I always dreamed of love, but never believe that it was so real--ONL&EmilyMorrow

[EmilyMorrow]

Aisling looked at Adrian as he rambled about pasta and Italy, about his father, everything. He really liked to talk, and she had to admit; he was weird and adorable. She sat down beside Adrian and studied him while she nibbled on her pasta. She tried not to dirty her blues, since it was white, so she took a napkin and gently balanced it on her chest.
He was right about people always being divided, but it didn't have to be like that! That's just nonsense! The society and religion was to blame for that. Stupid politics.
Then he asked her if they had met before. She looked at him with wondrous eyes. She felt her heart pounding and her mouth getting dry. A little voice in her head told her to say yes. Yes, we have! She thought back on that dream. Boy. Hand. Flowers. Brown hair. Sun. Birds. Love.

She looked at him, wanting to say yes, but why the hell did she want to say yes, when she had never seen him before. She thought this through.
If, only IF he is the boy in the dream, she couldn't tell him, it would only be weird, WAY weird. And what then, she would ruin something that could be a everlasting relationsh-... Friendship! That's right friendship!

She eyed him then finally answered: "I moved here not long ago, I've been in the library and bookstores a couple of times, though I live on the west side of England. I don't know, maybe if you've visited some of those places you've seen me. But met, I don't think so. Seen, probably!"
She felt like she was lying, though in her head she was telling the truth, but a truth that didn't seem logical. But more logical than: I think we've met in a dream somewhere over the rainbow! And we held hands, and sang and fell in lo-...

She stopped her mind there. It was raising in an enormous speed, and that would never end well.

[ONL]

"Oh...Well then. Sorry for asking, Ashley, you just seemed so familiar. I must have seen you there, it's not like we could have met each other without us two truly knowing it..." He kept on rambling as he tried to remember if he had actually seen her in the library, there couldn't be another explanation. Well, there was one; his mind was flying away from the boundaries and to the land far away the lands of reality, to the land of dreams and fantasies, to the place where he thought he had seen Aisling before. She was there, beautiful and pure, underneath that tree that kept her face from being blinded by the warm sun. They were there, Adrian and Aisling, two people that was meant for each other, lovers. And it was all so perfect...well, in the dream it was.

Adrian soon found himself back in the mess hall, sitting with Aisling and simply having stared into thin air like a fool. And that's probably what Aisling thought Adrian was. He looked down at his own shoes and tried not to blush at this rather embarrassing incident. His thoughts of her in his dream faded away as he fought the urge to say that he had seen her in a dream, it was completely absurd! Instead, he looked at her and tried to act like nothing had happened.

"We should get some food before it gets emptied by the others."


After school, some time around 3 PM...


As school had finished, Adrian and Aisling walked together out of the school and out to the street that lead away from the school. For some reason they couldn't explain, they walked the same way for awhile while they was talking about everything and nothing in particular. But it was after a moment that Adrian got the courage to do something he had never, not in his entire life had done.
"So...Aisling...Ehm, I just thought that...I mean, I don't have anything to do at the moment and...If you don't have anything to do, I was wondering...Ehm...Would you like to walk with me up to the park and get something to eat?" He asked her, and instantly afterwards he thought to himself; "Did I just a girl out on a date?!?"

[EmilyMorrow]

She watched Adrian as he rambled on about that they possibly couldn't have met without knowing it. Well, that depended on reality and dreamworld, two different things. Reality was obviously realistic, while the dreamworld was just... out of the question! Really Aisling! You should know better!
Then she realized that Adrian had dosed off, he was kind of cute when he dosed off like that.. except if he.. oh, no. He wasn't a porn addict that pictured her naked!? Or having hot steaming...(!?) No! NO! NO!! NO!!! Really! Of all the friends she could've gotten, she went for the guys that watch porn, well that's splendid, just great! ... Or he could be imagining the dream... if it was him.. No, too unrealistic. Until the facts are set in stone the porn addict theory still lives.

When he woke up Aisling put on her sweet 'you're adorable' smile, as he got red and looked down on his shoes. It looked as if he wanted to tell her something, but when he acted as nothing was wrong, she went with him to get some food.



Around 3 PM, after school



As the school gates drew farther away, Adrian and Aisling walked together in a merry beat. She had never talked to a strange-...friend for so long, especially not a male friend (if old-as-fuck-paper-skin librarians don't count). They talked about everything and nothing. She told him that she wanted to work in a library or a bookstore when she got older, just as a part time job. She also told him why she walked around with books all the time.
"Because books give me strength. In every book, bad or good, there is another world. Every time you read a book, you're entering someones head. Their hopes, imagination, fears and nightmares, but more importantly their dreams. That's why people often befriend books, because if you think about it, their just as alive as us, maybe just more exiting."

