Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) (37 page)

“Yes, but I’m
sure I’m seeing things.”

“You and me
both.”

We shoved all
of the items back in my bag and climbed quickly into the car.

On the drive
home, the snow picked up and was really coming down hard. Lucas was excited,
happy about the first real snowfall of the year.

When we arrived
at my house, he gave me a kiss and said good night.

Since the last thing I remembered was going
to bed, I knew I was dreaming when I suddenly found myself standing in a field
of poppies. I could see a mountain in the distance, and when I slowly spun
around, a forest lay just beyond the field. It was quiet, just the sound of the
breeze blowing the flowers and the occasional chirp as a flock of birds that
flew overhead. “What’s going on?” I heard a voice behind me and knew who it was
without turning. Lucas stepped up beside me and took my hand.

“I don’t know,”
I said, just as we saw two bodies emerge from the trees. They were quite a
distance away, but I could tell it was a guy about six feet tall, with brown
hair. He was holding hands with a much shorter girl; her hair was long and
dark. As they approached us, I knew who it was. David and Katie, and they
looked happy. Gone was the look of anguish I saw in the death dreams. They
stood in front of us, in this beautiful field filled with orange-red flowers.
Just beyond them I could see the clouds, some white, some faded into blue and
pink. They smiled at us. “Thank you,” David said in Lucas’ voice.

“Because of
you, we can be happy now,” Katie replied. As I opened my mouth to speak, they
nodded their heads and turned away. Before they made it back to the cover of
the trees, they disappeared.

I woke up with a feeling of relief that
washed over me for the first time since I started having the dreams. For some
reason, I knew it was over; it worked.

Although they
were often scary and confusing, I fell in love with Lucas in my dreams. Was it
fate that brought us together, were we truly meant to be? I had no idea, but I
was thankful whatever the reason. There would be no more visions of our death,
and in the next life, no Tony.

I was lying in
my bed staring up at my dirt splotch. In the dark, it was easier to see the
shapes. Tonight it was Lucas’ hazel eyes. The sound of my cell phone ringing
startled me. I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was midnight. “Hello?”
I answered softly.

“It’s over,
isn’t it?” Lucas asked with a sleepy voice.

“I think so.
Did you have the same dream?”

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

“I will always
love you, Sarah.” With that, we hung up, and I went back to a dreamless sleep.

With no interference from reincarnated
murderers, Lucas and I were actually quite happy. When he turned eighteen in
March, we celebrated with all of our friends with a rematch of paintball. Emma
is still the reigning champion.

I quit my job
at the multiplex. I couldn’t work there without thinking Ryan was lurking
outside watching me. On my last day, I worked with Zack. We were up front
selling tickets.

“Zack, I’m
sorry about getting you involved in all the drama,” I said between customers.

“It’s okay,
Sarah. I wasn’t hurt, and besides it’s not like it’s your fault.”

I had been
apologizing a lot lately.

I suddenly
remembered the first time I met him. I swiveled in my chair. “Zack, Marcy told
me that you asked questions about me before we met, and it seemed like you
recognized my name. What was that about?”

When his last
customer walked away, he turned to me, his face a bit red. “My cousin Noah is
your brother Alex’s best friend. My family goes to Noah’s place a lot and
Noah’s always bugging Alex about his hot sister Sarah. They told me that a
bunch of kids in their grade always asked Alex to come over to your house, so
they could see you. He hates it, so my cousin likes to tease him about it. When
Susan said your name, I recognized it and asked her questions to see if you
were the same girl my cousin talked about.” He smiled shyly and turned to his
new customer.

Oh, that was
hilarious. Lucas had thought he was my stalker and all along he knew my name
from Alex. After my customer walked away, I started laughing.

“What’s so
funny?” he asked, smiling.

“Nothing. Kids
really bug Alex to come over so they can stare at me?”

“Yes, and it
really annoys him. He never told you that?”

“No, but he
wouldn’t.”

I stood up as
Brody came in to relieve me. “Bye, Zack, bye, Brody. I’ll see you later.”

They waved as I
walked out the door. I couldn’t tell Zack what Lucas thought. I didn’t want to
hurt his feelings.

I would be sure
to tell Lucas he was wrong about him though. I’d be seeing him at work
tomorrow. It was my first day as a waitress at Sabour’s, and I couldn’t wait.
Now we could spend even more time together.

