14The sky was bluer than forget-me-nots, clouds fluffy and pristine white. I tugged off my boots to feel the grass between my toes, sharp yet soft on the soles of my feet. Flowers covered the hillside around me and stretched off into the infinite landscape. I felt as though I sat in a painting.
The flowers and grass rustled in the breeze, carrying with it a somber, familiar song. I couldn't find its source at first, but then Daiba was there, and he'd always been there, his head resting in my lap. He played an old harmonica, his eyes closed.
I ran my fingers through his hair and listened. I tried to recall where I was or how I'd gotten there, but my mind assured me that these questions didn't matter. Even without the answers, I felt relaxed. It just seemed like the place I was supposed to be.
As the song finished with a low, echoing note, Daiba opened his eyes. He smiled with his eyes full of contentment. "Is it looking better?" he asked. "I've been looking at all your flower books, and I think I'm getting the hang of it?"
"What?" I asked, unable to make sense of him.
His smile widened. "The flowers look nice, don't they?"
I looked out to see a variety of camellias, asters, orchids, and others – largely pinks and purples with splashes of white and red. "They would make for a nice bouquet," I said. "Though I'm surprised to see all of them growing together so well. Some of them require different growing conditions."
A sweetly fragrant red rose appeared under my nose. Daiba held its stem, free of any thorns. "You're so picky," he said.
I took the rose from him, feeling I was missing something. "Where are the thorns?"
He watched the clouds, still smiling. "You always ask that."
Something clicked in my head. He was right. I'd said those exact words many times before, and he always responded the same way. Then I would ask another question, always the same.
"Is this a dream?"
"Always ask that too." He hummed as he stretched his arms toward the sky. "Do you remember now?"
"Yes." A smile settled on my face as I felt the velvet petals of the rose. "You built this one very well. You could have gotten away with letting me think it was real."
He'd started this as a means to make sure neither of us had a nightmare, creating a safe world we could stay in while I slept. I wasn't certain how much concentration it required of him or really how he did it at all.
As he peered through his fingers above him, the sky faded to midnight. A brilliant canvas of stars took the place of the clouds. "Not as fun that way," he said. "Besides, we'd repeat the same conversations. I swear I'll get those flowers right one of these days."
"You say we'd repeat the same conversations like it's a bad thing." I settled my back into the flowers, some of them tickling my ears and cheeks. "But how many times have we gone over the constellations?"
"Well, you don't know them all yet." Pushing himself up, he scooched over to lay his head on my chest instead. I waited for him to begin by pointing out his favorites. I didn't know any of them because they were all specific to the planet he'd grown up on. I couldn't imagine memorizing a night sky like he had, but he did say he didn't understand how I could remember so much about plants.
"So Yama, is this like a date?" he asked.
It wasn't quite what I was expecting. He was a bit too young for me to consider dating, but then again, he would always be too young. He would never age.
He would never have anyone he could date, and I doubted he ever had before.
"Yeah," I breathed, "if you'd like for it to be."
Despite the darkness, I saw his cheeks tinge with color. "I want it to be," he said.
I tried to mind that, tried to be upset, but I only found myself upset I couldn't do more for him. I wished he could have something more real than a field of flowers and a night sky built within a dream. But at least it felt real. When I threaded my fingers through his hair, it felt as real as when we were awake and I'd ruffle it when he pouted about something.
"It's a nice date," I said, still holding an impossible rose without any thorns. "Where would you like to have one next?"
"I dunno. Maybe I'll make us a restaurant next time, or we could go underwater. We'd be able to breathe, you know."
"Sounds nice. Pick whatever you'd like. Any place without constant fighting and explosions sounds good to me."
His usual pout settled on his face. "Aww, I love the fighting and explosions."
"Doesn't really make for a good date."
"I guess."
"Well, if you do consider those part of a good date, we've been dating since we first met."
He tilted his head back so he could look me in the eye as he pouted, but I grinned back at him. He would always be a child, but that was fine. I adored him regardless
Now smooch.
