Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) (4 page)

“Fine, but
don’t forget. If you don’t call me by nine thirty, I’m calling you,” I heard
her yell as I rushed down the hall.

I made it just
in time. Taking my seat, I looked around for Andy. He was sitting on the other
side of the class. Since I had handed in our work yesterday, we wouldn’t be
pairing up today. I was a little disappointed. I wanted him to explain what he
meant about Lucas and Logan. But I guessed it would remain a mystery since he
was sitting three rows over.

Work was so busy that my feet were killing
me. Tuesday nights were cheap nights, and we were always packed.

When I got
home, I was so tired I practically crawled into bed. My feet and legs ached
from standing for hours. The soft mattress and warm blankets made me feel like
I was wrapped inside a warm, soft cocoon. “Ahh,” I sighed as I snuggled into a
comfortable position. The fresh smell of laundry soap on my sheets made it even
more comforting.

I dialed Emma’s
number. “Hello,” she answered.

“Hi, I really
can’t talk long, work was busy. I’m so exhausted I might fall asleep talking to
you. What do you want to know?”

“Are you
serious, what do you think I want to know? Why do you think he likes me? And
why do you think I like him?” Her voice was about two octaves higher than
normal.

I was really
enjoying this. I should have done something about these two a long time ago.
“Are you saying you don’t? What’s that?” I asked. There was a distant pounding
coming from her end.

“Just my
sister, she wants the phone. Anyway, I’m not saying that, but why do you think
so? Am I that obvious?”

She was really
stressing over this. “Look, I’m going to be honest here, even though I would
love to string you along because I’m really having fun. I’m tired, though, so
I’ll tell you that it is obvious, only to me, that you like each other. I have
noticed it for a while, but it wasn’t my business.” The pounding got louder,
and now was mixed with yelling.

There was a
muffled scratching sound, and then nothing. “Hannah, if you don’t stop, I’m
telling Mom and Dad when they get home!” Emma yelled from a distance. I heard
footsteps and then the muffled sound again. “Sorry, my annoying sister is
driving me nuts. Where were we? Right.” She answered her own question. “So
what’s changed, why butt in now?”

It was hard to
focus on our conversation with all the interruptions. I had to remember my
train of thought. “Because honestly, I think you would be great together and I
want you to be happy.”

There was
silence on the other end of the phone, from Emma and from Hannah, who must have
given up. Then I heard her sigh. “Do you really think he likes me that way?”

I smiled; I had
her. I could go to sleep soon. “Yes, I do.”

I heard a
little squeal on the other end. “Thank you for butting in.”

“My pleasure,
I’m hanging up now, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Even though I
was very tired, I didn’t sleep well. I tossed and turned so much, I woke to
find my blanket and sheet on the floor. I was curled up in a fetal position
trying to keep warm. I didn’t know if I had a dream or not, but when I woke up,
I could only remember a face…Logan’s.

The rest of the week was much the same as
always, with a few exceptions, Emma for one. After our talk, she seemed to
flirt more with Derrick, and now he actually noticed, even returning the
attention. Even though their budding romance had nothing to do with me, it was
fun to watch. Between the hair tossing, eyelash batting, blushing, and
giggling, their daily behavior was my new entertainment.

The dreams of Logan continued to haunt me. It was a little unnerving dreaming of someone I didn’t
particularly like. Thursday night I had a disturbing one about the two of us
walking hand in hand, down a dark street. I sensed a presence behind us, and
when I turned around, I glimpsed a hooded figure. With a blink, he was gone. I
woke feeling tired and restless.

Friday night I had to work at the
concession stand, which I hated. Usually by the time I got home, I was drenched
in the stench of popcorn. Most people love the smell, but when you’re around it
for hours, it stays with you. It gets stuck in your nose and replaces all other
scents. And the constant sound of corn popping gets annoying after a while. I
was in a bad mood all around before I even started work, and my lack of sleep
the night before certainly didn’t help.

When I held my
hand out for a customer to place her money into it, I noticed Logan Tate
standing in my line; it only added to my mood. As he moved closer to the front,
I noticed he seemed different. His hair was a little longer, and he was dressed
more casually, wearing a long-sleeve gray T-shirt and jeans. I thought he
looked better, more approachable. Of course, I knew that this change wouldn’t
improve his attitude.

