i saw you in a dream [5]
summary; you attend ellie's open mic performance. and meet her...roommate.
chapter; 5/? 3.1k words
cw (per chapter); recreational marijuana usage, language
an; hi lol. i love u guys, thank you endlessly for dealing with my slow updating of this story. anyways, i think this may be my favorite chapter yet, please let me know what you think! i love a good cliffhanger ;) (as always, find it on ao3 here)
chapter 4 here
Friday came entirely too quicklyâyou breezed through your last final exam on Thursday, which left you way too much time to anxiously anticipate your upcomingâŠevent.
âDate!â Dina exclaimed. âEllie asked you to go because she likes you, itâs practically a date,â she singsonged, twirling a piece of hair around her finger childishly.
âYes, because Iâm sure weâll have so much time to talk one-on-one and gaze longingly into each otherâs eyes in between performances,â you replied sarcastically, continuing to rummage through your closet. âAnd, you donât know that she likes me, maybe she just asked me because I was right there.â
âOkay, for someone so smart, sometimes youâre a little stupid,â Dina said, and you shot her the most evil side eye you could manage. âEllie may or may not like you like that, but she likes you enough to invite you to something that sounds personal and important to her. This is your in! Now, you just have to get flirty.â
ââGet flirty?â Do you even know me at all?â You scoffed, turning to face her. âI am, like, the most awkward human being on the planet.â
âOkay, I take it back,â Dina laughed, standing up. âLetâs just focus on finding you an outfit.â
âWhat the hell do you even wear to an open-mic?â You complained, turning back to continue looking through your closet.Â
âYou could wear something of mine, if you want,â she suggested.
âUh, no thank you,â you smiled, pulling out a plain black mock-neck from the depths of your closet, turning around and holding it up to your chest.
âHey!â Dina gasped. âWhatâs wrong with my clothes?â
âNo offense, but I donât really thinkâŠwhatever look you have going on is the one for me.â Itâs not that you didnât like the way Dina dressed, rather, you really did like itâbut expressing yourself through clothing had always been hard for you, sticking to more muted tones, blacks and greys. Dinaâs wardrobe was loud and colorful, she always looked so put together, and she never seemed to wear the same thing twice. You admired it, really, but still found yourself gravitating towards more basic clothing.
âWhoever said saying âno offenseâ actually makes a statement any less offensive needs their ass beat, to be honest,â she replied casually, and you could hear her sorting through hangers in her own closet. âJust try this, at least. It would look nice with that shirt, I promise!â She was shoving a colorful chunky-knit cardigan into your hands before you could protest, and you grimaced.Â
âI donât know Dee,â you held up the sweater, contemplating. âI never wear stuff like this.â
âJust put the damn sweater on and letâs go!â She smiled at you. âDonât you want good seats?â
You rolled your eyes, but went to look in the mirror nonetheless. âAs if thereâll be a fight for front row seats at a college open-mic.â
âOh perfect,â she sighed exaggeratedly before rummaging in her desk drawer. âThen you agree, you have time to split this with me before we leave?â She held up a small, white tube, and you pursed your lips.Â
âOkay, fine,â you gave in, quickly pulling your shirt off over your head before pulling on the black long-sleeve.Â
âJust one hit.â
â
You did not, in fact, take just one hit. It was more like four. Or fiveâŠor six, or who could keep track, really?
It seemed like a good idea, a little something to take the edge off, maybe soothe the bundle of nerves that had formed in your stomach and in your brain and in your chest at the thought alone of seeing Ellieâgod forbid, having to make conversation with her.
