Mr.Sandman

OMG, I AM SO SORRY I UPLOADED 8 INSTEAD OF 7, here are both now in the correct order.

(7) Before we’re too Old

I crossed my legs with dread and peered at him diffidently.
What would he say?
What would I say?
Maybe… I shouldn’t have come. Maybe... It was all some big mistake…
He suddenly let loose a cackle, holding his stomach and his eyes misting.
What?
He looked at me and his laughter died to a subtle chuckle, “Why?”
I blinked. What??
He pulled the visor off and shuffled his hair, his smiling face falling on his hand.
“Why are you doing this? What more can you possibly want?”
My hands came up to cover my trembling lips.
“What? Are you going to tell me you love me? Because that always solves everything?”
So he had recognized me, and he wanted nothing to do with me.
My heart was squeezed so tightly my breathing came out in gasps.
This was a reaction I had not expected.
His hand slipped from under his chin and his head fell forward on the table. He sighed.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Raine,” I broke into tears that shook my shoulders.
No, this was definitely not something I could have foreseen.
“Wait, say my name again.” He said stiffly through my blurred vision.
“Raine,” I sniffed and rubbed my eyes.
I heard the squeak of the plastic booth cushion again and knew he must have gotten up.
This was it, after two months, this was it. He was real but the dream wasn’t.
A hand clasped my shoulder and before I could say anything I was hauled out of the booth seat and dragged into the kitchen and out the back door.
I was pushed against a large dumpster and the hand released me.
“You…you...why are you doing this to me? Don’t you think I’ve suffered enough? Don’t I get an effing break?”
“I don’t understand!” I yelled back at him choking with tears.
He bared his teeth sarcastically, “Of course not.”
“Raine!” I gasped as he pressed me fully against the icky rusty dumpster wall and covered my mouth with his. His hands held my face and his thighs pressed against mine. It was what I wanted, but not like this, not when I could choose how and when.
His tongue tangled with mine and his fingers bit into my cheeks.
I…I…
One hand crawled expertly under my shirt following the fabric cup of the bra.
“Raine!” I breathed, trying to pull away. “Raine! Not here, please!” I tried shoving him away but he angrily took hold of my hair and twisted it in his grasp.
“Oh, now you care? I seem to remember you enjoying it in a foggy street corner and this morning on a classroom table, what the hell makes you think you’ll tell me ‘no’ now? We might not have a chance in this place again!” He hissed.
“Raine! Not against a McDonalds dumpster!” I cried pushing at him.
He suddenly let go of my hair and stepped away. “Why at work then? Why appear at my job if this isn’t what you wanted? Did you prefer getting mounted on the friers?”
My head began to spin and I covered my face. “Raine…”
“What?” He yelled angrily.
“I…I just wanted to find you.”
His shoulders sagged and he looked up at the sky. “Albert saw you, correct?”
I nodded. “Y-yeah.”
The silence was deafening.
“Why did you choose me?” he began again, exasperated.
“I thought you chose me!”
His head lowered and tilted with speculation and more overly, irritation. “This one has become intricate, I don’t remember talking to you so fully before.”
Oh, no…
“Raine?”
“Yes, luv?” his sarcasm was difficult to place.
“Do you think your dreaming?”
His eyes glimmered and he brought himself closer, the smell of trash fading with his scent. “No luv, I believe you’re here at my job trying to seduce me.”
“Do you think I’m going to fade away?” I tried again with more resolution.
His face sagged and his eyes shone stronger with strangeness.
The back door slammed open and an employee damp with sweat pointed his spatula at Raine.
“What are you doing? Get your ass in here!”
Raine looked back down at me and his lip twitched. He turned away, fixing on his visor he headed back inside.
“Wait! Meet me tomorrow at Dolphin Mall’s AMC Theater at two!”
He snorted and closed the door behind him.
Dear god, Raine…
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I drove home in a wreck. I called Natalie as soon as I got out of the car.
“Hello?”
“Natalie? Do you want to come see a movie with me tomorrow?”
“Another?”
“Yes, please!”
“Depends…, spill.”
And I told Natalie about the dreams and about meeting Raine. Her reaction was guffawed.
“Are you sure it’s him? I mean, looks aren’t everything!”
I ignored her mocking,“I know Natalie! It’s just… It’s just he thinks he’s dreaming about his job with me in it. It’s like he can’t tell the difference between being awake and asleep.”
“Tracy, this is insane, you met him in a dream!”
“Please, Natalie.”
“I’m only going because you have me worried, girl.”
“Thanks.” I breathed weakly.
“Get some sleep, Trace.”
“Uhuh.”
“Night, Trace.”
“Night, Natalie.”
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One of the doors of the blood colored hallway led to a balcony, ceramic adorning with elaborate designs on the 3ft high pillars. Vines were taking over the place and the wild flowers bloomed towards the bright white circle in the sky that was cloudless.
He didn’t appear and after singing to myself ‘American Pie’ over and over again, the dream dispersed and I woke up with red eyes and heavy bags for lids. I didn’t have foundation makeup so I had to get dressed and leave to see him with a disastrous face.
That was, if he even appeared.
I threw up on my way out.