“I’m walking somewhere, and it always took a long time. At first it was a cobble stone road, then some stairs up a high tower. And when I reached the top, I’d slip and fall. I’d wake up before I hit the ground. The past few weeks had been different. No more roads. No more stairs.
“I was walking down some foresty path, then end up on a sandy beach. But instead of the ocean it led to like a huge lake. And there’d be a lot of trees, and those ornamental grasses and cattails. And when I get to the end of the path, there’s this dock. At the end of the dock, there’s someone.
“She’s dressed all in white and has a flower crown, and standing all around her are swans. It can’t be more than two dozen of them, but swans are fucking huge so it’s pretty scary right?”
“What if you just have a weird phobia of swans that’s also like, your fetish.” Kyle interjected, flipping through his phone again. Luke glared at him to shut up, Brisbane’s face turned a shade of pink as he groaned for Kyle to fuck off. Kyle blinked, closed out his apps and placed the device face down on his stomach.
“Sorry. Continue.” Kyle steepled his fingers and blinked his long lashes adoringly at Brisbane.
“Well, I keep walking towards her. She’s petting one on the head, and when I’m close, they all start flying away. Which you’d think is great-- no death squad to beat me to death with giant eight foot long feather dusters, anyways-- but it’s not.
“She looks so torn up that the swans are gone. And she reaches up, like she’s expecting them to pick her up and fly away as well and then she looks at me--
Brisbane swallowed, remembering her dark eyes full of tears. And utter absolute agony. He couldn’t really think of a way to put into words how very sad she looked.
“And the swans start falling from the sky. Their wings and body fall apart, and it’s raining feathers everywhere. Hitting the water with the full force of bodies, but theirs no blood or guts, just feathers.
I get to her, grabbing onto her arm-- if she doesn’t move out the way she’s going to get hit by one of these corpses-- to find it’s a giant wing. Her dress is now nothing but feathers. She yanks her wings back, I’m hit, I fall into the lake and as I’m drowning, she flies away.
“Ya know swans mean marriage,” Kyle said looking at his phone again, “A group of swans means happy family life... but dying swans?” He made a bomber whistle, his hand imitating something flying that crashing into the floor, “That’s like... separation sickness.”
“Damn you have a genuine dream mate.”
“Wait. If you’re having nightmares, what about her?” Kyle placed his phone down, and slapped his cheeks in cliche Home Alone fashion.
“How does that stuff even work?” Brisbane narrowed his eyes, then all eyes were on Luke who was looking at the floor. He had his game face on, and after a long moment cleared his throat.
“Well?” they both chimed.
“No clue. There haven’t been many recorded reports of it. It’s all superstition, and no one ever gives funding to an actual research course.” Luke shrugged his shoulders. “Lots of independent studies, but... nothing about nightmares. But I think it’s our climate right now. Everyone’s out of sorts because of one thing or another. And finals? Throwing everyone out of whack.”
Kyle threw up his hands. “Your degree is fucking useless!”
“Fuck you Mr bio-mechanic Engineer!”
“We’re 3d printing prosthetics! And organs for transplant recipients!” Kyle flipped off Luke, and Brisbane stood up from the couch groaning at it all. He could probably use some coffee right now... or a nap.
“C’mon. Chloe’s has a special today.” He reached on a coat hook for his jacket.
“I could go for a croissant.” Kyle said, sliding off his laying position on the love seat. “I could kill for a fresh one.”
Luke still sat on the couch, fiddling with his phone, a smile now playing on his lips.
Brisbane held his keys, and wallet, “You coming?”
“Jones is coming over. We’re gonna watch a movie.” he said wistfully.
Brisbane nodded. Kyle secured his coat, and grabbed a scarf off the hooks on the wall. “Borrowing this Bris.”
They left, walking from one end of the campus into town to the popular cafe that served breakfast pastries all day, alot of them freshly baked in store. With spring ending, and summer coming in rather slowly, they were offering new items on their menu.
Brisbane’s go to was Earl Grey with Milk and honey. Traditional black tea blend, but as of late he was becoming partial to their oolong, and soy milk blend. The lack of sleep was messing with his stomach, and whole milk was not his friend.
“Sooooooo this girl.” Kyle breathed into his hands, the biting cold a bit of a draw back from the warm balmy weather they were just enjoying the other day. “What is it about her that’s got your jimmies rustled.”
Brisbane stood at the light, tugging the collar of his jacket up.
