Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
The air whooshes out of my lungs. Coldness seeps into my bones, and I’m shaking on the inside. Her words echo in my ears and my heart burns. “But… what am I supposed to do then?”
Caroline gets up. “Wait here, I’ll bring you something.”
I suddenly feel very suffocated.
She disappears through the beaded curtains and then comes back a minute later, holding a cup in her hand. “Drink this.”
I take the cup from her hand, frowning. “What is this?”
She smiles warmly. “It’s just herbal tea. It will help calm your mind, and maybe tonight you will see what you need to see. Who your heart truly desires. It will all make sense then.”
I know it might be foolish to trust Caroline. I don’t know her.
But still…
I drink the tea.
***
My eyes flutter open, and I’m staring at the most beautiful sky. It’s so bright, so blue. The warm breeze caresses my skin and a ghost smile whispers across my lips.
I stay like this, lying on the grass.
There’s something peaceful about this place. I can smell the flowers, I can hear the birds chirping and I can hear the distant sound of rushing water.
Warmth spreads through my body but then I come to a slow realization.
What am I doing here?
What is this place?
Why am I here?
I slowly sit up. Is this a dream?
This doesn’t make sense.
I remember going to bed early last night. I had been so tired, my mind weary and my body feeling sluggish. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was deeply asleep.
And now I’m here?
I rise to my feet and I spin around in circles, taking in everything around me. My lungs squeeze when I finally notice where I’m standing.
In a meadow of yellow lilies.
I’m surrounded by the most beautiful yellow lilies I’ve ever seen.
“Riley.” His familiar, deep baritone voice calls out to me.
My breathing stutters.
My heart ricochets against my ribs.
I hastily spin around and I see him. Standing just a few feet away, in the middle of the meadow. He stretches his arm out, waiting for me to take his hand.
I take a step toward him. He grins… and oh God, he’s devastatingly beautiful.
“Come to me,” he rasps.
I wake up with a gasp, my heart beating in my throat and my pulse racing. I frantically look around me, my hand fluttering to my heaving chest.
I’m in my room.
Not in a field of yellow lilies.
It was just a dream.
But… that dream…
Oh, it can’t be real, right? I don’t understand.
My eyes flicker to my phone, a shocked gasp spilling from my lips when I see the time. I slept for twelve hours straight, what the fuck?
I don’t remember the last time I’ve slept this long and this deeply.
Caroline Sanchez. She must have done something to me.
Frowning at my thoughts, I climb off my bed. It’s ten in the morning and I never wake up this late. I have to see Caroline, I have to ask what she has done to me.
I get dressed in a record of time and rush out of my apartment.
Ten minutes later, I’m standing in front of her shop. This time, I don’t hesitate. Pushing open the door, I walk inside with a scowl on my face.
She’s standing behind the counter, and when Caroline notices me— she smiles in greeting, as if she had been expecting me all along.
“What did you do to me?” I hiss, placing my hands on the counter and leaning toward her. “You put something in my tea. Did you drug me?”
The accusation floats heavily between us.
Caroline is quiet for a second, before she tosses her head back and laughs. “Oh, I love hearing this every time.” She shakes her head, her eyes fill with mirth. “No, Sugar. I did not drug you. The herbal tea is really just tea, nothing else. But it’s a healing tea. It’s supposed to soothe your body and calm your mind.”
I blink, confused. “I had a dream. Was I supposed to have a dream?”
“Yes.” Caroline nods. “The dream is supposed to be your moment of realization.”
My chest hurts, the pain almost crippling. I make a sound of distress in the back of my throat and Coraline stares at me, her brows pulled together in slight confusion.
“You’ve seen your choice in your dream,” she tells me slowly. “ It showed you who your heart truly desires. Love is not meant to be this complicated. Your dream was clear. So why are you still stalling?
I swallow thickly, past the lump in my throat. “Because my dream means that I have to break his heart.”
“Love is always accompanied with tragedy. It’s inevitable.”
“He doesn’t deserve it.” I shake my head. Hot tears sting my eyes as I hold them back from spilling over my cheeks.
“Heartbreak is part of life.” She tsks.
Caroline pats the back of my head, giving me a sympathetic look. “Make your choice before it’s too late, Riley.”