1 Month Later....
AJ slowly opened his eyes, his heart still pounding from what he'd seen, thankful for the calm quietness in the room. He listened for sounds coming from downstairs, but heard none. "Good. She's gone," he said to himself, feeling almost badly for thinking that about his fiancee. The past few weeks with her had been pure hell. But, he couldn't think about that now. He had far more important things weighing on his mind. Like the dream he'd just had.
Once again, he had found himself a third wheel, a mere onlooker in someone else's bedroom. Or so he'd thought. Just as in all the other dreams, things were hazy, but now, he was standing a few feet closer to the bed. The couple, engaged in some of the most passionate love making he'd ever seen, were oblivious to the fact that he was even there. The raw desire and emotion between them filled the room like thick smoke. So much, in fact, that AJ, himself, could feel it.
In the previous dreams he had been a fixed object in the room, unable to move. This time, however, he found that he could move around freely, and began to take small steps in the couple's direction. But, what felt like the touch of a soft hand stopped him in his tracks. There hadn't been anything like THAT in the other dreams he'd had. Lost in that thought, he was startled by the soft sound of a feminine voice, a familiar voice. The woman in the bed. Destiny. What was she saying? He strained to make out the words.
"To show you the way....."
AJ squinted his brown eyes against the haze trying to see things more clearly, but to no avail. He could hear her speaking softly to the man, and as he stepped even closer, he could hear the moans of pleasure from her lover. Then, the vision started becoming clearer and clearer with every step he took. He could see her place a delicate hand on the dark haired man's shoulder, and softly trace up the side of his neck with her fingers.
Once again, he was stopped in his tracks. At the precise moment she ran her fingers along the man's neck, AJ could feel it in the same exact place. He could feel the next touch of her hand.... and the next.... and the next.... and the next.
"To show you the way..... To show you the way...."
Those were the only words he could make out. They seemed to be ringing loudly from all directions.
His feet took him closer and closer,still, to the couple, as if they had a will of their own. He came within a few feet of the bedside before he stopped again. He could clearly see the look of ecstasy on Destiny's face. How beautiful she looked. All of the passion, desire and love within her seemed to beam from her every pore. When she turned to look in his eyes, AJ was completely taken, suddenly realizing in a single moment why he'd been having these dreams. The very next second, he received the assurance that he was, indeed, right. As he continued staring into Destiny's blue eyes, he saw the man turning his head out of the corner of his eye.
Slowly, AJ turned his attention away from Destiny and toward her lover. What he saw then caused him to catch his breath. It had also been what had woke him up. The face that had been so hazy and blurry all those times before was now crystal clear. When he turned his head to look at the man, not really wanting to, but unable to control his body, he came face to face with.... himself..
Now, sitting on the side of the bed, AJ began to process everything in his mind.
"To show me the way," he said slowly to himself.
He had been searching, relentlessly, over the past few months for a "way" to fix the problems in his life. The problems in his personal life, to be specific. He and Serena had hit some rough waters. He'd bent over backwards trying to please her. Trying to find a "way" back to the happiness that had once filled his life. Was he now to believe that these dreams had been showing him the "way"? That it had been right there in front of him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destiny sat in the restaurant waiting for Nick. He was to be meeting her for a quick lunch, but, as usual, he was late. Over the past few weeks, they had seen each other less and less, and every time she tried to talk to him about it, he always changed the subject. She could actually feel him withdrawing from her. She wanted to reach out to him, to help him with whatever had him so distracted, but she couldn't get past the hard shell he had around his inner feelings. She was not only worried about him, but about the relationship between them that had started crumbling. She felt so helpless.
She was just about to give up on him when he rushed into the restaurant, out of breath and clearly upset by something. Taking her hand and almost jerking her out of her seat, he ordered her to follow him.
"Where are we going, Nick?" she asked, a little taken aback by his behavior.
"Just come on," he quipped, still pulling her along behind him.
She followed him out the restaurant door and down the sidewalk about a hundred feet before he came to a stop. He turned his head in all directions, clearly looking for something, or someone. He looked again, in front, behind, and to both sides of them, before nervously running a hand through his hair and throwing his hands up.
