Dreams

"You're not leaving," the guy says and I roll my eyes, looking up. My heart jumps to my throat when I realize it's Conrad and he quirks an eyebrow. "Did you not expect me to chase after you?"

"No," I answer truthfully, "You were pretty pissed at me."

Conrad rolls his eyes and takes my face in his hands, "I'd chase after you all over the world if I had to, Sara."

My heart stops and I sigh, reaching up and running my fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry I --."

"Don't, I'm sorry. I was such an ass back there. I don't even know why I was so mad."

I smile weakly and wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug, just enveloping myself in his smell. "Don't worry, I know you're an ass...and you have a pretty nice one, too."

There's this deep chuckle and his hands slide a bit lower on my back before I pull away, shaking my head. Conrad grins and says, "Look who's talking."

I wink and peck his cheek quickly before saying, "I should probably get home anyway, it's getting late and I don't know who's staying with my mom."

As if on queue, my father walks through the front of the apartment complex, blonde lady's hand in his. I tense and watch as he looks at me, recognition crossing his face before being torn between talking to me or staying with his mistress.

He chooses quickly -- walking away and leaving me standing there, staring after his back. "Ass hole," I mutter, yanking the front door of the lobby open and walking into the dark parking lot. Cicadas are chirping extremely loud but the sound still calms me, reminding me of the nights I would spend in my parents' laps out on the swinging porch bench at night, looking at the constellations.

I missed those nights so much.

"Sara!" Conrad yells after me, catching the door just before it closes and following me to my car, "Are you sure you don't want to stay with me for the night?"

I sigh and open my car door, "My mom's all alone right now, Con. I need to spend some time with her. Sorry."

He smiles halfheartedly and kisses me sweetly, not wanting to pull away. I smile and rest my forehead against his. "Do you wanna come and meet my mom?"

*

I eased the front door open, Conrad's hand clasped in mine, unsurprised to find the TV's light dancing across the darkened walls.

"Mom?" I call out into the darkness, "You here?"

"Right here, hun." Her voice was rough and even before I rounded the corner leading into the living room I knew she'd had a glass of her favorite chardonnay somehow dangling gracefully from her fingers.

"Hi, mom, I want you to meet someone." Her head snaps toward the clock and then to me, just then realizing Conrad standing behind me. "I know it's late," I say quickly, "But I thought --."

"No, no, it's fine." She stands up and turns on the lamp behind the couch, his dim light illuminating the room a bit more. "Now properly introduce me to this young man."

I blush and smile at the boy next to me before saying, "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Conrad. Conrad, this is my mom."

He sticks out his hand, all formal, and shakes my mother's, a smile never wavering from his face. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Ahh, so is this the boy you've been running off with lately?" My mother teases, a small smile turning her lips upward.

"Unfortunately..." I respond and he rolls his eyes. "Please, imagine what I have to go through spending all this time with you. You're not exactly a walk in the park, either Miss Sara."

I giggle and wrap my arms around his waist, "Sorry I inconvenience you, Con. Next time I'll be sure to spend less time with you."

His kisses the top of my head, and I let myself melt at his touch. I was going to miss him so much when I went to college...

"Well, Conrad," my mother says quite awkwardly, a solemn smile on her face. "You are very welcome to spend the night, seeing it's eleven already. Don't do anything hormonal-related though."

"Oh, ew, mom," I groan, burying my face in my hands while Conrad breaks down into a fit of laughter, "That's so embarrassing! I'm eighteen!"

My mother grins fully at me now and takes her wine glass before walking past me and kissing my cheek, "Good night, honey. Nice meeting you, Conrad."

"You, too, Ms. Matthews."

She gave him a small smile before disappearing upstairs, her bedroom door clicking shut behind her. "She's a mess..." I say quietly, " She never ever drinks that wine. The last time she did was for their twentieth anniversary last year."

"Oh, Sara..." Conrad says, wrapping his arms tighter around my waist, "Things'll work out."

"How do you know?" I stare at the couch, studying how the cushions are clearly indented from my mother spending most of her time on it today. "How do you know things will work out? Because right now, they're so far from working out that -- that I don't think things will ever go back to that they're supposed to be."

"They won't ever go back to what they were supposed to be. Things will move forward in how they're supposed turn out in the end."

I laugh and close my eyes, "When did you become such a philosopher?"

Conrad chuckles and kisses my cheek, "I blame you. Do you see what you're doing to me?"