I felt my mind let go of any lingering doubts as I allowed myself to be swept up in the moment. It was all so easy to do when I was with Jasper.

We ran down the stairs, our feet pounding against the concrete, and didn't stop until we were completely underground. The sweet smell of cotton candy filled my nose, the sugar and dreams spinning together to create a strong and intoxicating aroma.

As we made our way deeper underground, I couldn't help but wonder if we were still within the confines of Jasper's vivid imagination. Could someone like him really conjure a world that looked and felt just like something out of a child's fairy tale?

He seemed to at least have an idea of what we were doing, and that was quite a relief. My head was throbbing, and I couldn't help but scratch my skin, suddenly itchy. As we walked, I felt a strange sensation come over me, as if flashes of images were invading my mind. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, and it was starting to make me feel uneasy.

I couldn't help but feel like this was all too familiar. It was like the same thing that had happened to me when I put the headphones on for the first time. I remember feeling disoriented and out of place, like I had been transported to another world. And now, as I walked through this strange place, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in for another wild ride.

The headphones!

They were probably laying somewhere on the street above us by then.

Something in the environment felt familiar, but I didn't want to say anything. It was a strange sensation, like the world was simultaneously too real and too surreal, too concrete and too abstract.

Meanwhile, Jasper's expression seemed to flicker between confidence, awe, confusion, and stress. Maybe I was putting too much weight on his shoulders by asking him to lead the way. Yet, at the same time, I couldn't help but feel that he was uniquely suited to the job. After all, this was his dreamworld, what else could I have done?

Even so, if we were really inside his dreams; why was there a map of my hometown on that wall?

"Hey, Jasper." I called to him. He came jogging almost immediately. It was adorable to see his demeanor completely change after hearing my voice. "What's this?"

"Evershire," he said, his tone unassuming, as if the city's mere name was not enough to shake me to my core. "It's my hometown. But are you certain we've lost them? Should we stop now?" He appeared to be in need of a moment to catch his breath, and understandably so.

I looked around, taking in the emptiness of the station, which only added to the eerie silence that was accumulating in the air.

"Should be good I think, at least for a while." I had no idea if that was true, or what had compelled me to say it with so much certainty.

"Where are you from, by the way?" He definitely needed that break. His smile widened, the stress was suddenly leaving his face. Was I causing that? "You said you don't remember a lot but you must remember something from real life, right?"

"I'm from here," I responded and pointed at the map with the subway lines with a shake finger. "Well, somewhere around here. The line that goes to my house just opened a couple of days ago and it's not on the map." I explained, pointing to one of the corners.

How did I even know that?

Half an hour before I hadn't even been able to remember anything about my life but all of a sudden it started being clear to me. The flashes, the memories that weren't mine. They were not my own, but they felt familiar. Like dreams from someone else, looking at me from the distance. The sensation was both confusing and terrifying, and it made me feel sick to my stomach. It was as if my mind was trying to piece together a puzzle, but the pieces didn't quite fit.

I didn't even realize I almost face planted the floor if it hadn't been for Jasper holding my waist.

"There's no fucking way," he whispered when we were sitting down. "All this time we have been this close in real life." I choked on my own spit after hearing that. "Also your brain is still scrambled, that line doesn't open until next week."

As I turned to face him, his charming smile and playful wink made me feel at ease. I tried to do the same, but before I could, I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my side that caused me to double over in agony. The pain was so intense that I could barely catch my breath, and it took several moments before I was able to compose myself and stand upright again.

"Are you okay?!" He screamed and hugged me, pulling me closer. I could feel his heartbeat. "You have to stop doing that," he added, jokingly, but I could sense the worry in his voice. "What's wrong?"

The next hour was a strange and tortuous experience.

Jasper began to open up about himself, about the real Jasper, the one he was when he was awake. He spoke of his childhood, marked by frequent moves because of his dad's military career. He described how it affected him, and how he coped with it. As he spoke, I could sense the pain and loneliness he must have felt at times.

He also shared a story about a contest he entered. He had submitted a piece for a video game writing contest and had come in second place when an anonymous writer had also submitted an entry at the last minute and had blown the judges away with their creativity.

During his childhood, he attended several Catholic schools, all of which were run by the same congregation. Despite switching schools, he struggled to make friends in person and found company in online forums where would roleplay. He described these forums as a place where he felt comfortable and able to express himself without fear of being judged.

He spoke about his hopes and dreams, his fears and anxieties, and the challenges he faced on a daily basis. It was clear that Jasper had a lot on his mind, and I was grateful that he felt comfortable enough to share it with me.

And with each one of those things, I started feeling more and more faint. Out of breath.

With every word, a stabbing memory or at least the certainty of certain events in my life. Like the name of the Catholic school where I spent most of my childhood, or the day I won that silly contest which I had entered on a whim. And then there were the online forums that my best friend convinced me to join, that I barely touched.

As I spoke, I couldn't help but feel that his life was mirroring my own. It was as if we were two sides of the same coin, or perhaps it was the other way around. He spoke with such emotion about the deep connection between us, and it was clear that this connection had been developing for quite some time.

