—Haruki Murakami

With my eyes still tightly closed, I stretched and idly listened to the stirring sounds of life outside my window. Slowly, my eyelids parted and my vision adjusted to accommodate the bright lights entering my window blinds.

Thursday.

My interview was tomorrow.

But more importantly, I would see Julian tomorrow.

My night was spent in a blissful dream with Julian's lips on mine. I recounted how real it felt to have the nail of his thumb softly tracing the line of my bottom lip, before leaning in to kiss me slowly.

Grudgingly, I reached for my phone to check the time, only to see a dead screen. Oh no, I thought, I overslept.

I scrambled down the stairs to check the time on the microwave, then grabbed my charger. All the while, I cursed at myself for not having a clock anywhere upstairs.

Noon.

How did I manage to sleep until noon?

Part of me was nostalgic for the months when I barely slept at all, but the larger part of me was solaced by the turn of events that led to my increased hours of peaceful slumber.

In moments, I was straight back up the stairs, plugging in my phone and starting the water for my shower. While the stream heated up, I undressed and pulled my hair back. I dug through the bathroom drawers and found a one-time-use mud mask packet. While being particularly mindful to avoid my eyes and lips, I applied the algae-colored goo to my face. It looked disgusting, but felt cool on my pores, and smelled surprisingly minty.

My shower took an abnormally long time, as I scrubbed the remaining bits of excess red dye out of my locks, and shaved every single hair from my legs. It was incredibly satisfying to run my hands along the skin of my calves and feel no resistance, just smooth skin. This alone boosted my mood, and giddiness overcame me.

I sang along to the catchy, yet callow, pop songs on the little waterproof radio in the corner of my shower. While singing terribly, I used my fingers to do a once-over on my face, removing any leftover flecks of the mud mask. I felt entirely refreshed, despite unintentionally sleeping through the alarm that my dead phone could not give me.

Quickly, I wrapped a loud, pink, cheetah-print towel around my body and a smaller, black towel around my head. Before exiting the bathroom, I grabbed a sapphire-blue nail polish from the cabinet and made my way to the bed.

By the time I started applying the polish to my fingers and toes, I noticed the flashing indicator of new text messages on my charging phone by the window. I would have to wait just a bit longer before checking them. This bottle of polish advertised dry nails within ten minutes of application, and luckily, it delivered on the promise.

The spontaneity of the weekend ahead of me was making me feel a little jumpy. Some last remaining droplets of water from my shower trickled down the back of my neck, escaping the black towel that encased my freshly cut hair. I focused on their paths along the curves of my skin.

Soft knocking on my front door startled me, breaking through my thoughts, and I quietly tiptoed down the stairs to look through the peephole. With a sigh, I opened the door just a crack, standing behind it to shield my body.

"Hey!" Laina's voice was shrill but happy.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" I asked, locking the door behind us.

"Didn't you get my texts? My boss let us go early today. Let's go do something," Laina suggested with excitement in her voice, while eyeing my towel-covered frame. She stifled a laugh. "Nice, cheetah print."

"Shut up." I smiled at her. "My phone was dead, otherwise I would have told you that I'm busy today."

"Too busy for me? Impossible! What are you doing?" Laina made her way to the cabinets and pulled out a bag of pretzels to munch on.

"I have my interview tomorrow. And I'm sort of going on a trip afterward." As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted it.

"What trip?" Laina crunched loudly as I started back up the stairs to get dressed.

"Just a weekend trip." I intentionally delayed the whole truth that she would inevitably get out of me.

"Oh, really?" Laina's footsteps were loud as she followed me up the stairs and stood outside the bedroom, with the bag of pretzels still in her hand.

"Yes, really. I'll be back on Sunday," I assured her.

"Are you going to tell me where you're going?" Laina's voice carried through the door to my bedroom.

I pulled a heather-gray raglan top with black sleeves over my head, and tugged on a pair of black jean capris.

"I'm going back home to Orlando." It was not entirely untrue.

"Oh." Laina's earlier excitement faded from her tone. "That's all?"

That was easier than I thought it would be.

I opened the door, keeping the black towel over my hair, as I went to the bathroom again. There, I pulled out the hair dryer. It was one of the few accessories I didn't pack for my trip, since I figured there had to have been one in the bathroom at Julian's hotel already.

