Redo of a Romanceless Author’s Life Devoid of Love; Another Chance at Youth

Chapter 427.

Chapter 427. A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words, but a Picture Does Not Do You Justice. (2/3)

Dawn’s head turned my way as she followed up with another question, “This isn’t a dream?”

“A dream?”

“I fell asleep. Isn’t this just inside a dream?”

Is that why she didn’t freak out just now? Because she assumed it was a dream and she was still asleep?

If I say it is a dream would she really believe it though? Would someone inside a dream really tell you it’s a dream? There was only one way to find out.

“Yeah, this is a dream.”

“I knew it. There’s no way he’d kiss me unless it’s inside a dream.”

“... what if he did?”

“He wouldn’t. He’s already got a really pretty girlfriend from the city.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You’re quite attractive yourself. If he isn’t careful he might go and try doing something to you while you’re still asleep.”

“Oh I just realized, since I’ve become conscious that this is a dream, I should be able to make anything I want happen.”

“Huh? Uh… not necessarily.”

“What? Why not? I should be able to fly or something if this is a dream.”

Fly? No, no, no. Please don’t jump off the top of the pickup truck headfirst expecting to soar through the air.

“You can’t fly.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“You’re not even real.”

“I don’t want you to fly away from me.”

“There's no way he’d ever say that to me unless it’s a dream.”

“Maybe he will one day, you never know.”

“I should probably wake up now. I wouldn’t want to keep him waiting forever. I already caused him a lot of problems today because of my daydreaming.”

“Yeah, you really did.”

“How do I wake up though? I’m trying to but it’s not working.”

“Uh… you should close your eyes. The next time you open them you’ll be awake.”

“I see. That’s pretty easy.”

She shut her eyes halfway but stopped before she closed them fully.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh… I was just thinking it might be a waste to not do anything at all. Who knows if I’ll have a nice dream of him again in the future.”

“... hey, before I wake up… can I… uh… have another kiss? No, it’s my dream, what am I thinking? If I want that to happen I just need to think it.”

She peeked at me from the corner of her half-closed eyes.

“What?”

“Huh? I’m thinking you’ll kiss me… why isn’t it working?”

“I’m not going to kiss you.”

“What? Why not? Isn’t this a dream? Unless…”

Damn it! Why couldn’t she just close her eyes all the way!

“... this really isn’t a-”

I bent forward over her, placed my right hand on her cheek, and kissed her.

She stared deep into my eyes with hers half-closed.

Five seconds.

Her lips applied a bit of pressure back.

Ten seconds.

She curiously poked my lower lip with her tongue.

Thirty seconds

She peacefully exhaled out through her nose. 

Forty-five seconds.

Her serene eyes grew hazy.

At last, at the one-minute mark, her eyes finally closed shut.

The second her eyes closed, I pulled my face back away from hers. I moved my hand from her cheek to her shoulder and shook her.

“Dawn, wake up.”

When her eyes reopened, she was in a bit of a daze.

“Dawn.”

“Hmm?” She tilted her head to the left and looked me directly in the eyes. Her hair and left cheek brushed against the back of my right hand on her shoulder.

The subtle affectionate gesture of her unconsciously seeking out close contact was by no means good for my heart in any way.

“...” Stunned, I forgot my next words.  

When I failed to say anything to her, she asked, “What is it?”

“Uh… your phone…”

“What about my phone?”

“It was… uh… ringing just now. It was probably your father calling you. He’ll probably be worried if you don’t call him back right away.”

“Oh. He called? I didn’t feel it at all. I should… call him back right away.”

“Yeah.”

I removed my hand from her shoulder. In doing so I once again felt the distinct feeling of the supple skin on her cheek and her light silky blond hair as the back of my hand slid against it.

Rather than reach into her pocket to pull out her phone, she raised her right hand and lightly felt her lips with the tips of her fingers while silently staring at me. Well, more specifically, my lips. She seemed to be thinking about something. If what happened just now was really just a dream she had, I might have been completely oblivious and thought I had something in my teeth or some grease from inside the engine had rubbed off on my lips.

“What are you staring at me for? Did I get some grease on my face or something?”

“Huh?” She snapped out of her daze and shook her head.

“Sorry, I was just spacing out a bit. I had… a weird dream just now. It felt… unusually realistic… almost like… it wasn’t a dream at all.”

“I see. Well, you should really call your father back right now. I’m almost done installing the new battery so you should be good to hit the road soon.”

“Right… thank you.”

I hopped over the side of the trunk and landed on my feet on the ground. I hid under the raised hood and tightened the last two bolts and nuts. With that, the installation was complete.

When I dropped the hood and looked up, Dawn was seated upright with her phone held up against her ear. Over three-quarters of the moon peeked out from directly behind her head. With the way the rays shone down, her sun hat tilted my way, exuded a strange white glow in stark contrast to the darkened starry sky behind her. A few of the moon’s rays shone through the small holes in her sun hat toward me.

I couldn’t stop myself from staring and unconsciously retrieving my phone to snap a picture of her side profile in secret. It was no doubt good reference material for me to draw some inspiration from for a scene in a story I might write out later on. The fairy hidden away in the countryside.

It’s a shame that my limited vocabulary wouldn’t do the scene justice. I cursed myself for being born artistically challenged. The level of my artistic ability was limited to stickmen. Maybe I could find an artist one day who’d be able to bring life to the scene using this picture as a reference.

Should I try to practice drawing again? I couldn’t stop that idea from sprouting in my mind. Anytime I tried to, I always failed miserably. I’d never seen any improvements no matter how old I got or how much time passed.

Maybe if I had a teacher or mentor I would see some success. I’d always just gone at it alone blindly without any real guidance. Having the right tools might also help. A stylus. I’ve never actually used one before. Would it even help though?

“What are yuh spacing out for?” Dawn interrupted my train of thought when she abruptly spoke up and asked me that. Before I realized it, Dawn’s conversation with her father was over and she was presently staring at me curiously.

“I’m not spacing out. I was just contemplating practicing how to draw.”

“Why?” She seemed puzzled when I suddenly told her that.

“I just thought you looked like one of those jade beauties under the moonlight that you hear so much about in fairytales and I was lamenting over my inability to capture that scene through a hand-drawn portrait.”

“Liar, yuh didn’t really think that at all.”

“Hahaha…” I suppose only I knew whether or not I really meant that.

“Yuh think it’s funny to make fun of me because I’m a little farm girl?”

“Not at all. I wasn’t making fun of you.”

“Hurry up and go meet up with your girlfriend already. Haven’t yuh kept her waitin long enough?” Dawn’s eyes lowered away from me down to her left.

“It is pretty late already, isn’t it?”

“... yeah.”

“You’re right, I really should get going.”

“... yeah... yuh should…”

I hopped on my motorcycle and turned the key in the ignition.

“You’re… really leaving?”

“What are you talking about? You just told me to.”

“Right…”

“Don’t forget, you’ve got Rosa’s number. If you want to get in touch you can do so at any time.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot.”

“Well then, you should be on your way too.”

Dawn hopped off the roof of her pickup truck and landed on her feet.

“Uh… bye then.”

She looked like she wanted to say something else.

“Then see you around.”