Naughty Dreams - Episode 1
by Chris Marie Green
Ready to get dreamy with me?
Yup!
I already reviewed the examples of dreams that Professor Dobbs gave us to analyze…
But I decided to wait for my psychology partner so we can ace this assignment together đź’Ż
Nice, me too. I’ll be at the coffee shop in a few minutes.
Brynn shifts in her chair and tries not to be nervous.
Oddly enough, SHE had a dream last night, about Leo…
And it was one of those dreams…
A sexy scenario she hasn’t been able to shake out of her mind.
It even took place here, in this coffee shop next to campus…
Suddenly, Brynn’s thoughts are interrupted as someone walks into the shop.
Brynn looks up and sees Leo, and feels an instant spark for the Nice Guy Next Door—
One she hadn’t felt before she had such a hot dream about him.
Leo’s smile is friendly and casual.
His hair flops over his forehead as he takes a seat.
Everything’s just like it was in Brynn’s dream…before things got…
Well…naughty.
Which dream do you want to analyze first?
How about number one? The flying-through-the-air dream.
Okay. My notes say it’s a common expression of feeling powerful or free.
Yeah, but let’s go even deeper with this.
Brynn blushes, and tries to cover it with a cough.
After that dream last night, all Brynn can think about is sex.
She fidgets, and Leo gives her a long look. She blushes more.
Is everything okay?
Sure.
Because you seem kind of…
I’m okay!!
It would’ve helped if she hadn’t blurted it out.
She laughs to cut the tension, but she keeps thinking of Dream Leo…
How he ran a slow gaze over her…
His eyes burning with need for her…
So the flying dream…I actually used to have that one all the time.
Really?
Yeah. But mine had a variation.
While I was soaring through the air, I got tangled up in power lines.
Classic symbolism.
It sounds like something was holding you back from feeling powerful or free.
Any guesses as to what that might be?
Are you analyzing me, Dr. Leo?
He shrugs and sends her a cute smile…
But it only reminds her of that breath-stealing dream again.
As her stomach flips, she shifts in her chair once more.
Actually, the power-line dream stopped after I broke up with my boyfriend a week ago.
Huh. Well, that’s good.
Do you mean it’s good that you’ve figured out my troubled psyche?
No. It’s good that you broke it off with your boyfriend.
He clears his throat.
I hate to say it, but he was a jerk.
Yeah, I started to come around to that realization, too.
Your roommates told me he’d try and tell you what to do all the time…
And he’d also shoot ME territorial looks whenever I’d say hi to you.
There’s something about the way Leo says this that makes Brynn’s pulse flutter.
But what if all she’s feeling are the emotional aftereffects of last night’s dream?
I guess my ex WAS holding me back from being happy.
He was the power line that kept you from flying free.
And without him around, maybe you’ll dream of soaring now.
Maybe…
OMG, if Leo only knew WHAT she’s been dreaming of lately!
How did your ex handle the breakup?
Easily. He’s already getting it on with someone else.
But I’m good with that. I’m actually kind of relieved.
Leo leans back in his chair.
There’s something in his green eyes…
They show Brynn that he’s interested in everything she says…
VERY interested — just like he always is.
So how did you get together with someone like him in the first place?
Are you still analyzing me?
Leo shrugs good-naturedly.
I might be.
Okay then. I met him in my History class.
He was really great at first. He treated me like a princess…
But then his jerky side came out.
He would always make fun of me for…
Jeez, never mind.
What? You can tell me.
His warm gaze reveals he’s not bluffing.
All right. For reading and writing sci-fi young adult stories.
Seriously?
Yeah. He said taking this psych class wouldn’t actually help me understand how characters think…
And that I should major in something more valuable than English.
Supportive guy.
And um, wrong.
I know, right?
I once had a girlfriend who called me a weirdo for wanting to be a private investigator.
That’s what you want to do? Cool!
Leo laughs.
Yeah, thanks. But what I mean is…
I understand having goals that seem quirky to some people.
