Redo of a Romanceless Author’s Life Devoid of Love; Another Chance at Youth Chapter 427

Chapter 427. A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words, but a Picture Does Not Do You Justice. (2/3)

Dawn’s head turned my way as she followed up with another question, “This isn’t a dream?”

“A dream?”

“I fell asleep. Isn’t this just inside a dream?”

Is that why she didn’t freak out just now? Because she assud it was a dream and she was still asleep?

If I say it is a dream would she really believe it though? Would soone inside a dream really tell you it’s a dream? There was only one way to find out.

“Yeah, this is a dream.”

“I knew it. There’s no way he’d kiss unless it’s inside a dream.”

“... what if he did?”

“He wouldn’t. He’s already got a really pretty girlfriend from the city.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You’re quite attractive yourself. If he isn’t careful he might go and try doing sothing to you while you’re still asleep.”

“Oh I just realized, since I’ve beco conscious that this is a dream, I should be able to make anything I want happen.”

“Huh? Uh… not necessarily.”

“What? Why not? I should be able to fly or sothing if this is a dream.”

Fly? No, no, no. Please don’t jump off the top of the pickup truck headfirst expecting to soar through the air.

“You can’t fly.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“You’re not even real.”

“I don’t want you to fly away from .”

“There's no way he’d ever say that to unless it’s a dream.”

“Maybe he will one day, you never know.”

“I should probably wake up now. I wouldn’t want to keep him waiting forever. I already caused him a lot of problems today because of my daydreaming.”

“Yeah, you really did.”

“How do I wake up though? I’m trying to but it’s not working.”

“Uh… you should close your eyes. The next ti you open them you’ll be awake.”

“I see. That’s pretty easy.”

She shut her eyes halfway but stopped before she closed them fully.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh… I was just thinking it might be a waste to not do anything at all. Who knows if I’ll have a nice dream of him again in the future.”

“... hey, before I wake up… can I… uh… have another kiss? No, it’s my dream, what am I thinking? If I want that to happen I just need to think it.”

She peeked at from the corner of her half-closed eyes.

“What?”

“Huh? I’m thinking you’ll kiss … why isn’t it working?”

“I’m not going to kiss you.”

“What? Why not? Isn’t this a dream? Unless…”

Damn it! Why couldn’t she just close her eyes all the way!

“... this really isn’t a-”

I bent forward over her, placed my right hand on her cheek, and kissed her.

She stared deep into my eyes with hers half-closed.

Five seconds.

Her lips applied a bit of pressure back.

Ten seconds.

She curiously poked my lower lip with her tongue.

Thirty seconds

She peacefully exhaled out through her nose.

Forty-five seconds.

Her serene eyes grew hazy.

At last, at the one-minute mark, her eyes finally closed shut.

The second her eyes closed, I pulled my face back away from hers. I moved my hand from her cheek to her shoulder and shook her.

“Dawn, wake up.”

When her eyes reopened, she was in a bit of a daze.

“Dawn.”

“Hmm?” She tilted her head to the left and looked directly in the eyes. Her hair and left cheek brushed against the back of my right hand on her shoulder.

The subtle affectionate gesture of her unconsciously seeking out close contact was by no ans good for my heart in any way.

“...” Stunned, I forgot my next words.

When I failed to say anything to her, she asked, “What is it?”

“Uh… your phone…”

“What about my phone?”

“It was… uh… ringing just now. It was probably your father calling you. He’ll probably be worried if you don’t call him back right away.”

“Oh. He called? I didn’t feel it at all. I should… call him back right away.”

“Yeah.”

I removed my hand from her shoulder. In doing so I once again felt the distinct feeling of the supple skin on her cheek and her light silky blond hair as the back of my hand slid against it.

Rather than reach into her pocket to pull out her phone, she raised her right hand and lightly felt her lips with the tips of her fingers while silently staring at . Well, more specifically, my lips. She seed to be thinking about sothing. If what happened just now was really just a dream she had, I might have been completely oblivious and thought I had sothing in my teeth or so grease from inside the engine had rubbed off on my lips.

“What are you staring at for? Did I get so grease on my face or sothing?”

“Huh?” She snapped out of her daze and shook her head.

“Sorry, I was just spacing out a bit. I had… a weird dream just now. It felt… unusually realistic… almost like… it wasn’t a dream at all.”

“I see. Well, you should really call your father back right now. I’m almost done installing the new battery so you should be good to hit the road soon.”

“Right… thank you.”

I hopped over the side of the trunk and landed on my feet on the ground. I hid under the raised hood and tightened the last two bolts and nuts. With that, the installation was complete.

When I dropped the hood and looked up, Dawn was seated upright with her phone held up against her ear. Over three-quarters of the moon peeked out from directly behind her head. With the way the rays shone down, her sun hat tilted my way, exuded a strange white glow in stark contrast to the darkened starry sky behind her. A few of the moon’s rays shone through the small holes in her sun hat toward .

I couldn’t stop myself from staring and unconsciously retrieving my phone to snap a picture of her side profile in secret. It was no doubt good reference material for to draw so inspiration from for a scene in a story I might write out later on. The fairy hidden away in the countryside.

It’s a sha that my limited vocabulary wouldn’t do the scene justice. I cursed myself for being born artistically challenged. The level of my artistic ability was limited to stickn. Maybe I could find an artist one day who’d be able to bring life to the scene using this picture as a reference.

Should I try to practice drawing again? I couldn’t stop that idea from sprouting in my mind. Anyti I tried to, I always failed miserably. I’d never seen any improvents no matter how old I got or how much ti passed.

Maybe if I had a teacher or ntor I would see so success. I’d always just gone at it alone blindly without any real guidance. Having the right tools might also help. A stylus. I’ve never actually used one before. Would it even help though?

“What are yuh spacing out for?” Dawn interrupted my train of thought when she abruptly spoke up and asked that. Before I realized it, Dawn’s conversation with her father was over and she was presently staring at curiously.

“I’m not spacing out. I was just contemplating practicing how to draw.”

“Why?” She seed puzzled when I suddenly told her that.

“I just thought you looked like one of those jade beauties under the moonlight that you hear so much about in fairytales and I was lanting over my inability to capture that scene through a hand-drawn portrait.”

“Liar, yuh didn’t really think that at all.”

“Hahaha…” I suppose only I knew whether or not I really ant that.

“Yuh think it’s funny to make fun of because I’m a little farm girl?”

“Not at all. I wasn’t making fun of you.”

“Hurry up and go et up with your girlfriend already. Haven’t yuh kept her waitin long enough?” Dawn’s eyes lowered away from down to her left.

“It is pretty late already, isn’t it?”

“... yeah.”

“You’re right, I really should get going.”

“... yeah... yuh should…”

I hopped on my motorcycle and turned the key in the ignition.

“You’re… really leaving?”

“What are you talking about? You just told to.”

“Right…”

“Don’t forget, you’ve got Rosa’s number. If you want to get in touch you can do so at any ti.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot.”

“Well then, you should be on your way too.”

Dawn hopped off the roof of her pickup truck and landed on her feet.

“Uh… bye then.”

She looked like she wanted to say sothing else.

“Then see you around.”