while back and his hair was probably disheveled. His cheeks were most likely tinged red from exertion and sweat dripped down from his forehead.

He smiled. It was one of his larger devilish smiles. He closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms. She started to struggle against him. Tightening his arms around her he leaned in and whispered against her ear. "I’ve finally caught you, stranger."

It was as if his words had a magic effect. She stopped fighting him and sunk into his arms. "You." Her whisper of disbelief brought a smile to his face.

. . .

"They're playing Wicked. I always wanted to see that." Emily pressed a hand against the glass-encased poster. Melissa turned toward the road. She heard the sound of feet hitting pavement, hard and at a fast pace. Someone was running. The steps slowed as they approached the theater.

A young man pushed past pedestrians and walked into the alcove. He came to a stop a foot from her. His dark brown hair was drenched in sweat and a few strands were sticking straight up. His cheeks were flushed red and he was breathing heavily. Sweat poured off his forehead, running down the sides of his face. His almond-shaped eyes were wide. Emotions that she couldn’t understand flashed through his gold-fleck brown eyes. Shock, surprise, and something else, something tender were the dominant emotions that she read in their depths.

The corners of his lips curled up and the top row of teeth peeked out from behind his lips. Melissa felt her eyes widening as she realized who was in front of her. She turned her head ready to tell Connor when the disheveled Tae-joon ran up and wrapped her in his arms. "I finally caught you, stranger." His voice was rugged and short on breath.

Her heart jumped and tightened, convulsing deep within its cage. The way he pronounced the word stranger was identical to the guy she had been dreaming about for the past two months. Not only that, his arms around her felt familiar as if she had been wrapped in them before. They felt exactly like her dream boys’. "You." Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

It all made sense. The similarity in the way that they spoke. The identical daredevil smile that pulled on her heartstrings. And the clues that he had unintentionally given her like the names of his brothers. At least now Melissa knew why those names sounded familiar. He also told her that he sang for a living. Melissa mentally face-palmed herself. All of the clues and hints were there but she hadn’t seen them. But why would she? She was dreaming so how was she supposed to have known.

She had to make sure. To make sure she wasn't losing her mind or seriously misunderstanding the situation. "You're real?" Were the only words that she could form.

Before he could answer, Connor pulled Tae-joon off of her and Emily wrapped a protective arm around her. "Get off of her creep," growled Connor.

All of it was too much for her to take in. She busted out laughing, bending low, cupping her hands against her knees. Emily gave her a concerned look as Connor looked at her in confusion. Standing up, she wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. "Connor, you should probably take a look at who you just manhandled."

Connor's brows furrowed together but he did as he was told. His mouth fell open and his eyes became so large that Melissa thought they might pop out. He let go of Tae-joon's shirt and jumped back as if he had been burned. "Sorry! Sorry!" He apologized over and over.

Tae-joon just laughed it off. "It's fine." He turned back to a now stabilized Melissa. "And yes. I know how you feel." He grabbed her hand and held it in his. "I also forgive you. I know that you thought that I was a dream too."

Forgive her? For what? Then she remembered their last dream. He had confessed to her and she pushed him away. She denied him and his feelings. "Oh God, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head, his brown eyes warm and understanding. "It's fine. But you will have to make it up to me." He wiggled his eyebrows, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

She smacked his arm with his free hand. "You and your jokes." She chuckled. It was weird. Everything seemed too normal. "How are you taking this so well?" She asked, completely serious.

He beamed at her. "Considering I dropped my coffee earlier," Tae-joon gave his head a slight shake. "No, my heart is pounding like crazy and I'm afraid this is another dream." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm afraid you will..." He mimicked a half-circle with his free hand and made puffing sounds with his mouth.

"Vanish?" Emily guessed. He nodded his head vigorously. Melissa was really glad to have Emily there with her. She would have been lost trying to guess the word. She wasn’t very good at charades.

