Sweeter Dreams

Meat was roasting, drinks were flowing, people were dancing, the bonfire was roaring and Kris was enjoying herself.

She had found new victims for an old party trick.

Kris had been turning water into whiskey for years and- as was the way with merry college students- everyone wanted to see her do it. Some even bet against each other that she couldn’t do it. But of course, she managed to and she became the center of the rowdy crowd for about twenty minutes.

It had always been a fun ice breaker and it was something she had never revealed to anyone... but Gary knew how she did it. With a slight smile she set the whiskey bottle and the glass now full of water on a flat piece of ground.

Everyone started telling some of their favorite party trick stories and Kris laughed it up and threw in a few of her own, still refusing to share her secret. One of the guys tried it and failed dismally- instead of ending up with one glass of whiskey, he had two semi-diluted glasses. His girlfriend booed at his attempt and that made everyone laugh even harder.

“Hey Kristina, show them how you freeze a beer.”

Kristina stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Gary.

He was sitting a couple yards away from her but he was looking directly at her. His grey eyes reflected the slight smile that was on his face. She couldn’t help noticing how amazing he looked in that moment with the sun starting to set behind him.

The surprise of knowing that he knew she could do the beer trick in the first place vanished in a few seconds and she asked for two beers from the cooler. Chas jogged over to the nearest one and grabbed the bottles for her.

“What’s this about?” Anna asked curiously.

Kris smiled at her and said, “I can make this crisp cool beverage turn into ice, in seconds.”

That made her audience laugh in disbelief. Kris’s smile only widened.

She let her blue eyes roam from face to face. “You don’t believe me?” She practically smirked. “If I was a betting girl, I’d say let’s put some money down, but I’ll do it just to make you happy,” she finished smugly.

Gary chuckled and she looked over at him, her eyes twinkling.

An expectant silence settled over the party of college students.

“She couldn’t possibly...” one guys muttered.

She took a clear plastic tumbler, opened the first bottle of beer and poured some of the golden liquid into the cup. For good measure, she asked Seth to taste it and agree that it wasn’t frozen. To everyone’s amusement, he gleefully complied.

Kris waved the other bottle around a little and showed them that it too wasn’t frozen. Then she tilted her head to one side, looked up, tossed the unopened bottle high in the air, caught it a few seconds before it could fall and smash into the other bottle. She looked at her audience and smiled.

“You all thought I couldn’t catch right?” she asked teasingly, while tapping the bottom of one bottle to the top of the other.

Anna laughed a little. She’d been holding her breath.

Kris shrugged and handed Seth back the open bottle, saying, “Here you go, have some more.”

Seth took it, not having paid much attention to what she’d been doing. When he tipped the bottle toward his cup, nothing came out.

“Whoa,” someone said, “what just happened?”

“It’s frozen!”

“Huh?” Seth looked down at the bottle then up at Kris. His beer was frozen.

Kris grinned at him and winked. The rest of her audience cheered.

She stood up, jumped on the log she’d been siting on and took a bow, laughing.

“But I still want a beer,” Seth good naturedly.

Kris took the other bottle and tossed it to him.

“Thanks,” he grinned.

Without a second thought, he started to open the bottle.

“Wait!” Karen shouted a little too late.

Before he could fully register what was happening, beer spewed out at him, froth spilling all over the place.

“Kris!” Seth roared in surprise, his hands shooting away from his body.

A giggling Kris and the girls sitting closest to Seth quickly darted out of the way, to avoid having the shaken up beer on them.

She didn’t even notice when she ended up right next to Gary until he said, “You know, I actually think you like the shaken beer prank more than the frozen bit.”

With a surprised gasp, she looked at him, eyes wide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gary laughed out loud. “Of course you don’t, cutie.”

Her mouth opened but nothing came out.

He had this way of throwing little names like ‘cutie’ into their conversations. More times than not her mind went blank, a slight blush colored her cheeks and she wished he wouldn’t look so hot when he made her go stupid. This time wasn’t any different.

Gary smiled at her and said easily, “I’m glad you still remember that trick... it never gets old.”

That smile made her feel so special, Kris couldn’t help smiling back. “Thanks.”

