Dream a Little Dream of Me

By Akira Varma

A bet between Cupid and Dream. 

What could possibly go wrong? It was just a simple bet. 

But when that bet involves two childhood best friends who'd turned into enemies - or much rather, two soulmates who'd do everything but give into their feelings... that's where the complications come in. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akira Varma
• Release date: Feb 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869176387

Book preview

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Akira Varma

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to the actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Copyright © 2024 Akira Varma

Cover by Selkkie Designs

All Rights Reserved

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the authors, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

To all my readers…

… who might or might not appreciate me by the end of this novella. It's ok. I love you guys anyways.

Content Warning

Please read the following content warning before reading the book.

The following book talks about the loss of a loved one, slight bullying (off the page), isolation, and depression (off the page). If these topics make you uncomfortable, please do not read this story. Your mental health is much more important than any story being told. So, please read with care.

Contents

1.Chapter 1

2.Chapter 2

3.Chapter 3

4.Chapter 4

5.Chapter 5

6.Chapter 6

7.Chapter 7

8.Chapter 8

9.Chapter 9

10.Chapter 10

11.Chapter 11

12.Chapter 12

13.Chapter 13

14.Chapter 14

15.Chapter 15

16.Chapter 16

Afterword

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also By

Chapter 1

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O i! Watch where you’re goi- The elderly man stopped mid-shout. 

His face morphed from irritation to astonishment as laid eyes on the tall man that blocked his path. His mouth hung open as he gazed into the tall man’s eyes that seemed to resemble the shining stars and swirling galaxies of the cosmos itself. Even with the black tunic covering his entire body and a black bucket hat that covered most of his face, the indescribable ethereal beauty of the tall man was almost too much to bear. 

Oh, if only the elderly man knew the other side to this beauty…

I’m sorry, young man. He said, bowing his head. The elderly man stepped around him 

If only the elderly man really knew who he had just met.

A smirk played on the tall man’s lips as he watched the elderly man walk past him in a daze. Millenia could pass and he would still be amused by the reactions he’d get from mere mortals whenever he passed them. The dreamy look on their faces would never be a bore. 

Because that was who he was.

Dream. 

The one that made the mortals discover what they wanted. The one that made the mortals realize what they desired - so much so that the mortals’ dreams, that were once only fading embers, would burn brightly, lighting up a passion that even the mortals themselves didn’t know they had. He was the one who created that. He was the one who made them dream of a future that could be - only for the mortal to realize that they could change it into a future that would be. A future that the mortals could create for themselves. 

Just like he knew of the old man that dashed into him. Michael LaBorn, 75 years old, and on his way to buy the chocolates that his grandkids asked for before they came to visit. 

That was what he was.

He was hope.

He was Dream.

But there was another side to him that reared its head every once in a while. The other side to his coin. Ever present. Like a shadow lurking in the darkness. The reason why he always wore the bucket hat. Because if the mortals even caught a glimpse of his face in the back of his head, they’d run, screaming in terror. 

Because what would be the other side of the coin that contained hope and desire if not for despair?

And what would be the opposite of Dream, if not for Nightmare?

No one had seen Nightmare’s true face in millenia. It’d been so long that even Dream, himself, had forgotten how Nightmare looked like. It didn’t matter that Nightmare was attached to the back of his head. Nightmare morphed into anything, into any form, that brought out the deepest fear that person could think of. Dream often wondered if Nightmare even remembered his own face. 

Dream and Nightmare.

Two sides of the same coin. One body. Two entities. Only to come out when they were needed. If the world needed a little hope, Dream took control. Dream tried to maintain his control over the body whenever he came out. Because if, by any chance, Nightmare took control of their body…

Well, all the Dark ages in the world were a testament to Nightmare’s powers.

Although, with the world as it was now, it seemed that Dream’s control was slipping. Little by little. With the growing despair, Nightmare’s powers grew, making Dream’s control on their body slip just a little, every single day.  

Great, another mortal fawning over you. Nightmare said from inside the bucket hat. Dream could feel Nightmare rolling his eyes. Not that he concerned himself with the opinions of Nightmare. Even if he was attached to Dream.

Huffing, Dream shook his head. He continued to walk to his destination. This time, making sure that he didn’t bump into anyone else. Which was surprisingly hard, considering the number of people walking about on a Saturday morning. 

Especially with weather like this. The cloudy skies mixed with the cold winds should have been deterrent enough for people to even come out of their houses. But evidently it wasn’t. Thunder crackled in the distance echoing through the valley he was walking in. Dream winced, tilting his head at the sudden loud noise. Placing his hands in his pocket, Dream walked past the homeless, swerving around the others walking around him. The eyes of those he’d accidentally touched widened momentarily, as if they had a sudden realization. A sudden new hope for their day in this dreary morning. When his destination was finally in sight, Dream let out a sigh of relief.

Blissful Reads

Dream scoffed at the name as he walked into the bookstore. To anyone, that name might have been normal. Cheeky, even. But not to Dream. 

Not when he knew that the bookstore was owned by Cupid. 

Cupid had built this two storey building on his own, infusing the materials with his magic. There was not a corner in that building that Cupid hadn’t planned. This was his abode. The bookstore was on the first floor and the house Cupid lived in, on the second floor. This was Cupid’s safe haven that only a few other entities knew of. 

Dream had always been thankful to be one of the few though. Cupid’s bookstore was slowly becoming his own safe haven. One where he could go to stay away from the mortals for as long as he could. Especially when things around the world got tough. 

Especially now.

Dream tilted his head as he looked around the bookstore. Although he could hear faint voices in the distance, Dream couldn’t point where it was coming from. He meandered around the bookstore, his finger tracing along the books’ spines as he walked past the rows of bookshelves. The voices grew louder the closer Dream walked to the back of the bookstore. When he finally turned the corner, Dream saw him.

Cupid.

Disguised as a man for now. Cupid, being one of the only other entities in the universe that could change appearances depending on who they were talking to. Bringing out the other person’s deepest desires, whether it be infatuation, love or lust. 

This time, he was disguised as a tall muscular man, almost 6 feet 5 inches. His brown skin glistened - from where the light came from, Dream didn’t know because it was dark in the bookstore and the weather outside wasn’t helping. He was surprised that the man Cupid was talking to didn’t seem to notice that. Cupid wore a tight black dress-shirt, with the sleeves folded back to his forearms. The tight shirt accentuated his muscles when he folded his arms as he leaned on one of the bookshelf. 

Cupid folded his legs as he leaned forward, just a little, as he talked to the other man. Dream could see a faint blush spread across the man’s face and chuckled to himself. And even though, to anyone else, it might have looked like Cupid