^^** just to clarify as there has been some confusion, there isn't actually a movie for this book and i was only pretending HOWEVER if netflix want a cheeky colab then count me in babe**😏

*Curtains draw to a close*

*Lights flicker to a bright buzz*

*Crowds emerge from their seats applauding and exit the cinema in a hurried chatter*

*You stay seated, awaiting the end credits*

"The show is over, love. It's late...You should get going." A voice disturbs from beside you.

Your head turns, following the voice.

Breathe in breathe out breathe in breathe o-

You must have been so invested in the movie to not notice the tall boy beside you.

Was he really sitting there the whole time?! You mentally facepalm yourself.

"Uh- yeah I'm- uh just a bit confused. It all happened so suddenly, you know? Got me feeling a bit empty." You sigh, blinking out the moisture threatening in your eyes.

The boy nods, unsure what to say next but pulls out his chair again and sits back down beside you.

He pulls a hand down his face, obviously as tired as you at this late hour but doesn't let it show as he patiently waits for the conversation to continue.

"You're right though, I should get going-" You say in a quick breath and begin gathering your bag and coat.

Abort mission Abort mission Ab-

Heat.

Skin on skin.

Goosebumps arise and you once again glance up at him.

His tattooed hand

is

around

your

arm.

"No." He speaks and your head is suddenly cloudy and fuzzy. "Stay. Please." His dark eyes are desperate and your legs have already disobeyed your wish to leave the red velvet-filled building.

"You said you were confused?" He questions and his knees graze your own he turns to face your body, his beautiful french accent traveling like silk to your ears..

Knowing that your mouth will screw you over for trying to talk to the pretty boy with a hoop in his nose, your eyes lock on his as you nod cautiously.

"Well, think of it like this. Becca and Ethan were never destined to go to France. They got the flight, yes, but we always knew their story was going to be a tragedy. "

"Wha- How? I thought it was advertised as a romance?" You ask, leaning into the mysterious story-telling boy.

"Remember that irrelevant poem at the start of the story? The one the crowd talked over, waiting for the beginning to approach?"

Your head doesn't nod this time...you were a part of the crowd. You didn't hear the poem like he did.

He notices your lack of information and begins to recite the poem.

"Welcome to your short term escape.

Don't get too comfy, you won't be here long.

What can start off as your basic love story can somehow turn oh so terribly wrong."

"But-But that doesn't explain anything! How- What- Why? Uhh." You groan frustrated, unable to find your words. "Who's dream was it then? It doesn't make sense." You spew out questions but the slight smirk of the boy in front of you proves there is something he knows that you don't.

"You're cute. You know that right?" He smiles and tucks a short strand of hair behind your ears that has fallen loose from your up-do.

"Don't try to distract me. I'm here for answers." You swat his hand out the way and proceed to give him the best death glare you can master.

"Alright, alright. Wait- you think I'm distracting?" He asks whilst a slight blush kisses his cheeks but with a simple flick of your hand he knows to drop the comment and continue.

"Okay so, due to the multiple POV's we know that the dream wasn't one sided. Meaning that both Becca and Ashton were experiencing the summer together as we saw."

"Righttt" You say but the cogs work slowly in your brain when his arm shifts in his chair, revealing the inked veins along his skin.

You snap out of when he remains silent for a moment too long.

"But-" You clear your throat as his eyes also linger across your body. "What about Ethan and Josie? Were they also in the dream?"

He leans back in his chair, knees apart and hands behind his head. "What do you think?" He questions, obviously entertained by your confusion.

"Well, yes. I think they were in the same dream. It would make sense after all. Josie was extremely upset at the funeral-"

"Wrong." He smirks and leans his elbows on his knees to begin talking. "We only had two main POV's correct? They were both Ashtons and Beccas. So we know that whatever lucid dream they were experiencing, they were the only people in this alternate reality. As you rightfully said, Josie was very upset but remember she had been secretly dating Ethan for many months now. Therefore she was bound to be destroyed when not only he passed away but her best friend since childhood as well."

"But how do we know that for sure? Like you said about the multiple POV's but what if we only received one side of the story?" You ask further as you both lean in, digging up the truth piece by piece. The boy in front of you lets out a deep chuckle.

"You know, I was going to ask you on a date after this, but remind me to never watch a film with you." He jokes but you can tell heat has risen to your cheeks as his laughter becomes louder. "Like I said, so cute." He smiles, all laughter gone now.

Your leg beneath his swings up at his knee in an attempt to make him continue, but he effortlessly catches it, giving your thigh a slight squeeze as he settles it back down, eyes burning into yours.

"Remember the end scene?" He asks.

"Yeah"

"Who was there at the funeral?"

"Maisy but that proves nothing."

"Are you sure?" He questions but suddenly you are not.

You shake your head and he smiles.

"In the dream Becca helped Maisy understand and come to terms with her sexuality. Well, in that last scene Ashton remembers this and makes a comment to Maisy about how she did like Becca. The fact that Maisy didn't remember Becca proves that she was also not in the dream. I mean, it wouldn't make sense for her to experience it anyway. She was a character in it but wasn't in control of her actions the way that both Becca and Ashton were."

"Wait why wouldn't it make sense for anyone else to be in the dream?" You ask.

