Dom and I kissed each other for the first time on my birthday. None of my friends saw us, but the lingering feeling stayed with me until I fell asleep, thinking nothing can possibly ruin my happiness at the moment.

But I was so wrong.

I am viewing things from my perspective.

I look down at what I'm wearing and recognize the white dress immediately, and the fact that this is a dream strikingly hits. There's an unusual sensation in the room, but I ignore it and look up to see Dominic's eyes piercing through mine.

My hair is in a fishtail braid as always, and there's an odd hole in my heart even when I know I should be happy. Dom is wearing a black suit, and it all seems like a formal event.

Then, slowly, his body literally dissolves. As if he's a puzzle, each piece of him fades into sprinkles of dust. It's as if he's made of sand and the wind has blown him away.

The tears come, and then I catch a glimpse of something behind him as his figure begins to disappear - the calendar in my room.

September 9 2021.

My eyes open, and I hastily sit upright and anxiously reach out for my phone, my heart racing.

Dom: good morning.
The text from Dominic calms me down, but the dream doesn't leave my mind. I text him a greeting back, grateful that the dream remained a dream for the first time.

But what could it have meant?

"I knew Dom looked familiar." Ella says out of nowhere, catching my attention. "Years ago I went to the music festival held at Harcott High and saw Leo onstage playing the keyboard with his band. I think Dom was one of his band mates." She holds my gaze, "actually, I think all the guys that came to the house yesterday were the ones with Leo." She sounds unusually worried.

I nod as I recall Leo mentioning something about a music festival before. "Who cares?" Kate spits out spitefully. "Ann, what's up? You look devastated. Did you open my and Ella's gift? It's in your closet—"

"I'm fine." I flash a smile, waving them off. I haven't opened their gifts, and I certainly haven't checked what's underneath my bed.

The day passes by sourly, and the dream never escapes my thoughts. I have never dreamt of Dominic twice in a year, and it's the first time I've dreamt of him... fading.

When I wake up with the exact same dream the next day, I burst into tears. I neither attend my classes, nor do my asynchronous activities. I text Dominic to come over nervously the moment I woke up, and he replied immediately with reassurance.

I'm waiting for him outside my house, and when he arrives, I can tell he's worried by the look on his face. When he gets out of the car, I run up to embrace him, my grip tight.

"Ann?" he sounds sincerely anxious, wiping the tears from my face. "Ann, talk to me. Come on, get inside the car. Have you eaten?" I love that there's no sign of pity in his face, just sincere worry and concern.
I nod my head before getting in, panting. "What's wrong?" he questions, "talk to me, please. Why are you crying? What happened?"

"Don't leave me." The words stumble out with desperation. His eyes bulge, surprised.

It's amazing, really — when a person with so much pride begs someone to stay. It's when you know you've fallen. Hard.

I thought he would mock me, or tell me I'm silly. But his features soften with understanding. "You had the dream too."

Those words break something in me. It's like the universe hates me — the moment I believe I'm happy, something breaks it. It's awful.

It dawns on me that Dominic had the dream as well. I'm dying to know which one of us dissolved into dust, and the look on his face answers my question. "I... disappeared in yours?"

He lifts his chin up in confirmation and his chest rises, his expression painfully changing.

"September 9." I mutter out the words bitterly. "Dom, that's next month."

"It's a dream." He tries to tell me. I can tell he's convincing himself as well. "It's not real."

"You were a dream. And you became real." I interject, knowing I've made a valid point.

He bites the upper part of his lip. "It isn't possible for someone to just... dissolve like that." His shoulders tense, recalling the dream.

"I first dreamt of it yesterday," I tell him, my voice breaking a little. "And then I dreamt of it today. Oh my god, Dom. What could this possibly mean..." my voice falters.

"Don't stress about it too much," he advises. "This is all real. A person can't just disappear the way we did in each other's dreams. This isn't like Marvel's Infinity War."

I chuckle, getting his joke. The atmosphere lightens a little. I flash him a warm and thankful smile. "Thanks, Dom."

He grins. "You know we have a seatwork in Physics? Calculations. Gas laws."

My face falls. For a moment I think of asking Nina for answers, but remember she's on AP Physics and her workload is probably twice as much as ours. "Oh my god, I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," he cuts me off, pulling out his laptop. "Let's go get some snacks. Let's answer together. It's still due around 12."

I step out of his car to get my iPad. When I come back, he's already on the third problem.

My panic fades. For a minute, I thought he wouldn't be out here the moment I come back. His eyes narrow at his screen. When he sees my expression and finds out the dream hasn't left my mind yet, he puts down his laptop and taps something on the little screen in between our seats.

"Listen to this." He plays Dandelions by Ruth B. I don't really know how it fixes things, but the song brings warmth to the atmosphere.

When we reach the chorus, he pulls me in for a kiss.
Pulling back, he says my name. "Ann."

"Y-Yes?" I blink, dazzled. I've missed the feeling of his lips against mine. It's all I could think about two days ago before the awful dream started.

"I need you to promise me something."