“Hi,” he said
as he stepped to the front of the line. “I didn’t know you worked here.” His
voice even sounded better.

“Yep. What can
I get you?” I was still annoyed with him about the pizza incident.

“Two large
popcorns and two large sodas.”

I nodded and
turned around to fill his order.

“Lucas!”
someone yelled. “We’ll meet you in the theater.”

We both glanced
in the direction the voice came from, and there stood Kyle and Andy.

I was so
surprised that I almost shouted, “You’re Lucas?”

He raised an
eyebrow. “Yeah, who did you think you were talking to?”

Still in shock,
I answered him. “Your brother.”

His expression
turned from confusion to anger. “Sorry to disappoint you!”

“I’m not
disappointed,” I blurted, which caused my cheeks to heat up.

He raised his
eyebrows and gave me a cocky grin.

“I didn’t mean
that…I just meant…here’s your popcorn!” I practically threw it at him before
spinning around to get his drinks.

“Why did you
think I was Logan?” he asked with a slight chuckle. He seemed to be enjoying my
embarrassment.

“Um…you’re not
wearing glasses.” I placed his drinks on the counter and told him the total.

Opening his
wallet, he pulled out a twenty and handed it to me. “I only wear them at
school.”

I gave him his
change and instead of leaving, he moved over, leaning against the wooden
counter, his tousled hair falling into his eyes as he watched me.

While I filled
the next order, I turned my head to look at him. “Don’t you need them to see?”

“I usually wear
my contacts, but when Logan started acting like a jerk, I got tired of girls
slapping me in the face.” I laughed. “You think that’s funny?”

“Yes, I do.
Does he get slapped too?”

“Yeah, but now
that I wear my glasses and dress differently, he gets the brunt of it.”

I laughed
again, placing a lid on the cup I had just filled. “Good, he deserves it.”

He stood in
silence, leaning on the counter absently tapping his fingers on the wooden top,
while I filled orders. He didn’t seem to want to leave.

“Is that why
you don’t talk to anybody, because you’re afraid to get slapped?” I asked him,
after handing another customer their order.

He looked
thoughtful for a moment. “I used to get blamed a lot for the way Logan acted, so it’s easier to stick with my own friends.”

I felt sorry
for him, and since I had no customers at the moment, I moved closer. “It must
be hard, having him for a brother.”

“It’s not so
bad. He doesn’t act like that at home.” He glanced at me and our eyes locked. I
always knew the color of his eyes was hazel, but now that I was this close, I
could see flecks of gold in them. His gaze held, and for some reason, I didn’t
want to look away. We stood on opposite sides of the counter, leaning toward
each other.

“Excuse me,
could we get some help? The service here really sucks.” Lucas and I jumped back
guiltily.

I looked over
to where Emma and Derrick were grinning wickedly. They were standing in front
of my cash register waiting to be served. I was so wrapped up in our
conversation, I didn’t even hear them approach.

Lucas cleared
his throat. “Um…Sarah, I better get in there with the popcorn before Andy
starts to gnaw on the seats.” He waved as he walked away, juggling all the
food. He had an armload; I hoped he didn’t drop any of it.

When I glanced
back at my friends, they were still staring at me. “What?”

Emma spoke
first. “What were you talking to Lucas about?”

“How did you
know it was him? I thought he was Logan at first,” I said, wandering back over
to stand in front of her.

“Well, he does
look like Logan without his glasses, but I doubt you’d be staring into his
eyes.”

I felt my face
go hot again. “I was not.”

Derrick
laughed. “Oh yes you were.”

“Order
something or go away,” I said, only half kidding.

They placed
their order, still grinning at me. I poured their drinks and filled their
popcorn in silence, listening to their banter. When I finished, I shoved their
drinks at them, nearly sloshing soda on Derrick's black denim jacket.

“Are you going
to tell me what you two were talking about or not?” Emma asked me after she
took a sip from her drink. The straw squeaked as she moved it around the lid.

