Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2002 21:32:32 +1100
From: James Raen <raen_j@hotmail.com>
Subject: Only when I Sleep Chapter 2

                           CHAPTER TWO

Josh had never felt so alone. He had kind of gotten use to being alone but
he still felt an ache inside him. He felt as though his entire heart had
been ripped out, as if it had all happened yesterday.

He climbed into bed with all of his clothes on, with the exception of his
shoes and before he realised it he was fast asleep. The room was still
slightly illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window into his
small apartment.

Josh's head was swimming in thoughts. He kept on hearing all of these
people, some of whom he new telling him all different things then he saw a
person coming towards him. He was beautiful. He had a strong caring nature.
His face was absolutely beautiful, so strong with a square jaw, full lips
that looked delicious; he had short sandy blonde hair. His body was that of
an underwear model, the only thing he was wearing was a speedo.

Josh noticed that his body was wet, as if he had been swimming, his nipples
were erect. Josh really liked this dream person. He spoke, "Joshie." No one
ever called him Joshie except close family.

"You're a mess. Just let go of the pain. I'll be there soon. Everything will
be perfect." The spunky stranger said.

Josh woke with a start. His alarm clock was blaring inaudibly. He hazily
looked over at the clock; it said 8:00.

"Shit. I'm going to be so fucking late." He practically ripped off his
clothes, ran for the shower and turned the cold water on.  He soaped his
Pecs & Abs. He hummed to himself and then sang for some strange reason,
"...see you in my dreams, got me spinning round & round turning up side down."

"Where the hell did that come from?" He asked himself.

He smiled, "Me thinks me goin' crazy..." He turned off the taps and stepped
out of the shower. He quickly dried himself, ran into his room, and threw on
one of his suits, a blue shirt with a yellow tie, black pants & jacket. He
grabbed his keys & wallet, ran through the door and slammed it behind him.

Josh's work was luckily not too far from where he lived which at times like
this was lucky. He grabbed a shitty cup of coffee from the cafe.
He decided to catch the bus for the twenty minutes required and then hopped
off. It was now 8:40 he was still late. He walked quickly down Oxford Street
to his building. He walked into the lobby and ran into the lift, it was full
of people. He was struggling to hit floor seven when a stranger hit it for
him.

"Floor 7? Must be a designer." The man said.

"Yeah. Thanks." Josh replied. He hopped off on the Seventh floor and looked
at the stranger, it was the guy from his dream!

"Bye!" He said, flashing his killer smile.

Josh stood in his office with his jaw practically on the floor. He turned
around and stumbled to the doors of his office and pushed open the doors.
`Slip through unnoticed." He thought. He was ducking behind cubicles to
avoid the evil beady eyes of his boss. He slid into his workstation. He sat
down in his chair and turned his computer on, there was a pile of papers on
his desk. He felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned around and yelled,
startled by the person. It was Sarah.

"Hey Sare, you scared the shit out of me!" Josh said.

"Sorry sweetie, just reminding you to finish the Huffman site updates before
Mr Beady eyes rotates his head 360º and vomits split pea soup all over you.
Nice tie by the way. You look frazzled. Rrrough night?" She asked sheepishly

"I wish. So how was you weekend?" Josh replied and asked.

"Well Tim & I saw a movie, then went out for drinks, then came home, broke
up, then made up three times..." She added grinning.

"Well lucky you!" Josh said.

"Anyway darling I have to go and do.... stuff so I'll see you at lunch ok?"
She asked.

"Yep." Josh said uninterested. Sare was one of Josh's best friends. She was
never judgemental and always supportive of Josh's quest for `Mr Right'.

He started to sift through the mountains of crap on his desk. His job wasn't
really that hard, all he really did was update a major art website with
artist's profiles and the locations of their artworks around the world. Josh
enjoyed the job, because as apart-time artist it gave him the opportunity to
see where Post-Modernist art was going. He was lucky enough to survive the
IT cull of the twenty-first century.

Eventually after what seemed to be hours of continual typing & sipping of
his shitty bitter coffee, lunch rolled around. He was dying for a cigarette
anyway...

Josh stepped out onto the now crowded streets looking for something to eat.
As he had skipped breakfast he was extremely hungry. His stomach was
growling at him. He saw something across the road that looked appetising. He
started to cross with the movement of the people. He then spotted a tall
blonde figure...it was Seb.

Josh stopped dead in his tracks and stared. Once again the feeling of heart
being ripped out returned to him. `That bastard.' Josh thought.

"Hey!" Someone yelled out at him. The next thing he knew, some crazy man
just tackled him, they both landed on the pavement. Josh looked up at the
attacker; it was the spunky guy from the dream & the lift.

"Um...Are you OK?" He asked

"Fine. Can you um get off me please?" Josh asked

"Oh sure I'm sorry. It's just that you were standing in the middle of the
road and there were cars coming for you." The man said, pulling Josh to his
feet.

"Thanks." Josh said stunned. He felt his knees go weak. Spunkyman grabbed
Josh around the waist to stop him from falling. Josh felt really strong arms
hold him

"Well, guy."

"My name is Josh."

"I think you should sit down for a while. Here `ya go." The man said,
pushing Josh down onto a bench.

"What's your name?" Josh asked the beautiful man.

"Oh...I'm Patrick Raffe." Patrick replied.

"Oh my god!" A woman screamed behind them. They turned around it was Sarah.

"Oh Josh I was so worried! I didn't know it was you! You were running late
and then I saw what happened." She ran and threw her arms around Josh's
neck.

"So are you two...um?" Patrick asked unobtrusively.

Sarah burst out laughing. "Oh me & him? God no!" Sarah could sense the
tension between the two.

"So...Josh, would you like to go...um out for a drink with...me sometime?" Patrick
asked.

Josh must've broke out into a huge smile. Sarah was squeezing

"Sure I'd love too." Josh said. He felt a feeling in his chest that he had
not felt in a long time. It was an indescribable fluttery feeling.

"My number is 9854-5321." Josh said. He scribbled down his name & number.

"I'll call you!" Patrick said as he walked away.

"Well, congratulations Josh. Looks like things may be lookin' up!" Sarah
said.

They walked down the street arm in arm, Josh not paying any attention to
Sarah's yammering. He looked back over his shoulder at Patrick. He had a
really hot arse....

Josh smiled as he walked to a house of food. He felt happy as if he were
floating.

"Why you smiling?" Sarah asked

"It's him Sare. It's him."

Constructive Criticism is most welcome, as are e-mails of encouragement.
Flames however, will most certainly be ignored. :)

Coments or Questions to raen_j@hotmail.com

By: J Raen :)