Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) (10 page)

Twenty minutes later, I lay on my bed at
home, replaying my day over and over in my mind. I had such a great time with
him, I didn’t want to leave. When we kissed, I felt things I never imagined I
could feel.

Emma walked
through the door and bounced onto the bed, ending my reverie. “So, how did your
day go?” she asked, grinning wickedly.

“Fine, how was
yours?” I tried not to show any emotion as I leaned over to grab my TV remote
from the nightstand.

She took it out
of my hand. “Oh no, you don’t! Spill, I’ve been going crazy.”

I laughed at
her; she was a person who thrived on gossip. She had to know everything that
went on with her friends. Usually in my case there wasn’t much to know. “Well,
we hung out at his house, ordered pizza, and watched a movie.”

She looked
disappointed. “That’s it?” she asked, her face horror-stricken.

“Well, I met
his mom, she was very nice.”

“Oh, come on!
You know what I mean, did he kiss you?”

I smiled and
brushed the hair out of my face. “Oh, that’s what you wanted to know, why
didn’t you say so?” I was literally driving her crazy. She looked like she was
about to blow.

“Okay!” I said,
laughing at her. “Yes, he kissed me several times. But that’s all you’re
getting.”

“So, how was it?
Is he a keeper?”

I groaned.
“Definitely. We have plans for dinner tomorrow, and hanging out here
afterward.”

We smiled at
each other. “Isn’t it cool that we both have boyfriends?” she asked.

“I don’t know
if he’s my boyfriend. It just happened today.”

“Oh please, you
two have been pining for each other for weeks. Believe me, that’s what he is.”

My phone
beeped; I had a text message. I reached for it and read, “Sweet dreams. Lucas.”
I was touched at his message until Emma grabbed the phone from me and read it.

“Oh, he is so
your boyfriend.” I laughed as I tossed a pillow at her, which earned a smack in
the head from hers.

I forced my
eyes open, regretting the late night. We didn’t get to sleep until about two in
the morning. The clock read nine a.m., and I still felt a little groggy. The
sky was gray outside my window, which only made me want to stay inside my soft,
warm blankets even more.

“Get up,” Emma
said, shaking me. “I’m going to be late, I open the store today.” The store she
was referring to was called Pizzazz, a woman’s boutique located next to The
Pretzel Pit in the mall.

“Fine,” I
grumbled, climbing out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom.

“I'll meet you
downstairs,” I heard her yell from the hallway.

“Why the hell
is she so perky?” I mumbled to myself as I hopped in the shower.

The hot water helped clear my head, and my
thoughts went to Lucas. Just the image of him in my mind made me breathless and
giddy.

My spirits were
still high when I got to work. That must have been the reason I didn’t mind so
much when I was assigned the concession stand. It didn’t even bother me when a
whiny little girl sneezed on my hand, or that a four-year-old boy knocked a
container of popcorn all over me, although I was relieved when the time came to
take my break…until Zack walked in.

I sat at the
far table, enjoying my diet soda and dill pickle chips, when he and a few other
people I worked with came in discussing one of the movies that was playing.

“Hey, Sarah,”
Zack said, plunking down in the chair next to mine. He smelled of butter and
mint.

“Hey,” I
answered, leaning back in my seat, balancing my soda can on my knee.

“What time are
you off?”

It was hard to
hear him over Jack and Chloe, who were arguing behind us about what movie they
were going to watch when their shift was over.

I swallowed the
chip I had just stuffed in my mouth. “Seven o’clock.”

He smiled. “Me
too. Do you want to stay and watch a movie with me?”

Oh God, did he
mean like a date? “Sorry, I have plans tonight.” There was a moment of
uncomfortable silence. I didn’t know what to say so I stuffed another chip in
my mouth; when in doubt, fill your face. He grinned at me, watching Jack and
Chloe argue.

I glanced at
the old, dusty white clock on the back wall and stood up to leave, tossing my
chip bag in the garbage and can in the recycling. My break was over.

“Maybe some
other time,” I heard him say, just as I was about to step out the door. I was
so close. I cursed myself for not walking out sooner, or making up an excuse.

“Sure,” I said
with a wave. I left the break room, regretting my response.