Their gazes connect for a long moment—
And Brynn remembers this same heat from last night.
She woke up in bed, still feeling Dream Leo’s mouth on hers…
His fingertips skimming her neck…
His skin against hers…
Trying to shake the memory, she fidgets again.
Something is definitely up with you.
Under Leo’s close gaze, Brynn feels trapped.
She feels a burning desire to talk about what her dream means.
Maybe then, she’ll be able to move past her feelings.
So she points to the worksheet.
I think we should skip ahead to another dream towards the end.
Which one?
The completely surreal one with the girl and guy in the coffee shop.
Huh. I didn’t see that dream in our assignments—
Brynn forges ahead.
The guy walks into the crowded coffee shop…
The girl gets up from her chair, and then…
Well, she’s wearing a super cute baby doll nightie that she’s never worn for anyone.
Leo’s gaze widens.
And then she starts stripping off the nightie.
Hell. I KNOW this wasn’t one of our assigned dreams.
I definitely would have remembered that.
Leo, what do you think it means?
Is taking off the nightie in public symbolic of shedding something?
Like…an ex-boyfriend?
Is the girl ready to feel free again?
Leo swallows heavily.
Yeah. That analysis sounds…er…logical.
Unless the dream is a fantasy of something the dreamer wants to happen in real life.
But that would mean there’s something real is going on between her and Leo…
Does he feel it too?
There’s more.
There is?
Yes. The girl suddenly realizes she’s wearing a pair of handcuffs around her wrists.
Leo doesn’t move a muscle.
Brynn’s pulse pounds hard and fast.
Do you think the handcuffs might symbolize that she’s STILL restrained in some way?
As if she’s holding something back within herself…
Maybe it’s a revelation I just came to terms—
Brynn stops.
I mean, SHE just came to terms with?
You said I, Brynn.
CAUGHT!
I guess I did.
Leo he leans forward, and Brynn squeezes her eyes shut.
She catches a whiff of his head-spinning scent.
And she melts, just like she did in the dream…
Every time he touched her.
Okay, obviously I’m the one who had that dream last night…
And who was the guy?
It was…you.
Brynn opens her eyes to find Leo staring at her with a heated gaze.
And that isn’t where the dream ended.
You took those handcuffs off of me and…
You probably know what happened next.
I do?
God, of course I do. We obviously…
Wow.
They’re silent for a moment.
Brynn starts sinking down in her seat.
Why isn’t Leo saying anything?
Is he going to tell her that it was only a dream?
Can I be honest with you, Brynn?
Okay…
I’ve dreamt about you, too.
You have?
Yeah, and in my dream, I walk into a room…
ANY room…
And when you see me, your gaze lights up.
Leo lets out a breath, throwing up his hands.
And that’s it.
You’re just as into me as I’ve been into you.
But where’s the symbolism?
There’s no symbolism.
It’s a fantasy.
I wish that it would happen in real life.
Leo reaches across the table to rest his hand over hers.
Electric desire races through her.
Every time I saw you with your ex-boyfriend, it was agonizing.
I hated how, day by day, the light disappeared from your eyes because of him.
So I waited…
I hoped that the girl of my dreams would see that I was right next door.
I DID notice, Leo.
I finally woke up and realized you were there.
As Brynn keeps looking into his eyes…
Leo lifts her hand and presses a sweet kiss on the back of it.
Brynn sucks in a breath at the jolt.
Brynn…
Maybe there was some naughty stuff in your dream…
And sure, we should totally get to those things when the time is right…
But I think maybe we should start off slow.
Oh, yes…
But can we get started NOW?
He smiles and then kisses her wrist.
Yes. This is how we could start today…
He kisses her palm.
Then we could start more of THIS tomorrow…
He kisses her fingers.
And then we could start something else every day after that.
Brynn dizzily smiles.
She entwines her fingers with his, knowing that more fantasies are sure to follow…
And that more than just her naughty dreams are about to come true.
App