Jim
Standing in front of the place where Kaley texted him about the psychic medium is located. He was skeptical of the idea of this but he has nothing to lose. Plus, he desperately wants an answer as to how he and the portrait are related. Especially that dream he had the night before he finished up the portrait. That night he was not able to sleep well overthinking the possibility of sorts. But when he did fell asleep at dawn, something happened yet again.
In his dream, he was looking down at his hand where it holding the hand of the lady. It's very warm. It was extremely pleasant. That sense of comfortability has taken place again. Rising his vision to look at the person who he was holding hands with the girl from the portrait was in his dream again. This dream doesn't seem like he could control anything. Like it was a memory that was coming back at him. Like a video recorded and played for him to recall.
"We're gonna be together again." she squealed squeezing his hand.
"I know." he replied. "Thank you for waiting for me".
"I will always wait for you. Just as what I have promised. I love you and that will never change. Not in a million years". she says as her lips land on his.
After the kiss, he woke up again. Sweat formed on his forehead. Why does it have to end when we kiss?
He does not desire romance, not now and not even before. This was new yet he doesn't even feel that repulsive towards it. He kind of looks forward to doing it again even if it was just in his dream. There is just this feeling that whenever their lips collide, his heart warms and he feels good inside. But still, it was weird thinking that he is feeling all these kinds of emotions towards a person that is supposed to be a stranger to him.
It didn't help that his eyes were playing tricks with him by seeing a lady who he thought looked like the woman from the painting. His thoughts were ridiculous and it needs to stop.
He was still standing in front of a shop where you can buy crystals and precious rocks. Not gonna lie, the atmosphere of the place, even from the outside was quite calming. That assured him that he should go inside.
Going inside, he greeted the few people who were there. Walking towards the middle, he looked around the displays. It was full of pastels and stones in different colors, shapes, and sizes. He wasn't here for that. He kept his eyes roaming inside the establishment when a lady behind him called his name. He jolted. How the hell does she know my name?
"Hi..." he says as he turns around. He then saw a lady in her mid-50s smiling brightly at him. Dressed in a teal dress that was patterned.
"I have been waiting for you. Follow me inside." she says as he follows her towards a room in the shop.
Oh...it's happening
Mayim
Spending all day writing out the manuscript, she feels very ecstatic that after so many months of pondering what to write about, she finally had the motivation to do so.
Right now she is averting her attention into her writing to not think about his current situation with his boyfriend. Odd enough, she still loves him. She does. Part of her is telling her to beg Ryan to talk to her during his free time but she will begin a new novel that has won over her.
She then realized that she hadn't eaten anything yet so she stood up and look inside her fridge. She saw some leftovers so she heated them in the microwave. After making herself a plate she then quickly sat down in front of her laptop to continue what she was doing.
Typing her story about the Blue-Eyed Man, she tried her hardest to remember what he looked like besides the color of his eyes. It's weird that she only noticed someone's eyes and now she wants to write about him. Her boyfriend has the same color eyes as this man but something about his was just more alluring. That even staring at her at that very moment didn't feel icky and even strange about it. Pondering more, she hasn't been looked at like that all her life.
Alone in her thoughts while scribbling, her doorbell suddenly rang. She jolted in shock and wondered who could be at her door at 1 o'clock. She is not expecting anybody.
Mayim stood up and walked towards her door. Smiling in front of her is her friend, Jenna.
"Mayim!" she said enthusiastically.
"Oh my God! Jenna?! How have you been?!" she replied with equal enthusiasm. "I have missed you!" she says as she enveloped her old friend in a hug.
"Oh I missed you too!" squeezing her a bit more.
Jenna has been her friend since childhood. Being the only child that she was growing up, Jenna was the person who provided her that sister love growing love that she never asked for a sibling. She was her sister by heart. She was the person she goes to when she is weary, problematic, ecstatic, and everything in between. She was there at her worst and on her best. Truly a person she could rely on and would not turn her back on her.
Jenna now lives an hour away because of a job she was offered. Even if it was difficult for the both of them to be away, technology has been there to still keep in touch. Although not as frequent as they were in elementary, high school, and even in college,
"Come in!" she says as she leads her inside her apartment.
"I am not expecting anybody so excuse my mess here. I was in the middle of work," she reasoned as they passed the corner of her living room where she was working with her manuscript.
Led her inside and sat her on the couch. "I have been well. And how about you my pretty novelist?" she says giddily excited to see her best friend.
