The next morning, you find a pretext to visit David in the server room. His initial blush and subsequent hesitant conversation tell you clearly that he has remembered his dream from the night before. Pretext out of the way, you dive in with a smile.
"So ... Anything of interest happen lately."
You lose what eye contact you had with him as he busies himself with tidying his workspace then responds, "Umm ... Not really - haven't been out much lately. Maria and I are breaking up, I think, so we haven't been out much lately." His repetition only serves to underscore his un-ease.
With your copyrighted sincere frown, you reply, "Oh, David - I'm sorry. I really like her." ("really like her" you think to yourself) "So - its just been to work, then home to sleep - to sleep, perchance to dream ...?"
He freezes at this, then looks up at you, sheepish grin wrapped in layers around his face. Further silence as his eyes flit about the unoccupied room, then he speaks, βUhhhh .... I shouldnβt say this, but I had another dream last night. I mean, a dream that you happened to be in, I mean.β
You grin broadly, vastly entertained by his attack of nerves. "I see - was this a hot dream, like the last one?"
"Much hotter. Much, much hotter."
"Just us or were there others? Anyone we know?" you decide to head right for your objective, since he is so flustered.
"It was just us together, I mean. You were looking out the window at some people in another building, but I think they were just talking in their kitchen."
The sharp, quizzical look you shoot at him sets him back, confused. You soften your gaze and wonder if he's lying (but why?), or really did see them just talking in the kitchen and not wildly fucking. You'll have to ask Weisshart about that.
You glance at your watch and realize you have three minutes to get to a meeting. "Damn - got to run." As you turn, one last question, "So - was there anything unusual in the dream?"
The confession of his beet-red face overrules his oral objections. You pause for one knowing qlance, then move on with your day. Outside in the hall, you mutter a soft curse over the information you didn't get from him. "Why don't I recognize her?" you wonder. "I wouldn't forget that red hair."
At lunch you make up nearby errands so you have a ready excuse for wandering about, staring at women in your local haunts. There is no flash of recognition, however, either in your mind or another's eyes.
The day slides by, and the evening follows suit. You consider going to bed early, but know you'll just lay there, too intrigued and curious for sleep to take hold. When you finally start nodding in your chair, you know that sleep will come quick and effortless.
Your head sinks into the pillow; in only a moment you slide into darkness. And, after a time, your eyes begin their dream-stalking motions.
... The cabinet door in your parents' kitchen catches slightly then creaks open. You reach in and deftly remove boxes of crackers and slip them into your backpack alongside the cheese and wine already there. You look around to see if you've awakened anyone, but when your silence is matched by the house, you creep stealthily to the back door where you are met by Kent, the American literature prof your friend Anita poached from you last winter.