Chapter 22
“Haley, we’re going to Double Shift. There isn’t anything else scheduled for today, right?”
“Nope, boss. You two go and get acquainted,” she said in a suggestive but excited tone as she bounced up and down on her feet with her hands covering her mouth.
I was happy she didn’t have a phone in her hand recording anything. However, that was some meeting, and it definitely would have blown up the internet.
“Thanks. You can close up early if you like.” I winked at her.
“Okay. I might do that unless you’ll need something?” She eyed Blake for a second, and I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.
“I’m good.”
Haley then turned to Blake. “She’s special, and if you hurt her, I promise it’ll be the last thing you do,” she said in a half-protective, half-joking way that made me want to roll my eyes but at the same time hug her.
“I have no intention of doing anything like that. You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting for this.” Blake was staring right at me as she responded to Haley’s semi-threat.
“Are you ready then?” In a completely natural way, I reached for her hand, and we interlocked our fingers.
My heart took off at a sprint from that small, intimate gesture, and I was sure anyone could’ve seen it pounding under my shirt. I wanted to know everything about her but was too stunned to speak as we walked to the bar. Nothing in this world could describe my emotions when I was with her. I had no idea I could feel this way while I was awake, and I craved for this moment to last forever.
We strolled into Double Shift and took a seat. I wasn’t sure if we were getting drinks or not, so I glanced over at Blake, who was already staring at me.
“What?” I cocked a questioning brow.
“Nothing.” She reached up, running her thumb along my jaw and then over my lips. I wanted so badly to suck it into my mouth but found the inner strength not to. Then she drifted to my tattoo and traced the outline. “Tell me about this. I saw it in my dreams and wondered if it was something special.”
I loved the touch of her skin on mine. She caused a ripple of excitement to course through me.
“I got it a few weeks ago. This voice kept calling—trovami, which means find me. It was the first time I heard it, so I googled its meaning. But once I read the definition, it seemed like it was you calling out to me, and I was compelled to answer. This was the first time I believed I was missing something—or someone. And I hoped this would show you that I was trying to find you.”
She licked her lips. “My God.” She exhaled a deep breath. “I can’t believe we’re here and not in a dream.”
“That makes two of us. I think it was destiny when we first met, but the dreams are what kept us together.”
She shook her head incredulously. “What do you mean? We’ve never met, not in this life. I would’ve remembered you.” Her intense gaze locked on me.
“We didn’t have a proper introduction, and I didn’t get a clear look at you, either. But that day, when the bike messenger drove through the sidewalk, I was the one who kept you from falling.”
“Really? What makes you think that?”
“Well, your eyes and your essence.”
A blush appeared creeping up her neck, but it was possibly the lighting. There was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes, and she was the sexiest person I’d ever seen.
“I, surprisingly, get that. I could recognize you in every dream, regardless of how you looked.”
“So, it appears we had the same dreams? Where we changed bodies?” I didn’t quite understand how that worked, but it was nice to be able to talk to someone else who experienced it as well.
“Yes. It was so weird to me at first, but then my friend said it might be us from past lives, and that was the most logical explanation I had, so I went with it.” She tucked a loose curl behind her ear, and I was so smitten.
My body responded to every movement she made, and I memorized every detail about her.
“That makes sense, considering it seems like I’ve known you forever.” I had a strong suspicion that she had the same emotions as I did.
“But I didn’t just see you when I was sleeping. You were all-encompassing to me.” I guess that answered my question.
“That is mutual.”
“And they were never really dreams to me. They were too realistic to be called that. It was almost like I was living a different reality.”
“You’re my soul mate,” I blurted before realizing that might have come off too strong. “I mean, we could be.” I tried to dial it back a little.
She didn’t speak. She kept her appraising eyes on me, and I was afraid I scared her off.
Finally, she licked her lips while staring at mine. “There’s no maybe about it. We are connected in a way that surpasses logic.”
I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Tell me this is real life?” I had an overwhelming urge to touch her as if she might vanish, like in my dreams.
“There couldn’t be anything more real than us.” Those green eyes took my breath away, and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and never let her go.
“Tell me everything about you, from your favorite childhood memory to your biggest fear. There isn’t anything you could tell that I wouldn’t be interested in. Even though I believe we belong together, I don’t want to skip any part of this relationship. That includes those get-to-know-you questions.” I brought her hand to my chest and placed it on my racing heart. “No one has ever made me feel like this.”
“I understand that all too well. Why don’t we go back to my place and spend all night talking?” She stood with my hand still in hers. “And I mean it. I don’t want to mess this up by jumping in headfirst. We will take things slow until all of our questions are answered.”
I never thought in a million years I would be so excited for someone to say they didn’t want to have sex, but knowing that this could be my forever love changed my perspective entirely.