As long as you're stuck with me, Lucy, I don't care about anything else..."

A bright smile lit up my lips the minute I heard John's words, which came to me as an unexpected yet pleasant surprise.

The thought that our friendship was strong enough to make him forget his insecurities filled me with utmost happiness.

I couldn't ask for more in moments like this when I saw John at peace with himself.

To hide the fact that his words had made me quite emotional, I quickly came up with the first cheeky line that popped into my head: "I wouldn't bet on that, John... If we were stuck together, you would quickly grow tired of me."

John shook his head in denial. The words he said next left me speechless: "I would never grow tired of you, Lucy."

He scooted closer, our faces nearly brushing. His gaze locked onto mine, and I felt my heart race.

"Really?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Being so physically close to John made my heart race. Never had we stood this close before.

"Really... We would make a world for ourselves. Just you and me. What d'ya say?"
John smiled at me, still not breaking eye contact.

"Just the two of us?"
I frowned in surprise, my smile growing even broader. "Please allow the lads to come into our world."

"Well, if you want... Let them come with us then."

"Thanks! So tell me, how would you want our imaginary world to be?" I asked.
Words flooded freely from my mouth. I couldn't look away from John, as if a magical force were binding my eyes to his.

At that precise moment, the world around me came to a standstill. I couldn't hear any noise in the background. I couldn't see anybody but John. Nothing but him mattered. We were in our own world.

John remained silent for a couple of seconds, lost in thought, before he spoke again.
"There would be fields of emerald grass stretched endlessly, bordered by sapphire rivers flowing freely. They would be surrounded by countless tangerine trees. Tangerines would be all we would need to eat to live. The sky above us would be tinged with a marmalade color, and at night, it would be star-studded with scintillating diamonds. The lads, you, and I would lay upon the grass and listen to rock 'n' roll songs all day long."

"Songs of Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Elvis?" I whispered, almost scared to speak, not wanting to break the spell John and I were under.

He was lost in his magical imaginary world, and I only wanted to follow him into it.
"Exactly," John whispered.

"Would we live in a straw house?" I asked.
The idea popped into my head unbidden, but I embraced its strangeness with a smile.

"A straw house?" John frowned. "I was thinking of a wooden house. Its roof would be made of straw, though."

I smiled at John. "Sounds great to me... Our own Wonderland."

"Yeah..."
John graced me with one of the brightest smiles I had ever seen on his face.

"We could live in this Wonderland for ages to come... Unless you grow tired of me..."
John's expression instantly shifted from peaceful to worried, but I could also see hope in his eyes.

"Would you ever grow tired of me, Lucy?"
He said again, his voice turning into a whisper.

"John... Of course not... You're stuck with me for a lifetime, remember?" I chuckled, attempting to hide the sadness that his last sentence caused me.

Despite his achievements and bold nature, even though he was surrounded by friends who adored him, John struggled to shed his fear of abandonment.

"Thanks, Lucy."
A sparkling smile made its way to John's lips.

The next minute, I felt John's light graze on my hands.
I lowered my gaze, only to see John's hands intertwined with mine. Silence filled the space as we kept staring into each other's eyes for the next couple of minutes.

"Divya?"
A voice came from nearby, startling me.

John immediately pulled his hands away from mine.
The magical ride in John's Wonderland had abruptly come to an end.