THE DREAM BOOK

Don't just exist, live

JAY'S P.O.V

"Mia, I'm so hungry." I groan, with my hand on my rumbling tummy as I try to get comfortable on the couch.

"I'm almost done. Gosh, You eat like a Hippo."Mia replies from the kitchen, obviously amused.

"Then I'm the sexiest Hippo you've ever seen." I retort earning full-on laughter from her.

"Of course you are," Mia replies.

I have been bored out of my mind and sick of staying cooped up indoors. I get so dizzy from staying indoors that I could faint and get paralyzed. Luke went out with his friends and I was left alone inside. He's done with the job he was offered so we have to wait for another one.

"Get here, Jay. I'm done." Mia calls to me, making me jump off the couch with so much enthusiasm I think it can power up the whole city.

"Finally," I mumble to myself. I walk barefoot to the kitchen. The warmth in the house makes the tiles feel amazing beneath my feet. When I get there, I pull out a chair and plant my ass on it by the dining table.

I watch Mia fluidly move around the kitchen, scooping up some spaghetti and meatballs on a plate, then set it in front of me. The drool-worthy aroma wafts into my nostrils, causing my stomach to growl impatiently.

"You can go ahead and dig in," Mia says. I do as told, and dig in as she sets a plate opposite me for herself. She goes into the fridge and pours two glasses of yogurt, then places one beside me as I continue to fill my cheeks with the food like a chipmunk. There has always been a silent rule between us, ' no talking at the table.' but if the guys were here that rule will be dumped in the trash.

We eat in silence, only the sound of the cutlery and plates clattering together can be heard. I sigh in fulfillment as I put the cutlery down and lean back into the dining chair and pat my still flat stomach with a smile on my lips.

"Gosh Mia, I can never have enough of your spaghetti and meatballs. It's heavenly." I bring my thing and Index finger together, kissing it and showering the chef of the house with words of appraisal.

I drink all the yogurt in a mouthful to quench my thirst, I'm always so thirsty after a meal. Mia swallows the last bit of the food in her mouth, wipes her mouth clean with a tissue before talking.

"You're welcome to learn from the best." She says with a smile, as she also leans back into the chair.

"Please, I've tried so many times, but I never manage to make it taste like yours," I say with all honesty. I have tried and failed so many times. I think this dish is just Mia's specialty.

"Come on, you're going with me to the shop. I want to get some clothes." Mia gets up and pulls me on my feet with her.

"I just had lunch. I need to wait for the food to settle down first." I complain, but she simply ignores me and continues to pull me with her to the living room. I have no choice now but to follow her lead and put on my sneakers too.

I have been friends with Mia for as long as I've known Luke. That is a year, almost two. I met Mia and her boyfriend Rick when they came to visit Luke a week after I started to stay with him.

We have been very close since then. Anytime Luke is busy and I have nothing to do, which is almost all the time, I would come to visit Mia at her workplace or house.

Unlike me who has no job, Mia has her boutique. Rick, much like Luke is also a programmer. Just that, Rick has a stable and reliable job. So far, Rick and Mia are well off than Luke and I, and we can't be any happier for them than we are now.

We step out of the house hand in hand after Mia locks the house. The road is not as busy as it is on weekends, but you can still hear the bustling of people going about their day. Numerous hover cars keep going back and forth in the sky. We're lucky we're not in the slams but in the middle of the city. It's very congested there.

We cover the short distance it takes to get to the dress shop on feet. Mia may own a boutique but she doesn't like to shop from her place, and I don't know why. But this shop is not bad, the clothes are very affordable, so lots of lower and middle-class people buy from here.

"What are you looking for anyway?" I ask when Mia starts to pull me towards the section for dresses in the shop.

"We, my friend, are shopping for sexy dresses to wear on a date."

"We? Mia let's not waste money. We are not going out." I object, but I am unable to stop myself from checking out the clothes here.

"When was the last time you and Luke went on a date?" Mia stops her movement and turns to face me with her hand on her waist and the other holding five dresses. My cheeks are no sooner than later tainted with pink. I know Mia is right. I can't remember the last time Luke and I went out.

"Exactly as I thought." Mia takes my silence to signify that we haven't been on a date in a long time. She then pushes me into the changing room with the dresses she was holding. I let out a sigh but say nothing because I know she's right. We have been too busy trying to survive that we forget to live.

"We can't go on a date now, Mia. I can't even pay for the dress, I need to find a job." I complain to Mia who is waiting just outside the changing room.

"Who said anything about you paying for something. Plus it's going to be a double date." Mia informs as she enters the room with some clothes in hand.

"That's the one." She smiles at the one I'm wearing. It's an ash body-fitting dress with the back cut very low. The dress stops right above my knee with a v neck showing off a bit of my cleavage.

"Are you sure?" I ask feeling uncertain. "It's a bit revealing. I don't want to attract too much attention." I complain stepping out of the dress.

"It's okay. That's the whole point anyway. Besides we won't go where there are too many people." Mia tries on a green dress similar to mine but with a diamond neckline. After checking if it's the one she wants, she steps out of it. We both put on our jeans and tops.

She then turns to face me when we get out of the changing room.

"Look, Jay, we've not had time to ourselves to be together and enjoy life instead of trying to just exist." I look into Mia's brown eyes as she speaks, needing to see what she sees.

I nod with a smile when I'm sure I get it then pull her into a hug, grateful that I met her. "Thank you," I whisper.

Mia pays for the dresses as promised and we leave with smiles on our faces highly anticipating tomorrow. But I promise myself that I'll make it up to her.