Page 35 - In Five Years

Chapter Four

I wake up with a jolt, grasping at my chest.
“Hey, hey,” a familiar voice says. “You’re awake.”
I look up to see David standing over me, a bowl of popcorn in one hand. He’s

also holding a bottle of water—not exactly the wine I was just drinking. Just
drinking? I look down at my body, still fully clothed in my red Reformation
ensemble. What the hell just happened?

I scramble up to sitting. I’m back on the couch. David is now in his chess
team tournament sweatshirt and black sweatpants. We’re in our apartment.
“I thought you might be down for the count,” David says. “And miss our big

night. I knew that second bottle would do us in. I already took two Advil, do you
want some?” He sets the popcorn and water down and leans over to kiss me.
“Should we call our parents now or tomorrow? You know they’re all losing it. I

told everyone beforehand.”
I parse through what he’s saying. I’m frozen. It must have been a dream, but

it . . . how could it be? I was, just three minutes ago, in bed with someone named
Aaron. We were kissing, and his hands were on me, and we were having the
most intense sex of my life. Dream me slept with a stranger. I feel the need to
touch my body, to confirm my physical reality. I put my hands on each elbow

and hold my arms to my chest.
“You okay?” David asks. He’s pulled himself out of the jovial moment and is

looking at me intently.
“How long was I out for?” I ask him.
“About an hour,” he says. Something dawns on him. He leans closer to me.
The proximity of his body feels like an intrusion. “Hey, listen, you’re going to

get that job. I can tell you’re stressed about it and maybe this was too much to