As the remaining dampness was pulled from my strands, the shade of my hair lightened to reveal the deep cherry tones beneath. My hair looked even better the day after my cut, and I couldn't have been more pleased. After I brushed out the knots, I followed the sound of crunching back downstairs to find Laina. This time, I had my phone in my pocket.

"...Whoa." Laina took in my appearance.

"What?" I asked, a bit embarrassed.

"Your hair. What'd you do to it?" Doubt crept in, and I frowned.

"I got it done yesterday. Alien picture, remember? ...Is it terrible?" I looked to the ground.

"Um, no. You are one hot mama." Laina smiled from ear-to-ear. "What's the reason?"

"No reason." I was a terrible fibber.

"Let me get this straight. You're jetting off to Florida for the weekend, for no apparent reason, while your mom is on a cruise, and you're sporting all of this." Laina motioned toward my hair and freshly painted nails.

"You know I have an interview tomorrow. Ever think I wanted to look presentable for that?" I bit my lower lip to avoid smiling.

Laina reached into the bag of pretzels and eyed me while tapping her fingers on the table. "I happen to know that Ascend the Stars is in Orlando on Saturday."

I choked on air.

"Yeah, they keep posting about it online. So, that's a bit of a coincidence. Isn't it, Brooke?" Laina eyed me mischievously.

"Okay," I surrendered. "Julian invited me. He's flying me out for a couple days. Please, Laina, don't make a big deal out of this. I want to keep this private. I don't ask much of you, I just—"

Laina interrupted me by wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me close to her.

"I wouldn't try to ruin this for you. I am so happy for you, Brooke. I have never seen you like this before. You're taking care of yourself. You're writing again. You're coming back to life." Laina's eyes were glossy when I leaned back to look at her face again.

Instantly, I felt grateful to have her, and guilty for assuming the worst of her. Really, I knew Laina would never do anything to intentionally harm me. I just questioned her ability to keep a secret. It was a habit of automatic distrust that I was trying to break.

"Thank you." A tear of my own, that I never even felt traveling down my cheek, fell onto my shirt.

"I'm really happy for you," Laina said, seriously and with sincerity.

"It's not anything. We're just going to spend some time together. Nothing big," I said, trying to convince myself more than her, in an attempt to not get my hopes up.

Laina nodded, still smiling.

"How are you getting to the airport?" she asked.

"I was just going to take myself after my interview, and pay to park my car there for the weekend."

"I can take you, if you want?" Laina offered with bright eyes.

"Don't you have to work?" I asked.

"Half day tomorrow. I can be here a little after noon. I'll just take a magazine to read, while you're in the interview, then we can head to the airport together," Laina said.

It would've been nice, not having to pay to park my car, and not needing to worry about it being broken into while I was gone. Better yet, it might've felt good to have someone see me off. Before I could decline, I gave in. "Sure, that would be great. Thank you, Lain."

"So, what about today? All of these plans are for tomorrow. What do you have going on tonight, then?" Laina asked.

I was already packed, shaved, had practiced my answers to common interview questions, and had researched more about the Tucson Telegram for brownie points. I was more prepared than I realized.

"I guess I don't really have much planned tonight. I think I'm mostly ready for tomorrow," I answered honestly.

"Then let's get out of here for a while! How about we grab a coffee at the mall and people watch?" Laina's proposal didn't sound half bad.

"Alright, let's go," I said while sliding my sandals on.

...

The Tucson Mall was, luckily, mostly empty for a Thursday afternoon. While enjoying the open spaces, Laina and I took our time strolling around the levels and sipping on frozen, blended coffees. The caffeine and sugar running through my veins elevated my mood and I found myself throwing my head back in laughter at Laina's stories about her coworkers.

We passed by the shops, with perfect mannequins in freshly-polished windows, sporting the sexiest outfits. Their faces peered confidently off into the distance, with their plastic hands in awkward positions, adorned with glittering jewelry.

I was vaguely reminded that the clothes I'd packed for my weekend with Julian were nothing fancy in comparison, and I was half tempted to splurge on a new outfit or two.

It made me uncomfortable, though, to imagine that he would have liked me more if I looked or dressed differently, so I decided against it. I eagerly wanted Julian's affection, but only if it were truly for me, as I was.

I was just me, and I got the inkling that Julian liked me even more for this reason.

Laina eyed a cream-colored cardigan in the display window of a department store, and approached the entrance just as my phone rang. Arrows.

