"Hey, Jay, what's up?"

Jay sits down next to you and fiddles awkwardly with his hands, like he always does when he's about to say something that he knows might upset someone. "Uh, look, y/n, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" You ask. "You know if you have a problem, you can tell me, right?"

"Well..." Jay looks down at his lap. "I can't marry you."

You jerk back in your seat, unable to believe what you just heard. "What?! Why?"

"Look, I...I can't, okay?" Jay looks as miserable and confused as you feel right now. You look down and realize that he's not wearing the engagement ring you bought for him. "I'm really sorry, but it just wouldn't work out."

Jay stands up and starts walking away as quickly as he can. You leap to your feet to follow him, then gasp when you see that the engagement ring on your finger is fading away. Suddenly, you're positive that if you let Jay leave, you'll never see him again.

"Jay? Jay, wait! Come back! Jay!"

You start running after Jay, but it feels like you're moving in slow motion. Jay keeps walking, and a few moments later, he fades away too, leaving you alone.

§§§

You gasp and bolt upright in bed, feeling your heart race frantically. You click on your bedside light and feel around frantically on your left hand for the ring Jay gave you, sighing in relief when you feel it still there.

"Just a nightmare," you sigh.

This isn't the first time you've had a nightmare like this since Jay's proposal, but this one was by far the most vivid and realistic. You try to go back to bed and put the image out of your mind, but no matter how much you toss and turn, you can't get back to sleep.

Finally, you give up and reach for your cell phone. If there's anyone who can help you with this, it'll be your high school friend.

You jab b/f/n's number in and press the phone to your ear, listening to the rings with increasing worry. What If she's busy? What if she lost her phone? What if she just doesn't hear you?

You're about to hang up when b/f/n answers the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, b/f/n," you croak weakly.

"Y/n, is that you?! Oh my gosh, it's been forever! How are you doing? Wait, isn't it like three in the morning where you are?!"

Right, b/f/n is across the country, attending a prestigious art school. She'd be just going to bed—or getting up, you can't remember which.

"Two-twenty, actually," you correct, leaning over to check your bedside clock. "But that's not the point. Jay and I are still getting married, right?"

B/f/n laughs from the other end of the line and starts talking a mile a minute. "You had better be, you spaz. I've already got my plane tickets reserved, and let me tell you, they were not cheap. But really, why are you calling me at three in the morning?"

"I had a nightmare and I didn't want to wake anyone up," you explain shakily.

B/f/n listens surprisingly quietly while you explain your nightmare to her, and finally announces, "Y/n, you and Jay are getting married, no ifs, ands, or buts. And if he tries to change his mind without a spectacularly good reason, I'm going to fly down there anyway and pummel sense back into him!"

"How much coffee have you had?"

"Only three cups! But that's not the point! The point is, there's no way in the universe Jay would ever not marry you, and I have a paper due in the morning that I haven't started yet, so I gotta go and I'll see you at the wedding! Bye!"

The line cuts off with a click, and you smile. B/f/n hasn't changed a bit. You put your phone away, turn your light off, and snuggle back under your covers. Within a few minutes, you're fast asleep.