A dream

chapter 1

“Y’a I’ll drive her”

That’s what I got for not having a car yet. I was so close to finally saving up to buy my own vehicle. But for now, I was stuck getting rides from friends, family or any co-worker that was willing to drop me off. My family was over at the Stevenson’s having yet another dinner together. I didn’t mind the free food but hell, it was boring. We would always come together, our two families and have these huge family dinners. It would be a great time but there was no one my age I could hang out with. Chris their eldest son was best friends with my older brother Aaron. They had known each other since they were babies and spent most of their time gaming together. The Stevenson’s were a lovely couple, and they did have a younger daughter. But they had conveniently decided to try for her 15 years after I came along. Sara was cute but she was still learning her alphabet, which meant I had no one but myself to hang out with. Well that’s a lie, I sometimes hung out with the boys, but I didn’t want to play games 24/7. So I sat around trying to get the time to pass or I listened in on what the parents were talking about. Tonight, the moms were discussing what dish went best with spaghetti. Meanwhile the dads were sitting down in the living room talking work. Dad was excited about a new promotion around the corner. Hopefully it would happen soon, he had been working so hard these past couple of years, he deserved it. I was sitting at the counter and scrolling through my phone when finally, dinner was announced ready. Everyone came out from where they were and piled food on their plates. I ran quickly to the washroom to wash my hands before digging in. I looked at myself in the mirror to check my makeup, making sure it was still perfect. Black eye-liner surrounded my blue/green eyes and a shiny lip-gloss was covering my small but plump lips. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, but I always put makeup on before going anywhere. That little bit of makeup did everything for me to help boost my confidence. Dinner smelt so good from the bathroom and I rushed back out to get a plate. Our families had eaten together so many times that we always did so buffet style. We all got a plate of food and then you’d go right back to what you were doing. The Stevenson’s were like a second family after all. Dinner finally finished, I pulled my mom aside to ask for a ride back to my place. Knowing my parents would usually spend all evening here, I was bored and just anxious to get back home. I had work in the morning and by no means was planning on staying here all night.

“No Vanessa, you can wait around and help clean up.” My mom firmly shut me down and made me want to bang my head against the counter. This is why I seriously needed my own ride.

“Oh don’t be silly Tammy, I’ll just get Chris to drive her. Those boys need a break from playing those games all day.” Jen Stevenson had eavesdropped as usually. She always knew how to fix anything, being the mediator in most situations. She had put at ease some of the most intense fights I'd ever seen. She walked over to the basement door and yelled down:

“Chris get yourself up here and come give Vanessa a drive home.” I heard a grumble from the basement. I knew I had won, but not without pissing off Chris and my brother for pausing their game. I knew my brother Aaron would keep on playing regardless of who was there. Plus, Chris loved to show off his new Subaru WRX so he jumped at any opportunity to drive his car.

“Ya I’ll drive her.” He stated once he got up the stairs, a little winded from the climb. We both walked to the front door and geared up for the early summer heat. Chris slipped on his man-flops and then turned to me.

“Alright you ready?” He asked as he ran a hand through his hair. The gesture ended up pushing his blond hair straight up in the air.

“Yup!” I said, eager to get home. I opened the door and hot humid air rushed at us. We climbed into his red car and my anxiety started to rise. Chris was notoriously known for his insane driving methods. He whipped out of the parking lot wheels spinning, and then slammed his foot on the gas pedal. I closed my eyes trying to tune out the insane revving sounds and the very big possibility that I might not make it home. Maybe I should have waited for my parents to drop me off...

chapter 2

The car finally stopped moving after being brutally tossed around in every direction. I opened my eyes expecting to see my home, but I didn’t recognize where I was. Chris then turned to me and said:

“I had to stop at my place first to talk to David. Sorry but we might be here a little while.” He always did this shit to me. He would never go through with something unless it was going to benefit him somehow. I guess I wasn’t going to bed early after all. Ironically this was the first time I had ever been over to Chris’s place. I heard he lived with a bunch of college boys so I couldn’t imagine it to be beautiful or impressive. From the outside it looked like an ordinary small duplex. But thinking of the inside, all I could picture was empty beer bottles littering every counter and the pungent smell of alcohol and man sweat. My imagination was really making me dread letting Chris drive me home. He finally opened the front door and I walked in behind him. I was immediately surprised at the warm open space before me and the lack of a nasty smell. I noticed the bright living room and the upstairs ramp, over-looking the bottom floor. This was NOT what I was expecting, and it actually looked pretty clean. One of the upstairs doors suddenly opened and out came a guy with long thick curly hair. He looked down and noticed us standing by the door.

“Yo David, I need to talk to you about something!” Chris yelled as he spotted his roommate and jumped up the stairs. I guess we were going to be here a while. I watched as the two boys headed down the hall and disappear. I turned around and got a good look at the small quaint place. It was quite welcoming, contrary to what I was expecting; I must have come in on a good day. There was a brown leather couch on the right which was facing the tv with a coffee table in the middle. There was no decoration on the wall except a giant sports team flag that read “TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS” with the traditional blue. There was a couple college books on the coffee table as well as someone’s black t-shirt draped over the couch.