"Nick, what are we doing? You're scaring me."
"She was here, I tell you. She was here!"
"Who, Nick? What's going on?"
"I saw her! I'm not crazy! You've got to believe me," he pleaded.
"Who?!? Who did you see? And I didn't say you were crazy."
Grabbing her forcefully by the shoulders, he looked into her eyes, his demeanor causing her even more fear. She'd never seen him like this.
"Listen to me," he ordered. "I am NOT crazy. I know what I saw. She was here."
Destiny noticed the people beginning to stop and look at them.
"Nick... let's go back inside and sit down. You can explain it all to me, and I'll listen. But, we need to get out of the middle of the street!"
"No! I've gotta find her," he said, looking around once more. "Uh... I'm sorry... here....," he offered, pulling a credit card out of his wallet and handing it to her. "Get yourself some lunch and, um, go shopping or something. I'll catch up with you later. I'm sorry."
Destiny was appalled that he would do this. Breaking their date for something he thought he may have seen, and she knew exactly who he was talking about, was one thing. But, trying to buy her off like this? Trying to "pay her" for her time??? That was the last straw.
"Forget it, Nick," she said, and turned and walked off, leaving him standing there, his arm still outstretched, the card still in his hand.
He watched her walk back to restaurant and go inside. He knew he had screwed up, but he couldn't go to her and make it right.... not right now. He'd have to do that later. Right now, he had to find the woman he'd seen.... the woman with the baby.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AJ had sat by the phone for over an hour, picking it up now and then only to replace it back on the hook. Should I call her? he kept asking himself. No! he reasoned. I can't. It's not right.
He fought with his conscience on what to do. He'd convince himself that he had to talk to her, only to chicken out as he began to dial her number.
"It was just a dream, for God's sake!" he said to himself, finally getting up and walking away.
He went to his closet, pulled out some clean clothes and began to get ready to take a shower. He had decided to go for a drive, alone with his thoughts, to get things figured out.
Alone with my thoughts, he thought. That's not a good thing.
Yet again, he found himself in front of the phone, his outstretched hand almost touching it. Just about the time he'd mustered enough courage to dial the number again, it rang, causing him to jump.
"Shit!" he cursed, realizing his hand was shaking, as he reached to pick it up.
"Hello?" he answered.
"AJ?"
All the nervous feelings he'd been having were all back in an instant. The soft voice on the other end was the same one he'd heard over and over in the dream. Only this time, it wasn't passion filled at all. She sounded extremely upset.
"Des? What's wrong, sweetie?"
"AJ, I need to talk to you. I need to talk to someone," she cried.
"What's wrong? What did he do this time?" he quipped, fully aware of Nick's behavior of the past little while.
"Could you please come over?"
"Um...., uh....," he stuttered. "Yeah, sure. I can come over."
He wasn't sure that was a good idea, though. After the dream he'd had, surely things would be awkward. Would he still be able to be the friend she so obviously needed right now? What about telling her about the dream like he'd decided to do? No, he shook his head. That'll just have to wait.
"Uh, I'll be there shortly," he answered.
"Thanks, AJ. I knew I could count on you, the man of my dreams," she laughingly joked, trying to lighten the mood. As they'd become closer over the past month or so, as each had helped the other with many personal issues, and found they had so much in common, she'd affectionately started referring to him as her emotional twin, the man of her dreams.
You have no idea, he thought. No idea at all.
As he showered and dressed, thoughts of telling her still lingered in his mind. She's obviously having problems with Nick. Things with them haven't been too peachy lately, either. Maybe I can be her "way" as well.
The words to say played over and over in his mind on the drive to her house. The closer he got, the more nervous he became. He was close to hyperventilating as he pulled into the driveway. But nothing prepared him for what he'd feel next.
When she opened the door, he was so overwhelmed with emotions he never knew he had, emotions that frightened him. He was, after all, engaged, all be it to a witch. And, SHE was, after all, the girlfriend of one of his best friends.
But, given all of that, would he be able to hide the feelings that were now rising to the surface? Would he be able to put those aside and continue being the friend he wanted to be to her?