"Vanish, yes." His accent which was almost nonexistent came out heavy when pronouncing the foreign word. "My English is still not that great."

"You are doing amazing." Melissa encouraged him. If she remembered correctly, he was fluent in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese, now he was speaking in English. And here she was struggling with learning a second language. She was lucky that it was Korean that she decided to try to learn and not something like French or Spanish. Maybe now she had a reason to learn.

"I thought you were real at one point. Even did an Internet search on dreaming." He admitted with ease.

"Now I feel bad. I didn't think you were real once." She wasn’t sure if that was quite true. She may have believed that he was a dream but she had suspected that something was different. Though she never would have guessed that the strange feeling that she was having was because he was a living, breathing person instead of a fake dream person that her mind had created.

Connor poked his face between them. "He isn't real and I don't understand."

"Do they know?" Tae-joon gestured toward her gaping, confused friends. Though Emily looked a lot less confused than Connor. Her calculative blue eyes took in the scene in an almost knowing way.

"I told them about the dreams," Melissa informed him.

The smile that was produced crinkled his eyes in an adorable way. He pulled her to him and draped an arm over her shoulder. "I'm her soulmate."

“I’m confused. How is he your soulmate?” Connor looked between the two, curious as to how she was so comfortable with being friendly and close to someone as famous as Tae-joon.

"He's the one I've been dreaming about and vice versa." She clarified.

"Told you." Emily smiled at her. “I told you that she was dreaming about a real person. Though I didn’t expect that he was having similar dreams.”

"With Tae-joon!" Connor's voice rose into a shriek. "How can you tell and why didn't you tell me?"

"She didn't remember what he looked like or did you already forget." Emily huffed with her hands on her hips.

"But how do you know for certain that it's him?" Connor whined.

Melissa shrugged from her spot in Tae-joon's arms. "I just feel it, but for proof..." Her voice trailed off as she brought a hand to Tae-joon's chest, his very hard chest. It felt just like it had in the dream. "Yep. I recognize those rock hard abs anywhere." A blush touched Tae-joon's cheeks.

"I never thought you would feel me up in public." His breathy laugh tickled the top of her head.

She smiled up at him. "Now you have something to say about it? I'm pretty sure you gave me permission to do what I please with you when you declared me your soulmate."

"Oh, really? Whatever you please?" He teased.

Her face became hot when she replayed the words over in her mind. "I didn't mean it like that!" She smacked him in the chest. “You’re to blame. I think you’re rubbing off on me.”

"Good." Tae-joon leaned down and pressed his soft, pillow-like lips to hers. “You can’t take those words back," he whispered against her lips.

"Get a room you two." Emily's mock serious voice fell away into a fit of giggles.

Connor's whimpering sounds pulled Melissa down from cloud nine. "I'm sorry." She apologized to him once Tae-joon released her lips. Emily jabbed Connor in the side as if he should have been the one apologizing.

"Hey!" He glared at her. While rubbing his side he faced Melissa with a small smile. "If you're sure he is the guy of your dreams then I'm happy for you. And if you believe it really is him then I accept it"

"Then why did you whimper?" Emily accused him.

"I just realized that Tae-joon is out and the only one available is Kayla."

"Kayla?" Tae-joon gave her a puzzled look.

"Connor's true love. But he doesn't stand a chance. She thinks he's gay." She whispered to him as Emily very loudly yelled how it was impossible for him to even think Kayla would see him as anything more than a gay friend.

"But I'm not gay and she knows it." Connor's argument was weak and everyone knew it. She was just glad that he was just shocked over the revelation instead of angry with her. She didn't want to lose her friend.

Tae-joon cleared his throat. "You said something about getting a room earlier. I think that maybe we should." He pointed his chin to the small crowd that had gathered around them.

"Not what I meant but let's go. We need to find somewhere more private." Emily pulled Connor with her and barreled out into the crowd.

"Where?" Melissa asked.

Tae-joon flashed them a wicked grin. "I know just the place."