I was wandering through the living room when all of a sudden, I heard a deep manly voice:

“well, if it isn’t Vanessa Weller.” I knew I recognized the voice from somewhere, but I just couldn’t put a face to it. It brought on a nervous buzz to my gut and made my anxiety start to rise. I slowly turned around to face mystery man. My heart stopped and my breath caught in my throat as recognition clouded my brain, I knew this man. Old feelings of admiration came rushing back and hit me hard in the chest. Heat creeped up to my face turning my cheeks red; it was my hero from ninth grade. I took a good look, as the boy from long ago had grown into a gorgeous young man. Tan skin that got darker in the sun and with thick black hair that flipped out over his ears, he looked good. And I mean really good; he made my knees go weak. He had grown into his now wide shoulders and tall figure. Almost stuttering, I finally answered:

“Long time no see, Noah.” He smiled at me, crinkling at the corners and I noticed his eyes travel the length of my small figure. He must have noticed how much I had grown in the past five years. I was no longer the young and awkward freshmen who didn't know her place. I had grown into my curves with an aura of confidence that I naturally carried wherever I went. Hoping he liked what he saw, I stood a little taller and gave him a cute smile. The familiar feeling of kindness and positivity came rushing through my body.

He then said with a smirk: “well, where’s my hug?”

I didn’t expect him to say that, but my cheeks were instantly set on fire. This would be the first time I’d ever touch him in a physical way, and I was extremely nervous. But the moment came fast as he walked over, and I was overwhelmed by his embrace. Warmth flooded my heart and soul as his heat seeped through my clothes. I was instantly hit with a fresh minty smell and an intoxicating scent that I couldn’t describe. He stood way taller than me, having to crouch over and I could feel his hard muscles flexing through the sweater he wore. I finally let go of the embrace, not wanting to make it awkward but he held on, stuffing his face in my thick hair.

“Get a room you guys!” Chris yelled from the top of stairs and then came barreling down, pushing his way between us. Once apart, Noah looked down at me and I noticed a twinkle in those liquid golden eyes. He then turned around and followed Chris to the kitchen.

“I’m just going to grab something to eat before I drive you home.” Chris said yelling from the kitchen. He was truly wasting my time, but I didn’t mind, I wanted to get to know my old high-school crush. I followed his voice to the back of the house where I sat at the kitchen table. I decide to sit down and relax since I was likely going to be here all night.

“So what are you up to now a days?” Asked Noah. He gave me a side ways glance as he pulled out some left over noodles from the fridge. Chris was pulling out some cereal from the cupboard.

“Well, I just finished my hair styling course at Cambrian college and I’ve been working at a salon since then. What about you? I haven’t seen you since high school.” I asked, extremely interested in what was going on his life. What was he doing back in Smith falls? Was he planning on sticking around? was there possibly another girl?

“Ya it's been like what...? Five years since we last saw each other?” He paused, giving me that questioning look. “It must be nice to finally be done school. You're definitely a full-grown adult now.” He joked with a wink. The comment he made had my stomach doing flip-flops.

“But ya I’ve come back home to finish my last year and to do my placement here. I’d thought it would be a good idea to finish close to home since I’m so close with my family” He said. I knew he had siblings, but interesting how he was so close with his family. Wow he looked so good in that hoody, I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. I noticed a slight dark stubble to his jawline and the sweater that stretch over his strong shoulders. He had this air of confidence about him, so much more than I can remember from high school. I finally answered after checking him out, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“Oh, that’s amazing, you must be really excited to be almost done. Plus I’m sure your family is happy to have you back home.”

“Yeah Noah’s a real mommy’s boy.” Chris cut in with a smile on his face. I glanced at Noah who just seemed to ignore his comment by digging into his food. Chris was so rude sometimes and his attempt to embarrass Noah didn’t impress me. It made me wonder how he got away with his rude comments with the type of parents he had. Maybe they were too nice. Chris then easily carried the conversation about himself and the new video game him and my brother had been playing all day.

Meanwhile, I kept stealing glances at Noah, hoping to get a good look at him while he was looking away. I always loved the way he could illuminate the room with his smile. It always lightened everything and everyone around him. Every time I glanced his way, he would be looking back at me and I would look away quickly, hoping he didn’t notice. It brought me back to the feeling I use to get every time I saw him in the hallway at school. These giddy butterflies would instantly make my stomach do flip flops. Chris turned his head and noticed that I kept glancing over at his roommate. Stopping short of finishing his cereal, he got up and said:

“well I guess I should be driving Vanessa back home.” He picked up his bowl and dropped it in the sink with a loud thud, obviously bothered about something. It was unlike him not to finish his food and I got the intuitive feeling that he was feeling jealous. Which is pretty much impossible since he’d been dating Joanna for the past two years. Plus, Chris and I never had that connection, he was always just like an older brother to me.

“Okay...” I said, getting up from the chair and walking to the front door with Chris. I had hoped to get to know more of Noah, but I guess he will remain a mystery. It frustrated me since I always felt like I was meant to get to know him, but our paths never truly crossed. He had completely disappeared from the last time I saw him in freshman year. Before I left, I turned to get one last good look at the boy from my dreams. There he stood in the kitchen watching me from behind the counter and our eyes met. My breathe caught in my throat and I felt an electric shock hit me in the heart. I tried to capture that beautiful face before it disappeared forever again and closed the door behind me. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see him again, but I knew I’d fantasize about him over and over, just like I did back then.