She remembered trying to smile when she’d first seen the comforter, thinking it better suited for Little House on the Prairie, rather than a dorm room at a major university. But her mom was so excited that she’d found it at one of “them big fancy stores,” which ended up being the Walmart two towns over.
Along with the bed in the bag her mother presented, she also bought Georgia some new clothes on this momentous shopping trip. She’d often felt slighted that her mom never offered to buy her new school clothes, but after seeing Bette Abernathy’s purchases, she realized she’d lucked out during her teenage years. She was pretty sure no one would be wearing ankle length white washed denim skirts on campus. Did she mention the turtlenecks? Yes, there were four, and a sweater vest. Either her mom was going for Mormon chic, or she just wanted every inch of Georgia’s body covered. Her mom needn’t worry, in that skirt there’d be no need for birth control.
Once Georgia broke the news to her mom about getting knocked up, she was pretty sure her mom burned the comforter in the steel bin behind their house. She hoped the denim skirt was in there too, it deserved to burn.
She jumped off the bed—she just had to look. The floor was cold under her bare feet and she looked down to find her toes painted in light blue. She crinkled her nose, not remembering having bad taste as a teenager. She slid the closet door to the side, and there it was…the skirt that should never see the light of day unless on a dare. Georgia removed the hanger and then put it right back…no, not even in a dream.
She continued investigating. The other twin bed pushed against the window was covered in a black comforter with thick white stripes. There where no pictures, only a poster of what looked to be Bora Bora on the wall. The small thatched huts out in the water made her smile. She’d always wanted to go there. She’d settle for anywhere outside of Texas at this point. Georgia needed to live life outside of her usual mundane box.
There was a small refrigerator on the floor and a backpack on the chair. Georgia walked over to the backpack and rifled through the pockets and main pouch.
A green spiral had Organic Chem written in black. She smiled again, opening the spiral to see her scrawling notes inside.
Alkane formula: CnH2n+2 the highest possible H/C ratio for a stable hydrocarbon.
She had no idea what that meant, but she felt smarter just from reading.
When she closed the zipper there was a loud banging on the door. She squeaked and the bag dropped to the floor. This was the weirdest dream she’d ever had, not because of the situation, but the vividness of it all. The sounds, the thoughts in her head, the clarity. The pain from the fall. She was usually a slave to whatever her “dream self” was doing, but this time she felt in her own body and very much in control.
Maybe it was something she ate for dinner…
“The tea!”
That had to be it, and it must have had some powerful herbs in there to give her such a realistic dream, or maybe it was something stronger than herbs. Gwen said when she woke all would be revealed. Georgia wasn’t sure how a dream about being college would make a difference. Maybe it was supposed to give her a real taste of what she’d thought she’s missed out on. Made sense.
“This is so cool.” Georgia shook her hips and danced around.
Woohoo—college, firm tits, and…
Boom, boom, boom.
Him.
The banging on the other side of the door turned her head. She tip-toed over and put her back to the wood, inhaling deeply .
It’s not real. It’s not real.
That thought gave her a shot of bravery, and she was able to open the door.
And there he was…Brady Carmichael. Wavy brown hair just in need of a cut. Long dark lashes over carmel eyes. Tall. Built. Confident. He grinned, and a smile broke across her face as warmth filled her chest. Georgia wanted to kick herself for the knee jerk reaction he’d always brought out in her.
She wasn’t in love with Brady. That was ages ago. So, why did her stomach just do a somersault at the sight of him? But first loves were like that. You never forgot, even if it was just the memory of them ingrained in your heart. She would always have love for Brady, but she was in love with her husband…she thought…most of the time. Well, not so much lately. The disconnect had been pretty excruciating, but they’d get it back.
“G, why weren’t you answering? You scared the shit out of me…And what the hell happened to your face? Did someone hit you?” He pushed his way into the room, commencing an immediate examination.
The smell hit her first.
The clean breezy smell of his soap, followed by the spicy scent of the cologne he always wore. Mmmm.