We were both
attending NYU in the fall; we even had an apartment lined up. My father was a
little nervous about our living arrangements, but he’d get over it.

The dreams
never returned. The only ones I had now were my own.

In late April, Lucas took me out for my
birthday. He told me to dress up for the occasion, so I was waiting for him in
a new outfit that I bought with my tip money. It was a wine-colored silk dress
that fell to my knees. Since it was strapless, I wore a black silk wrap to keep
the chill away. I heard Lucas’ car pull into the driveway. “Bye, Mom and Dad,
he’s here. I’ll see you later,” I yelled at them from the door as I ran out to
meet him.

He looked
handsome in a charcoal-colored suit. “Hey, I was planning to come in for a
minute,” he said, kissing me and handing me a bouquet of wildflowers.

“That’s okay, I
was so excited to see you, I couldn’t wait any longer.”

He smiled while
opening the passenger door for me. I sat inside and held the flowers on my lap.
Once he was in the driver’s seat, he turned to me. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you.
Where are we going?”

He grinned
playfully. “You’ll see.”

We drove in the
direction of his house. But before we got there, he pulled into the driveway
leading to the waterfall from the road.

I tensed,
squeezing my hands into fists. “What are we doing here?” I asked, my voice
laced with fear.

“Sarah, relax,
this is our place. I won’t let him take it from us.” His voice was full of
determination. He parked the car and climbed out, walking over to my door and
opening it.

I hesitated.
Even though it was a warm day, I felt a chill in the air. I looked out into the
trees, and all I could see was Ryan’s face as he laughed viciously from my
dreams. “I can’t,” was all I said, refusing to get out of the car. I was frozen
with fear; it crept up inside me and held on with icy claws.

Luke knelt down
onto his knees in front of me, unconcerned with grass stains on his good dress
pants. “Whose place is this?” he asked, taking my hands and holding them in
his. His hands were warm against mine; fear had made them cold.

“Ours,” I
mumbled quietly.

“And what did
you say the second time I brought you here?”

I sighed and rolled
my eyes. “That I loved it here, and that it felt like we were in our own little
world.”

He nodded. “Are
you going to let him take that from us? This is part of where we fell in love.
I’m not willing to let it go. But I won’t come here alone.” He stood up and
held out his hand. “Are we going to take back our special place?” He smiled
encouragingly.

He was right,
of course. I knew Ryan was dead, but it was hard to let him go when I sometimes
dreamed of that night on the cliff.

Lucas leaned
over and took my hand again. “You can do this.” He bent down and kissed me
softly. That was all I needed to give me courage.

I let him pull
me out of the car, and I followed him through the path that led to the
waterfall.

Once we
arrived, I saw a folding table and chairs set up in the clearing. There were
plates set out with a picnic basket in the middle of the table.

He gestured for
me to sit, and I obeyed. From our spot, there was a beautiful view of the
falls, a perfect setting for a romantic dinner. I soon forgot what had happened
here months before.

He pulled out
our food from the basket and placed it on our dishes. Stuffed pork and seasoned
rice—it looked so good I couldn’t wait to try it. To drink, there was sparkling
cider in wine glasses. He thought of everything. No wonder I loved him.

It was
delicious, and I ate it all. For dessert, we had chocolate-covered
strawberries.

“I wanted my
dad to make baked Alaska again, but he said it would probably melt out here.”

“No, this is
great.” I popped a strawberry in my mouth, the sweet flavor bursting as I
chewed. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. Thank you.”

“Only the best
for you. Remember, you only turn eighteen once, and I want it to be special for
you.” He placed a small box in between us on the table.

“Oh Lucas,
thank you.” I picked it up and opened it. Inside was a necklace, a silver chain
with a white-gold pendant on it. The pendant was the soul mate’s symbol that I
had seen when we were doing research. On the back was an engraving that said
simply: Forever. I started to tear up. It was so beautifully sweet. “Lucas,” I
said, focused on the necklace, “I love it, it’s perfect.”

He stood up,
and walked over to me. Reaching for the necklace, he placed it around my neck.

