Abandoning his plate of cold food, Julian took a seat at the bar and ordered a small drink.

"One for me, too," Red Raymond's voice came from his left.

"Looks like we've got something in common," Red observed with a knowing smirk, perching on the next stool.

"How's that?" Julian asked evenly.

"Our girlfriends are both hot, young cheerleaders."

That's right — Red was dating the cheerleading coach. "You two dated before, right?" Julian asked, his interest slightly piqued.

"Ten years ago," Red confirmed. "She was a student back then…I was assistant football coach."

Julian supposed that might parallel himself and Marti somewhat, she being a cheerleader and he being her former professor.

"And then she left you?" he questioned, pained at the thought of Marti doing the same to him.

"Actually, I was kind of forced to leave her," Red corrected, not going into any detail. He gave a quick grin and added, "But we're together again now, and that's all that really matters."

"Congratulations," Julian offered blandly. He finished his drink and paid his tab.

Red Raymond lifted a glass to Julian's departure. "Nice chatting with you."

It was getting dark and late, and Julian should have been on his way home but instead he ended up at the building that housed his law practice.

His thoughts kept going back to Marti and the relationship they shared right now.

Julian was in it for the long-haul. It simply hadn't occurred to him that she might not be.

He sat down at his desk, intending to bury himself in what little work he had to do at the moment and try to get his mind off the thing that plagued him.

One slight problem was that business was not currently booming, and there was nothing to really focus on enough to sufficiently distract him.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair and gazing up at the ceiling.

He could work on his new book…but that required more attention than he felt like giving at the moment.

There was a coffeepot that needed cleaned… No, too messy.

Filing. That was a chore menial enough to sufficiently occupy him for a while.

He grabbed a stack of files and got to work.

The front door rattled slightly in its frame and he looked up, half expecting to see Marti's familiar form saunter toward him like she did that night that they'd kissed for the very first time.

What began as a simple, innocent peck on the cheek had quickly heightened, and after a moment's hesitation he found himself kissing her back with a passion that matched hers.

Several weeks and a few dozen kisses later, and now here he was — head-over-heels in love with a college girl who made his heart race and his head spin…and who just might leave him without a backward glance if she felt the time was right.

The door rattled again, but it was just the wind.

Of course she wasn't coming here tonight; she was busy with cheer practice — getting tossed in the air and doing whatever else it was that cheerleaders did.

What a life she led, he thought to himself with a fond chuckle. And she did all that just so she could stay in college on scholarship and pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer.

Julian inhaled deeply, annoyed that the task of filing wasn't dulling his brain as well as he'd hoped.

Somehow he had to convince Marti that Memphis was where she belonged. And he needed a better plan than just stealing her list of distant prospects so she couldn't apply to them.

He slept fitfully that night — the liquor in his system responsible for part of it, and a bad dream to blame for the rest of it.

He dreamed that he was looking for Marti — looking all over town for her — but couldn't ever find her. He went to her friends for help, but they only jeered at him.

"The bobble-head wannabe?" a petite brunette cheerleader scoffed. "She was too smart — we kicked her out!"

A tall blonde guy whisked by him. "She doesn't want you anyway — she's got her own life!"

"Oh, come now, Counselor," Wanda's voice taunted. "You didn't think she'd stay here forever, now, did you?"

Red's face loomed before him. "I guess we've got nothing in common after all," he sneered.

Vanessa the cheerleading coach back-flipped into the scene. Several others followed her, their voices chanting, "Get-a-life! Get-a-life!"

Faces swam before his eyes, all of them laughing hysterically at him.

Julian stumbled back, still desperate to find her. But she was gone! His heart was breaking and none of them cared.

"Marti!" he shouted, running out the door and into the street. "Marti!"

He collided with a curly-haired blonde on a bicycle — and he jerked awake, her name a whisper on his lips.

"Ugh," he groaned, sitting up in bed and rubbing a hand across his face. "What a stupid dream."

He looked at his alarm clock. Barely three-fifteen in the morning.

Way too early to call her, and what would he say anyway? 'I had a bad dream, so I'm robbing you of your own sleep' ?

Yeah, that sounded real mature.

He laid back down again with a sigh, rolling over and forcing the dream out of his head.