Reoccurring dreams plague both Stacie and Aubrey. As their best friends learn about the dreams, a plan is concocted to ease the angst.
Aubrey sat up, her covers falling to her lap as she drew her knees to her chest. She pulled her top sheet to her face, gently dabbing the sleep from her eyes. A faraway dream niggled her mind; she could remember just enough to know she wanted to remember more but couldn't. She had been back in Atlanta for only a few days now, yet this dream had plagued her every night. The longer she sat there, the more the details faded.
She crawled from her bed and reached for the silken robe hanging by her bed and slipped her arms through the sleeves. Aubrey primly made her bed, tucking the sheets beneath the mattress with military like precision and pulling the duvet neatly up, smooth. The blonde went into her bathroom and cranked her shower to full blast hot allowing the steam to open her pores as she brushed her teeth and readied for her morning routine.
Aubrey pumped a bit of cleanser between her hands and dabbed it all over her face and gently rubbed it in to remove her overnight cream. She washed this product off with warm water. Her facial routine continued in the shower with a gentle deep cleanser. Her shampoo was lilac scented, followed by a deep conditioner for her hair. She did not disregard the rest of her skin and used a body wash, again faintly scented with lilacs.
After the steamy water had loosened her muscles and she was feeling much more awake, Aubrey twisted the water handles off, reached out of the shower for her oversized body towel, and dried herself off. She exited the bathroom, allowing the steam to leave with her and carefully laid out her outfit for the day.
Once the air in the bathroom was sufficiently free of moisture, Aubrey used a bit of toner to close her pores before she began to moisturize. She spread lotion on every square inch of her body, ensuring the cream was well rubbed into her skin. Her mother had always told her that using lotion daily would keep her young, both on the inside and the outside.
Aubrey pulled on a pair of dark blue leggings and a sleeveless sheer, pink shirt with pleats on the front. Her bra was dark blue as well which was daring for Aubrey but matched the leggings. She opened her jewelry cabinet and found a navy necklace which matched the lines in her shirt. Aubrey had purchased the most adorable pair of pink heels the week before that matched this outfit perfectly. A few more accessories, and she was ready to step out the door.
Stacie twisted and turned around in her bed, sushi rolling herself in the covers leaving barely enough space for her to bend to her knees with her forehead still plastered against the pillows. "What the hell was that all about?" Stacie tended to talk out loud to herself, particularly when she was frustrated with something, in this case a rather vibrant dream which, of course, slipped right through the holes in her brain the moment she woke up. She knew she'd had a dream, but the details faded further away with each passing moment. What was even more frustrating was this dream had haunted her for the past several days.
She lowered her body back down to the bed and fought her way out of the cocoon of covers. Stacie tried to do some acrobatic spring from her bed only to find her foot was still wrapped in the sheet, so she fell pretty much on her face right beside her bed. The tall brunette was in a regular habit of laughing at herself which she did as she untangled herself and stumbled to the kitchen. She popped a coffee pod into her Keurig, pressed the brew button and headed to the bathroom. After a quick brush of her teeth and her hair, she splashed water on her face and returned to her waiting cup of coffee.
After her coffee fix, Stacie pulled on a tattered pair of jeans and a worn-out three-quarter length jersey t-shirt. She slipped her feet into a battered pair of sneakers, pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and rushed out the door.
Chloe saw her friend coming up the street and poured a second glass of wine so the blonde could have her drink as soon as she arrived at the table. Aubrey slumped into the chair across from her friend and gratefully sipped the red liquid.
"I'm so glad to see you, Bree! I can't believe it's taken this long for us to find time to get together since you moved here." Chloe was excited to see her friend. As she looked Aubrey up and down, she added, "and you look good I might add. Real good!"
"Thanks. I've only been here like a week Chlo." Aubrey gave her friend a tired smile as she spoke. "But I'm tickled we found some girl time, too."
"Are you okay? You look exhausted. Are you not settling in well?" Chloe's concern for her friend was genuine.
Aubrey took another drink of her wine and rubbed the bridge of her nose as if to relieve some type of sinus tension. "I'm all moved in, just not sleeping as well as I'd like."
Chloe and Aubrey had become best friends in college when they were assigned to the same dorm room their sophomore year. After graduation, they had gone their separate ways – Chloe staying in Atlanta to be near her new girlfriend and Aubrey moving to New York City where she landed an advertising job with a large agency. She worked an endless number of hours as she tried to prove herself to anyone who was paying attention. The big city had not agreed with Aubrey; therefore, she made the decision to move back to Atlanta.
"Any reason why you aren't sleeping well? Is Atlanta too quiet after the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple?"
"No," Aubrey chuckled. "Since my first night here, I've been having these dreams, almost the same dream – over and over. When I wake up, I can't remember everything and it's infuriating."
"What's the dream about?" Chloe was curious since she could not recall Aubrey ever having trouble sleeping before.
"From what I can recall, there is a clouded veil which limits what I can see, glimpses of the back of a woman's body."