I got to my
feet and turned to him, framing his face with my hands, gazing at the gold
flecks in his eyes before I leaned onto my toes to touch my lips to his. I
kissed him to thank him for the gift. I kissed him to show him how much he
meant to me, and how much I loved him. I kissed him with everything I had.

He wrapped his
arms around me, returning the kiss, and taking it deeper. I never wanted to
pull away.

He was the one
who ended it. “Sarah, are you ready?” he whispered. I understood him, and I
knew what it meant that he was asking me.

I stared into
his eyes, which were darkening with longing. “Yes. I’m ready.”

He studied my
face, making sure I meant what I said. I nodded to reassure him.

His arms fell
away from me. I thought he had changed his mind, but instead he walked over to
a willow and picked up a duffel bag. Inside was a sleeping bag.

He laid it down
on the grass, took my hand, and escorted me to the blanket.

I took off my
shoes and crawled inside. After he removed his shoes, he snuggled in beside me.
Taking my face in his hands, he brushed his lips on mine, guiding me down to
lay my head against the blanket. “I love you, Sarah, forever,” he whispered,
bending down to kiss me again, and this time he didn’t stop.

As we expressed
our love, we knew we would never be apart. We were soul mates, destined to find
each other.

###

Here's a peak at Delusions, the second and
final book in the Affinity Series, available now.

Prologue

Brownridge
, Vermont

Two years ago

The music was loud, the drinks were
pouring, and the spirits were high. I was just glad it wasn’t my house. My
parents would kill me.

The room was
stale with the smell of beer and sweat. The bass from the stereo was so high,
the portrait of Amanda’s family hanging in the center of the room shook with
each beat that radiated from the speakers. A plant was knocked off a table and
with every dance step dirt was stomped into the carpet.

I heard a crash
behind me and cringed. I felt bad for Amanda. She had only asked a few of us
over, and somehow half the school showed up. Not bad for my first high school
party. I was in the tenth grade, but had never been to one yet. The place was
packed, I could barely move.

“Holy crap,
this is so awesome!” Kelly yelled, squished between me and Adam. They were my
two best friends and had been for years. There were sweaty bodies all around me
bouncing to the music.

Cassie Murphy
bumped me from behind, sloshing beer all over my new, sparkly, silver blouse.
So much for only having a couple of drinks so my parents didn’t notice. Now that
it was poured all over me, there was no way to hide the fact that I had been
drinking. I’d have to sneak the stinky top into the washing machine myself. I
didn’t mind helping out around the house when asked, but my mom would wonder
why I was suddenly interested in household chores on my own.

“Lisa!” Kelly
yelled.

I was wiping my
top with my hand, trying to get the beer off. I looked up. “What?”

“Is that Logan
Tate over there?” she asked, pointing to a guy who was chugging beer out of a
funnel. It was hard to tell since all I saw was his back, but this guy was tall
with tousled brown hair, and he was wearing a navy blue shirt and jeans. The
clothes Logan wore at school today.

“It looks like
him.” I took a slow breath in and out to calm the butterflies that fluttered
rapidly in my stomach every time I saw him. “Okay, let’s get a good spot so we
can watch him all night. He is
so
hot.”

“Why don’t you
just talk to him?” Kelly yelled over the music before she took a sip of her
beer.

“Are you
kidding?” I held out three fingers. “First.” I held my pointer finger down.
“He’s older than I am. Second”—I turned down another—“he’s popular, and
third…he wouldn’t give me the time of day.” I folded down the last, holding my
fist up in front of me. “Just stare and dream, that’s the only way with a guy
like him.”

We left Adam to
flirt with Tara Long, as Kelly and I headed closer, single file and holding
hands, trying to squeeze through the dancing bodies.

I saw an empty
corner that would give us a perfect view of him. It took us awhile, trying to
slip through the crowd. I was shoved a couple of times, almost losing my
balance, but thankfully, I was working on my first beer and still felt steady.
We stayed our course, finally making it to the corner.

“Oh God, I can
finally breathe,” Kelly said, leaning against the wall and taking another sip
of beer. I wasn’t sure who brought the keg, but I was grateful. It was my first
time drinking, and even though it tasted as I imagined cat urine would, I
looked cool carrying the cup.

“Oh crap, now I
have to pee, are you coming with me?” she hissed into my ear.

“No, I’ll stay
here and keep our spot.”