As they walked, talked, laughed and discussed, Adrian asked her the most daring question she had ever encountered.... 'IS HE ASKING ME OUT ON A DATE!?!?'
She looked at that sweet face, and just stood there, without words or clues on how to communicate. It was just as sudden and nerve racking as when your bike suddenly stops working. "Uhm.." Ok, get it together woman! Say yes! No.. no wait! He's a porn addicting psycho! But.. he's so nice and kind and sweet.. NO! YES! NO! YES! NO!

"Sure" she answered, smiling like no care in the world. "Of course! You're amazing to talk with, no biggie! But I have to be home around 7, is that OK by you?"

'... Aisling.. what the hell have you gotten yourself into?'

[ONL]

"Okay it's fine, I guess that nobody would want to ever go out wi..." Adrian was about to say when he stopped himself from continuing. Did she say yes? Did an actually good looking nice girl say say to Adrian? He looked astonished at her, but quickly caught himself doing that surprised face of his and stopped it, straightening up and smiling back at her. He had to smile, who wouldn't when someone you lov...LIKED said yes to go out on a date with you? Was it a date? If it was, then Adrian had to be the happiest guy in the world, well in Britain to be more realistic, but still happy!

"Great! I was worried that you would say no and just walk away like everyone else have done. And you're great to talk with as well, I mean, I haven't had such a great conversation with anyone that's real." He said to her with a grand smile, almost reaching for her hand to shake it, but holding him back. It would just seem as he was overly in love and didn't know what he was doing. Well, that was kind of what he was doing, but he wasn't in love, was he?

As they kept on walking down the street, they kept on having their amazing conversation like they had known each other for years. "I'm okay by you being home at 7, if you don't mind I can follow you home. I got to, don't I? Isn't that what every girl wants a guy to do?" He said to her, trying not to sound like the romantic failure that he was, or what he tried to be. But it seemed as Aisling didn't mind, maybe she did like him in some way after all?

After a while they came out into one of the many parks in London, and Adrian lead Aisling to one of the wagons with those vendors who sold Fish N' Chips that Adrian so dearly loved. Adrian bought two, one for him and one for Aisling. He smiled as he handed it to her, this had to be a date by now.
"I hope you like it Ashley, I really like it!" he told her, again wrongly saying Aisling's name after so many times of failing.

[EmilyMorrow]

It looked as Adrian hadn't gotten it sunken in the answer yet, for he looked as if she had blown his mind. Something she thought was adorable, adorable enough to make her drop her guard off for a little while. He looked so happy, like the happiest guy in the world. She couldn't do anything but chuckle at his enormous grin as they walked forward in a matching beat down the road.

When he talked about being nervous about her saying no, and Aisling being great to talk too, all she wanted was him to grab her hand. Sometimes it looked as if he was about to, but pulled himself together and didn't do it anyway. She really hoped he would. Wait, no! He could be a pervert, yes, a porn-addicting pervert.. or a rapist.. jesus christ! Had she just said yes to go on a date- date...?- With a rapist! Jesus... God... Why did she become religious all of a sudden? Well, you have to start somewhere...

And then he began talking about following her home afterwards. Oh, fuckin' hell.. This. THIS is why you don't say: Of course I will go out with you! I couldn't say no to a handsome adorable person like you! ~ Fucking hell Aisling! Why do you do this to yourself!?
But she acted like nothing was wrong, and said that it would be no problem. She also wondered if she had some sort of schizophrenia.

As they continued talking, they went up to a little wagon that sold Fish N' Chips. Adrian was of course gentleman enough to buy for her, so she again let her guard down for a little while. She nibbled on the food and realised that she was actually starving. She hadn't eaten since school. No wonder she looked like a walking stick with a wig. They sat down on one of the benches and looked out on the Thames.

He told her that he hoped she liked it, but again pronouncing her name wrong. "Adrian. How many times do I have to say it. It's Aisling. with a LING and as ASH.. It's like... if an Irish Ash and a Ling had a child and they would collaborate their names it would be Aisling. Get it?" She couldn't stay mad at him though, so the whole time she was trying to explain she had a playful smile on her face.
She ate a bigger bite this time of her food, and cleaned her mouth with a napkin.

