Juliet

I'll freely admit I wanted the dream to last as long as possible, but I wasn't fighting Dan's war. I didn't even know it was going on. I'd wanted to isolate myself from the real world as much as possible; that was the entire point.

So no, I can't talk about all the things Dan did, nor can I tell you how everyone else found out and how they started to fight back. The only story I can tell is my own. While everyone else was off squabbling, I was keeping to myself, and slowly falling in love.

It wasn't just Dallis, or her perfect dimples, the way she scrunched her nose any time she smiled at me; I was falling in love with my entire life.

I woke without a schedule for the first time in years. I didn't have to listen to agents and managers, a hundred people pulling me in different directions just to make sure I made them the most money possible. I was waking up to the sunrise, and wrapping myself in a plush blanket. I walked out to the oak porch, not giving a damn what my hair looked like, and just enjoying the silence as I sipped my morning coffee.

I'd barely been living in that tiny town for weeks, and already everyone knew my name, but it wasn't the insidious sort of familiarity that came with fame. People didn't see me with dollar signs above my head, desperate to scream my name, to get an autograph or snap a picture; they just saw a friend, a familiar face they wanted to say hi to.

Living there, it made me realize just how much I'd been missing. I never wanted to leave, that's true enough, but I'd made a promise to myself; when this all ended, I was out, and I'd find a way to live a little bit closer to the life I had in there. I didn't need money or screaming fans- I didn't need to change my body. All I'd ever done was make other people happy, and now it was my turn.

I knew it'd all end eventually, and I dreaded that simple fact. I was still trying to figure out how to join my simple little life with Dallis. Every time I'd get reminded about Flynn I wanted to run away and never show my face again, but then I'd see her fix her frizzy red hair, that effortless smile, and I couldn't look away.

I could tell she liked me.

She didn't want me gone any more than she'd wanted her husband gone.

And I know this could have all been a trick I was pulling on myself. I wanted Dallis, so the dream made Dallis want me, but the longer I was in there, the more I didn't give a damn. Dallis was a complete person, more real than anyone I'd interacted with in years. One way or another, our lives were intertwined. I had to put on my big girl pants and figure out how to make things work.

Dallis liked to drink. Not in the depressed way I used to, or the blackout party way everyone around me used to. She just liked feeling happy, drinking a beer when she finished her shift, or sipping wine by the fireplace as she snuggled up with Flynn.

She was a social drinker, and she always wanted to be around the ones she loved. As weeks turned to months, she made it clear she wanted me there, sometimes just the pair of us, sometimes as a trio, and sometimes everyone she'd ever met.

"You mean a lot to her, you know that?" Flynn said one night.

Dallis was laying across his lap, her breath a cat's purr.

"Ever since you came to town, it's like she's a completely different person," Flynn said. He grabbed a lock of her hair and carefully fixed it behind her ear.

"I am too," I said softly. I watched her sleep with a soft grin, completely content and trusting in his arms. I

wanted

that. I wanted her in my lap. I wanted to be the one that kept her frizzy hair out of her eyes, and kept her warm.

We spent most weekends together. Being by their side had become my second home. We cooked together, her poking frosting on my nose like we'd been best friends for decades. She'd change in front of me, jumping to fit into a dress and spin to ask me to help her zip up.

Sometimes Flynn would fall asleep first, or he'd hang out with his friends and the two of us would stay up talking. It didn't matter what it was- we could have talked about French cheeses and the hours would have flown past like a marathon sprinter.

If seeing her kiss Flynn didn't make me so miserable, I'm not sure I would have ever gone home. They certainly wouldn't ever ask me to leave, but things became too much. I'd see Flynn get tipsy, his kisses get a little sloppier. He'd grope Dallis and try to yank her off to bed.

In my wildest fantasies, they were trying to get a rise out of me, get me so insanely jealous that I couldn't help but make a move and trounce in after them, but they were never more direct, and I never wanted to ruin everything we had.

So I went home, and kept trying to convince myself that it wasn't just Dallis I'd been falling in love with. I

loved

my quiet secluded cabin. I

loved

hearing the birds chirp in the distance, and the waves crashing against the highland rocks. I

loved

the way everyone knew my name, and everyone was so friendly like I was just another townie.

It made me wish I'd never found Dallis, because I would have been in complete bliss. If I'd never met her, it would have been the life I'd always dreamed of. When I was the real me, I was a sex symbol. Thinking about relationships was the last thing I'd ever sat around fantasizing about, but it didn't matter what I'd been, when I was in here, I couldn't stop seeing her perfect face, hearing her goofy whooping laugh, the way she'd clutch her stomach and keel over.