“I’ll be back
soon, if I can find the washroom.” I watched her wander off unsure of where she
was going. She headed down a hall that looked like it led to the garage. I
yelled her name to tell her she was going the wrong way, but she couldn’t hear
me over the music. Oh well, she’d figure it out, or pee on someone’s car.

Ethan Harris
stood beside me against the wall, watching me intently. He was Adam’s friend
and had come to the party with us, but I had lost track of him an hour ago.
“What?” I asked him when he refused to look away.

He shook his
head. “Nothing, just wondering where Adam is.”

I pointed to
the corner where the keg was. Adam was pouring himself a cup.

Ethan nodded to
me and wandered off to join his friend.

Without the
distractions of my friends, I could focus once again on Logan. He finished
chugging the beer and then backed up to let someone else have a turn. He
tripped over Rick Harding’s foot, falling right into me. I grabbed his elbows,
trying to catch him before he landed on the floor.

“Thank you,” he
slurred, turning around to face me. His smile was crooked, and his hazel eyes
were a bit glazed from all the beer. But it was a smile, and it was directed at
me. My night was complete. I could go home and relish in that one smile for
weeks.

“Hey. I know
you,” he said, squinting his eyes and pointing his finger at me.

“Yeah, I just
started at your parents’ restaurant as a hostess.”

He frowned and
shook his head. “No, that’s not it.”

“I go to your
school?” I offered.

“No, not that
either.”

“Then I have no
idea. My name is Lisa Miller.”

“Lisa…the name
doesn’t ring a bell, but those eyes…” He stared into them, lost in thought. He
appeared to be finished speaking, but several seconds later, he finally
recovered. “They haunt me. They’re so blue.” He trailed off, staring at my
face. He narrowed his eyes as though contemplating world peace. After what
seemed like hours, instead of the minute it had been, his eyes lit up as he
smiled and pointed. “Hey, I got it. You’re the girl from my dreams.” He nodded,
satisfied that he had finally figured it out, then turned and walked away,
leaving me shocked and speechless, with my mouth wide open.

I watched him
make his way through the crowd, stumbling into Taylor Bradford and then Tara
Collins.

Did he just say
he dreamed of me? My mind was suddenly filled with fog. Did that just happen,
or was I hallucinating?

The next half
hour went by in a blur of movement. It was like I was trapped in a bubble. I
could see everyone around me drinking, dancing, and having fun, but I couldn’t
hear them. My focus was on Logan, who stood across the room drinking beer after
beer, laughing, and singing along to the music.

“Earth to
Lisa,” Kelly said, waving her hand in front of my face. Did she just get back?
I was so involved in watching my dream guy, I hadn’t noticed her return.

I blinked.
“What?” I turned my head to face her, but kept my eyes glued to Logan.

“We’re supposed
to be having fun, let’s dance.” She bumped me with her hip, dancing awkwardly
to the loud, bass-pumping music.

“You go ahead.
Adam said he wanted to.”

Her eyes
narrowed. “Fine, stay in the corner all night, see if I care.” She walked away,
but I couldn’t say which direction. My eyes were still glued to Logan while I replayed his words over and over in my head. “Oh right, you’re the girl in
my dreams.”

Martin Smith
stumbled into me, breaking my gaze. I pushed him off and he fell into the wall,
causing a loud
thump. “
Sorry,” he mumbled, stumbling away.

I looked back
at Logan and was shocked to see him staring at me. He smiled and crooked his
finger, beckoning me over to him.

I walked in a
daze to the kitchen doorway where he was standing. When I stood next to him, he
wrapped his arm around my shoulder. The smell of cologne wafted all over him,
and the scent was almost hypnotizing. He led me through the door, down the
hall, and up the stairs. I know I should have said no, but I had lost the
ability to speak. The boy I had dreamed about since I started at Hamilton High
a year ago, the boy that every girl in school adored, had his arm wrapped
around
my
shoulders. I wasn’t a senior, a cheerleader, or even popular,
but here I was, just the two of us, alone in an upstairs hallway.

He shoved the
door open to what looked like Amanda’s bedroom. The walls were painted lilac
with posters of the hottest Hollywood stars spread throughout the room. I heard
the door shut behind me. He took my hand and pulled me to the bed. He sat down,
patting the spot beside him. “Why am I dreaming of you?” he whispered softly,
more to himself than me.

