HIDING IN HIS DREAMS
by
Jason W. Chan
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Jason W. Chan on Smashwords
Hiding In His Dreams
Copyright © 2010 by Jason W. Chan
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Email: [email protected]
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Chapter 1
“How would you feel if the love of your life gave you the greatest gift of all, then broke your heart? Would you still want to know her?” A homeless young man with short brown hair asked Luke.
Luke passed him on the street, and looked the other away, gripping his briefcase even tighter. The homeless that loitered around his office building in downtown Vancouver were getting crazier every day.
But still, he considered the question, then stopped. The question was intriguing.
He looked back at the young guy. He could not have been any older than Luke. The homeless guy was twitching now, doing a bizarre dance to an inaudible tune in the October sunlight.
Luke took out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet, and approached the man.
“No,” Luke said. “I don‘t think I would.”
He gave him the bill, and the man smiled, revealing stained, crooked teeth. “Thank you, sir. Come see me when you have to,” he said, and returned to his wild celebration.
Luke furrowed his eyebrows, and tilted his head. What was that guy yakking about? Why would he ever need to consult a homeless guy? He decided to ignore it.
When Luke arrived at the JG Thompson Investment Banking Building, he sat down at this computer, and started typing on an Excel spreadsheet. The categories and numbers all blended, and soon, he couldn’t tell them apart. He didn’t know how long he sat there, but it felt like hours.
A gentle knock on his office door stirred him from his concentration.
“Luke.” His supervisor, Stew, appeared at his door, grinning. He had the jolliness of Santa Claus, as well as his physique. Luke swiveled around in his seat.
Stew gave him the thumbs-up and smiled. “Congratulations! You’ve really helped the firm with the recent merger. Those clients haven‘t stopped singing your praises. Santa Claus might leave you a little bonus for you at Christmas. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but let’s just say it’s somewhere in the high five figures, maybe even six figures. Not bad for a young Associate, right?”
Luke nodded, and forced a smile.
“It’s past 10,” Stew noted. “What are you still doing here this late on a Friday?” He stroked his white beard.
“I’m just looking through this document. TD Bank needs this by Monday. I’ll be done soon.”
“You’re the hardest-working Associate here, you know that? But hard-working or not, we’re still locking down the office at 10:30, so you better get out of here while you still can.” He was still grinning. “And don’t you even consider bringing your laptop home with you on the weekend. We know you’ve done it before.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Luke’s forced smile was hanging precariously on his face. He was afraid that if he kept this up much longer, the smile would fall right off.
“Speaking of closing, I should kick Gordie out too. He’s even worse than you.”
His boss turned around, and then paused, turning back again.
“And don’t you think of sleeping at the office either. We found your sleeping bag and toothbrush.” Stew reached for something behind the wall, and held up a sleeping bag and a toothbrush, the grin vanishing from his rotund face.
* * * * *
At 10:15 pm, Luke left the downtown office building with his laptop. He hopped on the SkyTrain and sat next to a blonde girl. She glanced at him, a neutral expression on her face. Then, she went back to staring out the window.
Luke turned his head slightly. He shifted in his seat, and his arm brushed against her bare arm. They locked eyes for just a moment. Luke was the one to turn away first, staring straight ahead.
If she were my girlfriend, I’d put my arms around her, he thought. And she would rest her head on my shoulders. Then, I would put my hands in hers, and our fingers would curl around each other‘s.
He wondered what it would be like if she were his. Would she understand my workaholic lifestyle? He thought. Or would she complain bitterly about it?
He wanted to talk to her, but couldn’t think of anything to say.
At 26, Luke was in decent shape. His dark hair was short and wavy. The young man was tall. And lanky. But he was gaining more muscle everyday, due to his recent decision to hit the work gym a few times a week.
Physically, he wasn’t unattractive. Yet, he was tongue-tied around girls like the blonde next to him.
The train arrived at the next stop, and she got up. Luke rose to let her pass, and as she moved, he caught a scent of her citrus perfume.
It lingered on long after she had left.
* * * * *
When Luke got off the SkyTrain, he passed Harley’s Café. As he walked, he lifted his water bottle to his mouth. Enough water splashed onto his shirt to soak it. He frowned, and decided to enter the café to find some napkins.
He opened the door.
There were the usual characteristics of a café. The sound of metal spoons clinking against cups. The strong scent of coffee floating through the air. The chatter of patrons as they sipped their beverages.
Luke headed to the napkin dispenser, pulling out a whole wad. He dabbed his shirt until it was dry.
He scanned the area. Free Wi-Fi, a big sign declared.
He saw there was only one available table, far away in the corner. He ordered a cappuccino, then took a seat. He then took out his laptop from his briefcase and tried to access the company website.
While he waited for it to load, he examined his environment. He noticed that the gorgeous brunette sitting at the next table was wearing a violet cardigan. He loved that color.