Strange, she didn’t smell things in her dream.
“It’s nothing. I just fell out of bed,” she admitted. The sound of her voice was light, breezy with youth. But inside, she was still herself, thirty year old Georgia.
“Baby, you okay?” It was weird hearing him call her baby. That’s what Nate called her. She pushed that thought away—annoyed he kept popping up in her mind.
Brady rubbed her injured cheek with his thumb, then kissed her mouth gently. That was strange, too. Strange, but nice. She never got to touch him. She wasn’t counting the faceless bangs she’d been getting at the kitchen sink the past few months. No, in her normal dreams their mouths would be a breath apart, then she’d remember she was married, or that she had to pick up her kids. Even in her dreams she was a wife and mother. Sometimes she just wanted to be plain old Georgia Beth Abernathy. It looked like maybe she was getting her wish.
She mentally thanked Gwen and her magical tea.
Georgia smiled against his lips and kissed him back—with tongue and gusto. She hadn’t kissed anyone other than Nate in years. It was a bit strange, even if it wasn’t real, and her stomach turned a bit. Not because the kiss was bad, but because it felt wrong. But that was ridiculous.
Going with that, she hummed as he put his arms around her waist. Drawing her closer. The texture of his jeans against her thighs, the minty taste of his toothpaste. These were all details she noticed. She was re-remembering the feel of him. It’d been a long time. Warm waves hit her which made her rub against him. Her body seemed to remember even if her mind hadn’t retained the details.
He pulled his face away. “G, I’d love to stay here all day making out, but we have to book it if we’re gonna make it to our 9:00.”
“Let’s skip.” She grinned seductively, pulling the black thermal tucked into his pants.
Dream Georgia is kind of slutty.
He groaned. “You’re killing me.” Not nearly enough, because, he gently pushed her away from him. He gave her a chaste peck on the forehead, which was now creased. What guy would rather go to class then get it on with his girlfriend? Brady Carmichael, apparently. His studies had always come first, they did for her too once upon a time. But not in dreamland, where she was eighteen again, and hopefully had the eighteen year old vagina to go with it.
“Well, go on then.” She twirled on her heels and headed toward the squat dresser in the corner. She hoped her clothes were inside.
“Come on, G. Don’t be upset. I can’t miss my government class and you know you can’t miss chem lab.”
Chem lab? Shit. She hoped her partner would pick up the slack, or that the dream would pick up after class, during a frat party would be great. Who was her partner? Better question—where the hell was class? But what did it matter? It’s not like she would have to worry about grades or tests, and it might be nice to absorb some higher learning. That was the purpose of this dream after all. Having the experience she missed out on.
Then maybe she’d wake up with Nate beside her, and a sense of peace.
Okay dream, I’ll go to class.
“Always so responsible, Brady. What would I do without you?”
Have fun, skip class. Find a co-ed hottie with rock hard abs and take eighteen year old vagina for a test spin. The possibilities were endless.
She hop
ed dream Brady wouldn’t be a wet blanket. Had he always been like that? She couldn’t remember. He always had the halo effect when she thought about their high school romance.
“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
She stared at the door. He left? She thought she could prance around in her undies a bit, but he just had to be a gentleman. Huffing, she went over to the dresser, hoping it held something she could wear. She wondered if dream Brady was still a virgin. She, however, had all the knowledge of an old married woman. If she could get goodie two shoes naked before this dream ended, then maybe she could show him a thing or two. Only a guy who didn’t know what he was missing would opt to go to a government lecture in lieu of getting some.
Virgin, definitely.
When she saw her selection, thrown haphazardly in the drawer, she made a face. Teenage Georgia did indeed have bad taste. She found a semi-wrinkled, she hoped clean, t-shirt with an Atari symbol on the front. She smelled it…clean. Then she laughed, remembering her love of weird screen tees when she was young.
