Page 41 of Forever Love-Reimagined

It had been a couple of weeks since I got my tattoo, and it only took Haley a day to realize my tattoo had something to do with my dreams. She was convinced that the stars would align and this green-eyed beauty would reveal herself. But until then, she helped me work on lucid dreaming so I could conjure her almost nightly.

It was weird letting Haley offer me advice in the romance department, but she was right. I could strengthen my connection with this woman in our sleep, and if my feelings were real, there was a chance hers were, too. Even though it was typical for our appearance and location to change, our love never did, which gave me hope that I’d find her in this life. But I quickly got discouraged because I had no idea how.

Work had slowed down some recently, which I was okay with because it gave me time to finish my proposal and apply for a few grants from different entities. I wanted to see my idea put into action, and that gave me a break from analyzing my dreams too much. But now it was a waiting game to see if my proposal would get accepted.

Until then, I had been spending most of my spare time at the studio because I didn’t like to be alone unless I was sleeping. It seemed like there was an emptiness inside of me, and I needed to fill it. I tried to keep busy, but there was only so much I could do in my office.

Usually, I would have hung out with Shanny, but she and Toni hit it off like a house on fire, and I was happy for her. She deserved to find someone who was more than a fly-by-night. But then that left me to my own devices, which meant my mind would wander to her.

As I sat at my desk, staring at my computer, Haley knocked on my door.

“Hey, boss.” She stood there expectantly.

I waved her in. “What’s going on?”

She had a troubled expression. “I wanted to check to make sure everything was okay. We haven’t been swamped the past couple of weeks, but you’ve been back here every day. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, nothing’s wrong. I’ve been a little preoccupied with a side project. That’s all. I appreciate your concern, though.”

“Is there anything I can help you with? I mean, I’ve been rather slow up front, too. I’m here if you need me.”

Haley was quickly becoming a sounding board for me, and she would help me with anything.

“Why don’t you shut the door and take a seat?” I motioned to the chair in front of my desk.

Her eyes widened like a baby deer. “Okay. Are you letting me go?”

“What? No! I need your opinion on some things.”

“Oh, thank God. I love this job, boss. And I love working for you. You about gave me a mini-heart attack.”

“Calm down. I couldn’t run this place without you. I’m not letting you get away from me that easily.” I chuckled and relaxed in my chair, hoping she would, too.

“I’m glad to hear that. So, what can I help with?” Her voice was much calmer.

“I’m not sure if there is anything we can do, but I can’t stop thinking about finding the girl from my dreams. Is it a losing battle?”

Her eyes sparkled as she shook her head. “No! It’s very romantic.”

She appeared to be one hundred percent on board, and her excitement was infectious.

“So, what details do we have about her?”

Even though Haley was the one who taught me how to lucid dream, I never talked to her about the specifics of them. They seemed too personal to share with anyone.

“That’s the problem. I’m not sure what she looks like… but maybe.” I shrugged, and she blinked.

“Maybe?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure. But the dreams are constantly changing. It appears there are numerous lifetimes that we’ve lived.”

“Okay, so how do you know which one she is?”

“Well, we usually start as ourselves, and then things evolve.”

She nodded like everything I was saying made complete sense, and I realized she was the right person to talk to. “You think you could describe what she looks like?”

“I can do you one better.” I reached down to my briefcase and pulled out a sketchpad. “Here.” I handed her the picture I had drawn. “I’m not the best artist, but I do have an eye for things, and I tried to capture her essence.”

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