Seven Souls

A weird dream

Sam’s POV

“Mr. Stevens, are you with us?” I woke up from my trance, seeing the middle-aged woman staring at me with concern.

My brain was at home while I was physically here. I was worrying over Sophia, like what was she doing right now? Is she fine, taking care of herself, or just falling into her depressed state?

I hated leaving her every morning, leaving her all alone.

“Sorry, I zoned out. What were you saying again?” I asked, sitting comfortably in the chair.

“I was saying how about marketing influencers and models, your brother would be the face of our campaign,” she said, locking her gaze with mine.

“M-my brother?” I shuttered, not believing what I just heard. She nodded, pursing her lips as she looked back at me.

“I’ll think about it, Mrs. Lenny,” I said, forcing a smile despite the boiling feeling inside of me.

Her gaze snapped to her daughter and assistant. They nodded their heads, and she looked back at me with a tight smile. “See you next week, Mr. Stevens,” she said before getting up.

I walked them to the elevator and right before Mrs. Lenny stepped inside; she gripped my hand and smiled softly at me.

“Son, if you want to take some time off, I understand. My offer won’t go away until you pick it up,” she said in a motherly tone.

“Don’t worry about me, Mrs. Lenny,” I said, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. Then she stepped inside the elevator with her daughter and assistant.

I stood in my place and watched as the elevator doors closed. A sigh escaped my lips, and I headed back to my office.

I threw myself on the lounge chair and stared at the ceiling. What was I doing to myself?

Olivia Lenny is a family friend and business friend. The bond between the two families was great till my brother ripped it. He was engaged to her daughter, then he cheated on her and they broke up.

I was surprised when she asked if my brother could be the primary model, our campaign’s face.

“What’s on your mind, Alec?” I whispered, running my fingers through my hair.

My gaze traveled to the clock as I yawned. I didn’t have any meetings, just tons of paperwork.

“I could use some nap,” I muttered to myself, dozing off in the comfortable chair.

“Sam…” someone whispered my name. I opened my eyes and found myself at home, in my room, to be specific.

“Right here, Sammy,” the voice called once again. I followed the voice up to the last floor.

I rested my hand on the staircase railing, looking at the closed doors. “Where are you?” My voice croaked out, then I heard giggles coming from the attic.

I strode towards the attic and grabbed the handle, pulling the ladder down. I climbed it and got into the dark attic. “Hello?”

The light turned on and I saw Sophia smiling at me. “What are you doing here?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you, Sam I…”

She didn’t get to complete the sentence as I woke up from that weird dream. I felt someone moving his finger along my jawline. “Sophia,” I whispered, opening my eyes, meeting a pair of blue eyes instead.

I gripped my hand around the finger of my secretary. “What did I tell you about personal space!” I shouted at her.

She flinched, taking a few steps back. “I-I didn’t…”

“Leave!” I shouted, and she nodded frantically, pulling her finger out of my grip and running to the door.

“f**k you Alec and your skills in hiring,” I hissed as I looked at the clock, noticing that I slept for two hours.

My gaze traveled to the pile of files, and I groaned.

I got up and sat behind the desk, starting to do my work. An hour passed, and I had already finished most of them, so I rested my back on the chair, taking a break.

My phone rang, and I answered without looking at the caller. “What did you exactly tell Mrs. Lenny?” I heard Alec’s voice, and I immediately felt angry.

“No, you tell me what did you tell that woman because last time I checked she didn’t stand your name being mentioned,” I snapped at him.

“Thanks to Kylie’s magic, she was the one who talked to her, now Mrs. Lenny is willing to invest in her agency, you know she has influencers, actors, and models, all we need is a marketing partner, that’s you,” he said carelessly.

I moved the phone away and let out a humorless chuckle. My brother wasn’t only using our company in his favor, he was also using Kylie’s agency.

“Sam, are you there?” I heard his voice.

I closed my eyes and sighed sharply, pressing the phone to my ear. “Are you seriously using your pregnant girlfriend who just lost her sister?”

“She told me how you treat her, Alec, and she is a freaking human with feelings,” I hissed.

“I’ll talk to you later when you are calmer,” he said in a blank tone, then he hung up before I could say anything.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and threw my phone across the room, hearing it break. “Jesus, he’s ruining everything,” I said through gritted teeth.

Calm down, Sam. You would find a solution and fix everything before it gets worse. I reassured myself as I packed my unfinished work.

I decided to go home. I could use some time with Sophia, maybe take her on a date and work later at night.

I left my office and reached home after an hour due to busy roads. I parked the car and brought the briefcase before leaving the car.

I glanced at the house while I locked the car, seeing a faint light in the attic.

“Sophia,” I groaned, rushing inside the house. I threw my briefcase beside the door and hurried to the attic.

Before what happened last month, she went to the attic, looking for something I assumed. She ended up passing out after having a panic attack.

Kylie and Alec were visiting her that day. They found her in the attic and helped her.

The different thing was Sophia. She always had a phobia of tight places, so why bother going there.

I never knew what forced her to go up there.

And there she was in the attic again, probably staring at the wedding stuff.

They were expensive and I couldn’t just throw them away, so I packed everything up in the attic.

I found the stool and chuckled, knowing she suffered to reach for the handle. I stopped as I remembered my odd dream from earlier.

“Sam?” Sophia’s voice woke me up from my trance.

She climbed down the ladder, and I helped her. Her gaze found mine, and I knitted my eyebrows in a frown, holding her hand in mine. “What are you doing up here?” I asked.