And while it did help a little, you hadnât smoked as much as Dina, so it still felt as though your heartbeat grew louder with each step toward the theater. All that stood between you and Ellieâand, well, a handful of other attendees and performersâwas a short corridor.Â
âItâll be okay, just chill out,â Dina tried to subdue you, and her voice was thickened by her intoxication, slower and almost more serious. Her eyes were low as she smiled over at you, bumping into your shoulder softly.Â
âThank you, Dina, because telling someone to chill out always works so well,â you quipped, shaking your head as she led you through the doors. Though, you did try to chill out, as it were, taking a deep breath and sliding the sleeves of the oversized cardigan up your forearms, nervously tugging at the neck of your long sleeve, fidgeting with anything you could think of to distract you fromâ
âOh!â You exclaimed as you ran directly into a body around the corner, staggering backwards slightly before someone was gripping your arms, keeping you steady. Your eyes trailed up the body before you were met withâoh god, âEllie!â
âWe have to stop meeting like this,â she laughed melodically, smoothing her hands down your biceps before flashing her teeth at you. The chatter of the other attendees faded into the background as you felt your body heat up under her stare, painfully aware of her hands that were still on your arms.Â
You could do nothing but let out an awkward laugh in response, nodding your head as she took her hands away. Dina cleared her throat obnoxiously from behind you and you turned your head to give her a look that you hoped conveyed: please for the love of god save me.
âHi, Iâm Dina by the way, or you probably know me as âthe roommate,ââ she said, sticking out her hand past you for Ellie to shake, and you had to admire her confidence for a second, the way she could unapologetically be herself in any situation. Youâd think that from spending so much time with her, some of that confidence would have rubbed off on you, but no, you were still justâŠyou.
âNice to meet you, Dina,â Ellie smiled, and her voice was laced with honey, rich and slow spilling from her lips. She reached her hand past you to shake Dinaâs, and you moved out of the way slightly.
âIâve heard so much about you,â Dina dropped her hand and stood next to you now. You looked over at her in shock, and you hoped the shaking of your head and wide eyes werenât noticeable.Â
âUh, not so much,â you laughed nervously, trying to subtly kick Dinaâs ankle.Â
âWow, you really do have that guitar player look to you,â she ignored you, gesturing to Ellie. âI love the tattoo!â
Your eyes were daggers glaring into the side of Dinaâs head, but neither her or Ellie seemed to noticeâthough it was debatable whether that was good or bad. Ellie chuckled, instinctively looking down at her arm and holding it out as if to show it off. You felt like sinking into the floor, watching her arm flex as she rotated it, skimming her fingers down the length of her forearm, tracing the pattern.Â
âThank you,â she was slightly bashful, despite her eagerness to show off. She caught your eye for a moment andâwere her cheeks turning red? It is pretty warm in here with all these bodiesâŠyeah, thatâs it.Â
âWell, anyways, nice to finally meet you Ellie, Iâm gonna go grab a snack,â Dina smiled politely between both you and Ellie, before patting your shoulder and slipping away. Oh god, why would she leave you to talk to her alone?
âIâm so glad you could make it,â she said, and suddenly everything was fading away again. You took a moment to look down at her outfit, trying to be as discreet as possible. She adorned a light blue flannel, cuffed just above her elbows and a pair of dark Leviâsâher hair was pulled back, save for a few pieces that fell loosely around her face, which you noticed she tucked hastily behind her ear when a strand tickled her nose before she said, âI love that sweater, by the way.â
Dina was going to have a field day with that one.Â
âOh, thank you!â You exclaimed, instinctively wrapping your arms around yourself. She smiled at you before continuing.Â
âAnyways, Iâm up last, so donât feel like you have to stay for the whole thing, if you get bored or anything,â she explained, pointing at the stage behind her. âIâm just glad you could make it.â
On the inside, you were swooning, your eyes were in the shape of hearts and you wanted to reach out and embrace herâyou wanted to smell that warm vanilla musk and the earthy savor of weed, you wanted to tell her you wanted nothing more than to spend all your time with her, know her inside and out, you wanted it all.Â
âNo, no, I came here for you,â you said instead, making fists around the material of your sweater and smiling at her. âOf course Iâll stay.âÂ
Ellieâs face flushed again, and you continued to insist it was due to the heat of the room. She glanced behind her, and you followed her gaze to see Dina filling up a plate with what looked like one of everything from the table.Â
âI should go get ready,â Ellie mumbled before turning back to you. âWhy donât you go grab some snacks with Dina and Iâll catch you after the show?â She sounded hopeful. You nearly choked.Â