His complexion grew increasingly pale. At first, he seemed upset by what I was saying, and I wondered if I had gone too far, shared too much. However, as I looked deeper into his eyes, I realized that there was something more going on beneath the surface.

"I'm telling you things that are important to me Chiara, this is not a joke," he had said, with his voice trembling. And I got it.

It felt like a cruel joke from life, from dreams, from the universe. I somehow managed to convince myself that what I had experienced was indeed real. Perhaps, deep down, we were meant to be together, despite the obstacles that stood in our way. As I navigated the ups and downs of my emotions, I began to see that there was a glimmer of hope in the possibility of a future with this guy.

It was no doubt true that my brain was still scrambled. I struggled to sort through the flashes of memories that came to me, each one lasting for only a split second, but just long enough to make the necessary connections between my own life and that of Jasper's.

I was struck by the absurdity of it all. How two people who had never even met could be so deeply intertwined, their lives linked by a complex web of circumstances beyond their control.

Wasn't it so absurd how we had never met but seemed to be made for each other?

After a while he calmed down, I guess he could sense I wasn't joking. We took a moment to just think in the silence. It wasn't awkward between us, we needed to let all the things we had discovered sink in.

I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest, and he began twirling my hair between his fingers. It sent a wave of peace all over my body. His embrace was warm and secure, and I felt grateful for his presence. Despite the chaos of my racing thoughts, I took comfort in knowing that I didn't have to face the situation alone.

"I know..." he whispered and I got startled.

I moved my head back a little bit and opened my eyes. Jasper was looking directly into my eyes, his expression was serious. I waited for him to speak, but he cleared his throat and tried to talk again. It was obvious that he was having a hard time finding the right words.

"I know we just met a few days ago. I mean, we haven't even met, met yet. But I..." He paused, searching for the right words. I held my breath, waiting for him to continue. "Fuck, why is this so hard?"

"Are you... okay?"

"Yeah. Listen," he started, for the third time. "The point is that I don't think these are coincidences. And even if they were, I couldn't care less. This is interesting and fun and stressful, but not in the worse way?" He started fidgeting. "And when I woke up and couldn't stop thinking about you. If you were okay..."

He stopped talking. I stopped breathing. The whole dreamland stopped in its tracks.

As he looked at me, his eyes were shifting repeatedly from one of my eyes to my lips, and then to the other eye. I felt a shiver down my spine, and I even forgot my damn name.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being in this situation with the mysterious boy from the bus. I was completely taken aback. I had to remind myself to breathe and after a few seconds of silence, I finally found my voice. I nodded, hoping that it would be enough to convey what I was feeling inside.

The moment our lips met, I felt a warmth stronger that I was expecting. It was as if our souls were connecting, and our bodies were just a mere extension of that connection. I closed my eyes and noticed his long eyelashes interlacing with mine.

It was like we were two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, and every moment we spent was just another piece of that puzzle coming together. It didn't make sense to me, but I couldn't have cared less. All I knew was that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, with the person I was meant to be with.

For the time it lasted, the whole world disappeared. I let myself get lost in the moment, feeling his breath on my skin and his heartbeat against my chest.

I felt an electric current coursing through my body, igniting every nerve ending. Slowly, the kiss deepened, and I found myself losing track of time. It was then that I knew, without a doubt, that there was something special between us. Something that couldn't be explained by mere coincidence. It was a connection that ran deep, one that I knew I couldn't ignore.

As we caught our breath, I gazed into Jasper's eyes. It was as if we had known each other for many lifetimes. There was something inexplicable between us, a bond that could not be broken. Then he kissed me again.

It was like I had finally found my place in the world, and all the pieces were falling into place.

And it didn't make sense but I didn't give a fuck.

As we pulled away, I could feel my heart racing and my cheeks flushing. I opened my eyes to find Jasper's gaze fixed on me, and I could see the same longing and desire in his eyes that I felt in my own heart. It was a moment that would stay with me forever.

When we finally broke the silence, it was like we had both been holding our breath. There was a sense of electricity in the air, a feeling of excitement that I couldn't explain.

A part of me was afraid that if we broke the silence, everything was going to crumble down.

"Are you still afraid you won't be able to wake up?" He asked, holding my face. I nodded again, too nervous by the sudden change in conversation. "Do you remember anything else about your real life?"

"That area where I live, that subway line," I responded and closed my eyes to try to remember better, still hazy because of the kiss. "I take the bus every morning and afternoon to work and back home... The 12, I believe." My head started to hurt again.

"I think I'm meant to help you, Chiara." He held both of my hands. "That might be the reason why we were brought together in this way."

A sudden noise startled me, followed by wind whipping my hair into my face, then I heard the distant rumble of a subway car approaching.

I didn't want to admit it, but I knew he had to get on that train. It was his ticket out, I knew all to well I didn't want him to be stuck there just like me. It came to a stop in front of us, the doors slid open with a hiss.

The train car had a J in a small screen in front of it, no doubt it was meant for him. And only him.

Jasper hesitated for just a moment before stepping inside.

"I'll find you, I promise." He said, kissing my lips and then my forehead. "Just hang in there, okay?"

I watched as the doors closed behind him, the sound echoing through the empty station. For a moment.

"Thank you, Jasper." I whispered, wanting to taste his name one last time.

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