"Because the dream was a romance between two people destined to be together but also destined for a tragedy. Think about it, When Ashton and Josie left to go and live in France, he held Becca extra tightly that day. Although they had no romance back then, there was always some unspoken tension ever since childhood. The long goodbye embrace was the last time they ever touched, spoke and held one another. It was completely foreshadowing them saying goodbye to one another...not just for his plane flight but saying goodbye to a soulmate that he was about to lose."

You scoff at the thought "Soulmates don't exist. Don't be delusional."

He just shrugs but leans into you slightly, his masculine scent tingling your nose. "I don't think its delusional." But he's staring past your eyes now and your heart aches to know what he is looking for.

"But they touched in the other reality." You hear yourself say "Well actually they did more than touch." You finish and the dark haired boy's eyes glint with mischief.

"Well they still knew what they were doing. But it wasn't really them. Becca never left the plane, resting her head on Sam's shoulder and Ashton never left his Bed. What they experienced was the romance they could have had and who they could have been, if they were not fated to be apart. It would have been them if they had ever taken that chance."

"If they had ever identified their feelings before it was too late." His continues and his eyes flicker to your lips.

"If they ever chose to look past a label such as 'My Brothers Best Friend." But he doesn't shift his gaze.

"If they ever chose to live before life passed them by." The sound of his voice feels delayed compared to the slow movements of his soft lips.

With one glance to the rest of the room, it is apparent you two are the only ones left.

You get distracted by how large the area is. Platformed booths surround the upper layers of the building and hundreds of seats lay abandoned in perfect rows.

You look back and suddenly he is gone.

No noise, no gush of wind.

Well and truly.

Gone.

Your head hurts and you tell yourself it must be your tiredness. You bag is soon in your hand and you make your way up the stairs and towards the rooftop exit.

The door comes into view but a sudden hand pulls you into a dark room.

You begin to throw your hands up in the darkness, hoping to hit whoever brought you here when the dim lights cast enough brightness to identify the familiar silhouette.

"You." You state, glancing back at the door hoping for an escape.

"Me." He adds, as his silhouette becomes larger and it is suddenly apparent that he is inches away from you.

Heat radiates between your bodies.

His tattooed hands

are

on

your

waist.

"What are you doing?" you ask in a single breath.

"Taking my chance before it passes me by." He replies in a low whisper and his hand slides up your body and beneath your chin.

He tilts your face towards his.

Lips on lips.

TThe kiss does nothing to defuse the sexual tension between you both as it becomes harder and his hand travels behind your neck and yours are up in his hair.

He groans into your lips, vibrations numbing any common sense you have left as the hand still on your waist lifts you up and your legs tighten around his torso.

He swiftly lays you onto something soft and gentles the impact with the hand behind your neck.

He holds his weight as he looks down on you the way no one has looked at you before.

The way Ashton looked at Becca.

And just as his lips fall upon your own.

Just as electric impulses awaken every nerve in your body.

A phone rings.

Its loud, sickening sound brings your hand over your eyes. Embarrassment consumes you, it's your ringtone.

"Fuck. Reality is calling." You groan and shuffle from beneath him as he rakes a hand through his hair and thankfully he looks just as disappointed as you do.

It's your Dad. That's strange -you think.

He never calls. Especially at this hour as you hesitantly press accept.

"Hello?" You question, your stomach doing flips as you anticipate the worst to come.

No one replies.

"Hello? Dad? Helloo?" You continue but the line dies out.

Panic turns your body to jelly and forces you out of the strange room. However, now that your eyes have adjusted to the light, it appears to be a booth.

Your eyes flicker to the boy whilst you are already walking out of the door.

"Hey um, I never got your name." You state and the boy is standing now, looking worried for whatever is going on.

"Oh-Uh-Yeah It's Jake." he responds and your eyes widen. He nervously rubs the back oh his neck, pretending not to notice your reaction.

"Like, from the book? And the movie. Oh, god I'm such an idiot!" You groan and smack your head.

He chuckles deeply but it seems forced.

"Hey, I'm really sorry. About all of this and making you explain-"

"Please don't apologize. I loved every second of it."

You point at the door awkwardly "I- i need to go. My Dad-"

"Oh yeah. Go." He speaks but his obvious discomfort is seen through his glances at irrelevant objects in the booth.

You stride back up to him and reach tor his face, pulling him into you to savor the mystery story telling boy . His lips quickly push into your own sensing your urgency and kissing with the same desperation.

Maybe this is how Ashton felt saying goodbye to Becca -you think.

Knowing that someone like this could slip through your fingers so quickly.

Another ring from your phone.

"Hello?" You pull back from Jake and speak into the device.

"Oh hey I'm sorry about calling you earlier my finger must have slipped, I was meaning to call your mum but this stupid thing keeps playing up." he complains and you laugh at the sound of him tapping the screen in his hands. You finally exhale, relieved that it was a misunderstanding.

"Don't worry Dad."

"Okay, It's late. Go to bed. Come visit me in France soon, yeah?" He asks and the smile grows wider as the boy in front of you has began tracing small circles on your lower back with his thumbs.

"Yeah. Sounds good. You don't mind if I bring someone do you?" You ask.

"No, Not at all. Bring whoever you want sweety."

"Okay, thanks. Bye dad."

"Bye sweet."

You end the call and throw the phone onto the cushioned booth chair.

"About that date..." You begin and Jake begins to smile at you. "How does France sound?"

And his lips are back on yours.

"It sounds parfait." He pulls back and lifts you up once more.

(Perfect)

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