“No, I’m not,
I’m working. Now go enjoy your movie.” I waved them away. They laughed as they
headed into the theater.

Since my shift was
over in an hour, I wouldn’t see my friends come out, a fact that I was relieved
about. I knew Emma wasn’t finished grilling me about Lucas.

At home, I watched a movie with my parents,
a romantic comedy about a couple who met at a funeral. I guessed it was my
mom’s pick, or we’d be watching a war movie. My dad was really into them.

Alex was at a
friend’s house, so it was just the three of us. I was lying on the soft blue
suede couch with my feet on my mom’s legs. My dad was sitting on the black
leather recliner on the other end of the couch. Both the sofa and the chair
faced the big-screen TV my dad got for Christmas.

The movie was
good, but when it finished, I headed up to bed, where I replayed my
conversation with Lucas. He wasn’t what I expected. From afar, he seemed aloof
and antisocial. But the more time I spent with him, the more I thought he
wasn’t really like that. And after our conversation tonight, I realized
something else. The boy starring in my dreams almost every night wasn’t Logan…it was Lucas.

I started my
homework the next morning so I'd have the rest of the weekend free. After that
was done, I wanted to relax before I had to go to work for my one-to-seven
shift.

My mom poked
her head through my open doorway as I was finishing up my algebra. “Hey, how
about a girls’ day today, shopping, lunch, maybe a manicure?”

It was
extremely tempting, but of course, I couldn’t. “Sorry, Mom, I have to work at
one o’clock, remember?”

“Oh, that’s
right. Well, we’ve got time for a little shopping and an early lunch. What do
you say?”

“I’ll be ready
in fifteen minutes.”

In the car, driving to the mall, my mom
asked, “So what’s new at school?”

“Don’t you
already know the answer to that?”

“I’d know how
your grades are, but not about your friends, or boyfriends,” she replied with a
laugh as she stopped at a red light.

I groaned.
“Sorry, Mom, but I’m not interested in discussing boys with you.” A horn
honked, and we both glanced in front of us to see that the light had turned
green.

“Oops,” she
said as she pulled away. “Come on, I’m old, and I need to live vicariously
through you. You have to give me something. Do you still have a crush on
Martin?”

I flushed with
embarrassment. “No, and please stop.” I desperately wanted to end this
conversation before it began, but when I saw her pouting, I decided to give her
something. “Fine, but you’ll be disappointed with my love life. I think Derrick
and Emma are going to get together.” I leaned over to change the radio station.

“It’s about
time. Who made the first move?” She slapped my hand away and turned it back to
her easy listening channel.

“I did.” She
raised one eyebrow but remained silent. “I got tired of all the flirting and
the glances when the other one wasn’t looking. Plus, I think Derrick didn’t
make a move because he didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable. I had to work last
night, so I suggested they go to a movie without me. Since it was my idea, I’m
obviously okay with it.”

She smiled.
“Pretty smooth, I’m impressed.”

“Yeah, Derrick
basically jumped at the idea, and offered to pick her up.”

“Good, I’m
glad, they’ll finally be happy. I saw all those dreamy looks they gave each
other.”

I laughed.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the only ones that didn’t see it were Derrick and Emma.”

We pulled into
the busy parking lot, and my mom found a spot near the back. On Saturday, the
mall was always busy, and today was no different. We weaved through the rows of
cars, passing shoppers with their arms full of plastic bags.

Once inside, we
headed straight to the jewellery store. I picked out a silver rose ring. The
tips of the petals were brushed with black, and it was so cool, I couldn’t wait
to wear it. When I spotted a white gold necklace with a diamond star pendant, I
knew it would be perfect for my mother. “Mom, come here, you have to buy this.
It will look amazing on you.” I held it up for her.

She put down a
watch she was admiring and came over.

“You're right,
honey, it’s perfect.”

Now that we
were set with jewellery, we moved onto clothing.

My mom saw some
nice tops in a store window that she said would look awesome on me, and when I
tried them on, I had to agree. I bought the tops, and we each bought a dress.

All of that
shopping made us hungry, so we headed for a restaurant I had never been to
before. It was kind of fancy, more my mom’s style than mine. She was paying,
though, so I didn’t argue.