[ONL]

Adrian couldn't feel anything but happiness at the moment, if you could count having butterflies in your stomach which made you feel a little sick as happy, he was sitting with a pretty girl on a bench in a park, and they were on a date! Wait, he had to think again on that, was this a proper legit date? First, he had asked a girl out on some sort of dinner. Good reason for a date. Second, they were sitting next to each other and talking about nothing in particular. Now that meant that the weren't on a date, but inside his head, Adrian wanted to believe the first part more than the last part. He did like Aisling, it was no doubt about that, but how he liked her and how serious it was would have to be confirmed later on.

As they sat on the bench and ate their Fish N' Chips, Aisling told him that he wasn't pronouncing her name the right way, at all, and that he hadn't done it any time since they met at school. Adrian finished his mouthful of the food and facepalmed his face into his hand. He felt so stupid, she surely thought that he was stupid, but that look on her face was saying something different. She was smiling, and not just an evil smile filled with evil plans for ruining his name, it was a kind and loving smile that said "You're funny, and I like you.". Adrian lifted his head from his hand and couldn't help but smile back with the same kind of smile at Aisling.
"Aisling, Ash-Ling...Sorry Aisling, but I really like your name, it's unusual but I like yo..." He said to her in a nervous tone, and all while he talked and before he noticed it, he had grabbed Aisling's hand in his own and now the two of them were holding hands. When Adrian felt her hand squeeze his hand, his face blushed full red and looked at Aisling, speechless, but with no thought in his head off removing his hand. When he held her hand, he felt even happier than before, though he didn't know how Aisling would react.

[EmilyMorrow]

She saw that Adrian got embarrassed. Maybe he thought that she thought that he was stupid? (wow.. that got a little complicated..) But he wasn't, maybe he was dyslectic? Did it work that way? Or was it only when they read? But she didn't think he was stupid! .. Well, when it came to names, she had to admit that he wasn't the most talented in pronunciation or remembering. But he had intellect! They had discussed everything from hell to heaven and back again.
She looked at him as he mirrored her smile.

But the minute he put his hand down from his face it landed on her hand. And while he talked, she realised he hadn't noticed that he was holding her hand. She felt her cheeks getting red. 'Wait... what is this... handholding?'

Well, they were on a date, right? Right? Or, wait... what!? She couldn't think, she just felt her head spinning and getting light.
Then suddenly, he stopped and realised that they where holding hands. What do you do when you hold hands? Do you just hold? Or squeeze?
She squeezed his hand. And she liked it. She didn't know why, but she liked it, especially his hand.
Her head felt light and spinny...
Oh, damn you Adrian.

They sat there for awhile, not talking and just holding hands while they ate. It was getting pretty tense, and awkward and as most times, silence is golden. She watched the sun turning darker as the shadows grew wider. "I-It's late... I better start going home soon" she said with a nervous chuckle. She jumped from the place they were sitting on, and began to grab her stuff.
She tried to hide her face, though it was difficult because of the pony-tail. But she bet that if he saw her face now, it would be just as red as the sun was turning. As she gathered her things, she saw that the Thames was particularly beautiful at this time of day. She felt that her eyes where glued on the water, and she just couldn't turn away. Even though she heard Adrian trying to say something, she couldn't concentrate on anything else.

It reminded her of that dream, so far away and beautiful, but yet so close and only a sleep away. Then she began to wonder, maybe this is, all of this was a dream and in "dream world" we entered something else, maybe another reality, or reality it self.
But before she could think more about it, she 'woke up' and shook her head.
"Sorry... that doesn't usually happen..." Then she looked at the time. "Damn it! I'm late!" She grabbed her bag and then reached for Adrian's hand as she pulled him with her.

[ONL]

Adrian looked at Aisling when she just stood and stared out on the river Thames, and the way her eyes seemed to filled with images of something she longed for. But he could of course not read her mind, that was something that even him with his wast space of knowledge, could do. What was she thinking off? Was she thinking about how the river looked in the light, or was it him she was dreaming about? No, it couldn't be the last one, who would ever want to dream about a lad like him? Adrian tried to see what she was actually looking at, but before he could ask her about it, she had grabbed his hand and begun to drag him down he path leading out of the park.

He didn't say anything as long as she kept dragging him, he didn't want to interrupt her. In his mind, he thought that she was far too busy running than to have a conversation with him, but Adrian didn't want to stay quiet the entire way back to her house. So Adrian tried to hold Aisling back by slowing down, but for some reason he slowed down too quickly and managed to pull Aisling back towards him. Adrian fell to the ground, and on top Aisling was lying on him. Their noses were touching each other, and they could look deep into their eyes. That look, that very special look in Aisling's eyes, he had that look before. It was crazy, but now he knew from where he had seen Aisling before.

