Challenging Assignment of Past (and Future)

This story is something that happened to me very recently, so I thought it'd be interesting to write about it as a sort of "outlet". I like how it turned out (even if a bit short), so I'm posting it here!

You rouse from slumber in a groggy ache. The cold air has you clenching into your sheets; you know you have to get up, but you really don’t want to. A minute passes. Then three minutes. Then five minutes. You finally defrost from your sleepy state, and promptly turn on the space heater. You take a moment to put your hands in front of it, like a fireplace. Ah, warmth. There’d been warmth in your dream. 

Stuffy, almost suffocating summer air was encasing you, and the sound of your friends’ booming voices and laughter reminded you of a small concert. The beaming sun didn’t bother you much, though, because you were all jumping in the pool out back. The cool water felt so comfortable, and the conversation you’d been having about Halo and Call of Duty was definitely “right”. Ah, it felt so great to be doing this again. You hadn’t seen your good friend Dylan since he moved--the invitation for a grand sleepover with everyone was a most pleasant surprise. Eventually, you’d all pooled inside for dinner--there was something for everyone, it was amazing! It’s pretty fuzzy now, so you don’t remember what transpired between dinner and sleeping, but the last thing you saw was all of your friends piled on the floor in sleeping bags--you were in there somewhere, too. 

Hmph. Dream? More like memory. It’s been a long time since that sleepover. You haven’t spoken to those friends in some years. After eating breakfast, you curiously search their names on Facebook, and feel a small pang in your chest when you find Dylan’s profile. You bite your lip, and after some debate, finally click on “send a message”.