Page 58 of Deceiver

What? What did I do?

Wilder walks back into the room behind me, setting the tea down on the nightstand. “What happened?” he asks, walking over to the window.

“I don’t know. It just started making this noise, like it hated me or something.”

I noticed the concerned expression on Wilder’s face, but he just nods. “Come over here and drink some tea.”

“Okay, thanks.”

I walk back over to the bed and sit on the edge, lifting the mug and sipping the hot liquid inside. “I feel really weird, Wilder. I think something happened to me in that dream.”

“What do you mean?”

I figure the only way I can really explain what’s going on is to tell him the truth.

“I know this is gonna sound super weird, but look.” I gesture to my crotch and obvious bulge. “Do you see this?”

He looks down, his eyes going wide for a moment. “Yes.”

“Yeah, well, it came out of nowhere. I don’t know what’s going on. I tried to think of really unsexy things, but it won’t go away.”

“Interesting. You’ve never had that happen before?”

“No. I’m not twelve years old anymore and popping random boners for no reason. Normally, I require some sort of stimuli. A lot of it, actually.”

“Your dream wasn’t sexual in any way?”

“No, not in any way at all. I was at my grandmother’s house and I was eating her famous chocolate chip cookies.”

“Wait. You ate something in your dream?”

“Yeah. Why? Is that bad?”

“Not necessarily. What did you say you ate?”

“Just a cookie. It tasted real too, and just like I remember.”

“How did you find them?”

“There was a plate of cookies on the stove, and a note that told me to eat them. So I did, because they smelled just like the ones my grandmother made, and they tasted like it too.”

“Did you see anyone else in your dream?”

I nod. “I saw my mom and my dad.”

“You saw your dad?”

“Yeah. He was young again, like I remember him from when I was kid.”

“I see. Did you talk to him? Interact in some way?”

“I think so.” I try to remember that portion of the dream, but I’m coming up blank. “Actually, I’m not sure if I talked to anybody or if I just saw them. It’s all kind of hazy now.”

Wilder nods, but his expression is tight, worried.

“I was outside for a while, and then it was like I was in my grandparents’ backyard, and the smell of her cookies was all around me.”

“Anything else you can remember?”