I pause, putting my iPad down on my lap and opening Microsoft Teams. "What?"

He takes a deep breath. "Promise me you'll never look under your bed."

The seriousness in his tone takes me aback. He's scared. "You don't want me to see your gift?" I question, confused. I've been so occupied with the dream to the point that I've nearly forgotten about my birthday gift.

"Just promise me, Ann."

Frowning, I shoot him a look. "That'd mean you haven't gotten me anything for my birthday." I joke, acting as if it really bothers me.

He smirks. "Tell me what you want — I'll get it for you."

Without thinking, the words escape my mouth. "I want this to be real."

He looks up at me, his eyes blazing. "We are real."

The dream doesn't stop entering my mind for the rest of the week. Everyday I wake up, my heart racing. My nerves relax when I check my phone and see Dom's messages, assuring myself that he's real, and that he won't disappear.

Yet.

Friday arrives, and I get a panic attack when I have the same dream for the fourth time.

As always, Dom automatically told me he's coming here even though we have assignments to answer due today.

We answer our assignments after I get myself together, sharing answers and casually pointing out each other's mistakes. Of course, I say sorry for the hassle and he says it's no problem.

The two of us make sure to submit a minute or two after the other finishes so that the teachers won't suspect a thing.

"My dad's back from France."

I glance at him suspiciously, sensing the change of his tone. Well aware of his grudge against him, I choose my next words carefully. "Do you think—"

He doesn't even let me finish, already knowing what I'm proposing. "No," he cuts me off, disgusted with the idea. "No. I... I couldn't even look at him straight in the eye."

Shoving aside my iPad, I adjust my posture so that I can properly face him, hanging my leg. "You didn't know he was coming back?"

Dom closes his laptop, scoffing. "I don't respond to any of his messages, Ann." He seems bedazzled. It's like he doesn't want to mention his father, but is dying for a solution to handle the whole thing.

"Dom," I restrain myself from touching his shoulder, "you know it isn't his fault."

"It's mine."

No. "Dom, there was nothing you could've done." I point out, matter-of-fact. "I get that you blame him for not telling you—"

"What if I could've done something, Ann?" he whimpers, cutting me off somberly. The look on his face breaks me. "What if I could've given Mom a longer life? I could've made her happier in her last years. If only I've known earlier."

"Your mom didn't want you to know in the first place," I tell him. "Your dad was just respecting her wishes."

He lets out a humorless laugh. "He shouldn't have."

"Dom." The way I say his name makes him turn to me immediately. I stare at him, my smile sad. "You would've done the same."

"Wha—"
"If your mom told you to keep her condition a secret from your dad, you would've done the same," I interrupt, catching him off guard. "You know you'd keep your mouth shut, even if you think your dad deserves to know."

A few beats of silence before he takes a deep breath, nodding. "I just..." his jaw ticks. "I'm sorry."

My chest tightens. I hate seeing him so broken — it shatters something inside me too. "Don't ever apologize," I scold him, "it's understandable to feel that way."

His eyes shift to the windshield, looking a bit distant. I can tell he's thinking of his last moments with his mom. I take his hand and he blinks, glancing at me.

"Your mom would be proud of you."

Something in his expression shifts. My heart does a little dance when his hand cups my right cheek, his brown eyes examining my dark ones as if he's trying to read me.

I flash him a warm smile, hoping he knows I mean the words. I don't want him to think I'm just saying it out of pity — I want him to know I sincerely mean it.

"You're patient. You're kind. You're not insensitive." I inform him, my voice soothing. You're hot too, and your mom oughta be proud her son's so good-looking. "You like to help people, and you don't expect anything in return. You're independent and smart. You're also fair. You didn't... you didn't pursue other girls because you didn't want to be unfair to them," I'm aware I'm turning red, blushing.

His mouth forms a thin smile and I frown. "Shut up."

He narrows his eyes and laughs. I can't help but chuckle too. "Go on, Grace," he urges me jokingly. "No one's stopping you."

"Whatever," I look away from him, flustered. This is real. This IS real. "Do you feel better now, though?"

"I always feel better around you." He returns nonchalantly.

I turn to him, features relaxing. "So what are you going to do about your dad?"

Dom adjusts his seat. "Remain... casual," I can tell he's not a huge fan of the idea. "You're.. well.. you're right about me doing the exact same thing he did if I were in his shoes."

"Of course I'm right."

He rolls his eyes, trying not to smile. "Yeah, well, I have to stop blaming him at some point. It's not gonna change anything."

It's not gonna bring his mom back. "Promise me you'll stop blaming yourself too."

It takes him a minute to nod, agreeing silently. "When are your parents coming back, by the way?" Dom questions.

"They said they're going to get vaccinated first to make sure." I answer, remembering my and Mom's conversation last Thursday.

"Why couldn't they get vaccinated earlier?"

"Shortage of vaccines. Health workers were prioritized. More severe cases." I tell him. "They're gonna be here this Sunday." Two more days. Hopefully when they come back, they won't resort to fighting.

He ahhs, lifting his chin up before turning all serious. "Do you think they'll like me?"