“I was looking for… uh… I forgot.” She giggled, slapping her forehead lightly.

“Are you okay? You went to the attic…” I muttered, and she gazed at me with a puzzled look.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?” She responded, and I decided to keep my worries to myself, not wanting to start another useless fight with Sophia.

“Why are you early? Your mother said you would be a little late,” she mumbled, taking her hand out of my grasp and placing them on her waist.

I smirked at her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her closer. Her arms eloped around my neck and her lips quivered upward in a smile. “I wanted to take the love of my life out for dinner,” I whispered, smiling at her.

“That sounds cheesy,” she joked, her eyes glinting with happiness.

I pressed a kiss on her cheek, and she giggled. “But I love it,” she whispered when I pulled away.

“And I love you,” I whispered back, resting my forehead on hers, my lips grazing her soft ones.

She hummed, closing her eyes at my touch. “Or we could stay at home and watch some movies,” I suggested and her eyes flew open, glaring at me.

“No, we are going out. Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready.” She pecked my lips and rushed downstairs.

Right before I raised the ladder of the attic, I went up there, looking at the neatly packed stuff. What are you searching for here, Sophia? I asked myself, then turned off the lights.

I pushed the ladder and closed the attic, then took the stool downstairs, returning it to the kitchen.

I went to my dressing room and changed my suit to a pair of black joggers, along with a sweater.

“I’m done,” Sophia shouted from downstairs.

“Coming,” I shouted back as I opened the drawer. I pulled out one of my old phones since I broke mine this morning.

After I set it up, I went downstairs and saw Sophia matching with me, wearing the same black joggers and one of my black sweaters.

“Aren’t we a cute couple,” I remarked with a smirk as I strode towards her.

She just rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, dragging me behind her to the door.

“It had been too long since I left to go to other places than the therapist. Please walk faster,” she pleaded, and I chuckled at her, pulling her into my embrace.

“Someone is a little more cheerful than usual,” I remarked.

She smacked my shoulder. “Don’t jinx it,” she whined, and I nodded, placing a kiss on her head.

I thanked God that she was happy. Right after the incident, she would wake up and cry in the middle of the night, then fall asleep again. It worried me. Therapy might’ve worked for her as she became all cheerful and her nightmares stopped now.

We got in the car and I drove to the nearest McDonald’s. After we took our order, I drove to the beach.

I parked the car and got out, then went to the trunk and brought out a picnic blanket I always kept, then went to Sophia as she waited for me with our food.

“A nice picnic on the beach under the stars. How romantic, Stevens,” she teased, and I smirked.

“Your favorite, Adams,” I said, locking the car.

“Let’s go then, I’m starving.” She walked away, and I followed her.

I set down the blanket in a perfect spot, and she set down the food. “This is so peaceful,” she whispered as she sat down, her eyes focused on the waves.

I sat next to her and cupped her cheek, grazing her soft skin with my thumb. Her gaze snapped to mine, and she grinned.

“Thanks for taking me out,” she mumbled, and I grabbed her face close to mine, our lips meeting in a quick kiss.

She tore away from my grasp and cleared her throat, grabbing out our food. We exchanged talks about how our day went while we ate.

Mine was packed with interviews, then the meeting, while her day was great with my mother and Claire.

“Um… why are you keeping the wedding stuff in the attic?” she asked, keeping her gaze on her nearly finished burger.

I furrowed my eyebrows, turning my gaze to the ocean. “You asked me before, remember?” I implored, and she coughed, choking on the bite she just took.

I helped her lean forward and slapped her back. She spat the piece that got stuck in her throat and breathed in sharply. “Are you okay?” I asked, and she nodded weakly.

I grabbed a bottle of water and opened it, handing it to her. My gaze didn’t lift off her as she chugged down the water.

Why did my question catch her off guard like that?

“I-I don’t remember asking or going up there in the attic,” she murmured in a weary tone, not lifting her gaze off her lap.

“It happened two weeks before the accident,” I tried to refresh her mind.

This wasn’t the first time she forgot something she did or happened. It has been happening lately. Usually, she remembers, but most of the time she doesn’t.

The sound of the waves slamming together filled the silence between us. I didn’t know what to tell her. My words seemed to mix up with my feelings.

Everything was a mess inside of my head.

“Well, I hoped we would get married after you get better,” I broke the silence and she lifted her gaze, her emerald green eyes finally meeting mine.

I took her hand in mine, drawing imaginary circles on her palm. “You can always tell me everything, Soph,” I offered, and she pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Is everything fine with you?” I asked, and she nodded, forcing a wide smile onto her lips.

“So, you still want to get married?” she questioned, looking down at our hands.

“Of course, Soph. I would love to stay with you forever,” I whispered, grabbing her chin between my index and thumb.

Her eyes found mine, and she nibbled on her lips before smiling at me. Her dazzling smile seemed to leave me breathless.

“We can even get married right now if you want to,” I mumbled, and a nervous chuckle escaped her lips.

Soon her chuckles turned into laughter, and I gazed deeply at her as she laughed.

“Hey, I’m not joking,” I nudged her, and she stopped laughing, looking with amusement at me.

I leaned in for a kiss, but stopped at her words. “Maybe not right now. I still didn’t get over what happened,” she mumbled, giving me a sheepish smile.

She pressed her lips on mine in a quick kiss before resting her head on my shoulder.

I wrapped my arm around her body and stared at the dark skies. “This is peaceful,” she whispered, and I hummed in response.

Her words were stuck in my head and they made me worried instead of being relieved.