I knew the healthy thing would have been to move on. The small town would keep on existing without me. As important as I felt, I was still the newcomer, and the world would have kept spinning if I left, but every time I pictured myself leaving, I saw her face again, and I kept going back.

I went to her house on an early Saturday afternoon excited to see her. I'd brought food I'd actually taken the time to cook, and two bottles of wine we'd surely finish before nightfall.

I thought if I'd just smile and watch her, the pain would hurt a little less. If I saw her happy, that would be enough, and I'd still be in her life.

That's everything I need, right?

But nightfall came, as fast as it always did. I watched Flynn sweep her up, wrap her in his arms and lay a kiss on her lips. He'd hold the back of her head, tussling up her hair, and not giving a damn that I saw everything they were doing.

So like all the other times, I'd go to leave, and like all the other times, it felt like I'd kicked a puppy. "Where you running off to?" Dallis asked. The mood seemed to drop instantly. Her eyebrows were pursed with disappointment, but her hands were still on her husband's chest, and no amount of sad eyes could make me stick around and watch that, knowing I'd be shoving a dagger through my own heart.

This whole situation hurt. God damnit it hurt, but it's the reason I never wanted to leave. Dallis wanted a best friend. We'd go mountain biking, go out whale watching, or spent the day suntanning at the beach. She'd splash me with water, her body perfect and athletic in that bikini, her abs more taut than even I'd imagined. My life here was more complicated and more real than anything I'd ever experienced. I didn't like the pain, no one would, but that longing I had for Dallis, was the most I'd ever felt for anyone, and it made me feel alive.

Occasionally I tried to make an excuse. Some days I knew I couldn't handle seeing her so happy in Flynn's arms, so I came up with some fake reason to get out of seeing her.

I always thought I was saving myself, but I could hear her raw disappointment. I knew she wanted me by her side, come hell or high water, and when I was alone and ruminating, I knew I'd wasted a day, and sooner or later, my time in here would run out.

That lone realization was the reason I realized I finally had to make a move. If I spent all my time left pussyfooting around my feelings, I'd never be able to forgive myself, and my return to the real world would have hurt even more.

I invited Dallis out for a hike. It was a trail I'd never taken before, but I felt certain the views would be stunning, and so they were. We followed along the ocean's rocky ridges, always teetering near the edge of the woods. She stopped near midday, her hands on her lips and breathing hard as she stared out at the crashing waves.

"You're not taking me out here to push me are you?" she laughed.

"I'm hoping you push me," I heaved, "And put me out of my misery."

There wasn't a single cloud in the sky that day, and the sun was beating down harder than usual. I balanced my backpack on my knee and took out a water bottle, waterfalling it in my mouth. I held it out for Dallis, and she drank just as greedily.

"How'd you ever find this place?"

I gave her a soft little laugh, "It's called not having a job."

"Still," she said, breathing hard, "I've lived here years, and thought I explored every trail. It's like this one popped out of nowhere."

"Can't deny the view though, can you?"

"No," she agreed, staring right at me.

She was caked in sweat, her frizzy red hair sticking in bunches. She fanned out her shirt, flicking it back and forth against her chest as she tried to cool off.

"I wish we didn't have to come so far," she said, "Could you imagine what this place would look like at sunset?"

It took every bit of self control to stop the sun from flying through the sky, or shrinking the distance back through the woods.

"It's hard to imagine this place looking any prettier."

It was the prettiest hike I could imagine, after all.

"I'm sorry I missed last week," I said, "I wanted to make things up, and this seemed like a pretty good idea."

She shook her head, "You don't have to apologize Jules. I can't imagine ever being mad at you, just disappointed we weren't together."

I couldn't stop myself. She was far from the prettiest she'd ever been in a sweatsoaked workout shirt with her hair tied up in a loose ponytail, but we were alone, and she was looking at me the way only she could. And she just wanted us together.

I leaned in suddenly. I grabbed her cheeks, locking her in place, and kissed her the way I'd always wanted.

I don't know how she reacted right away, because I was floating on a cloud in paradise. It was like I'd injected every drug directly into my heart- and then I felt her hands crawl up my spine, and she was kissing me back.

She took a break, barely catching her breath, "You don't have to run away," she panted, "You can't hurt me."

Any thought about my influence went out the window. Dallis was her own person, and she was making the decision to love me all on her own.

"What about your husband?" I asked, but waiting for an answer wasn't important enough to stop myself. I grabbed her back, pulled her close, twisting my head to keep kissing her.

"He'll tell me," she breathed, stopping just long enough to get the words out, "That it's about damn time."

I ran my hands down her sweaty back, "He won't mind?"

"He's loved you as long as I have," she whispered.

