“Nancy,” he whispered, “I had a long dream. I
was… Garrett.” He looked at me, his voice filled
with sadness. “That wasn’t a dream, was it?”
Of course not. The pain was too real, the love
too intense, even hidden in a dream. The
familiar ache returned, the overwhelming love I
felt for dream–Garrett flooding back, irrational
but irresistible.
<
I remembered the knife in my hand, Garrett’s
triumphant smile. “Don’t forget me, Nancy.
Take me home, Nancy.”
Three years of searching, of longing, finally
found their target. I was about to rush into his
arms, into the arms of my destiny. Something
felt wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Then, Julian’s phone rang.
“Ms. Nancy, how about a private rehearsal with
your Mr. Garrett tonight?”
“My Mr. Garrett…” Something clicked. After a
month of rehearsals, those words brought
Julian’s voice to mind. “Someone who loves
you would never make you kill them.”
“Ms. Nancy,” Julian continued, “I’d like to
discuss the ending. How can we rewrite it to
emphasize breaking free from destiny?”
<
Clarity returned, stopping me in my tracks.
407
Ethan was murmuring, “Nancy, it wasn’t a
dream. It was real. The knife… it hurt. But not
as much as losing you. I thought… I’d never see
you again.”
The familiar tightness in my chest returned, threatening to pull me under. I fought the urge
to embrace him.
I’d done the right thing. Because at that
moment, Lindsey burst in, crying, throwing
herself into Ethan’s arms. She’d been terrified
of losing him. Facing mortality had clarified her
feelings. She wanted to marry him.
A wave of cold washed over me, leaving me
fully awake. Julian’s voice came through the
phone, perfectly timed. “How can you stand for
such a cliché, Ms. Nancy?”
I composed myself, a strange realization
- 1.
<
- 12.
464
As I left, Ethan was glaring at Lindsey, his eyes hard, his words cruel, a stark contrast to his earlier tenderness. I escaped, the emotional rollercoaster leaving me drained. I called Julian. When he arrived, I threw my arms around him.
“You said you wanted to discuss the script. Any way I want?”
His eyes sparkled. “Anything you want.”
I kissed him, a kiss filled with genuine desire, a soft tenderness that had nothing to do with the suffocating grief of Garrett.
“My destiny seems to be predetermined,” I said, pulling back. “You knew, didn’t you?”
He smiled enigmatically, tucking a strand of hair
behind my ear. “Your destiny is your own.”
<
“What if it’s written for me?” I asked quietly. “What if this world… is a story?”
He studied me. “What are you talking about?
You’re not going to pull the ‘it’s not you, it’s fate‘ card on me, are you?”
I saw nothing in his eyes to confirm my suspicions. I gave him a playful smile. “I’m not breaking up with you. We’re just… discussing the script.”
- 13.
I dropped the subject, but my doubts remained.
I was falling for Julian, yet I was still drawn to
Garrett, a primal, undeniable pull. It didn’t make
sense. My destiny, as I suspected, was being
written for me. Garrett was meant to be the
one.
