As Mary and Peter leave the coffee shop, she turns back to Peter and says "You are so cheesy, but I think I love that." She blushes and looks up at his face before he turns to close the door, he is just smiling. For a brief moment she thinks "Oh shit, I did not. Did I?"
Peter walks beside her and without skipping a beat his hand finds hers and they continue walking. After a few seconds he leans in a bit to whisper, "I think I am cheesy because I am in love." he squeezes her hand just a bit and smiles before looking ahead again, seemingly surveying the area as they walk her hand in his.
"Do you know that little book shop near the old cinema?" He asks as they reach a corner.
"Yes, I have not been there for a long time, but use to love the homely feel." Mary replies as she watches the traffic light.
"Ok, it is not far from here." Peter says implying it has been decided. Mary did not mind, because it was decided.
They would be together and he and she knew that it was not about the destination right now, it is just about their being.
Quietly they crossed the road and turned left on the next corner. They have now travelled only three blocks from their initial meeting spot. Peter has not mentioned anything about quitting and Mary did not feel the need to mention anything about the dreams.
At the next corner, they turned right.
A blue bird passed over them, then across the road, they both stopped to watch a man playing guitar and putting on a show for those sitting on the grass, seemingly enjoying a picnic.
Peter turned to Mary but before he could say something he just looked up behind her. Mary turned around and where possibly an apartment building should be was a waterfall coming down into a small pond.
They looked down at their feet and noticed the sidewalk of cement was now lush green grass.
"Are we dreaming?" Mary asks Peter, a trembling in her voice that echoed the concern in his eyes.
"I hope not." Peter says slowly, "I really hope not."
Holding each others hand tighter they look ahead, the city seemed to be gone, and everything looked so beautiful. In the distance, mountains rose up to soften the brightest blue with grey.
Leading all the way to the horizon were every colour of flower, giant trees spread enough to seem open and vast yet close enough to feel like a being embraced by a forest.
"People." Peter finally says taking his eyes off the scene before him. "There are people here." He looks at Mary and she just nods, her eyes wet as she is trying to keep from crying.
"I don't want this to just be a dream." She finally says and steps forward looking only up at his face. Peter knew what she is trying, she is trying to outrun it, to make it end.
Neither of them wants it to be just a dream, so she is right. They need to get out of the dream and find each other, finally, for real.
Looking at Mary's face, feeling her tug on him, he agrees. "Ok, meet me by the coffee shop when we wake up?" He asks her and pulls her in closer to him. Standing against Peter, Mary just nods as she stares blindly at his chest then presses her face against him and he kisses the top of her head.
Then she lunges away and he lets go off her hand as she races away from him, a second later he runs after her and then hears her laughing.
Peter begins to laugh himself , Mary looks back at him tears rolling off her cheeks as she laughs. Catching up to Mary, he takes her hand and as they both stop he pulls her in to his arms and takes her face in his one hand while holding her firmly with one arm. Wiping the tears from her eyes she looks at him calmly. "Kiss me." She whispers, and Peter does not hesitate.
The world around them appeared normal again, but the uncertainty of whether they were truly there together made their kiss seem like the most important thing they could ever do.
As Mary ran from Peter, she did see everything turn back to normal. Joy flooded her but also pain, Peter shared not just the glimpse of the dream but her longing and the pain that would come from losing what felt like certainty.
He kissed her and both of them kept their eyes closed, even after , even as they without a word pressed their foreheads together , looking down holding hands.
Will the real world be there when they open their eyes. "Is now the future? " Mary asks, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Are you my present?" Peter asks, squeezing her hand a bit tighter.
Deep breath.