"You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you in a minute," I said to Laina, and turned my back before she could protest.

Hurriedly, I answered my cell phone.

"Hello?" I said, with my voice low, as if a passerby might have overheard our conversation.

"Hi, beautiful." Julian released the caged butterflies within my stomach. "Where are you? I've been trying to get in touch."

"You have? My phone died sometime last night, and Laina showed up unannounced a little while ago. She sort of dragged me to the mall," I said, drifting towards the souvenir shop that was next to the department store.

"Oh, I feel stupid now." Julian chuckled.

"What? Why?" I was entirely confused.

"Well, I thought your phone's battery may have died, since we fell asleep together, but when the afternoon crept by, I started getting worried," he admitted slowly.

"Worried about what?" I asked.

"I don't know. I thought maybe you didn't want to come tomorrow. See, it's stupid. I'm stupid." To see Julian worried and vulnerable, flattered me like nothing else could.

"Julian, I wouldn't skip out on seeing you for anything," I promised him. "I am beyond excited."

And scared, I thought. I was terrified of heights. So, flying, especially alone, was not at the top of my list of favorite things to do.

"And me," he said happily. I strolled forward, not even trying to hide the growing smile across my face.

I eyed the Arizona souvenirs in the small shop, as my index finger trailed the shelves aimlessly. They had everything from playing cards to grow-your-own cactus kits.

"It doesn't feel like a week, does it?" Julian asked.

"Not at all. It feels like so much longer," I agreed.

"So much can happen in just a handful of days... even just one day. That's how quickly your life can change." His voice wavered at the end. "I wasn't prepared to meet you, but I'm so glad I did. You came into my life at just the right time."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

I spotted a shelf behind me with fabric patches. There were replica Tucson police patches, and next to those were Tucson firefighter patches.

Right away, I remembered what Julian had told me in his hotel room, about his childhood dream to either be a fireman or a pirate. This was a perfect gift for him. It wasn't much, but the symbolism behind it would have been the true present for Julian.

He saved my life in Tucson, even if I couldn't fully admit that out loud yet. I hoped he would understand what this meant, beyond the aesthetic. Once he left America, he would have a small reminder of me in this little piece of fabric, which would act as proof of our strange, intense, beautiful connection together.

"You do more for me than you know, Brooke. For all the things I can't explain yet, thank you." He spoke these words, as I brought the patch to the cashier to check out.

The fact that Julian used the word yet gave me hope, though my naturally curious nature sent my mind spinning to wonder what he really meant, and what he could've been hiding from me.

"You're welcome, for the things I don't know." My lame attempt at lightening the mood was repaid with a hearty laugh from Julian.

As I stepped outside the souvenir shop, small bag in one hand, and holding my phone to my ear with the other, I saw Laina still aimlessly circling the clothing aisles next door. I waited on the bench outside the front of the store for her to finish shopping.

"I'll be at the airport tomorrow to collect you," Julian announced.

"What? I thought I was just getting a ride to the hotel and meeting you there?" I questioned the original plan.

"Yeah, well, I decided I needed to see you sooner. As soon as I can, actually. So, I'm going to be there when you land," Julian promised. His tone was cheerful and confident.

"I'm not going to argue with that," I replied. My skin suddenly felt hot.

"I had a dream last night that I want to relive as early as I can," he admitted.

"Oh? What was that?" I said, remembering my own dream of him, from the night before.

"I was kissing you," he confessed. "Passionate, intense, drawn-out kissing."

"I dreamt the very same thing last night," I revealed. The coincidence shook me.

"You know it wasn't a coincidence then?" Julian said, as if he could read my thoughts. "Since we couldn't be together physically, we were meeting in our dreams."

"You really believe that?" I asked.

"Definitely. No question." Julian's assurance sent a slight shiver through me.

Laina interrupted my musing in a booming voice. "There you are!"

"Hey, all finished?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Who are you talking to?" Laina asked, unabashed.

"I'm sorry, I think I have to go," I said quietly into the phone.

Julian laughed, at least three times louder than his normal volume of voice.

"Okay, well, I'll be thinking of you. I can't wait to see you," he said. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," I agreed, before we hung up.

1. "Shower" by Becky G

2. "Back For You" by One Direction

3. "Be With You" by Anthem Lights

4. "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" (cover) by Bianca Nelwan

5. "Heart Attack" by Demi Lovato