Deeply Dreaming Of Her Brother

Author's Note: This story contains loose dream logic and involves the loss of a sibling. I'd describe the tone as wistful, melodramatic. More cathartic than erotic.

***

"What the heck is that?" Belle asked.

Ken held up a thin metallic helmet, fingers wrapped around its glossy contours. To Belle, the object looked like it belonged in the year 3000, more than it did in the hands of her nephew.

"It's a prototype my team's working on," Ken replied. "This gadget's called Lucid—Seelby's future award-winning consumer product, at least I'm hoping so. The helmet induces more restful sleep. And a lucid dream."

"Restful sleep, huh?" Belle said.

"Perfect for a new mother," Ken added. "Has your name written all over it."

Belle then turned to Eva. "What are your thoughts on this thing? Is your boyfriend here a boy-genius, or just talking out of his butt?"

Eva smiled. "I've actually tried on the helmet, Belle. My sleep did improve. But it didn't give me a dream, much less a lucid one. Cute boy-genius here hasn't had one either."

Ken faced his aunt. "Third time's a charm. Maybe it'll work on you."

Belle took the helmet, inspected every curve in its futuristic design. "And here I thought you guys came over to play board games. Not make me your guinea pig experiment."

"Well," Ken said with a grin, "there's only so many times I can lose to you in Scrabble before I get bored. But seriously, Belle, we know taking care of a newborn is no small feat. Let Eva and I take a shift. We'll babysit Nathan for you while you catch up on sleep."

"Tempting..." Belle said. "Has your uncle left for work yet?"

On cue, Artie appeared. He leaned on the door jamb, at the foot of the guest room where the group was gathered.

"Hey B," he said, "I just put Nathan down for his nap. Leaving for my work trip now."

"Wait up, Uncle Artie!" Ken said. "Do you mind getting your wife here to test out my cool, new sleep helmet? The one that, y'know, if successful, will net me that promotion I desperately deserve."

"Jesus Ken, don't be so dramatic," Belle said jokingly. "I'll give the alien-looking thing a spin. You already had me at restful sleep."

Belle stood up to lend her husband a cute peck, then turned back to Ken and Eva. "Thanks for watching Nathan. Feel free to wake me if he starts crying." She then exited the guest room, the metallic helmet in hand.

Artie waited until his wife was out of range of his voice. "Hey guys, how's Belle been today? Tinge of sadness? Today's her brother's birthday."

"I thought Johnny just celebrated his, when he last visited here," Ken said.

"No, not his... Noah's," Artie replied.

"Oh, right..."

"Yeah..."

Eva's eyes pinged between her boyfriend and his uncle, wondering what type of coded communication they were sharing.

"Right, I'm off to the airport then," Artie said. "Thanks for coming over to play Scrabble with Belle. And for watching over Nathan. Belle does deserve some well-needed rest. Hoping your helmet tech gives it to her."

After Artie left, Eva sidled up to her boyfriend, curious. "I didn't know Belle has another brother."

"Had," Ken clarified, delicately.

"I see... Um, what happened?"

"Sorry Eva, not sure it's my story to tell..."

***

In her master bedroom, Belle Adelson lay on her back, atop her mattress.

She stared at herself in the mirror affixed to her ceiling, then slipped the sleek helmet over her blonde hair, immediately thinking how kooky she looked with it on. But whatever, good sleep was a luxury to a new parent. She'd happily endure worse for a recharged battery.

Eyes closed, Belle deepened her breaths, and began counting sheep...

***

Chapter 1

Render

Belle stepped out of a gaudy airport terminal, exited through automatic sliding doors, only to find herself in the middle of a bustling downtown area.

Oblivious to the peculiar transition in setting, she continued strolling along the sidewalk, feeling tired and irritable. Yet excited for the day ahead.

Men on the street walked past her, all of them turning their heads to look back in her direction. Interestingly, each one looked like a wealthy philanthropist or a dashing male model. Belle didn't question this fact. Didn't think to.

She herself was a model. To her, this streetscape of sizzling men was inspiring a sudden shift in her libido. She continued walking, a runway strut now marking her gait, welcoming every pair of eyes that fixated on her in her red dress that screamed

fuck me

.

Familiar signage then caught her eye. Her favorite luxury hotel brand had its typeface slapped onto a six-story building, with the name of her hometown printed right below it.

Belle excitedly entered the hotel's lobby, her high heels steering her to the ground-floor bar. She took a seat at its counter, her eyes drawn to the wall of distilled spirits.