Around five
thirty, I received a text from Lucas: “Finished work, have news on Logan. See u @ 7:30.” What did that mean, news on Logan? Did he think I was the one who
told his mother, and was he about to make my life hell at school? I really
hoped not. I’d lived like that before at my previous school, and wasn’t
interested in being someone else’s target. Logan might not be as bad as
Stephanie Brown, but he’d made a few kids in our school miserable, and I hated
the idea that I would be his next victim.

At seven
o’clock, I signed out and headed outside. The lot was empty of people since the
movies were still running. While heading toward my car, I dropped my keys. Bending
down to pick them up, I heard footsteps, even though I was no longer walking. I
stood up and spun around. “Hello?” I called when I didn’t see anyone. I
listened for an answer, or something that told me someone was just making their
way to their car, but the only response was a distant siren and the hum of the
big industrial fan for the theater's heating system. I took another step, and
stopped quickly. Again I heard the footsteps. “Hello, is anyone there?” I
repeated with a tremor in my voice. Nothing. A shiver of fear ran down my spine
as I started running to my car. Now the sounds of heavy footfalls echoed behind
me. My heart thudded in my chest.

Yanking my door
open, I stumbled inside and slid the key into the ignition. Once the engine
roared to life, I stepped on the gas and drove away as fast as I could.

Through the
rearview mirror, I saw a hooded figure standing where my car had been parked,
staring after me. Fear overwhelmed me as I drove. Someone had followed me last
week, and now this? Why was this happening, and who was that?

I glanced down
at my hands and saw that they were shaking. I needed time to calm down, so I
pulled into the corner store near my house. I couldn’t let my family or Lucas
see me like this. Taking a few deep breaths, I slid a CD into the stereo,
hoping to take my mind off the hooded man. I sat for a while singing my
favorite song, thankful no one I knew saw me sitting at an empty corner store
by myself, singing along to the radio. They would think I was nuts.

When I finally calmed
down enough, I was a few minutes late to meet Lucas. I drove fast to my house
to try to beat him, but when I pulled up to the driveway, his car was already
there, parked out front. Crap. How was I going to explain why I was late? I
glanced in the mirror to see if it was obvious that I was shaken up. I was a
bit pale, but as long as no one looked too close, I could slip upstairs and
splash water on my face.

“Hey,” I said,
stepping into the living room where my parents and Lucas were talking. Lucas turned
around, smiling. When he saw my face, his expression changed to concern.

“I’m sorry I’m
late. Work was busy,” I lied.

Lucas didn’t
appear convinced; his eyes were still clouded with worry. “That’s okay, I
haven’t been here long.”

“We’re planning
a Rock and Roll Wannabes competition for later tonight. Lucas thinks he can
beat me.” My dad was grinning as he stood leaning against our couch with his
arms folded in front of him.

“Oh…okay. I’ll
be right back. I’m going to go change.”

My parents went
into the kitchen while Lucas followed me to the stairs. He grabbed my arm
before I could start up the steps. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I
just feel bad that I’m late.”

With his brow
furrowed, he hesitantly let go of me.

“I won’t be
long,” I said, trying to reassure him with a pasted-on smile. I rushed up the
stairs, feeling guilty for lying.

In my room, I
changed into a jean skirt with black tights, red shirt, and a short, black
leather jacket. Lastly, I fluffed my hair and reapplied my makeup. I looked
less shaken, and I hoped Lucas would no longer be concerned. How could he tell
I was upset? We hadn’t known each other that long.

I met him
downstairs, and we said goodbye to my parents.

The night sky
held a chill, which was normal for mid-October. My jacket was thin; I’d chosen
it for looks, not warmth. I zipped it up and folded my arms in front of me.

“You look
beautiful,” Lucas said as he leaned in for a kiss. That was all it took to make
me forget the cold weather and what happened earlier—flattery from my maybe
boyfriend.

My cheeks
flushed. “Thank you.”

He opened the
car door for me, then walked over to the driver’s side and climbed in.

“So where are
we going?” I asked, once we pulled away from my house.

“What do you
think about the Chinese Dragon on Main Street?”

“I love it.
They have the best Chinese food in town.”

“Yeah, I know.
I go there a lot, just don’t tell my parents.”

“Your secret’s
safe with me. Why would they care, though, they don’t serve Chinese food, do
they?”

“No, but it’s
still a restaurant. I eat there when I want something different.”

“Like I said, I
won’t tell.” I was in a much better mood just being near him.

He pulled into the restaurant parking lot,
shut off the car, and turned to me. “Are you going to tell me what was really wrong
when you got home from work?”