He, on the other hand, was in a formal and constricting black business suit.
Weak Autumn moonlight streamed in from the dirty window, casting a spotlight on the girl. He admired the way the light accentuated the light brown highlights in her long chestnut brown hair.
He pretended to return to his laptop. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her playing some sort of online game on her laptop. It looked that she was playing the role of a nurse in a hospital.
A server in a green apron brought over his drink. Luke felt his mouth go dry, so he took a sip of his cappuccino.
“Oh no!” the young lady exclaimed. “I’ve been fired.” She shook her head, her shiny hair spilling all over her shoulders.
Luke strained to get a better look at what the girl was doing.
Was she talking to me? thought Luke. No, she must have been talking to herself. Why were all the hot girls crazy?
She took her eyes off her laptop, and looked right at him. If Luke were standing up, he would shuffle around with his hands in his pocket. He tried to avert his eyes, but it was too late. He looked her in the eyes, which were a relaxing green, a Caribbean green.
“You got fired fr
om your job?” he mumbled. He felt his heart rate speed up, as though he were a race car driver nearing the finish line.
“No, just this game. Apparently, taking care of too many patients is a cardinal sin.” Her voice was clear, feminine, soft. It reminded him of the soothing tone of a therapist, or a caretaker nurse.
She took a sip of her soda. “Oh well, at least I can start over, and play again. That’s more than what you could say for real life, huh?” She grinned briefly, then returned to her game.
She’s beautiful, he thought. How can I get to know her?
He racked his brain desperately for conversation topics, but he was drawing a blank. He felt so stupid.
He stared at her. The girl looked around his age, give or take a couple years. Her lips were glistening, glazed with strawberry lip-gloss. One strand of brown hair dangled by her side. He had an urge to brush it behind her ear for her.
Her face was open and undefensive, radiating life, passion, compassion. She looked like the typical girl-next-door. He loved girls like that.
He knew that if he stared longer though, he would seem like a creep.
She looked up from her laptop again. “Not again!” she whined, a hint of levity in her voice.
She tried to look at his screen. “What are you playing? Some sort of stock-broker game?”
“Oh no.” He felt color pour into his cheeks. “Just bringing home some work.”
“What line of work makes you bring home work for the weekend?”
Luke gripped his cup. He was glad that it was porcelain, because if it were plastic, it would be crushed by the strength of his grip.
“Investment banking.”
The blank look on her face gave away her ignorance of the industry.
“It’s where you invest money to make money,” he explained. “I work in the merger and acquisitions sector. I’m a middleman and buffer between two companies that want to make a deal.”
Luke stopped talking. He was afraid he was boring her with banal talk about the finance industry.
“M‘kay. That’s interesting,” she said. The girl did not sound convinced that it was. “You must make a lot of money.”
“It varies.” He shrugged. He leaned in a little closer. The pleasant peach of her perfume teased his nostrils. “I take it you’re not in the finance field?”
“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “I’d go crazy working in an office all day. I’m a first-grade teacher slash pediatric nurse.” She emphasized the slash part. “I love working with kids.”
“You’re both?”
“Yeah. And if I had time, I’d be a child psychologist too.” She grinned. “You must think I’m crazy.”
“A little.” Her easy grin made him open up and relax. He grinned too. “I’m Luke.”
“Alyssa.” She stuck out her hand, and he took it. Alyssa’s hand was soft and moist. Luke deduced that she must use a lot of lotion and moisturizers.
At that moment, the bell attached to the café entrance rang, and in walked a big man in his late twenties. He looked like an caricature of a macho man.
He walked right over to them. “Alyssa, baby. I knew you’d be here.” His voice was abnormally deep.
Luke looked up at the man. Standing at well over six feet, he had strong, thick shoulders and neck, and a military crew cut.
His eyes bulging out, the man bent down and tried to kiss Alyssa, but she dodged it at the last minute.
“Duane,” she said. “Go away. I told you. I’m not interested in you like that.”
“Alyssa, please,” Duane said. “How would you know if we don‘t give it a try?”
Luke stood up, and realized he only reached up to the man’s ears. “Hey man. She’s not interested in you.”
Duane turned toward him, glaring.
Luke did not back down. He held his gaze and glared back, swallowing once. As he stared at the manly man, Luke had a thought on the cause of his abnormality. He must suffer from XYY Syndrome.
Alyssa stood up, positioning herself in between the two men. “Duane. This can’t work. I already have a boyfriend.”
The entire café grew silent, becoming the captivated audience of an unexpected drama.
Duane scowled. “Who? This dufus?” He pointed at Luke. “He doesn’t even look like a real man.”
Duane grabbed Alyssa by the hand, and tried to drag her toward the exit. Without hesitating, Luke hurried after them, and cupped his hand over Duane’s muscular shoulder. “Dude. I’m warning you. Get your hands off my girlfriend.”
