They finished their shopping and returned to Anna's apartment. The evening air carried a quiet stillness, wrapping around Anna like a soft sigh. As Anna stepped inside, something about being home felt grounding. She pulled out her phone and typed a message to Jace," I'd stay at my place for a few days. No reason, really—just a quiet need for space, for solitude."
Jace's reply came quickly, just two words:
"Okay, baby girl."
Anna stared at the screen for a while. No questions, no complaints. Just calm understanding. That's who he was—soft when she needed softness, silent when her mind was storming. But this time, she couldn't give him an explanation.
Because how could she tell him she saw the man from her dreams today?
She dropped her phone on the bed and sat beside Raily, who was already unboxing her new shoes like they were diamonds.
"You didn't even try on the dress you bought," she said, looking over at Anna.
She shrugged. "Not in the mood."
She narrowed her eyes. "You've been off ever since the mall."
Anna bit the inside of her cheek, debating whether she should say anything. Anna didn't want Raily to think she was delusional. But her voice betrayed her thoughts.
"I think I saw him, Raily," Anna said quietly.
Raily looked confused. "Him… who?"
Anna swallowed hard. "The man from my dreams. The one I've been telling you about."
Raily stared at Anna. Not with judgment—but concern.
"Anna…"
"I know how it sounds," Anna interrupted, standing up and pacing. "But I swear, it was him. The same eyes. Same energy. Same… everything. And when our eyes met, I felt something. Like he knew me too."
The room went quiet.
Then Raily said gently, "Are you sure it wasn't just your mind playing tricks on you?"
"No," Anna said. "Because the moment he looked at me… I didn't feel crazy. I felt seen."
Raily didn't quite believe her—how could she? But she still pulled Anna close, offering comfort the way best friends do when logic fails. "Yeah, yeah! He's your dream man," she said with a teasing smile, brushing Anna's arm lightly. "You need rest. Now sleep, sweet dream girl."
Raily was out like a light, exhaustion claiming her in minutes.
But Anna lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Her mind kept replaying the moment—the eyes, the look, the way time seemed to stop. The room was quiet, the world outside hushed, but inside her chest, everything was loud.
Sleep didn't come easy.
It found her only when dawn began to paint the sky in soft shades of pink and gold.
And when it did, it brought a dream—beautiful, vivid, and haunting.
Anna stood before a tall mirror in a grand chamber, dressed in royal silks and embroidered gold. A crown nestled softly in her waves. She didn't just look like a queen.
She was one.
But it wasn't her reflection that held her still.
It was the dream—looking back at her.
Him.
His eyes held the same knowing, the same ache. As if he, too, remembered everything.
(To be continued...)