I Wanted to Believe

"You're not real," Sophia stated. After the words left her mouth, she felt silly. Of course this wasn't real. The alcohol and lack of sleep were leaving her delirious. And now she was talking to herself. The man that stood just a few feet away chuckled. Sophia's heart fluttered in her chest.

"Sophia," Jack sang her name, "you're not crazy." This causes the girl to stand, her heels touching the ground as she pulled herself up. She glared at the man before her.

"You're dead, Jack." He laughed again, running a hand through his thick hair.

"It was an illusion, darling," he smirked, "I, for one, had faith that you would connect the dots and realize it was part of the grand scheme."

"There's always a grand scheme with you, isn't there?" Sophia spat without thinking. She immediately regretted it. But she also convinced herself that she was dreaming so it didn't matter anyway. As she had pointed out, Jack was dead. He had been for months. "Just like our relationship." Jack ignored her hostility. To be perfectly honest, he had expected it when he came here tonight. However, he did not foresee her denial that this was in fact reality.

"Please don't tell me this is where you're living," Jack brushed her words away with a perplexed expression. Sophia scoffed.

"Does it look like I'm homeless?" She motioned down to her appearance. Jack's eyes lost their sparkle. He had never seen Sophia act so cold. He thought that she would forgive him quickly and jump into his arms then. things would be right in the world. But it was looking like that wasn't going to happen. But they said it would. They said if Jack wanted her, he could have her.

She looked beautiful. Though her hair was standing on it's ends and her make up was smeared, Jack had never found her more attractive. Her body was filled out; he admired the curves that now graced her figure. He had never seen Sophia wear heels before. He couldn't help to let his eyes wander up her legs. The only thing he was unsure about was her new hair style. Jack loved her long hair. It made her Sophia. He used to spend hours combing his fingers through her soft black locks. But he could already tell that this woman wasn't his Sophia anymore.

In his year away, Jack realized how much he missed his ex-girlfriend. His partners, as they called themselves, insisted they already knew the girl simply from what Jack had told them. He would find himself speaking of her constantly without realizing it. In his months of hiding, he did some soul searching. Jack Wilder was in love with this girl.

"You're different," he commented, sitting on the bench. Defeated, she also sat back down beside him.

"I'm dreaming," she replied. This caused Jack's lips to pull into his now infamous smirk. Sophia learned that girls around the country swooned over that smirk. Jealousy attacked her. The thought of other women even simply looking at Jack made her blood boil beneath her skin.

"So, do you dream of me often then?" He questioned her playfully, those thick eyebrows rising. Sophia rolled her eyes in response.

But Jack was right. Sophia was different. She was no longer the sad girl. She didn't let anyone use her as a doormat like she had allowed Jack to. Now she was the girl who hated everyone and everything. She was cold. Jack becoming a member of a famous group didn't just change him. It made Sophia a different person too.

"Glad to see you're still just as full of yourself as you were a year ago," Sophia retorted. Jack shook his head with a smile.

He couldn't quite decide whether he liked this new woman yet. Part of him wanted the old Sophia; the girl that was so dependent to him. He thrived off of the feeling of being needed by someone. Whether it worked or not and maybe he wouldn't openly admit it just yet. Sophia did, unknowingly of course, encourage Jack to be a better man. He wanted to be good for her.

"I missed you," he sighed, scooting closer to her on the bench. She looked down at the gradually slimming space between their bodies.

"Did you?" She breathed out. Sophia would wake up soon. Figuring she would be forced back into the real world soon anyway, she decided to just go with it. Perhaps it would cure her of her obsession. Most dreams were just Sophia chasing after a blur that resembled her beloved. They'd never gotten this close in her nighttime adventures, yet she still clung onto them as if they were treasured memories.

She studied Jack's appearance. He did look a little older, she noted. He wore a white button up long sleeved shirt with some sort of black vest over it. Sophia had never seen him dress like this. Come to think of it, all she had ever seen him wear was a plain white t-shirt or a leather jacket. It was odd, but she did like it.

"Why do you haunt my dreams, Jack?" Sophia asked, tossing him a sideways glance. Jack shook his head again, this time without his chilling smile fixed upon his lips.

Sophia thought to herself for a minute as the two sat in a brief silence. Did she feel guilty for walking away that day? Was her dreams fueled by regret? Of course they were.

"Darling," Jack whispered, raising his hand slowly. Sophia almost cowered under the intensity that filled his eyes. "You're not dreaming," he insisted. He was beginning to become frustrated with her, but he didn't show it. Jack didn't know how to prove himself. Their illusion was even better than he thought. The love of his life truly believed he was dead.

His rough hand rose to brush her cheek lightly, then his thumb tenderly slid across her bottom lip. Goosebumps broke out over her entire body. That was when she knew he was right. This was reality. Sophia's heart beat hard against her chest.

Jack leaned in, closing the gap between the two. Slowly but surely, his plump lips fell onto Sophia's, resulting in her body feeling weak as her eyes fluttered shut. His lips caressed hers sweetly and innocently at first before his teeth gently tugged at her bottom lip.

"Sophie!" A voice called out in the dark. Jack broke the kiss, his eyes widening as he looked in the direction of the noise. Sophia silently cursed Evette.

"I have to go," Jack mumbled, standing from the bench. He leaned down, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead before disappearing into the dark. The girl watched helplessly, wishing he would jump back out and take her with him. But that didn't happen.

"I knew you'd be here," Evette breathed out, nearing the bench. "I got us a cab. Let's go home."

Sophia just nodded, also standing from the bench. She followed her friend out of the park, but not without a few glances behind her, hoping she would catch another glance of Jack.