Wonderland

I woke up the next morning, and Gabe was already gone. There was no sign that he'd even been there, except for his purple sweatshirt hung from the end of the bed. I laughed a little at the completely expected gesture- Gabe leaving his hoodie behind- but sighed and looked away again.

There wasn't a clock in the room, but I could see light pouring in through the single window. I guessed it was about 10:00, but stopped thinking about the time when I remembered how it didn't seem to apply here.

The only time that applied here was the present; no one seemed to think about when they did what. Things simply happened; people had no regard to what a clock said.

"So you're awake?" I heard a familiar voice come from the floor near the bed. I looked off the side, jumping in surprise when my face came inches from Gabe's.

He was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the head of the bed frame, watching me with his eyes wide open. I quickly sat up straight, blinking a few times before looking back down to make sure I wasn't having delusions.

And apparently I wasn't; Gabe sat there, seemingly waiting for something. I didn't have the slightest idea of what that could be, but I did finally realize that I had no shirt on.

Quickly, I rolled off the side of the bed, pulling my shirt over my head, all in one swift movement. I could feel the blush climbing up my neck, and invading my cheeks.

It was unusual for me to be embarrassed about my body, seeing as how my work required me to be viewed by many people. Viewed by many people while almost, or completely void of clothing.

But there was something about being in this wonderland that made me feel like a different person, as if I was better than the stripper/prostitute I was back in the real world.

When I crawled slowly back up onto the bed, I came into contact with a warm body. I stopped moving, my eyes widening and moving to look behind me.

I saw Gabe, sitting behind me with his warm, tan arms wrapped around my midsection. There was a smirk on his lips, rather than the usual cheshire cat grin.

"G-Gabe?" I asked, not quite sure what was going on. I'd been confused since the second I'd arrived in this strange place, but not as much as I was now.

Adrenaline pulsed through my veins, giving me the energy I don't usually have in the morning. Then again, I also don't usually wake up to someone, unless a drunk customer forgot to leave the night before.

"Ryan?" He retaliated, his eyes gleaming with laughter. I looked at him questionably, trying to figure out what he was doing. "Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. I've told you a few things since you got here. I suggest you listen to them."

He moved his lips to the back of my neck, making me shiver. An electric feeling shot up and down my spine, occasionally traveling to my various limbs.

When his tongue escaped from his mouth, flicking against my skin, I snapped out of the trance I seemed to have been in, pulling away from Gabe. "Please don't." I spoke, my voice shaky and tense.

This was what I did in my old life, in reality. I was unsure how I felt about the two lives mixing. "Why must you think so much?" He murmured, reattaching his lips to my neck.

I stayed stiff for another minute, struggling to stay away from him, but in the end I couldn't resist. I allowed myself to collapse against his chest, turning in his arms and twisting my neck to give him better access to my throat.

He hummed against my skin, sending vibrations among the electrical shocks still climbing up and down my spine. I moaned en response, melting even farther into his arms.

"That's what I thought." He said, picking up my frail body as if it were nothing, and placing me back down on the bed. He crawled next to me, attaching his lips to mine.

As our tongues met, I could hear only a few different sounds. First was the sound of our breathing, heavy and hot. Second was the sound of skin on skin, rubbing to make a noise that was almost warm, if that was even possible.

And finally, I heard the water flowing and dripping from the ceiling over in the corner of the room. It connected me to reality, or at least the non-reality where I was. With Gabe's tongue licking the roof of my mouth, I was living in my head.

The sound of the water brought me back down, reminded me that this was real.

"Reality doesn't exist, Ryan." he whispered against my lips, as if he'd read my mind. "The only thing you know for a fact exists is your mind." I tried to decipher his ramblings for a second, but when I started developing a headache, I stopped.

Instead, I pushed on his chest, flipping him over so I was on top. When I went to kiss him again, instead of meeting his lips, my body fell onto the cool sheets. As if no one had been there for a while.

I looked around the room, confused and stunned that he'd just left. Not even his hoodie hung from somewhere in the space. I blinked and shook my head, not wanting to think about it.

But what I did think about was what he'd said. The one line that had caught my attention: The only thing that you know for a fact exists is your mind.