The hostess
looked familiar. She was about my age, maybe younger, with light blonde hair,
pretty blue eyes, and freckles. I thought she went to my school, but I didn’t
know her name. We followed her to a table by the window, where there was a
lovely view of the mall parking lot.

After we were
seated, we talked a little. Mom was relating some gossip about a teacher. And
of course, she wouldn’t tell me who.

The waiter
approached from behind me, and when I heard his voice, I looked up. “Good
afternoon, here are your menus.” He stopped speaking when he noticed me. “Oh
hi, are you following me?” asked a very surprised Lucas.

I was just as
shocked as he was. “No, I had no idea you worked here. My mom brought me.”

“I guess we
have more to learn about each other.” His words seemed to shock him. His eyes
went wide and he muttered, “Oh God, um…would you like some drinks while you
look at the menu?” Even though he was speaking to the two of us, he didn’t make
eye contact, looking everywhere but at us.

My mother
smirked at me and then turned her attention to Lucas. “Sure, I’ll have a glass
of white wine. Sarah, what do you want?”

I blinked at
her, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “I’ll have a cola.” Why was my mouth
suddenly so dry?

He nodded and
walked away.

I took a sip of
my water to quench my thirst, and read the menu, refusing to look at my mom.

“Someone has a
crush on you,” she said in a singsong voice, not looking up from her menu.

“Don’t start.”
The last thing I wanted was to talk about Lucas and have him overhear us.

“Don’t start
what? I don’t know what you’re referring to.” Her face took on a look of pure
innocence. Yeah, right. “Wasn’t that Lucas Tate? He looks better without his
glasses, don’t you think?”

“Mother, be
quiet, if he hears you, I will kill you,” I whispered. “So anyway,” I said
louder, trying to change the subject. “Emma called my cell phone while you were
trying on dresses. She said she had a great time last night and that Derrick
held her hand during the movie. Isn’t that cool?” I didn’t wait for her answer,
just continued to prattle on. “What are you going to order? I think I’m going
to have the club wrap and a tossed salad.”

“You’re
babbling, you only babble when you’re embarrassed. Wow, your face is really
red.” She was starting to irritate me, so I scowled at her. “And I’m done, I
won’t tease you anymore,” she said, grinning. I heard her whisper something
that sounded like, “This is so much fun.”

I looked up at
her, about to tell her to be quiet, until I noticed how pretty she looked. I
had often thought she was, with her long, wavy, honey-blonde hair and her
bright blue eyes, but when she smiled, her dimples came out, and her face
brightened. When I was a kid, I used to think she was the most beautiful woman
I had ever seen. She might have aged some since then, but when she smiled, I
felt like that little girl again, gazing up at her mom. I hoped to look half as
good when I was her age. In spite of the fact that she was having fun at my
expense, I smiled at her.

Lucas came back
with our drinks and took our order. He didn’t say anything other than what he
had to.

It didn’t take
long for him to return with our lunch.

“How was the
movie last night, Lucas?” I asked him as he placed my lunch in front of me.

He looked
relieved that I broke the tension. “It was really good, I love action movies.
Have you seen it yet?”

“No, I don’t go
to the movies that much. I like to stay away from work when I don’t have to be
there.” Feeling restless, I started jiggling the silverware. My mother frowned
at me as my knife and spoon clanged together noisily.

He nodded.
“That makes sense. Do you work tonight?”

“This afternoon
at one o’clock, right after we’re done here.”

“Yeah, but she
only works until seven,” my mom added, after taking a sip of her wine. Could
she be more obvious? “So Lucas, how’s your mother? I haven’t seen her in a
while.”

“She’s good.
She and my father just got back from a small vacation.”

“That’s great,
where did they go?”

“New York, but just for a long weekend.”

 “Oh, that
sound’s nice, I would love to go and see a play. Did they get to see one on
their trip?”

“Yeah, but I
don’t remember which one though. I’m not really into plays.” His feet shifted
back and forth.

“I love them.
Sarah, we should go to one someday, what do you think?” My mother peered at me
over the flowered centerpiece.