****

As the night sky got progressively darker, everyone began drifting closer to the fire, bringing with them the last of the meat, the coolers, chips and ingredients for s’mores. Kris was breaking graham crackers when Gary came and sat next to her, without touching her.

“Hey.” She glanced up briefly and then went back to her task.

“Hey yourself. You having a good time?”

“Yeah,” she said honestly, “these guys are a lot of fun. How about you?”

“Sure.”

“Glad to hear that. Want a s’more?”

“Sure thing. I’m only sitting next to you because you make the best ones.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Honesty’s crucial when it comes to the best s’mores, my dear.”

A conversation started around them about the governing political party and they joined in. However as with most groups of young people, the conversation was sensible and serious one moment, the next they were laughing and nonsensical. The next few hours followed that sort of trend.

There was an easy atmosphere about the fire and the girls were seated where they wanted. Chas sat with his girlfriend Karen and Alex sat with Anna, who happened to be his lab partner. The rest of the girls were sitting in between the groups of guys and Kris was sitting with Gary and Seth. When the blankets were distributed, Seth refused to share with them.

“Just no monkey business,” he joked. He called over two other girls to share with.

At some point, Kris began dozing off but her heart raced when familiar images of the party dream emerged and she woke with a start.

Gary looked at her quizzically. “Are you okay?”

She nodded her head, but a second later tears filled her eyes and he frowned.

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms.

She moved over his leg to rest in the cradle of his arms and rested her head against his chest.

This, she thought, Dr. Versha, is trust.

She gave an involuntary shiver and Gary pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, holding her tighter.

It was around three in the morning and Seth and his companions were sprawled to one side, asleep. On the other side of Gary, Alex had fallen asleep on Anna’s lap and she was absently stroking his back as she spoke with Gary and those on the other side of her.

“I don’t know why I’m still up. I’m going to look terrible when the sun comes up. Bags under my eyes like a Gucci convention is taking place on my face,” Anna muttered.

Everyone laughed and assured her that she’d be a very pretty convention. Nevertheless, within half an hour, Anna and the others were asleep.

Gary was still awake.

He looked down at the girl in his arms, thinking of the last time he had held her this way. Too long ago.

He was sure that she had figured out for sure that they had been a couple. Although, he’d have rather had her remember on her own than be told, it explained why he felt the need to be close to her every now and then- even if he didn’t tell her in so many words. He had to give her space because he didn’t want to put pressure on her to resume the relationship. Maybe she’d forgotten and changed altogether, but that was something he always hoped against.

A soft moan interrupted his thoughts. It wasn’t like the fear-driven one Kris had emitted earlier when she’d first fallen asleep. Her body pressed against his, as she moved in his arms as if trying to get closer.

“Oh God,” he whispered in a tortured voice as her hand caressed his thigh, resting finally on his hip.

****

Kris dreamt that she was sitting by the water, watching the sun set when Gary came running up to her.

“Hey you.”

“Hey yourself.” He sat down.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too…” he leaned toward her and said, “I think I should show you just how much.” And he kissed her.

The kiss was like the one in the car outside the store but so much better. It wasn’t tentative... it was like she’d just come home and she’d received a familiar warm welcome. She belonged in the moment and nowhere else.

She moaned under the soft pressure and responded willingly, her hands roaming over his body.

When the kiss ended, Gary smiled. “I’m crazy about you. Never forget that.”

Kris smiled back and hugged him.

****

As Gary held the sleeping Kris, he saw the smile and his breath caught in his throat. Whoever she was dreaming of must have done something right. His memory refused to let him go back to a time when those smiles were his.

He groaned as she shifted again, her arms going around his waist, her breasts pressing into his chest, sending his blood racing through his veins.

Only Kris had such an effect on him. She always evoked the strongest feelings and emotions from Gary.

He couldn’t tell her that though. It would make everything even more weird. But the fact still remained... even the slightest touch had been able to affect him on the most primal level. His blood began to rush and his skin tingled. His fingers and lips would long to reciprocate one hundred fold for every single amount of pleasure her contact gave him.

Gary needed a distraction that took his attention off the woman in his arms before things got really awkward for him. So he decided it would be best to take his mind to a dead place. It was never very hard to do that anymore.