"What can I get you, ma'am?" the attractive bartender asked.

Your number,

she wanted to say. Or rather,

a room key

. Belle didn't know why she was feeling so horny, but she rode the rising wave, looking to score some pleasure.

"Still deciding on a drink," she said. "Come back to me."

"Take your time," he replied. "And this room key too. My shift ends in six hours. If you can wait that long..." He winked at her as he handed over a keycard, before leaving to tend to other patrons.

Belle puffed out a heady breath, trying to steady her growing urges. She definitely couldn't wait

that

long for some cock. She needed someone now!

She looked down the length of the bar counter. There, she saw a lanky man, maybe a handful of years younger than her. He wasn't as ruggedly handsome as the bartender, but he wasn't a slouch either.

More interestingly, this man had his eyes pointed down at his phone, not tuned into her in the least, something she found all the more alluring.

She scooted over six barstools to engage him, flashed him her pearly whites, the irresistible bait.

"Hi there. Can I join you?" she asked.

"K," he replied, not exactly chomping on the lure, only making Belle want him more.

"Looks like that's vodka you're drinking. My favorite."

"It's water," he replied flatly. "Tap water."

She couldn't tell if he was joking, perhaps playing hard to get. He definitely wasn't smiling as if he was. Now she was curious. Men rarely turned her down when she approached them like this.

"Water's hardly fitting," she said, trying to be flirty. "You're in an upscale bar in an upscale hotel."

"I guess I just like the ambience here."

She expected him to follow up, to say he also loved the

views,

as he ogled the length of her body. But he wasn't ogling her at all. Belle was intrigued, increasingly drawn to his aura. Had to know more about him.

"Hey buddy!" She gripped his drink glass, getting his attention. "I'll just be upfront with you. I just got off a long flight. Finished three gigs, back-to-back-to-back! I'd like some company. Yours! And I've got a room here. How's that sound to ya?"

He took another sip of his water, then offered her the final swig. She gulped it down, confirming that his drink was, in fact, just water.

"Sure, lady. Could be fun," he said, so unbothered.

Belle snatched this stranger's hand and pulled him with her out of the bar, straight into an open elevator. Belle had a one-track mind to get fucked, and nothing was going to stop her from doing what she wanted.

On the 6th floor, she dragged her company with her into a suite, then made a beeline toward the bed. Told him to lose the clothes, pronto!

Belle herself undressed to her underwear, freeing her slender curves from her figure-hugging red number.

"Do you like my body?" she said, teasing him.

"You must be a model."

"Spot on!" she replied, excited that she and this guy looked like they were finally getting on the same page.

Now in lingerie, a lacy crimson two-piece, Belle flung a condom the man's way. "You're going to fuck me good, got it? I so need this today! I'm fucking exhausted. Flown 15,000 miles the past week!"

"Okay," was all he said back.

***

Six minutes later, in bed, the man turned over onto his back, having withdrawn himself from inside Belle, his condom hot with cum.

"Holy fuck, lady!" He panted endlessly, trying to catch his breath. "You're incredible!"

Belle avoided eye contact, having endured some of the worst sex of her life. The guy's movements were often awkward, not fluid in the least. He could've used way more practice, she thought...

"Uh, thanks for a good time," she said, lying through her teeth.

"Ow! My head!" he shouted.

Belle observed her odd lover, his hand rubbing his temples. "You good?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was just a small jolt. But it felt like a dam broke inside my brain. All of a sudden, I'm remembering my parents, I think. Their names, what they looked like. For the first time in my life."

Belle got off the bed, unsure how to respond to his random confession. She began dressing up, donning a pink-colored sundress that'd appeared on a side table.

The man stood up too, still naked, politely covering his crotch. "Hey lady, can I take a bath here? I need to relax my busy brain, cleanse it or something. Do you mind?" He glanced in the direction of the suite's bathroom, then back at Belle.

She nodded yes. What else was she going to say?

No?

The only thing on Belle's mind now was how she could neatly ditch this eccentric stranger...

***

Minutes later, Belle continued staring at the closed door of the suite's bathroom, its lone male occupant inside, taking his supposed bath.

She wondered why she even needed to linger. If she wanted to leave, she could. She was her own woman, with her own freedom. To pursue things to her heart's desire.