“Sure, Mom,
sounds fun,” I mumbled, leaning my elbow on the table with my hand resting on
my forehead, wanting her to shut up and let Lucas leave.

“Well, enjoy
your meals,” he said before walking away and heading to another table.

“You have good
taste. I like him better than his brother. He’s never in my office.”

I groaned. God
this was so horrible. “Let’s eat.” I started to stuff my face to discourage
conversation.

When we were
finished, my mom paid, leaving a generous tip. I waved to Lucas and practically
ran out of the restaurant.

“You do realize
I’m never going out to eat with you again,” I said as I walked quickly ahead of
her through the mall. Behind me, I could hear the sound of her laughter and the
click of her heels on the floor.

I dropped my mom off at home and then drove
to work. It was a nice, warm, sunny day. But since I had to be indoors for the
next six hours the weather was wasted on me.

I was selling
tickets today with a new guy named Zack, who started last week. He was friendly
and good-looking, with light brown hair, brown eyes, and a crooked nose. He
went to a different high school, one that was closer to where he lived.

As we worked,
we chatted, and when I found out we were the same age, we compared notes on the
kids in our schools; it helped to pass the time.

At home during dinner, my father and
brother teased me about the boy my mom said had a crush on me. Oh, she was
really going to pay. “Mom, he doesn’t like me. Just last week he wouldn’t even
talk to me. When he did, he was rude.” I scraped the last of the spaghetti off
of my plate.

“Well, I guess
he changed his mind. I can tell when someone’s interested, and it wasn’t just
coming from him.” She grinned at me over her wine glass.

“That’s enough,
Maggie. She’ll never talk to you if you keep teasing her,” my dad said, giving
me a wink.

After I cleared
my plate and glass, I leaned against my mom’s chair, glaring at her.

“Fine, I’m
sorry, Sarah. I won’t tease you anymore, today anyway.” She laughed.

“Mother!” I
started to protest, but she cut me off.

“I’m kidding.
I’ll try not to bug you. I promise.” She gave me a hug; I had learned a long
time ago there was no point in fighting it because she’d just hold on tighter.

“Fine, as long
as you’re really going to stop,” I said when she finally released me from her
grip. “Emma’s going to stay the night, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, I
left the kitchen. I heard them yell it was fine as I headed up the stairs and
into my room. I turned on my stereo to listen to my favorite CD and grabbed the
book I was reading. After about an hour, I was really getting into the plot.

Emma came in
and interrupted me. She was carrying a bag of dill pickle chips, my favourite,
and two sodas. “Should we watch a movie then gossip the rest of the night, or
head straight to the gossiping?” She dropped the chips on the bed in front of me
and handed me my soda; the can was cold in my hand.

I grinned.
“Gossip, definitely.”

We ate junk
food and talked late into the night. I had a blast. This was one of the parts
of our friendship we couldn’t include Derrick in; he was too much of a guy for
this. Emma went into detail about her night with Derrick. They hadn’t kissed
yet, but she was sure it would happen soon.

We fell asleep around one or two in the
morning; I was too tired to notice.

I was in my
backyard, slow dancing in the moonlight. I was so at peace and happy. I’d never
felt like this before. I didn’t know who I was dancing with, and I was afraid
to look up, as if the movement would ruin the mood. We danced for a while, his
warm, gentle hands softly rubbing my back, my arms around his broad shoulders.
He lifted his head, which was leaning on mine as I looked up at him. Lucas
smiled down at me, his hazel eyes twinkling in the moonlight, and said very
softly, “I love you, Katie.” I jerked awake, sitting up in bed. Emma’s head
lifted, and she squinted at me with sleep-filled eyes. “What?” she whispered.

“Nothing, go
back to sleep.”

She closed her
eyes, and I lay back down, but couldn’t go back to sleep. Why was I dreaming of
him and why did he call me Katie?

I must have dosed off sometime later
because when I opened my eyes it was daylight. A quick glance at my watch told
me that it was ten o’clock. I loved sleeping in on Sundays.

“What time is
it?” mumbled the lump under the covers. I sat up and kicked the large bulge of
blankets. “Ow.”