âYes, Iâll be here!â Of course youâll be here, where the hell else would you be? You mentally face-palmed yourself before she was giving you a smile and disappearing into the crowd. You took a deep breath and made your way to the snack table, where Dina was still loading up.Â
âOh, hey!â She said when she finally saw you.Â
âHey, thanks so much for embarrassing the hell out of me,â you complained, stealing a cheese square off of her plate.Â
âEmbarrassing you? Please, I was helping you,â she laughed before stuffing a grape into her mouth. âAnd it kinda worked, didnât it? I set you up for a nice little chat with your girlfriend.â
âOh, shut up,â you bumped her shoulder, but you couldnât fight the warmth that climbed up the back of your neck. âLetâs go grab a seat.â
The acts that preceded Ellie were actually entertainingâa few songs, a poem or two, and a stand-up act that wasnâtâŠterrible. Not to say it was good butâŠyou know.Â
And then the host, who you assumed was Ellieâs roommate, was waltzing back on to the stage as the audience applauded, her short black hair reflecting almost blue in the spotlight. She was eclectic, all mismatched patterns and silver jewelry that hung from her neck and her wrists and her ears. She was funny and vibrant, commanding the attention of everyone in the room every time she stepped onto the stage to introduce the next act.Â
âAlright folks, please give a warm welcome to my best friend, the one and only, Ellie Williams!â She tucked her microphone under her arm before clapping, moving out of the way of the small stool that was behind her. Best friend? Ellie had only said she was her roommate.Â
But it didnât matter, because Ellie was walking on to the stage with her guitar in hand, smiling nervously at the crowd. You clapped as loud as you could, trying to reposition your body so that you could see her slightly better over the heads in front of you, though you doubted she could see you from your seat somewhere in the middle row.Â
âUh, good evening, everyone,â Ellie started, positioning herself on the stool and pulling the microphone down to her level. âIâm gonna sing a little song for you guys, if thatâs cool.â There was a bit of scattered applause and Dina whooped loudly from beside you. You smacked her with the back of your hand.Â
Your heart was beating out of your chest, partly from the excitement at getting to see Ellie perform, and partly from your second-hand stage fright. Even though you werenât the one performing, you always seemed to absorb the nerves of the performer, just waiting for them to make a mistake, even if you didnât want them to. You especially wanted this to go well for Ellie, and you bounced your leg nervously as she positioned her guitar in her lap.Â
She strummed the first few chords and you nearly had a heart attack.
C, A-minor, F-major. You could probably play those in your sleep, now.Â
âHoly shit,â Dina whispered from beside you, and of course, she knew too, from the hours and hours you spent listening to the song, practicing the song, getting taught the song.Â
âDid I drive you away?
I know what you'll say
You say, âOh, sing one we know,â
âDina,â you whispered back, leaning into her, but not being able to peel your eyes away from Ellie. âIs thatâŠ?â But you already knew the answer.Â
âDude. Sheâs so. Into you.â
âBut I promise you this
I'll always look out for you
Yeah, that's what I'll do,
You couldnât help the smile that slowly spread across your face as you leaned back up, watching Ellie lose herself in the song. Suddenly, you were back in her room, the air thick and heavy, watching her sing softly and strum along when she thought you werenât watchingâthat little crease between her eyebrows and the dreamy look in her eyes as she sang with the voice of a thousand angels.Â
Maybe you had a hard time believing Ellie was into you, but she picked this song knowing you would be here. There was no denying that.Â
âLa, la, la, la, o-oh
La, la, la, la, o-oh,
The song ended entirely too soon, and she was smiling, standing up and adjusting the microphone back into a higher position. Applause was erupting from every side of you and you clapped as though you were the only person in the room, as if she could see the intensity in which you showed your recognition and your appreciation and your utter giddiness.Â
The host was waltzing on stage again before you knew it, and gave Ellie a hug. You ignored the jealous twinge in your heart, for godâs sake you had literally hung out one time, and the applause continued as she thanked everyone for coming, wrapping her arm around Ellieâs waist and requesting one last round of applause for all the performers. You continued clapping, watching Ellie raise her guitar in the air like a glass of champagne for a toast, before the host whispered something in her ear that made her smile. You again ignored the skip of your heart, instead focusing on Dinaâs hand gripping your arm.Â
âOh my god, you have to go say something to her, ask her out, something! The suspense is literally killing me,â she whined, pulling you along as the lights slowly turned back on and people shimmied out of the aisles.Â
âI canât just ask her out, itâs not that easy for me,â you replied.. You wished it was easy for you, you wished you could be more like Dina, just walk right up to her and say: I think I really like you, and we should go out sometime. But your anxiety paralyzed you, rendered you completely helpless when it came to love and lust.