"Oooh la, la. I'm not sure I'd mind dreaming of a mystery woman. Of course, Beca might." Chloe and Aubrey both laughed at that quip.
"All I can tell is she doesn't have on clothing, is tall, has dark hair, and a beautiful body. Oh – and legs that go on for days." Aubrey smiled as she recalled the limited portions of the dream she could always recall. "Each dream becomes a tiny bit clearer. But I never fail to wake up before I see her face."
As Aubrey described the mystery woman, an odd look crossed Chloe's face before she was able to hide the expression from her friend. Luckily Aubrey was wrapped up in her reflection that she didn't seem to notice.
"You've had this dream multiple times, right?" Aubrey nodded. "Why do you think you haven't been sleeping well? These dreams?"
The blonde pondered this question for a bit, her eyes glazing over as she got lost deeper into her thoughts. "Do you believe in soulmates Chloe?"
"Ahhhh. I'm convinced my heart knew who it belonged to, long before I met her. A wise quote from Karla Campos which explains exactly how I feel about Beca. To answer your question Bree: yes, I believe in soulmates."
Aubrey buried her head in her hands. "It's like… I'm obsessed with this woman who only exists in my dreams. I feel… things. I'm drawn to her in a way I cannot explain. What if she's my soulmate."
"Tall, dark, and beautiful, eh? Sounds like you deserve to be obsessed Bree."
"Don't forget… legs for days." Aubrey smiled shyly.
Meanwhile, Beca was waiting for her high school buddy at the bar. Chloe, her wife, was having lunch with a college friend who had just moved back into town. As chance would have it, her pal had just taken over a local firm and transferred to Atlanta as well.
Beca was startled as she was suddenly wrapped in a tremendous bear hug and lifted off her barstool. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey. Easy now." Beca was laughing since her friend was swinging her around in a circle. "Put me down Legs."
Stacie laughed as she plopped the shorter woman back onto her stool. She motioned to the bartender for another beer as she took a seat next to her friend. "Hey Beca Boo. I've missed you bud."
"Ditto. Hey, I haven't told you yet, but congrats on your takeover."
"It's not a takeover dork. My dad's firm is opening an Atlanta branch, and I was asked to lead the office. And before you suggest otherwise, I earned it!" Stacie's light blue eyes sparkled as she added. "Not only is this a promotion, I get to live in the same city as my bestie. How could things go wrong?"
Beca rolled her eyes as she punched her taller friend in the shoulder. The two talked for quite some time about how life was going for them both. Stacie hadn't been able to make it to Beca and Chloe's wedding and had all sorts of questions about the newlywed couple.
Eventually the shorter friend realized the conversation had been focused more on her life than Stacie's. "So Legs, what's been up with you? How are you doing since your move? You've been here, what a few weeks?"
"About that." Stacie ordered another round. She paused as a pensive look crossed her face. "I need to talk to you something Becs." Her seriousness concerned her friend. "Remember all the guys I dated in high school?" Beca nodded. "None of them clicked. You used to tell me not stop going out and trying to find love that love would find me when I'm ready."
"Yes, I remember that, but somehow I feel you haven't stopped searching."
"Lately I haven't searched … because well lately – the last few nights – I've been having these dreams, well one reoccurring dream that's taken over my sleep almost every night. It's haunting me. I see the back of a woman through a smoky haze. I can only see her back, and she's never wearing clothes. All I can make out is this buxom blonde with a banging body and hips that just won't quit. The dreams have gotten progressively clearer, but I always wake up before the woman turns around and I can see her face."
"Maybe tonight will be the night that you see her face Stace."
"I don't know Becs. I'm beginning to think that woman… that she's my soulmate. She's my Chloe." Stacie gave a deep sigh. "You are right. Maybe tonight is the night I see her face."
"Honey, I'm home." Beca hung her jacket on the coat rack and went in search of her wife. She found the redhead dancing around in the living room, wearing a large pair of Beca's headphones dancing, and oblivious of her wife's presence. The brunette stood against the door jamb, watching appreciatively.
As Chloe spun around with her eyes shut, she raised her hands above her head then drew her palms down the sides of her chest to her hips. She opened her eyes to see Beca standing there. Despite her wife smiling, she screamed bloody murder as Beca had startled her. "Beca Mitchell!" She clutched her chest with one hand as she pulled off the headphones. "You scared the shit out of me."
Beca walked forward and kissed Chloe. "Sorry. You looked so adorable dancing; I couldn't resist lurking." The brunette reached for Chloe's hand and spun her around, pulling her closely into her body. "I had an interesting conversation with Stacie today."
The couple sat down on the couch as they shared stories about their respective best friends' reoccurring, obsessive dreams. "Beca this is eerie; their dreams are so similar. What's even more uncanny is that they seem to be dreaming of each other. I can't believe our best friends have never actually met." Chloe deliberated their options. "We need a plan to get them to meet each other Becs. What if they really are soulmates?"
"Then I say it's time for a party."