“I had a long
day, that’s all. Now let’s go, I’m starving.” I smiled, hoping he wouldn’t push
it any further. He must have believed me, because he opened his door and
climbed out. We held hands as we headed into the restaurant.

Once we were
seated at a table, I asked him what he meant in the text he sent me.

“Logan lost his car for three weeks,” he said, grinning.

“Oh no, is he
mad?” And was he going to take it out on me?

“He wasn’t
happy. He thinks one of us told my mom, so he tried to pick a fight with me.
But I was in too good a mood last night, I just walked away.”

“Why were you
in a good mood?” I asked, hoping I knew the answer.

“I kissed the
prettiest girl in school.”

“Who, Sherry
Summers? That bitch!”

He laughed. “I
said the prettiest, and that would be you.”

I was happy and
embarrassed at the same time. I turned my head before my cheeks turned red.

When the
waitress came to our table, we ordered two sodas, and a variety of dishes to
share. “So how was work?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

I took a sip of
my diet soda before I answered. “Good. It was fairly steady, so it went fast
enough. Oh, and Zack asked me out on a date.” Why did I say that?

“What?” he
asked, wide-eyed. “Who’s Zack?”

“A guy at work,
he started about three weeks ago. He’s okay, a bit weird maybe.”

“What do you
mean?” He leaned back in his chair, waiting for my answer.

I sighed, I
hadn’t planned on explaining, but since I started, I had to finish. “Marcy
Becker told me that on his first night working, he asked a lot of questions
about me, even though we hadn’t met yet.”

“That is weird.
Why would he do that?”

“Well, my
assistant manager mentioned my name, and Marcy said he looked like he
recognized it.”

His right hand,
which lay on the table, balled into a fist, his knuckles turning white. When I
raised an eyebrow in question, he smiled, picked up his drink, and took a sip.
His hand shook slightly, making his ice cubes jiggle. “Did you know him
before?”

“No.” I glanced
around the restaurant, hoping he would drop the subject.

The waitress
came with our meal. The food smelled and looked delicious. I couldn’t wait to
try it.

“What did you
tell him about tonight when he asked you out?” he asked, his face blank.

I waited until
the waitress finished laying out our food before I spoke. “I told him that I
had plans.” I filled my plate with my favorites: rice, chicken balls, and chow
mien.

Lucas chose
ribs, chicken balls, spicy beef, and orange chicken. Typical guy, all meat, no
vegetables.

“Didn’t you
tell him that you had a boyfriend, so he doesn’t ask you again?”

I froze,
holding my fork in midair, about to take a bite. “Do I have a boyfriend? Is
that what you are?” I was a little nervous to hear his answer.

“I hope so?”
His sudden looked of uncertainty was charming.

“Then if he
asks me out again, I’ll tell him that I can’t, because I’m dating a very sweet
guy.” My cheeks reddened as I spoke the words.

He smiled that
beautiful smile that made my knees go weak. “Good. Then I don’t have to punch
him out.”

I laughed and
began my meal. “So what was Logan like as a kid?” I asked, wondering how
identical twins could be so different.

“Are you
wondering why he’s such an ass?”

I nodded.
“Maybe.”

“I don’t really
know. We were always different. I loved to learn and read. Getting good grades
just came naturally to me, but it didn’t to Logan. He struggled in school and
hated that I was better than him in something.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Once we got into high school he changed, and every year he drifted away a
little bit more.”

I watched as he
picked at his chicken, his face withdrawn. “It must be hard, especially since
you’re twins.”

“It can be.
It’s not like twins can read each other’s minds, but there is a bond. We were
inseparable when we were kids. Now we hardly ever talk.”

I placed my
hand on his free one and squeezed. He smiled and took a bite of chicken. I
changed the subject, telling him about my odd relationship with Alex. We loved
each other, but loved to fight even more.

Lucas grinned
knowingly. He lifted his chopsticks, deciding to give them a try, but to no
avail, dropping more food than what he stuffed into his mouth. He didn’t give
up too easily, though, and it was fun to watch. Finally, he managed to grasp a
chicken ball between the two sticks. “I did it,” he said triumphantly, holding
it up in the air. His finger twitched, and he lost his grip. The chicken ball
fell and rolled onto the floor, landing beside the shoe of a very large man
with long, curly black hair. He was dressed head to toe in black leather.
Biker
dude
was my first thought.