“Dunno,” he thought back in the dimlight of the dance studio.
Her dark eyes that were surrounded by long dark lashes, and the way they just saw through him. And how those same eyes he had seen in his dreams-- nightmares really-- from an angle as he drowned.
How even without the water, her gaze left him breathless and words were so...
“Because I gotta tell ya, the appeal is weird.”
“You cannot talk, when your ideal partner is someone who is anyone with an interest in coding.”
“I just need someone to talk to about similar interests. If our pants stay on for it, that’s just a plus on all fronts.” Kyle shrugged his shoulders.
They continued walking, and he rubbed his head. He’d need to make a better impression, or something. No one did flowers anymore. And he had no idea if she had food allergies, so chocolate or food was out unless he asked her out for coffee-- which was damn near impossible for some fucking reason.
For the past two weeks and some days, he had missed her every single time. Either by just a moment, or the entirety of the class. It was endeavour and it wasn’t like she was just going to fall from the sky into his lap.
He stepped into the cafe--
Nearly colliding with a small form dressed in burgundy. He saw black curls and dark eyes and spoke up immediately.
“Oh– Hey!” Brisbane heard his voice crack, color rising to his cheeks. A guy his size, and his voice cracked like a freshman asking someone out to homecoming. Great.
“Oh,” Mynne blinked, tugging the cord to her head phones out one ear. She had her phone in her hands, but slid it into the pocket in her sweater. “Been meaning to talk to you. Kept missing you though, somehow.”
Now was his chance, “Coffee?”
“I actually just had something,” she said,
“Then, lunch?” he asked. Brisbane took a breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “Been meaning to… apologize… for the other day. Was a total creep.”
“What?” She looked up at him and twisted his lips at bit. Mynne rolled her eyes, then addressed him with an annoyed tone, “Which part? The part where you said I had terrifying aura or the part where your friends laughed at me?”
She regretted the words as she spoke them, her face turning red with a blush. Mynne slapped a hand over her mouth, brows knit and dark eyes shining in he light.
“Nope nope nope,” Mynne moved her hand from covering her mouth, to pinch the bridge of her nose. She closed her eyes and looked like she was suffering a migraine. “Fuck me… I am having a bad…. whatever this is.”
It was when he was trying to compute what she had said, and how to respond when he noticed her hands. They weren’t steady. As were her shoulders when she took a breath to steady herself.
He tilted his head, brows narrowed in a frown. “….you’re shaking. Shit. Have you eaten.” Brisbane meant to just guide her to a chair, have her take a seat for a moment. Mynne’s eyes snapped open to look at him and she yanked her arms away from him and above her head. Desperate to put distance between them.
“Don’t touch me!” her voice cracked, and she nearly collided with another person coming into the Cafe. People were staring.
She looked thoroughly embarrassed, her shoulders moving as she breathed in a few deep breaths. Her left hand was on her chest, gripping the fabric of her sweater in a tight fist. She averted her gaze from him, and shifted her arms to hold herself.
“I-I’m gonna go. Rain check?” Mynne said, gnawing on her lower lip. She took a step, turning away from him to shuffle to the exit.
“Oye.” she took a deep breath, giving her head a little shake. She recited a string of numbers, Brisbane couldn’t comprehend their meaning.
“What?” he blinked. Kyle groaned from beside him, elbowing him in the ribs.
“614.” she turned her head some to look at him. “877. 9882. Got it?”
Brisbane blinked, until Kyle made himself known and held up his phone. He had typed in the numbers and was showing it off to Mynne, “We got it. He’ll call you, Homeslice.”
“Him,” Mynne pointed at Brisbane, “Not you. Got it?”
Kyle nodded, smiling cordially at her, then sliding his phone into Brisbane’s jacket pocket. When it was secure, he gave it a couple pats.
Dark eyes regarded him. She blinked her very full lashes at him, adjusted her hoody then went out into the rain. When she left, the rest of the world seemed to get louder. The sound of the rain outside, the other cafe patrons enjoying their snacks and drinks, clinking of dishes and happy chatter from casual conversations.
Brisbane swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. He held his face, feeling flush and his stomach doing flips. He mumbled something into his hands.
“Dude, what?” Kyle reached into Brisbane’s jacket for his phone. He texted over the number to Brisbane, then looked up at him.
“...Her eyes.” he sighed. “They’re dark brown.”
Kyle groaned the entire time as he walked from the door to the counter to get some of their freshly baked croissants.
