Soulbound

Kari filled her bath tub with hot water, adding a few drops of her favorite body wash, for some yummy Strawberry Poundcake scented bubbles. It was Wednesday, one of her weekly self-care nights. She would soak in her bath tub, sipping her favorite Moscato for an hour, looking at cute outfits, shoes and accessories on Pintrest. Then once she was sufficiently pruned up, she would push the button on the towel warmer, and then shave her underarms and legs. Her towel warmer clicked to indicate it was finished, so she pulled the plug and heaved herself out of the now tepid water. Surrounding herself in her giant, fluffy, now warm towel, she glanced in the mirror. Her green eyes were bright with excitement. She quickly washed and moisturized her face. She brushed her teeth and rinsed with mouthwash. She took her nightly sleeping pill. Kari walked over to her California King-sized bed, setting the alarm on her phone. Since Wednesdays (and Sundays) were her self-care nights, she would always treat herself to a Starbucks iced frappiccuno on Thursdays (and Mondays). She would take her laptop with her, and do her freelance job there. The rest of the week, she was a shut-in. She climbed into her bed and got comfortable, picking up a book by Jim Butcher. She got lost in the world of Harry Dresden, waiting for her sleeping pill to kick in. As her book faded into darkness, her last conscious thought was of that really cute Coral and Cream top, and the matching leggings that ended just at her calves. There was a pair of cream-colored ankle boots, and some dainty gold jewelry she had imagined with it. Darkness faded, and Kari was sitting at an outdoor table in some cafe. She looked down and saw she was wearing the Pinterest outfit. Everything was exactly as she had thought it to be, as she had fallen asleep. She had been doing this so long it was almost an exact science. Her doctor called it Lucid Dreaming. She could fully control herself in dreams, and although she couldn't effect the outcome of how people reacted in her dreams, they responded mostly how she anticipated. It was like, if she had free will, so did the dream inhabitants. Kari looked around, wondering where they were this time. She never got to choose the destination. It was always to Him. Sometimes she'd get there first. Sometimes He would. It was always Him, though. For 15 years, she always appeared around Him. For 15 years, she had watched him from afar, never gaining the courage to talk to him. He was perfect. He was the man of her dreams. Quite literally. A waitress appeared, "Can I help you Darlin'?" Her thick Georgian accent came through. "I'll have a Sweet Tea for now." Always a safe bet. The waitress walked away, Kari glanced down at the table. The book she had been reading ended up coming with her. And while she could read the book in her dream, she couldn't progress past where she read in the real world. All the rest of the pages were blank. She knew from experience, that if she was re-reading a book, none of the pages would be blank. She sighed, starting from the beginning of the book. About half way through chapter 3, Kari realized he hadn't shown up yet. She glanced around. She'd never appeared anywhere he wasn't. It was ALWAYS to Him, maybe with a 10 minute difference, at most. She felt weird about him not being there. For 15 years he was a constant. Even before he became a famous actor, she always dreamed about him. He wasn't in the news today. Where was he? The waitress brought her drink, and left a small pastry and dessert menu. "You let me know if you need anything else. I highly recommend the Peach Cobbler," she said, before she walked off. Kari looked over the small menu. A chocolate silk pie caught her eye, right before she dismissed the entire menu. It had easily been 20 minutes since she had appeared, and still he was a no-show. This never happened. She tried to read. She ordered the pie when the waitress came back. Her leg bounced with her nerves. She was a ball of nervous energy. It felt like time ticked by so slowly. She ate her pie, drank her tea, and tried to read. Another 30 minutes passed. He still didn't come. Can you be stood up in a dream? By a man that didn't even know you? She felt silly. She stood up, and went inside to the register to pay (thank goodness dream money wasn't real money). Kari headed to the door of the cafe. She decided to just wander around, taking in the scenery of this place. Maybe she was just in the wrong location. It had never happened before, but who knows. She shouldered the door open, just as someone yanked it hard from the outside. Kari stumbled as the weight of the door was unexpectedly gone. Strong hands grabbed her upper arms, helping to steady her. The book she was carrying hit the floor. "I'm so sorry!" Kari automatically apologized. "You don't need to apologize to me. I'm the one that came in too hot." His deep masculine voice hit her ears. "I..." All words died in her throat as her eyes crashed into his deep brown fathomless depths. He stooped down, picking up her book. He glanced at the title, then thumbed through the pages. He handed the paperback over to her, his eyes twinkling. "Wait till Susan comes back...it gutted me." "Hey! Spoilers much!" Kari felt outraged. How dare he spoil a book! His deep chuckle hit her ears. "You have a few books to go. I didn't spoil THIS book." Kari was fuming. "Now you just ruined the series! Every book, I will be waiting for Susan to come back, and when she does, now I'm going to wonder if THIS is the book that is going to gut me, or if it's later. UGH!" "You're funny." He chuckled more at her rant. "I'm Drake." He stuck out his hand to shake. "I'm...very awkwardly leaving." Kari's face was red. She couldn't believe she just blew up at Drake, even if it was a dream. She dropped her eyes, lowering her head, and she meekly passed through the door, ignoring his hand. She stepped hurriedly down the sidewalk. Kari felt he was watching her. She dashed around the corner, her heart hammering. Everything before Kari went dark and the blaring sound of her alarm woke her up. She groggily turned off her alarm and went about her morning routine. That was weird, she thought. For the first time in 15 years, her dream man spoke to her.