The enormous man dropped Alyssa’s hand and advanced on Luke. “What are you going to do, little man? What are you going to do?”
Duane got right into his face, and Luke could smell the stinky cheese on his aggressor’s breath.
Luke knew he was not this guy’s match. “Tell you what. I’ll let you take one swing at me in the chest, but you have to leave Alyssa alone.”
Duane closed his eyes, as though he were seriously considering the proposition. Then, he opened them. “OK.”
He drew back his fist, and Alyssa grabbed onto it. “Go away!” she screamed at Duane. She gripped him on the shoulder, and tried to drag him over to the door.
Duane whirled around. “You really want me gone?” he asked, hanging his head.
“Yes,” she snapped. Then, softer, “I’m just not interested in you that way, Duane. I‘m sure a lot of other girls are.”
Duane turned around to look at Luke, who stared back, breathing heavily.
Alyssa grabbed Luke’s hand. Luke was taken aback by the heat of her touch.
The big man looked at Alyssa, then at Luke, taking them in as a couple. He shrugged, then lumbered out of the little shop.
The other customers kept gawking for a while, then returned to their conversations.
Calming down, Luke sat down, his legs shaking.
Alyssa peered into his face, her hand still in his. “You were really going to take a swing for me?”
Luke said nothing, his expression betraying nothing.
“You were,” the girl said, her tone more certain than before. “Let me buy you a chocolate brownie.” She went over to the counter and ordered two.
Alyssa returned with two pieces of the pastry, and put one in front of Luke. “I’m so sorry about Duane. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s a little slow. I told him I’m not interested so many times already.”
Luke grabbed his chocolate brownie and nibbled on it. “Thanks.”
“You seem like a nice guy.” He could feel her scrutinizing him, probing him, trying to figure him out.
Then, before he could register what was happening, she moved her head closer to him. He thought she was going to whisper something in his ears, but instead, she kissed him slowly on the cheek, a soft caress. Luke felt his breathing and heart rate accelerate again. He felt his cheek wake up, jolted from a deep slumber.
He would have thought that kissing this early on, even just a graze on the cheek, would have been too soon and awkward, but it didn’t feel awkward at all.
She pulled back and pointed to his laptop. “Do you mind?”
He shook his head.
She typed a few numbers on the screen. Then, she turned back to her table and packed up her laptop. “Good night, Luke.” She smiled, and then, she was gone.
Luke looked at the screen. On it were ten digits.
604-432-6342.
* * * * *
That night, Luke had a dream. He dreamt that he was in a room with no windows. It was dark, dingy, dusty, like a prison cell.
A figure materialized in front of him. He could barely make her out. It was a slender girl with long brown hair with light brown highlights. Her back was facing him, so he couldn’t see her face.
As he moved closer to her, he could smell a pleasant peach scent. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and grazed his lips along her neck, moving down until he reached her bare shoulders.
She giggled, and moved away.
&nbs
p; He chased her, but she had disappeared.
He glanced around the room, but it was vacant.
Then, she reappeared right in front of him and he grabbed her in an embrace.
In his arms, she felt familiar to him, as though she were his wife of twenty years.
In their embrace, he felt like all his fears were uprooted, tossed aside like the waste they were. In fact, he was neutral inside. Blissfully neutral.
He whispered, “Will you be mine?”
She did not answer, but uttered a gentle murmur. He took that to be a ‘yes.’
Then, she moved into him, melting directly into him.
Caught by surprise, he could not breathe. He choked, then coughed, grabbing at his neck. As he struggled to breathe, he saw the girl dissolving, becoming sprinkles of dust, like a movie scene fading away. He was left standing there, struggling for life.
* * * * *
Luke woke up feeling like he had just been on a roller-coaster. He glanced at the digital clock. 4:20 am.
He realized that his eyes were wet, but made no effort to dry them with his hands. Was it possible to be terrified and euphoric at the same time?
* * * * *
Chapter 2
“So you think I should call her?” Luke looked at his longtime friend and colleague, Mike. They were at the kitchen table at work, on a coffee break.
“Totally. A girl that fine doesn’t come into your life every day.” Mike had messy, shaggy surfer blond hair, was lean, and wore blue-rimmed glasses that kept slipping down his face. They were the same age, and were both Associates, but Mike seemed much more grown-up to Luke.
“Plus from what you told me about her caring personality, she’d make a great wife,” Mike said.
“Just because you’re happily married with a gorgeous, understanding wife and 1.5 kids with a beautiful house in the suburbs doesn’t mean I want all that.”
Mike pushed his glasses up. “I’m not asking you to marry this girl. Just take her out and see where it goes. Plus I’m sure you do want all that. You just don’t want to admit it.”
“But I don’t know if I’m ready.” Luke stirred his coffee, playing with it.
“Forget Nina. That’s history. Move on. Plus you can totally tell this girl’s into you. Why else would she kiss you on the cheek, then leave you her number?”
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