It seemed so real

My dream last night seemed intensely real. It took me a few moments when I woke up to realize it was all just a dream. Even going about my daily business reminded me of things from the dream that I really feel I went through. It also spanned ... I don't even know how long, an entire relationship. This is going to be long, but the story is worth it, I promise!

Anyway here's the dream.

* * *

I was chatting with a girl I'd met online (I don't think she had a name in the dream, so let's call her Alycia). She seemed interesting, but I'd thought nothing of it. She convinced me to do a video chat with her. I then discovered I had a webcam and microphone on my computer, something I hadn't noticed before. When it turned on, I was embarrassed, but I noticed she was really pretty and sweet, and she stole my heart quickly. I also saw many younger siblings playing around in the room behind her - she had a big family.

When I met her, we were in the computer room, which was also a bedroom with 2 or 3 beds. We talked for a bit in there before I realised 3 of her siblings were sleeping on 2 of the beds. I thought she shared that room too, but it turned out it was just where the computer was, and she had her own bedroom, which was very pink, and her bed was very soft. She admitted that sometimes she did sleep in the other room with her younger siblings, particularly with her youngest sister. Alycia was the only child of her mother's first marriage (her father passed away), and the little ones were all her half brothers and sisters. I think she had 5 of them. She mentioned that her father had one son who he'd brought into the marriage, (again, no names, but let's call him Alex) who was about the same age as us, but he wasn't home at the time.

I met her mom and her step dad. Her mom seemed sweet and pleasant, but her stepdad seemed very controlling and dominating. Not really in an abusive way, but more like he saw it as being the man of the house and preserving his honour. I didn't fully agree with his ways, but I respected him because I was really falling for Alycia. I thought her parents might not be very accepting of our relationship, but it turned out she was fully out to her family and they supported her no matter what gender she decided to date.

That night, - or it might have been another night, as my dream spanned a long time - I slept over. Alycia and I *ahem* 'consummated' our relationship, (hahah something I didn't see in the dream, damn..... :P) and I guess since it was late at night and everyone was sleeping, when we had to go to the bathroom, we didn't bother to put clothes on. Well, when I was going back to the room, it turned out Alex had just come home. I'd never met him before, but he saw me fully naked. I was so embarrassed, and he seemed a little shocked. I mumbled something like 'hi... I'm Alycia's friend Jenn..." and hurried back to her room as he was laughing his ass off.

For a while the dream became blurry, but eventually Alex and I started to like each other, so he and Alycia decided to share me. Alex's father disapproved of this and brought up the fact that he'd seen me naked the first time I slept over (this family had no secrets). For a while there was a balance, but I started getting closer with Alex, and Alycia and I started drifting apart. I didn't mind this, because I was infatuated with Alex, he was in a band and partied a lot, and I thought he was really cool.

I became a huge part of the family. At one point, Alycia's mother was showing me hospitality, when Alex's father came up and scolded her for shirking her duties and not cleaning the bathroom. She went to do so, rather embarrassed, and I decided to go help her. The bathroom was huge, and had a jacuzzi. The father got upset that I was helping, I suppose he still considered me more of a guest. The situation was blowing up and finally I stepped in and told him he was being irrational. He was shocked, but he took it well, and even showed more respect to me afterward.

So one night I was out with Alex, and we were coming home from one of his shows. He'd promised me a break from the partying and a quiet night for the two of us. However, when we got to his place, his friends were waiting in a car and had just enough room for him. He said sorry to me and took off with them. I felt stupid and sat outside their house for a while, until the oldest half-brother (who looked older than when the dream started, so it must have been a while), came out and had a talk with me. He asked me who I liked more, Alex or Alycia (since I was technically still dating both) and at first I thought Alex. The kid asked me, if I was going to marry one of them, which it would be, and I realised it would be Alycia, and that I'd made a big mistake. I'd never really loved Alex, I just thought he was cool and liked being the life of the party beside him, and I also was afraid of how much I really loved Alycia.

The next day, the family was moving to a bigger house (more bedrooms for all the kids who were growing) and Alycia was bustling around, organizing things. It turned out her grandfather had died that day. It was her father's father, so it didn't directly affect the rest of the family, but they pulled together for Alycia and her mother. I was so much a part of the family, that it was pretty generally accepted that I would be staying at their new house. I didn't know where to put my stuff, as I didn't want to sleep in the same room as Alex, but Alycia and I hadn't been close in a long time.

Finally I went to talk to her in her room. She was busy talking to someone on the phone, and searching through some papers. I waited until she was done, and as I watched her, I realised how much more put together she was than when we first started dating. She looked like a woman that meant business, and I regretted how much change in her that I'd missed out on. When she saw me, she told the person on the phone that she had to go, and smiled at me. Even when we were distant there was no resentment. I told her that it's pretty obvious I'd be staying with them, she nodded, and I told her I didn't know which room to put my stuff in, and was hoping she still had some room for me. She understood what I meant, we hugged, and the air got heavy with emotion.

I took her to her new bed and cuddled with her. I told her I was sorry that we'd drifted apart, that I made a mistake being so infatuated with Alex. I told her that I loved her, and wanted to be with her, and just her. She said she'd never stopped loving me, and although she never showed it, she was sad that I'd been closer with Alex for some time now. I assured her I was done with that, and that I finally realized how much I really loved her. We talked about her loss, and I held her and comforted her as she cried into my chest.

* * *

And... that's how it ended. It was a pretty weird, epic dream. When I woke up, at first I thought just the last half was a dream. Then I realised it was all a dream, and I felt like I'd lost the woman I loved as well as a new family. It was weird. So real. I barely remember my dreams as clearly as this one. Even cleaning the kitchen made me miss these people. I think I may have to write a novel based on it.