The Dreamscape (Liam Payne)

8.<3

“Nope, I can’t do it.” Stella announced confidently, “It’s been so nice meeting in the Dreamscape. Why should we try to mix it all up?” Stella stood tall and held her ground, feigning authority.

“Besides,” she began to pace, her ringed fingers lacing behind her back, “I’m far too busy. I don’t know where I’d find the time.” She rolled her head to one side and shrugged her shoulders. She paused and shifted on her feet for a moment, her hips swinging as she unclasped her hands and threw them in the air.

“Don’t you get it!? This dream is just too big for you and me!” She felt herself losing her grip on the situation. “We can get hurt. I don’t want to do that to you.” Stella’s head dropped and her arms crossed over her body. There was a knot growing in her throat and she quickly swallowed it down and took a deep breath to quell the unease in her body.

Stella’s eyes stayed downcast for a moment before she looked up at her waiting audience, “So do you think that he’ll understand?” She asked softly, her eyes searching the dimly lit expanse of her basement apartment. Her question was met with silence and Stella let out an embarrassed laugh.

“I suppose asking you was a poor choice,” she shook her head and picked up her stuffed bear who sat upright on her bed. “Thanks for listening, Jasper.” Stella cooed before giving the animal a hug before setting him back down.

Since receiving Liam’s tweet Stella had been conflicted with the idea of meeting the man who had been a constant character in her dreams in real life. As much as she liked the idea and was flattered that he wanted to take time out of his vacation to meet her, she felt a foreign sense of hesitance about the matter. Stella was always the first to jump in, to eat something without knowing where it came from, she was the fearless child. So why was she so scared?

Stella pulled out her phone again and opened her twitter; she stared once again at that tweet and sighed deeply. She had never responded to Liam’s question. She was hesitant to do so in a public arena and have all their followers know what was happening in their lives. She was used to living a quiet life that gave her the freedom to do whatever she pleased, she liked the independence.

“Just do it, Stella. You’re being an idiot. Do it.” She whispered to herself, chanting the words to help her gain confidence.

As Stella chanted, her fingers moved through the pages of her twitter app effortlessly and soon she was direct messaging Liam.

“Hey, meeting sounds really great. I’m down.”

Stella hit sent and upon the realization that she sent the message, she gasped and collapsed onto her bed. She lay on her back and held the phone up above her head, staring that the response.

“Really, Stell? ‘I’m down.’” She mocked herself and gagged at her choice of words. It was stupid really, obsessing over 7 words. They were simple and there is only so much you can say in 140 characters. Damn you, Twitter. Damn you. She was an author, she could write circles around anyone and she couldn’t grasp articulate communication in 140 characters.

Groaning loudly, Stella rolled onto her stomach and plugged her phone into its charger. She sat up and pulled her hair down from its ponytail before she slipped under the covers to her bed. She turned off her bedside light and curled up in her blankets; there was only one thing she wanted to do right now.

—

The smell in the air was salty, you could almost taste it. There were ambient sounds coming from all around: the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, a horn bellowed from a tug boat, the birds calling out for their friends. It was overwhelming but everything came together to create a mellowing symphony.