Page 43 of Presence

“That’s the thing,” he replies. “You don’t. The only place you’re safe is here, with me.”

13

Dream life

Two weeks have passed, and everything still feels better in the dreamscape. The horrors and haunting presence seem like a distant nightmare, but here with Echo, it’s peaceful. I hold onto this calm like it’s my lifeline.

“Okay, so... what if I stayed here with you, like, all the time?” I start, twirling a leaf between my fingers and grinning like a schoolgirl. The leaf matches the white flowers on my pastel gray summer dress that barely reaches my mid-thigh. “I know what you’re going to say! Yes, I can’t stay with you, I belong in the human world, but just hear me out, okay?”

Echo rolls his eyes, takes a deep breath, and licks his lips, a playful smile spreading across his face.

“Okay,” he says, that dimpled smile making my heart flutter uncontrollably.

He looks like something out of a dream, which makes sense since he’s literally a citizen of the dream world. Still, every time I look at him, I can hardly believe someone like him is—well, mine. Because that’s what we are—kind of exclusive.

I say ‘kind of’ because it’s hard to define the dynamics between two inter-realm species. We see each other every day in my dreams, but since he’s also protecting me from malevolent shadows and a mysterious being that controls them, it’s complicated.

One thing is for sure, though. For the past two weeks, since Echo nearly died from the shadows invading my subconscious, it’s been blissfully calm. I’ve been living my dream life, both literally and figuratively, and I couldn’t be happier.

Actually, it’s been so idyllic that I’ve come to a conclusion. As long as I can keep falling asleep, by whatever means necessary, and Echo is by my side, I’m happy.

I’ll take the pills. I’ll knock myself out. I’ll take boiling hot showers just to pass out.

“Do we…” I muse, dropping the leaf onto my lap and twirling a strand of my hair. “Um, can we have kids here? You know, like… Can the two of us actually procreate?”

Echo’s eyebrow arches, his playful smile transforming into an amused smirk as he looks at me with a twinkle in his eye. He leans back against a tree, crossing his arms over his chest, managing to look both casual and impossibly charming.

“Kids, huh?” he muses, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. “You really don’t waste any time, do you?”

I can feel my cheeks getting warm and red, but I keep looking at him, trying to show I really want to know the answer. Honestly, I never thought I’d find someone I could contemplate eternity with, but then the impossible happened.

Who else would be better to spend forever with than the guy who can make forever possible? No aging, no pain—just miracles, amazing sceneries, and mind-blowing sex.

“I’m asking for science, okay?” I laugh. “I’m just curious about it, that’s all.”

Echo chuckles, a sound that makes the nearby clouds shimmer slightly.

“Well,” he begins, his voice taking on a teasing note, “considering I’m made of dreams and you’re very much human, it would be quite the endeavor. But then,” he pauses, leaning forward, his face inches from mine, his breath mingling with the cool air, “who knows what happens if we just keep trying?”

I pucker my lips. We’ve certainly tried enough times already.

“That’s not a real answer,” I grumble. “You’re supposed to be honest, not give me half-truths!”

“But I am,” he replies, pulling back slightly but keeping his gaze locked on mine. “I’m telling you all I know.”

“Which is nothing. You just don’t know, do you?”

“Oh, I know a lot,” he groans. Then, in a flash, he leaps at me, his hands at my waist and his lips kissing my neck as I giggle loudly beneath him. “I know exactly how much you like not knowing and keeping yourself guessing. It turns you on, doesn’t it? That pesky uncertainty…”

He gently presses me down onto the soft checkered blanket beneath us, and the world around us seems to blur.

“Hey,” I manage between giggles, trying to catch my breath as he trails kisses along my collarbone, each touch sending sparks of delight through my veins. “This isn’t fair. You’re just distracting me, so I won’t notice how unknowledgeable you are, mister. I can see through you.”

He lifts his head, his eyes gleaming with playful intent. “You see through me?” he replies, his voice low and enticing. “Oh, it’s me who sees through you. You just want to feel me between your legs again, hm? You know I aim to please.”

“Mm, sure you do,” I mutter, my resolve melting under his intense cobalt gaze. But honestly, my body feels spent.

I’ve lost count of how many times he’s made me come during this night’s dream alone, not to mention the entire two weeks we’ve been meeting like this daily. I didn’t know it was possible, but even my astral form gets exhausted after that many orgasms.

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