She picked her feet up then, and coldly fled the suite, returning to the hotel's lobby, eyes now aimed at its exit. Before she reached it though, the attractive bartender from earlier appeared in her path.

"Ma'am."

"Oh hey, it's you." Belle grinned in anticipation, hoping this gentleman's shift had ended earlier than expected. She licked her lips at the prospect of a better fuck awaiting her.

The bartender handed her a credit card. "Your friend that you left the bar with, he forgot to close his tab. I ended up having to charge him."

"But he only had water," Belle replied. "Tap water's free."

"Sorry," he said contritely. "It cost him."

The bartender spared Belle a look of sympathy, then swiftly left her, the hope of him being her next sexual conquest vanishing with fading footsteps.

Now what was Belle supposed to do? Awkwardly go back up to the suite? Deliver this stranger's credit card back to him? What a hassle!

Then again, a spark of guilt flickered inside her. Why? Why did she feel like she owed this stranger something?

As she contemplated her options, her lanky lover luckily saved her the trouble. He was now power-walking in her direction, dressed in his baggy blue jeans, his hair damp from his supposed bath.

"Hey! You abandoned me!" he said. "Do you do that a lot? Just, like, leave whenever you

fucking

want?"

"Whoa, calm down, guy!" Belle reacted by stepping back. "I don't even know you! I have your credit card, by the way. You're welcome!"

Then Belle spared a second to glance down at the card. The name on it read: NOAH ADELSON.

Belle's eyes exploded in shock. There was no way! No fucking way! She looked up to scan the man's face. Blue eyes. Dark blonde hair. This couldn't be the same Noah Adelson.

This version was older, more mature, inches taller than her. There was a patchwork of stubble lining his jaw, his hair styled differently than she'd last remembered.

More importantly, the real Noah was resting peacefully in heaven.

"What's your name?" she asked. "Your real one!"

"You're seeing it. Right there on my card," he replied.

"Say it! I need to hear you say it!"

"Noah," he said, followed by a pause. Then, "Adelson."

"Your parents! Who are they?!"

"...Phillip and Lorraine?"

What the fuck,

Belle mouthed to herself, in complete disbelief. Those were

her

parents! What kind of sick game was this? What fucked-up sociopath would play such a cruel prank on her?

"Your siblings, their names! Go!" she said next.

"If I had any, I couldn't tell you, lady. I don't remember anything after my head injury," he said, genuinely meaning it. "Wait, do you know my parents? Do you know... me?"

Belle was caught off-guard. For a split second, she considered telling him the truth, but it was still too crazy to believe, that the person standing in front of her was her deceased brother.

"Ow! Shit!" Noah placed a worrying hand on his forehead again, turning away at an angle. "Fuck... maybe I should've taken Doc up on that medical helmet after all!"

The word helmet triggered something within Belle. She recalled being handed headwear to take a nap with. Then her nephew, Ken, his girlfriend, Eva, both sitting with her inside a guest room. They'd spent an afternoon with her playing Scrabble in her house. Then her husband, Artie, before leaving for his work trip, telling her their baby son, Nathan, had just been set down for his nap.

Shit, of course!

This must be a dream, Belle realized. This world she'd found herself in though, it felt too damn real! So visceral, tactile.

And yet, awareness of its artifice was fleeting. A second later, before she knew it, Belle's grasp on reality was gone again, her attention diverted back to Noah—this older version of her youngest brother—standing in front of her, in this fancy hotel lobby.

"Thanks for my credit card," Noah said, taking it from her soft grip. "And sorry for shouting at you. I guess I owe you for your troubles. You hungry, by any chance?"

***

Chapter 2

Reminisce

Inside a Mexican restaurant, Belle stared endlessly at Noah, fascinated, still adjusting to the surreal fact that he was a living, breathing specimen of an adult man.

She observed him consume a plate of tacos in his own idiosyncratic way, with a fork and knife, treating it like formal cuisine. It was as cute and endearing now as it was then.

"Thanks lady, for the meal," he said. "You should've let me pay for it though. I'm the one that owed

you,

remember?"

"It's okay," she said. "I probably shouldn't have abandoned you in that hotel room."

"It's cool. You must've had your reasons." He chomped down another forkful of food. "So, got a name I can call ya?"

Belle paused to take a shaky breath, then steered their conversation elsewhere. "Um, if you don't mind me asking... How old are you?"

"24," he said. "You?"

"Hey, you can't ask a lady that!"

"You shouldn't be embarrassed. You're hot," he said casually.

