I feel a little puff of air across my cheek, and when he plants a slow, soft kiss on my pouty lips, I forget all about why I'm disappointed.
"Sweet dreams, baby."
I feel like I say the words back, but I'm not sure because as soon as I take my next breath, I'm sound asleep.
"Do you think this is the right thing to do? Like, are we making a mistake?" I ask for the millionth time today. I know he's probably sick of me asking, but I can't help it.
I'm so nervous I think I might get sick, and I can't quiet the what-ifs in my brain. What if this blows up in our faces? What if I'm wrong and this isn't what Lucy was trying to tell me? Gosh, why is this so dang hard?
Rowan reaches for my hand and pulls me to a stop. We are in Anna's driveway and about to walk up to her front door and potentially ruin her day. I can't help but think that is the biggest potential here. This isn't some happy event or celebration where she would be happy to see me, a stranger that has her dead best friend's heart beating in my chest.
No, this is going to go so freaking poorly.I can feel it.
"I'm right here. You aren't doing this alone, and if anything goes sideways, I'm getting you out of here, got it?" His words aremeant to be reassuring, but all they do is stir up more anxiety in my stomach.
I close my eyes. I don't think I can do this. But before I can bolt, the decision to run is taken away from me. The front door opens, and a girl who looks a hell of a lot like the girl in my dreams comes stumbling out.
Her eyes snap up to me and Rowan just standing there in her driveway. They widen in surprise before narrowing in suspicion.
I can't blame her, though. We probably do look rather suspicious standing in the middle of her driveway, obviously distracted and deep in conversation. Rowan still has a death grip on my hand, probably because he thought I was going to bolt, and me standing here like a deer caught in headlights probably doesn't help.
I smile, trying to ease the tension building between all three of us, before raising my hand in a friendly wave. "Hi, there."
Anna's eyebrows pull together as she watches the two of us, still suspicious. "Can I help you?"
I swallow thickly.This is it, Millie. Do I tuck tail and run, or do I help Lucy finally find peace?I feel Rowan's eyes on me as he waits for my decision. When I think about it like that, it's a no-brainer.
This girl can think I'm crazy for all I care. If it helps a lost soul find their way, then it will all be worth it. "Are you, Anna?" I already know the answer, but I wait patiently for it anyway.
I feel Rowan's relief, and it's almost as palpable as mine, that I'm not running. I'm still nervous, but something else is pushing me forward.
"Who are you?"
I step toward her, still holding Rowan's hand tightly. "I'm Millie. I—" I don't really know how to proceed, and I definitely don't want to do it all out here in the driveway, but I also don'twant to make Anna any more uncomfortable than she already is. "I knew your friend Lucy."
A white lie that doesn't really feel like a lie. I do feel like I knew her, her memories in my dreams so vivid and clear that it feels like I was there with them.
I watch as Anna's bottom lip starts to wobble. "Lucy?" she whispers, heartbroken.
"Yes. Do you have a minute for us to talk?"
She looks back at the door, then back at us. "But I knew all of her—" Something has her stopping midsentence. Maybe she feels the same cold chill that just skated across my arms or has the same tingling sensation at the base of her neck, like me.
My sign that Lucy is here with us.
"It will just take a moment," I reassure, hoping it's enough to convince her to talk to us.
Her shoulders drop, and her voice sounds shaky. "Sure."
I realize in that moment just how fragile this girl is, and that makes me even more nervous.
I look back at Rowan, indecision warring on my face. He nods his head in encouragement as we follow Anna up the sidewalk. "It's okay. Just ease into it, okay?" he whispers right before we reach the door.
I swallow thickly.Ease into it.My fingers reach for my pulse point, counting each beat. It helps alleviate some of the tension coursing through my body. That's when I smell it.Orange soda. I look over and find the prettiest orange roses. I lean forward and inhale; the smell instantly transports me back to the ice cream shop with my mom, the first instance I felt something out of the ordinary.
"Those are Just Joey's, Lucy's favorite," Anna says, a sad smile on her face as she looks at the pretty plant. She seems deep in thought, like she's lost in her memories, before she suddenly looks up and clears her throat.
"We can talk in here," she says as she leads us into the modest and well-kept house. I wonder if this is her house or if she still lives with her parents. We walk over to the living room that's right off the entryway.