âI swear dude, if I have to sit through any more of your pining and love songs I might request a roommate swap,â Dina said, leading you back to the snack table. âShe likes you. And if you canât see that at this point I donât know what else to say.â You pouted a bit, like a petulant child, crossing your arms over your chest and surveying the room. Before you could even formulate a response, Ellie was emerging from a group of people who had gathered opposite the table. You quickly uncrossed your arms as she caught your eye and made her way toward you.Â
âOh look, who would have guessed,â Dina muttered, popping a grape into her mouth. She smiled exaggeratedly at Ellie before grabbing a handful of crackers. âIâll leave the two of you to talk,â and you wished so badly you could flip her off without it being obvious.Â
âHey,â Ellie said quietly, and her voice was almost timid--a laughable comparison to barely five minutes ago when she had the entire audience wrapped around her finger.Â
âEllie,â you breathed, shifting your weight from one foot to another. âYour song choice wasâŠinspired,â you said, wrapping an arm across your body. She looked down at her feet, and you wondered if her cheeks would be rosy when she looked back up.Â
âOh, yeah,â she looked up at you now, and you were right. Except, it wasnât actually that warm in here. âWell, itâs a good song, you know.â Her hand went to the back of her neck, just like it had before, and you wanted to pull it away, to intertwine your fingers and just tell her, just tell her you want to go out, somewhere where she doesnât have to teach you to play guitar and you can just talk, and mentally map the freckles that littered her face and learn about how she got that scar in her eyebrow and find out if sheâd rather go to a tea house or a coffee shop and fuck, you had to ask her, now, before you lost the courage and your mouth was moving before your brain could catch up,Â
âEllie, I was wondering if--âÂ
âThere you are, superstar!â A voice suddenly came from behind her, and you recognized it immediately. The host--or I guess, Ellieâs roommate--oops, wrong again, Ellieâs best friend, was appearing behind her, grabbing onto her shoulder and looking at her with admiration. Ellie seemed surprised to see her, somehow, as she turned to face her, plastering on a smile that lookedâŠforced.Â
âOh, hey,â she replied, before the raven-haired girl was pulling her into a hug. You stood awkwardly as they embraced, looking down at the ground in an attempt to seem casual. Oh god, you couldnât believe you were actually about to ask Ellie out on a date.Â
âIâm sorry, I donât think weâve met,â the girl said abruptly, pulling back as if sheâd just noticed your presence. She left an arm around Ellieâs waist, and you noticed the way Ellie suddenly appeared tense. Like, in a bad way.Â
You offered the girl a small smile and stuck your hand out politely, giving her your name. She took it and shook firmly, her small hand deceivingly strong. Her eyes were painted with thick, black eyeliner, and they raked up and down your body. You felt like shrinking away under her intimidating stare, averting your eyes after a moment.
âUh, this is Cat, my roommate,â Ellie said after an awkward pause, giving you a sheepish look.Â
âAnd best friend,â she chimed, pulling her hand away. She leaned into Ellieâs side, resting her head on Ellieâs shoulder and using her free hand to pat her chest.Â
âEllie and I go way back.â