"You think I'm hot?"

"Well, you must be, if you're a model. Personally, I think you're alright. I'm a blonde too but our kind aren't my type. I'm more into redheads."

Belle was charmed by his admission, sensing he was sincere about it too. The Noah she'd known ten years ago had never given any hints of romantic preferences.

"I'm 30," Belle said, finally answering his question.

"Interesting. Guess I just hooked up with a cougar," he said, laughing to himself.

Belle perked up at his line. "Hey, six years your senior doesn't make me a cougar!" Then she raised her wrist to show off the diamond sparkling on her ring finger. "And I'll have you know that I'm happily married. Got a baby boy too."

"Whoa, even cooler! I just hooked up with a cougar MILF!"

Belle couldn't help but giggle, surprised at her brother's brand of humor, also non-existent back then. The younger version of Noah had been an introvert, so severely soft-spoken. This version was more vivacious. What changed?

"Hey Noah, you said you had a head injury? What happened?" she asked, searching for a tidy explanation.

"I'd tell you if I knew," Noah replied, being honest. "I just woke up one day a teenager, not remembering anything or anyone. Luckily, some foster parents took me in, raised me until I got into college."

"You-you went to college?"

"Finished two years ago. What's with the look of shock, lady? Do I not look smart enough to have gotten in?" He chuckled.

"No, I just mean, like," she said, fumbling with her words, trying to process the life he'd lived in her absence. "So you graduated and all that?"

"Well, duh. Graduation is what happens when you finish school," he replied sarcastically. "I studied chemistry. Now I'm in a master's program. I wanna be a pharmaceutical scientist."

"Does that mean working with pills? Why? Drugs can be dangerous," she said impulsively, unsure exactly why.

"I just want to help people get better," he said. "Live happier."

"Hey Noah!" a random voice shouted their way.

Their dining table was soon graced by the presence of young adults, a bubbly group of males and females.

"Dude, you didn't answer our text," one of them said. "We invited you to eat here with us."

"Sorry guys," Noah replied. "I got caught up today. Found myself hanging out at some swanky hotel bar."

"No worries, bro. It was a sweet party yesterday!" another spry twenty-something said. "It was so fun!" a female added. Then another, "We still on for game night next week?"

"For sure! My turn to host!" Noah replied. Then he extended his hand Belle's way, looking to introduce her. "Hey guys, this is my new friend. Her name's just 'Lady,' apparently," he said in jest.

"Nice to meet you, Lady," one of his friends said. "You should come over to game night too. We're playing Scrabble, Noah's favorite."

Another friend added, "Yeah, Noah's really good at it. Undefeated, actually. Maybe you can give him a run for his money."

"Sounds fun," Belle said, smiling at her brother. "I'd love to try."

***

After Noah's friends left their table, Belle reflected on the entire social interaction—the fact that

this

Noah actually had friends. It warmed her heart, like hot tea on a rainy day, to see her brother so extroverted. So unlike the version she'd known.

Back then, he had kept to himself so often, to the point that Belle took it upon herself to spend extra time with him, at the expense of her own friends.

"So," Belle said, "what was this party yesterday? The one your friends mentioned."

"It was for my birthday. My friends rented out this sweet rooftop bar for me. We partied all night. It was pretty epic!"

"That's... That's great," Belle said, her eyes confronting a surprising surge of moisture. "You just turned 24 then."

"Well, today's my official birthday, technically. Probably why my friends had texted me earlier. To stuff me with birthday tacos, surely."

"Right... I guess I got in your way," Belle said, suddenly feeling conflicted about her presence.

"No, that's okay," he said. "I like hanging out with you, Lady. My new friend. We should do something fun together. Do you like bowling?"

Belle was tongue-tied, her heart suddenly so full. She wanted nothing more than to spend more time with her brother.

"I'll take your silence as a yes," he said, chuckling. "Come on Lady, let's go knock some pins!"

***

Chapter 3

Regale

At the bowling alley, Belle and Noah took turns, rolling ten-pound balls at ten white pins. To her surprise, she found herself winning after six rounds.

More interestingly, she'd noted that her brother had seemed distracted the whole game, constantly looking over his shoulder at the female attendant in charge of handing out rental shoes.

"Do you know her?" Belle asked.

"Who?" Noah said, poorly feigning ignorance.

"The cute attendant. She's a redhead, I noticed." Belle suggestively nudged her brother's elbow. "What's her name?"