Fantasy - The Anthology

Have you ever fantasized about someone you’re not supposed to? Have you ever imagined their hand running down your body, touching every inch of you as you writhe underneath them?

I have.

The daydreams started when I was fifteen, when my brother brought his new friend, Toby, home. He was quite a few years older than me, so naturally he didn’t even look twice at me. But boy did I look at him, all the time, whenever he was around. He and my brother had met in their first year at college.

They lived together in their dorm the first year and then after that moved in together off campus. It wasn’t often I saw him. It was maybe only once or twice a year, but that didn’t stop the obsession as I followed his life through various fake social media profiles, just to see what he was up to.

After they graduated, my brother moved back home, which meant I saw Toby a lot more. Every time he was over, I invented some reason to be close to them.

One night, they were watching a scary movie that I crashed in on. It was the first time Toby touched me. I jumped so hard in my seat on the sofa that Toby’s hand shot out to touch mine to make sure I was okay. He was so sweet like that.

But as I got older, the more obvious it became that I didn’t have a chance with him. It was a tough pill to swallow.

It was my final weekend at home before I left for college, finally free but sadly leaving Toby behind. I mean, at some point you had to move on, right? I couldn’t just stay the little love-struck girl I was.

My best friend Jane had persuaded me to throw a party at my house while my parents were spending the night away for their anniversary. It was also the night my brother stayed with his girlfriend; it was kind of perfect, actually.

So, I thought, Fuck it. I’d leave in a few days, and it would probably be a while before I saw a lot of my friends again. So, I did it. I arranged the party, inviting everyone from school to come and blow off some steam before we all disappeared.

The music was blaring and everyone was drinking. It was becoming a good night. Definitely one I would remember—or not.

“More shots,” I cried over the music as Jane poured the vodka into the little mini cups.

“Fuck, Claire. Chill or you won’t even make it to eleven.” She laughed at me as I downed the shot in one go.

“It’s a fucking party,” I shouted.

But ultimately, she was right when not even twenty minutes later, I was struggling to stay awake.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” She laughed, carrying me through the living room and up the stairs with the help of her boyfriend.

“I love you guys,” I drunkenly whined, stroking their faces in unison.

“Yeah, yeah. Just get in your room.” Jane laughed, swinging the door open. “Or not.” She backtracked when it appeared my room was already being used for something other than sleep.

“Gonna have to burn those sheets tomorrow,” I slurred, staring daggers at the people who had picked my room to have sex in.

“Come on, let’s try your brother’s room and let’s hope for the love of God nobody is fucking in it,” Jane said aloud.

Luckily, when she pushed the door open, the coast was clear.

She tucked me in and left me a glass of water on the side just in case before she disappeared from the room, leaving me all alone.

Soon I drifted off, annoyed I’d gotten in too much of a state to enjoy the rest of the party. It wasn’t until much later when I woke up to the sound of absolute silence.

“Great,” I groaned out loud.

I missed the party. Luckily, my head wasn’t pounding too badly anymore and I had mostly sobered up.

I rolled onto my back and looked out the window, staring at the stars in the night sky. It was the last time I’d see this sort of view. The college I was going to was surrounded by so much light pollution that stars were hardly there. It was definitely something I was going to miss.

I let out a deep breath as I closed my eyes to try and go back to sleep when I heard a noise in the hallway. I froze. I stopped breathing. I even stopped blinking.

Was it somebody from the party? Or had someone broken in after everyone had left? Maybe no one had locked the door on their way out?

The door opened suddenly, casting a silhouette in the doorway as the light poured through from the hallway. I stayed as still as I could, hoping whoever it was would leave, but to my dismay, they stepped into the room, shutting themselves in with me.

I heard the zip of their jeans as they pulled their clothing off. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run away, but I couldn’t move out of fear.

I felt the bed dip next to me as they climbed in. But as they lay down, they let out an almighty bellow.

“Claire?! What the fuck are you doing in here?” a voice boomed as they jumped from the bed, switching the lamp on.

I squinted my eyes as light flooded the room. It wasn’t until everything came into focus that I saw him, Toby. He was just standing there staring at me with a look of confusion and anger on his face, wearing just his boxers.

I couldn’t help the way my eyes drifted over his body, taking in the perfect form that I’d only ever imagined in my head.

“Claire?” he asked again, pulling my attention away from his almost naked body.

“What?” I asked, not hearing his question.

“What are you doing in here?”

“There were people screwing in my bed.”

“So, you just decided to sleep in here?”

“I didn’t, Jane dumped me in here… Wait. What are you doing here?” I returned.

“My car broke down on my way home from work. Your brother said I could crash here because he was out.”

“Well, I’m not going to sleep in my bed. I don’t want to catch something.”

“What about your parents’ room?”

“They lock their door.”

“Why?”

“I dunno.” I shrugged.

To be honest, I’d rather not think about it. Ignorance was bliss after all…

“Well, I guess I’ll sleep on the sofa then.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t get home. They don’t do taxis this late around here.”

“No. I mean, why can’t you just sleep in here?”

“Why can’t I sleep in bed with you? Because I’m not about to hop into bed with my best friend’s kid sister?”

“I’m not a kid. I’m eighteen. You’re only a few years older than me,” I told him, a little annoyed.

“It’s still not happening. Your brother would kill me.”

“He doesn’t have to know.”

“Ha.” He laughed out loud. “I’m going downstairs.” He turned on his heels and left, giving me a perfect view of that peachy ass.

“Fine,” I shouted out after him, before slumping back into the bed.

That would have been a perfect way for me to end the night. It would have made up for missing the end of my party, even if he was just going to sleep next to me.