She pressed her armpits to her nose. Didn’t matter if the shirt was clean if she put it over stinky pits. Satisfied with her smell test, she threw on the shirt and found a pair of jeans. She scraped something off just below the pocket. Without her mom doing her laundry, her cleanliness had obviously taken a hit.
Dream G is not only slutty, she’s a slob.
That thought delighted her. She always kept her girls’ clothes clean and pressed. The kitchen floors scrubbed and the carpet vacuumed. In fact, she was always cleaning something. Taking a break from all of that would be nice. She looked in the closet and found a gray hoodie. She opened a door and found it led to a small bathroom. Two toothbrushes—one red, one yellow. She grabbed what she hoped was hers. Not that it mattered in a dream, but the thought of using a stranger’s toothbrush made her ill. Georgia turned the hot water on and waited for it to steam, then ran the red brush beneath. It couldn’t hurt.
She found a makeup bag on her side of the bedroom. It contained little makeup, but with no wrinkles or creases her skin could go commando. She ran some pale gloss across her lips and put mascara on her lashes and she was good to go.
But go where, was the question. She grabbed her backpack and a set of keys fell to the ground. One must be to her dorm room, unfortunately neither key belonged to a car. She never had one in high school. But that didn’t bother her because Brady always drove her around. When he’d dumped her, she was left to bum rides from Lucy, or borrow her mom’s car which was a bit embarrassing because it looked like the Titanic on wheels.
Georgia started to make her bed, then stopped. She rumpled the sheets again and smiled at her handy work. When Brady started to call her again, she picked up the pace and locked the door as she left.
~Chapter Twelve~
Georgia made her way out to the sidewalk in front of the dorms. Students shuffled past. There was a hum, a buzz, of conversations and laughter. She felt that hum in her blood, it was energizing. She turned to look at the building she’d just walked out of and had to tip her neck back. It was one of four tower-like buildings that surrounded the center of campus. She knew them well. This, Greene Hall, was in fact the dorm she was going to move into all those years ago. Most students couldn’t live on campus. There were too many students compared to the number of available rooms. Georgia wouldn’t have been able to afford to live off campus, so she’d been lucky to get housing. It killed her to have to turn over such a coveted boon, but no doubt a grateful alternate swooped in to take her place. She’d like to think it was a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, or from a small town—praying for an opening so she could attend university. The first in her family, just like Georgia.
Dorm room. Scholarship…both left on the table. She hoped whoever received both was now thriving and successful, that her loss was someone else’s gain, someone else’s future secured, not squandered. That made her feel good. It didn’t sting as much now that she had Amelia. But at the time it had been excruciating, and her disappointment visceral. Her mind was plucking the details and past hurts from her memory bank.
She never thought she would have the chance to walk as a student, backpack slung over one shoulder, moving forward with purpose. Georgia spun slowly in a circle, taking in her surroundings, feeling the gratitude of the situation. The ability to have a second chance even if it was only for one night’s slumber—she’d take it.
One of the main what if’s from her past was leaning against a large tree—his arms crossed, looking relaxed and sure of himself. She wasn’t sure why he was here, what she was supposed to gain or learn. Maybe it was just to enjoy his company once again. After all, it wasn’t cheating if it was in your mind, right? Right. She couldn’t be held accountable for her subconscious mind.
“There’s my girl.” Brady pushed off the trunk. “Let’s get to class. Want to grab a coffee first?” he asked, as he put his arm around her neck and pecked the top of her head. She was tall for a girl, but Brady, well over six foot, almost made her feel petite.
“Sure…uh, are you walking me to class?” Not knowing where she was going was going to be a big problem. She’d had that dream before, where she could never seem to get where she needed to go. But she usually wasn’t wearing a bra or forgot to put on pants, so she was grateful she had both.
“G, you know I’m on the opposite side of campus, and I have to get there before anyone else.”
No, she didn’t know that.
“Oh, yeah.”
Guess she’d be skipping class after all.