She was the girl in his dreams, that wonderful and beautiful princess. In his dreams, she had always been smiling to him and gave him a loving look, and Adrian had thought that it was always real, it surely felt real. But that the beautiful girl from his dreams was now right here, on top of him, he couldn't explain that. There had to be an explanation for it, but what could it be?!

After what seemed like hours of just staring at each other, Adrian came back to reality and helped Aisling back on her feet. "Sorry, didn't mean for you to fall on me like that...Sorry. But you were running so quick, do you really have that little time to get home?" Adrian asked her, for some reason STILL holding her hand like they were a couple. Wait, were they a couple?

They kept on walking, or running, depending on how much time Aisling had to get home, and soon they stood outside what Adrian guessed was Aisling's home. It was a typical, English house, tall and very thin. It was something about that which gave it a lovable charm, just the thought that these houses were built for efficiency but still had a good look on the outside. Adrian liked them, almost like he liked different trains, but that was an all different story!
Adrian looked at Aisling as they stood outside the door, and smiled shyly at her.
"Thank you for a great day Ailsing...It's been great to meet and get to know you. And sorry for earlier today, I hope you don't think I'm a bad guy like that, I'm just clumsy, that's all."

[EmilyMorrow]

She kept dragging Adrian down the streets, feeling an ache in her arm since she obviously was faster then him. She felt her lungs burn, and the wind hit her face so it became red. She knew London, that was for sure, especially Central London and obviously her way home. She felt Adrian trying to slow her down, but stubborn as she was she kept running at high speed, until he almost stopped and they both fell down.
Aisling didn't know what was happening until she felt something touching her nose. She opened her eyes and found out she was staring at someone, in a very weird and uncomfortable position. She pushed herself a little bit up to gather her surroundings. She was on the ground, but on a body, Adrian's body. And what her nose was touching was his nose... did they just "nose kiss"!? She didn't really want to think about it, and then she caught is eyes.

They were pretty and lovely, that's for sure. She liked them, and before she knew it, she was smiling. She didn't know why, but she was. She looked at his eyes, then his lips. She wouldn't mind kissing him... but no. NO. NO. NO. Just NO. But, she had seen him before. Somewhere. Not in the library, not in any bookshop. Before. Way before. At night. In her mind. Maybe, just maybe... she didn't have to say 'No' all the time.

She awkwardly got off him as he apologised, and asked if she really had to hurry that much. "Yes, I-I do. My parents have strict timing, ironically enough when their the ones who are always late... But yes, I do have too hurry. I'm sorry," She said as her face got redder. She awkwardly and shaky got up and took his hand. "Come one, I promise I won't run as fast this time," she smiled as she jogged side by side with him. Though their shapes and running conditions were different, it was though if something bonded them together. Their pace were as one, just as they were. It was weird, but also special, somehow.

They got to her house, and she saw that no one was home. If someone were, she would see candles lit up in the windows, or scented the smell of her dads pipe from the open window. But the windows were shut, no scent of tobacco and the new candles her mother had bought were untouched. 'So much for timing' she thought. She looked at Adrian, and gave him a sweet smile. Poor thing, he had run with her this whole time without even a single break (except the falling part, but she didn't count that as a break).

"Thank you for a great day Aisling...It's been great to meet and get to know you. And sorry for earlier today, I hope you don't think I'm a bad guy like that, I'm just clumsy, that's all." Adrian said shy as he looked up and down at her. Aisling laughed a little, and then she realised something. "You said my name right.. Thank you.. I guess.. and yes, thank you for the fish and chips! It was wonderful, you were wonderful.. I mean, ehm.. thanks! Again, and uhm..." she took a deep breath "Thank you for.." She stopped herself and then continued "Thank you for being a great friend!" She said, almost certain that she had just friend zoned him.

[ONL]

When they finally arrived at Aisling's home, Adrian was exhausted from all the running, which frankly was not one of his good attributes, at all. But he kept on a smile for Aisling's sake, he had after all done this for her, and she seemed to enjoy it as well. Adrian smiled back at her when she told him that he finally said her name right, and Adrian laughed a little about it. "Good, now just help me remembering it after this, okay?" He asked her, but didn't get to say anything more before Aisling thanked him for the day, for what they had done, and to his great surprise, apparently being a great friend to her.
"What? Me, a great friend?...you...You really mean that? Well, you're welcome then...you're a great friend too, Ashely..." He replied, blushing from her statement. Was he really a friend of her, a great friend? Well it was certainly nothing close to having a girlfriend, but then again he didn't have a lot of friends, and Aisling was after a good girl. He just stood there now, not knowing what to say or do except from saying "Ehm...so...do you want to go out some other day? Watch a movie?"