“I…I don’t
know.” Duh, was that the best I could do?

“You have the
most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. In my dreams, they’re so blue and vibrant,
like an ocean on a bright, shiny day. I wake up and they’re all I can see.” His
face was so close. I could smell the strong scent of beer on his breath. If it
was anyone else I would have squeezed my nostrils shut.

He reached up
and lightly touched my cheek, causing an electric tingle along my skin. He
gazed intently into my eyes. “And those full pink lips…” He traced his fingers
along my face and paused, then gently caressed my mouth. My heart swelled four
sizes, my stomach tightening into a ball of excitement. He moved in closer and
touched his lips to mine, giving me the most amazing first kiss in the history
of first kisses. He cupped my face with his hands and pushed me down onto the
bed. Unsure of where this was going, I hesitated.

He hovered
above me. “It’s okay; I just want to be near you. I can’t believe you’re real.”

Just as he
leaned in for another kiss, my cursed phone rang. I dug into my pocket and
pulled it out. “I’m sorry, it’s my mom. I have to take this. I’ll be right
back.”

He smiled and sat
up, allowing me to hop off the bed. “Hurry back.”

I snuck inside
the bathroom, shutting the door behind me so she couldn’t hear the noise.

“Hello?”

“Lisa, why did
you take so long answering your phone?” my mother asked. My little sister let
out a loud wail in the background.

“It was at the
bottom of my bag, I didn’t hear it right away.” I sat down on the closed toilet
lid, noticing it was cushioned with a pink doily. It was very comfortable.

“Well, how is
it going, you guys getting a lot of studying done?”

Oh tons
. “Yep. We’re just starting the Second World War now.” Behind the
bathroom door, someone screamed. Another voice laughed hysterically.

“Lisa, what was
that?”

“Oh, just a
movie Amanda’s little brother is watching.” I held my breath, waiting to hear
if she bought my lie.

“Okay, but
remember to be home by eleven.”

I let out my
breath in relief. “All right, Mom, I won’t be late.”

I hung up and
looked in the mirror, making sure I looked okay for the best night of my life.

I smoothed my
hair and rubbed under my eyes, seeing a tiny trace of brown eyeliner-smudge.
Finally satisfied, I stepped out of the bathroom, passed a couple making out on
the floor, and stepped over a pair of abandoned jeans. When I reached Amanda’s
room, I took a deep breath to settle my stomach and then pushed the door open.
What I saw inside would haunt me forever. Sasha Martin, the biggest ho in
school, was lying on top of Logan, kissing him. But that wasn’t the worst part;
he was kissing her back, his fingers tangled in her auburn hair. And as I
watched, he tugged her closer with a moan and flipped her over on the bed so he
could lie on top of her.

I hurried out
of the room before he saw me and laughed. Was this all a joke? All that talk
about my beautiful eyes, his dreams about me, and then he starts kissing
someone else? Why would he even say those things? Did he somehow know I had
been dreaming of him, and this was his way to make fun of me? What did he think
I would do, run in the room screaming and crying and then everyone would come
in and laugh? No way in hell. Even though I
was
devastated, I wasn’t
going to let anyone see me lose it.

I rushed down
the hallway and was just about to make it to the stairs when I ran into
someone. In my haste, I hadn’t seen the body that was leaning against the wall
at the top of the stairs. He was wearing a gray Hamilton High basketball
sweatshirt with the hood up. I couldn’t tell who it was until he turned his
head. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ethan. I didn’t see you standing there.” He opened his
mouth to reply, but I was already gone, taking the stairs two at a time.
Thankfully I wouldn’t have to search for Kelly to tell her I was leaving; I
spotted her near the front door having a close conversation with Adam. I took a
few deep breaths to calm myself. “Kelly, I’m not feeling well. I’m going home.”

“Okay, I’ll see
you tomorrow, right?”

“I’m not sure,
but I’ll call you.” As I walked away I heard her laugh at something Adam
whispered in her ear.

I walked the
six blocks to my house, crying like a two-year-old. I was cold, my legs hurt,
and I was desperately in pain, my chest aching as if someone had stabbed me
with a knife. Was that what happened when your heart was broken; it literally
throbbed with pain?