Page 17 of Forever Love-Reimagined

Then firm hands were gripping my shoulders, shaking me. Someone was trying to get my attention. And as quickly as the sensation started, it stopped.

“Blake!” Ty’s voice brought everything into focus.

I was back on the sidewalk, and everything was right in the world, except for the curse words thrown at me for being in the way.

“What are you doing?” Ty kept shaking me. “Why did you stop in the middle of the crowd? People had to dodge you, and the words spewing out of their mouths weren’t ‘excuse me.’” He chuckled as he guided me away from everyone. “Were you possessed?” he joked, but I wasn’t sure he was wrong.

“Ty, you’ll never believe me. I don’t even believe me.”

“Let’s go inside here and talk.” He opened the door to a little shop called Tea-Riffic to get us away from the lunch rush.

I scanned the place, and seeing that it was empty, I appeared safe from eavesdroppers.

“You can tell me anything, Blake. I’ll always believe you. Even if I laugh at you first.” He could never be serious, but that had always been our friendship.

“It’s hard to describe. This weird sensation came over me like I wanted to get out of the city and go off-grid. Then, the next thing I knew, I was in the woods by a lake with a cabin.”

“That’s it? You just went into a daydream about the great outdoors?” He seemed skeptical, and I needed to tell him the rest of it or it wouldn’t make sense.

“That’s not only it. She was there.”

His eyes widened. “She as in not Steph she?”

I sighed. “Can you please stop bringing that fact up? We don’t know if she is real, but I can always tell when it’s her because the same sensation comes over me. It’s like I’m frozen, but everything inside me is alive, buzzing with excitement.”

“That’s bizarre. Do you think something triggered it?”

“Honestly, I have no clue. But I need to figure it out to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It was like I had no control over my body, which would be horrible if it happened while I was with a client.”

He ran a hand through his wavy hair. “There has to be a reason for it, so I doubt it would randomly happen when you were with a client. Maybe we should do some research. Maybe it’s like astral projection or something.”

“That sounds like fake news, and I don’t believe in that. I’m guessing it’s more from a lack of sleep and possibly low blood sugar, which is why I need sustenance now. Let’s leave this weird little shop and get some food and drinks.”

“All right, but now I’m in the mood for a steak dinner!” He cheered, and I laughed.

“How about steak tacos?”

He groaned. “Well, that sucked the wind from my sail, and not in a good way, either. But I guess I’ll settle for that… now. But you can buy me some margars after. Besides, drinking might help trigger an ‘episode,’ and we can figure out who or what is messing with your subconscious,” he said with a shit-eating grin on his face as if my predicament was his entertainment.

“As much fun as it sounds to have you analyze me, with absolutely no experience dealing with something like this, I will have to take a hard pass. I’m already afraid Steph will be pissed I’m working late, and I don’t want to make it worse by coming home shithammered. So, you’ll have to fly solo tonight. Let’s grab our food and get back to the office before anything else odd can happen.”

We ordered our tacos and then headed back to strap in for what I imagined would be an utterly uneventful night that Greg weaseled out of just to flex his seniority.

Chapter Ten

Leia - Tuesday

My morning sessions flew by, and Haley seemed to be in much better spirits, which I was happy about. She was usually very strict with our schedule, but she managed to take a break, and we even joked around a bit, which was nice.

Once lunchtime hit, I was ready to get out of the studio. I was still dragging from my restless night, and my caffeine fix from earlier was wearing off. I’d told Haley I’d pick her up something special, but she picked a food truck just down the street so I could get some fresh air, which was much needed.

As I soaked up the extra vitamin D, I was wistful for a lazy day, sitting on a dock, reading a book away from everything and everyone. I’d never done anything like that before, but I had a sense of peace at the thought.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as I continued my walk. It wasn’t far to Juan-der-ful Tacos, but Tea-Riffic was closer, so I decided to treat myself to a highly caffeinated and hard-to-find Pu-Erh tea. After grabbing my drink, I exited the shop, but then my reality turned into a reverie while everything became a distant backdrop.

I didn’t understand what was happening or why, but I was now staring at a hammock on a dock overlooking a lake. As I tried to figure out where I was, the wind blew, and a decadent scent of sweetness filled the air. It reminded me of a bakery, but when my heart began thundering inside my chest, it was obvious she was here. A current surged between us, and my feet took off with a mind of their own. She was pulling me toward her, and the anticipation of seeing her again was killing me. But in a blink of an eye, it was all over.

I gasped as if I had been holding my breath. I turned around; the peacefulness was gone, and so was she. I was standing on the sidewalk, watching everyone in their own world, not paying attention to anything outside themselves. A longing sat deep in my belly, and I was unsure how to get rid of it.

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