the arrival of our main course. I wasn’t terribly hungry at the moment given the sudden lurch my stomach had taken earlier, but I wasn’t about to waste good food.
Somehow I managed to speak as I dished out basmati rice for both of us. “Yes. Or, it could be anxiety over something or someone you would like to avoid but can’t. Or, it could be a grudge you can’t let go of. It might even be your unconscious telling you that you’re working too hard.”
He watched me carefully, as though seeing me for the first time. “But you don’t think I’m crazy.”
“No. I don’t.”
Something in my dream had raped me. Maybe something in Noah’s dream really tried to kill him. Logically, it went against everything school and society believed, but so did the fact that no one could wake my mother from what was basically a very long nap. I knew there was more to dreams than Jung, Freud, and every other therapist who ever lived. I was living proof of it, but I didn’t know dick about anything thing further than just that.
Just enough to be dangerous. So before I panicked and went looking for answers in another world, I was going to do everything I could in this world.
“If you like, you can stay at the clinic tonight. If you dream of this man again, I can at least take a look at the effect the event has on your physiology.” And I’d be there when he woke up, and the dream was still fresh. Details would be clearer then. If his description of the man matched the one from my dream—or any Dreamkin—then I’d know for sure what we were up against.
He looked surprised—or pleased, sometimes it was hard to tell the difference. “You’d do that?”
I nodded. “Buy me dessert and I’ll even tuck you in.” Flirting. I was flirting with a patient.
Noah smiled slowly, and I was very tempted to lean across all this food and kiss him like he deserved. “I’d like that.”
I took a drink of water. I needed some serious cooling down. “Uh, you didn’t have any plans for tonight, did you?”
“I did,” he replied, “but I canceled. She’ll forgive me.”
“Oh.” I felt a little bit like I did when I found out that Chris Cornell from Soundgarden was getting married back in the nineties. I knew there was no chance of ever having him for myself, but marriage made that realization so much more final.
I managed a smile. “Tell her sorry from me as well.”
He was watching me with a mixture of amusement and hot intensity that surprised me. I’m not the brightest when it comes to men, but I knew at that moment that if I made an offer, Noah would have taken it. “I’m sure my mother will appreciate that.”
I almost giggled—how prepubescent is that?
“I could be eating pot roast right now.” He dipped naan in the masala sauce on his plate. “Don’t tell my mom, but this is better.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I picked up my fork. Suddenly, I was very hungry. “I’m technically done with work when the night shift comes on, but if you come back to the clinic later, I’ll hook you up.”
“Gee, Doc”—his voice felt like warm chocolate flowing over me—“from anyone else I’d take that as a proposition.”
I know I blushed because my face was hotter than the chicken vindaloo on my plate. Somehow I managed a chuckle. “Don’t tease me, Clarke. I can get you while you’re asleep.”
He dipped a chunk of naan into the buttered chicken on my plate as one of his dark brows arched almost coyly. Somehow the man made even food sexy. “I think I’d rather be awake for that.”
I must have turned beet red because he actually laughed.
“I’m sorry,” he said after. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”
Offend me? Was he nuts? “I’m made of hardier stock than that,” I told him with a smile. “So, you’ll be by the clinic later?” Maybe I was being overly paranoid, but best-case scenario Noah would feel safe with me around and get a good night’s sleep. Hopefully worse case would
Somehow I managed to speak as I dished out basmati rice for both of us. “Yes. Or, it could be anxiety over something or someone you would like to avoid but can’t. Or, it could be a grudge you can’t let go of. It might even be your unconscious telling you that you’re working too hard.”
He watched me carefully, as though seeing me for the first time. “But you don’t think I’m crazy.”
“No. I don’t.”
Something in my dream had raped me. Maybe something in Noah’s dream really tried to kill him. Logically, it went against everything school and society believed, but so did the fact that no one could wake my mother from what was basically a very long nap. I knew there was more to dreams than Jung, Freud, and every other therapist who ever lived. I was living proof of it, but I didn’t know dick about anything thing further than just that.
Just enough to be dangerous. So before I panicked and went looking for answers in another world, I was going to do everything I could in this world.
“If you like, you can stay at the clinic tonight. If you dream of this man again, I can at least take a look at the effect the event has on your physiology.” And I’d be there when he woke up, and the dream was still fresh. Details would be clearer then. If his description of the man matched the one from my dream—or any Dreamkin—then I’d know for sure what we were up against.
He looked surprised—or pleased, sometimes it was hard to tell the difference. “You’d do that?”
I nodded. “Buy me dessert and I’ll even tuck you in.” Flirting. I was flirting with a patient.
Noah smiled slowly, and I was very tempted to lean across all this food and kiss him like he deserved. “I’d like that.”
I took a drink of water. I needed some serious cooling down. “Uh, you didn’t have any plans for tonight, did you?”
“I did,” he replied, “but I canceled. She’ll forgive me.”
“Oh.” I felt a little bit like I did when I found out that Chris Cornell from Soundgarden was getting married back in the nineties. I knew there was no chance of ever having him for myself, but marriage made that realization so much more final.
I managed a smile. “Tell her sorry from me as well.”
He was watching me with a mixture of amusement and hot intensity that surprised me. I’m not the brightest when it comes to men, but I knew at that moment that if I made an offer, Noah would have taken it. “I’m sure my mother will appreciate that.”
I almost giggled—how prepubescent is that?
“I could be eating pot roast right now.” He dipped naan in the masala sauce on his plate. “Don’t tell my mom, but this is better.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I picked up my fork. Suddenly, I was very hungry. “I’m technically done with work when the night shift comes on, but if you come back to the clinic later, I’ll hook you up.”
“Gee, Doc”—his voice felt like warm chocolate flowing over me—“from anyone else I’d take that as a proposition.”
I know I blushed because my face was hotter than the chicken vindaloo on my plate. Somehow I managed a chuckle. “Don’t tease me, Clarke. I can get you while you’re asleep.”
He dipped a chunk of naan into the buttered chicken on my plate as one of his dark brows arched almost coyly. Somehow the man made even food sexy. “I think I’d rather be awake for that.”
I must have turned beet red because he actually laughed.
“I’m sorry,” he said after. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”
Offend me? Was he nuts? “I’m made of hardier stock than that,” I told him with a smile. “So, you’ll be by the clinic later?” Maybe I was being overly paranoid, but best-case scenario Noah would feel safe with me around and get a good night’s sleep. Hopefully worse case would
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