“Babe, don’t pout, please. You know with graduation next year I have to get my internship assigned. All the good ones go fast, so I have to kiss Professor Dickson’s ass all semester. He has all the connections at the state capitol.”
Graduation? Next year?
“Uh, you’re graduating next year?” They weaved through the mass of students briskly walking on the sidewalk.
“Yeah, so are you…How hard did you hit your head?”
“Hard I guess. My mind’s a little hazy.”
“Maybe you should go to the campus doc.” His voice softened.
“Nah, I’m fine. Nothing a little java won’t cure.”
The coffee shop near her dorm was packed, but the line was short. Brady ordered for her and handed the cashier his debit card. He hadn’t asked what she wanted, but it wasn’t in an alpha male way. It was as if he knew her usual, but her usual had changed over the years. When he knew her, she liked vanilla lattes with two sugars, but after sleepless nights with babies, then more sleepless nights with sick kids, she liked more coffee in her coffee, so she took it black with a splash of creamer. When the first sip hit her tongue she cringed at the sweetness, but covered it quickly. Apparently taste was another sense she had in this dream. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she’d pretend to drink this and get a real coffee later. Something with cream cheese, too. If she could taste, and calories didn’t count, she might as well go for it.
They left the coffee shop and found an empty spot on the curb to stand. The steam from her coffee swirled in the cooler air, as Georgia studied Brady’s face from behind the rim. Thick brows over golden brown eyes. Hair tousled in dark waves and chiseled cheek bones above full lips. He was really handsome, almost too handsome. He belonged in the state capitol, not on the plains filled with cows and tall grass, where they’d grown up, naive and dreamy eyed. Laying in the back of his truck watching the sun set and planning their future. She wondered if that boy still existed. But, she wasn’t that girl anymore either. Each had been shaped and changed, but by different circumstances.
“Oh shit, gotta go, babe. Call ya later.” He pressed his lips against hers and lingered there for a moment.
“Love you,” he said, stepping back.
“Me, too.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the words back. Even though she would always love him in a way, it seemed like a betrayal to Nate. Nate, who was handsom
e, but ruggedly so. The grime of a days work complemented him and only added to his swagger. The kind of man that smelled good, even after a spending the day on a tractor, or rebuilding a carburetor.
Even so, she might as well live it up. She was pretty sure that was what she was supposed to do. How would she learn from this experience if she played it like she normally would, which was safe and boring.
“Can we grab some drinks tonight?” she asked, as he was turning away.
“G, you know I have study group tonight, then I have to finish my paper.”
“Skip it. Put it off. Come out with me instead.”
Brady shook his head in disbelief, like it was such an outlandish claim he couldn’t even respond.
He waved and walked away. Georgia raised her hand in response, then went straight to the trash can, dumping her large cup of sugar masquerading as coffee. She got back in line and rolled the events of the morning over in her mind. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed…Dream Brady had a ruler up his ass.
Shrugging her shoulders, Georgia quickly shook it off and soaked in the energy around her. She almost felt giddy. College, finally. She’d had dreams about going off to school before, but none so real, none she could experience with every sense on high alert. Not knowing where her class was would not deter her. She wasn’t keen on going to a science lab anyway, however she decided sitting in on a few lectures would be fun.
She walked towards the center of campus. The trees curved over the the pathway, forming a green umbrella. Students sat in groups in the grass. Two guys threw frisbee. Couples kissing. The clock in the large tower chimed. Georgia grabbed the straps of her backpack and smiled.
She passed the Humanities building and decided that would be a great place to start. She opened the main door. The air was cool and smelled of books and old wood. She followed a stream of students going into a lecture hall. It was medium in size and the seats were in tiered semi-circles. She sat towards the back and waited. Pretending that she belonged. No one really gave her a second glance. Well, no one besides a really hot guy in the row in front of her. She smiled, then put her head down. Thinking that’s what she normally would have done, shy away, she raised her face to find he was still looking over his shoulder. She turned up the smile a few watts and winked.
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