I'd never heard anything quite so appealing as the idea of being their unicorn. I don't remember how we ever took our hands off each other, or how we made our way back home. It felt like we teleported halfway around the world, our hands laced together so we could throw ourselves onto their couch.

I fell back, throwing my top off in one fluid motion, my arms resting beside my head. Dallis rested her chest against mine, still soaked with sweat as she ran her breasts up my stomach, slowly kissing her way towards my neck. I let my hand wander between her legs, feeling her soaked pubes and working towards her labia.

I barely even noticed when Flynn came in. He stopped and watched us kiss, both topless as he leaned against the far wall. A smile slowly started to stretch across his lips as my messy ponytail got messier; Dallis' fingers and my sweat a perfect hurricane.

"So," he muttered, "It's finally happening."

He inched forward as he massaged his penis through his pants. He leaned against the couch, stopping just behind Dallis, and slowly peeled off her sweaty shorts. His face disappeared behind her ass as he leaned in and put his tongue to work. I felt his stubble brush against the back of my fingers, and held it out for him to lick. He sucked my finger like a lollipop, savoring his wife's juices, before turning back towards the source.

I started rolling my hips, grinding up against Dallis' thigh. I was still wearing my shorts, but I might as well have been naked. I felt like I could feel every pore, the tiniest movements in her muscles as she bobbed back and forth, raising her ass so Flynn could get a better angle.

Dallis' finger ran between her legs. She felt Flynn's hair, and grabbed him, yanking playfully, before running her finger between her thighs and joining his tongue. She brought her finger up, making a big show of getting a slow, long lick, her eyes locked with mine.

I spoke on autopilot, "Let me taste." I leaned forward and sucked her finger clean. I kept my forward momentum and locked lips with her, the whole world forgotten until the couch started to wobble.

Flynn had stood behind her, and his hips were starting to speed up. I held her close, wrapping my arms around her back, as her tits swayed like a chandelier, or fast brush strokes painting a masterpiece on my chest.

She was having sex on top of me, and kissing me like she thought I'd run away. It was the most erotic moment of my life, and I couldn't take the lack of stimulation. My hand broke away and shot down my shorts.

My fingers were instantly soaked. I started quick circles around the clit, my hips rolling with hers. My back was arching, pressing my crotch up against hers, as I grinded into her flesh.

She started moaning softly. She rested her cheek against my breast, her hand completely relaxed against me.

"Tell me what you want," she whispered.

My eyes were rolled back, my arm stretching high above my head. I felt like I was floating, but there was one thing I didn't have, "I want his cock."

It felt like there wasn't enough time to take my shorts off. I needed him inside me like he had the cure for cancer. My fingers twisted down my thigh and pulled my shorts off to the side. He spit on his cock, then shoved it in, and my eyes went wide.

The sensation was everything I'd ever wanted. It was all the pleasure of sex, but I was staring at the woman I love, her hips rolling up against my stomach, watching the peaceful way she jiggled.

I was breathing softly with every stroke, and she was leaning in, bouncing her lips from side to side, her lips filling my stomach with butterflies.

She made her way between my legs and met up with Flynn's penis. She kissed her way down his shaft, her tongue working as he went in and out.

I didn't know what to do with my hands. I wanted to clutch my breasts and give into the sensation. I wanted to hold Dallis, or maybe Flynn's ass, just to keep him locked in place.

I wanted to close my eyes and let my brain go blank. I wanted to see every inch of Dallis, all her curves, the way her body moved, the force of every stroke as it rippled through her. I wanted to savor the moment, the most raw passion I'd ever felt in my entire life.

But I'd wished for reality, and Flynn wasn't a superhero. I could feel his thighs start to tighten, and saw the way Dallis changed. She dropped down to her knees, and shot her head between my legs. She tore my shorts to get in close, licking my pussy at the same time she found his penis. He stood as quickly as he could, stroking furiously to keep himself on edge. He towered over Dallis, who looked up so eagerly.

He moaned louder than any man I'd ever been with, and launched the biggest cumshot I'd seen in my life.

I kept working my pussy and swirling my hips. My tongue worked on circles and my eyes fluttered shut, desperately trying to cling to the sensation, but Dallis wasn't done with me yet.

She opened her mouth, flourishing her tongue as strands of cum ran between her lips. She leaned in close, sharing the reward, and working the cum deep into my throat with her tongue.

That was the first time we'd ever gotten together, and I knew instantly we were just getting started. It wasn't just the illusion of happiness anymore. I hadn't just gotten everything I'd dreamed of, I'd gotten the love I actually needed.

I was the happiest I'd ever been, and truthfully, I'm glad I didn't know a war with Dan had started. Because I would have been on his side. I would have done anything to stay.