The dream swirls and spins. Images drift in and out of existence. Some flicker for less than a heartbeat. A touch. A smell. A flicker of a thought in someoneโs eyes.
There are ones that last longer; the span of a breath. The brush of a kiss. The swell of an emotion. The taste of a sweet dessert.
A small few persist, remaining for what seems like hours but only lasts minutes or seconds. The build up of passion before making love. The pang of loss at the death of a loved one. The wonder at the birth of a child.
But one is a constant. It may come and go, being temporarily overwhelmed by other thoughts and feelings, but it always comes back. You.
Some are simple. Your laughter. A glimpse of you lost in thought. The way your smile touches your eyes.
It's the intense one that stand out the most, the ones that are shared. They linger long after they're gone, the remnants and aftereffects of them permeating and coloring everything that comes after. Cuddling on the couch watching a romantic movie. The feeling of you in my arms as I fall asleep and wake up. The flush of your excitement showing on your body as we make love. That first, electric, overwhelming kiss. The look of total peace in your face as you sleep.
The dream starts like any other. Things flicker and flash past at speed. Images, thoughts, impressions, feelings race by like a roulette wheel waiting for the ball to find a place to rest. Each skip and jump signals a change. It settles on a number and the dream coalesces.
We're sitting together eating a meal and talking and laughing.
*spin*
The setting has changed, jumped ahead in time by a few moments. The meal is done and we've finished cleaning up. We're on the couch, side by side, watching something on TV.
*spin*
On opposite ends of the couch, you are laying down. Your head is resting on the arm of the couch and your feet are in my lap. One hand holds them while the other slides up and down your legs.
*spin*
I'm kneading your feet in my hands, taking care not to tickle. My thumbs press into the soles and my fingers work the tops. I massage your ankles and heels. I lean in to place a kiss on the bridge.
*spin*