Page 83 of See You in Your Dreams

“I used to love going to the zoo and to aquariums,” I say as we peruse the different exhibits. “Marveling at all the exotic animals you’d never get a chance to see otherwise.”

I eye an enclosure for a massive orca, subtly shifting it with a focused thought to more than double its size. “Now, though, I’ve got to admit it’s lost some of its charm. Maybe it’s just poor reconstruction here in my dream, but they seem so crammed in and unhappy.”

Ash stops to watch the tropical fish, their bright colors reminding me of the proto-dream’s swirling whirlpool. “I dunno,” he replies, his eyes still glued to the fish. “I think I understand the magic young Dylan saw.”

“I wanted to be a marine biologist for a time,” I muse, recalling how excited I’d gotten when my mom bought me a book to help identify different types of fish. “I tried to convince my parents to sign me up for scuba classes, but they said I was too young…which is probably true.” I sigh wistfully. “Not that we had the money for something like that anyway. Besides, where would I even go diving near Banton?”

Ash is quiet as we reach the end of the exhibit, stepping through a doorway. I expect to emerge into another part of our imagined aquarium. Instead, I find myself suddenly inside a spacious submarine. Blinking dials and displays coat a console in the center of the room, but the rest…

“God, Ash,” I whisper, slowly stepping up to the edge of the enormous glass dome enveloping us and staring at the ocean outside. There’s no way it’s a structurally sound design or anything like what a real sub would look like. But who cares? In our dreams,wemake the rules.

I glance over to find him studying me with a soft smile. “What?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Nothing. Just admiring how cute you get when you’re all excited like this.” I blush as he walks over, joining me by the window and gesturing at the view outside. “Better?”

I snake my arm around his back, gripping him. “Much. Almost like diving for real. Thank you.”

“We could do that too if you like.” He nods off to the right, where there’s now two sets of dive gear sitting beside an airlock hatch set into the floor.

I examine the gear, hesitating a moment before shaking my head. “Maybe another time. Right now, this is more than enough.”

Staring out into the dark, watery expanse, it’s easy to lose myself in it. The bright fish and sprouting coral make me think of some alien world, so utterly unlike my own lived experience in Banton.

“Did you know we’ve mapped more of the Moon and Mars than we have our own ocean floor?” I murmur, staring with rapt attention at a vaguely arrowhead-shaped shadow in the distance that might have been a large fish…or the flailing tentacle of a giant squid. Here, anything is possible. “Only around 5% of the world’s oceans have actually been explored. It’s kinda crazy when you think about it—how little of our own planet we understand.”

“When I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut,” Ash says. I turn to him, giving him my full attention as he continues. “It seemed like the perfect comparison to dreamwalking—venturing out into the grand unknown, exploring new spaces where no one else had ever gone before. I used to dream up these ridiculous adventures with my parents about… Oh, no.”

Ash’s exclamation catches me off-guard, and I glance about the sub. It doesn’t take me long to identify the source of hisdismay. Our submarine has shifted, transforming itself into a spaceship. Not just any spaceship, however.

“Is this Neil Nebula’s ship fromThe Starward Logs?” I exclaim, taking in the plush seats and retro consoles. “I remember watching that old cartoon sometimes as a kid!”

A bright crimson flush colors Ash’s cheeks. “I…it…” He crosses his arms and scowls. “It was a great show.”

“Uh huh.” My lips twitch as I take it all in. “Sure, it was.”

“Whatever,” he huffs, turning to glare out the front viewport.

Still grinning, I walk over and kiss his cheek, watching as his tensed body relaxes. “You’re cute when you get excited, too,” I whisper into his ear.

He turns, his eyes sparking as he cups my chin to bring our lips together. The rest of the dream fades away. No matter how beautiful or surreal what we dream up is, it can’t compare to the reality of the boy right in front of me.

“Love you,” I say, my breath ghosting over his lips.

“Love you too,” he replies, sealing my mouth with another kiss before turning us toward the viewport and the dazzling nebula revealed beyond. “To the stars and back.”

I grin, my hands running along his sides and cupping his ass as I tug him against me. “That’s so—”

“Dylan! Dylan, wake up! It’s time!”

My eyes shoot open as I jerk awake to a bouncing bed. I blink back a haze of confusion. “What the hell?”

The bouncing stops, my mattress shifting as Patrick comes into view, his eyes wide and excited. “You promised you’d get up early! It’s time, Dylan!”

“Time for what?” I groan, draping my arm over my eyes. Already, I miss my shared dream with Ash, especially knowing what might have come next.

“For presents!” Patrick tugs on my arm until I finally relent and glare at him again, then bolts for my bedroom door. “Come on!”

Cursing my little brother half-heartedly under my breath, I grab my phone and text Ash and my friendsMerry Christmas. Then, I throw myself out of bed, toss on some clothes, and stumble into the hall. I find Mom and Tommy already bundled up in blankets on the couch while Patrick peruses the labels on the presents under the tree.