"Oh, I am good. Just good." she enthusiastically replied looking down. She knows all too well that if there is a person that could read her like an open book, that would be Jenna.
Sighing, Jenna replied, "Who are you bullshitting Mayim Marie?" earning a chuckle from Mayim.
"Really, I am fine..." she replied in a gentler tone.
"And the sky is green. Is this about your pretty boy of a boyfriend?" she says as she rolls her eyes.
Mayim got quiet and that may have been the answer that Jenna needed. Jenna gives her that look in the eyes that she has always liked when they were young. She gently tapped the space on the couch near where she was seated signaling Mayim to sit close to her. She knows that her best friend will knock the sense out of her.
Ever since they were young, Jenna was the only person that will make her understand something she did not. Jenna was the one who would
Academically, that is where she shines yet in making life decisions that's where she is dull. And that is what Jenna is to her. She is like a ruler in Mayim's life to make it straight. Yet it is still her that Jenna lets decide for herself. All she does is say what she thinks about some things but she didn't want to dictate her.
"Hey, you are very much aware that I never approved your relationship. But I know that you are smart enough to know what to do and not do. Right? But Mayim, it has been years of you begging him to listen to you. Yet he'd manipulate the situation to avoid things that needed to be addressed. You are not worth begging for something as simple as communication in a relationship if there are a lot of people here on Earth that would happily give that to you and more. If I were to be asked, I wouldn't even think that you are in a relationship. You are just hooking up with a man that is attracted to you. I am not telling you to break things up. But kind off." she says earning a chuckle from Mayim. "I know that you are smart enough to know what is what. But I will not get tired of telling you that you are much worthy of the best in the world because that is something that you can offer. And if this one-sided relationship is not giving you anything already, you don't deserve this. You deserve more."
"Oh Jenna..." she sighs gently as Jenna wrapped her arms around her. She was speechless. If she is kind off unfortunate with her current love life, she had been blessed with a Jenna. Too bad they can't date.
"I will always be here. And so is Chad. There is a distance but you can just ring me anytime and I will make sure that I will be there for you."
"Thank you. And so as I to you. I love you so much. Too bad you don't have a penis," Mayim replied getting a heartily laugh from her friend.
"I have a dildo. Does that count?" she asks.
"OH MY GOD! EW!" Mayim exclaimed. "But where? Did you bring it with you?" they continued to laugh.
Her once quiet apartment is now filled with laughter all the rest of the day. How she missed just being like this. Not constantly thinking about the things that need to be done or fixed. It's a breath of fresh air.
Jim
He is currently sitting in front of a desk inside the office of the lady. He is anxious and at the same time, he is excited. He doesn't know what to expect. He was fidgeting in his seat when the lady came inside the office smiling at him. Something about her smile is comforting. Almost like her grandmother from Texas who he misses dearly. Smiling back at her, the woman sat in her chair opposite Jim.
"I already know why you are here. Even before your friend had set an appointment. My spirit guides were telling me that you will come here soon." she stated. "So Jim, what do you want to hear? The good, the bad, or everything?" she then added.
"Uhm, to be honest Ms..."
"Terry. But everybody calls me Nana. Just call me that." she says not losing her precious smile.
"Right, Nana. I want to know anything and everything that you may reveal to me." he started. Nana nodded at him. He was about to say another word when Nana raised her pointer finger that stopped him.
"It's better that I don't know anything about you, honey. Now, what we will do is a card reading. This is just a normal deck of playing cards that have only been used for this purpose and has not been used in gambling. So don't tell me anything personal yet because the cards that you will pick will reveal things about you." she explained as she looks for the cards she needed to show him. Pulling them one by one.
"Now, I want you to bear in mind these cards. This is the ace of hearts, this means happiness, love, life, and relationships. This is the ace of clubs, it means to travel and distance or growth. The ace of diamond refers to a big amount of money and success. And this, the ace of spades. This is known as the bad luck card and also known as the death card. Anything negative will be revealed on this card. Just hope that you won't be able to get this card sweetie." she kindly explains.
Hearing about the death card, his anxiety just got worst. He was sweating through his palms. He then rubbed his palms on the top of his pants as he breathed a bit deeper trying to relax do I have to lose? He thought to himself.
"Are you ready, child?" Nana asked. He nods at her shyly.
She picked cards showing him. "These are the jacks. You will pick one and this will be you in during the reading".
And then the lady when proceeded to shuffle the cards.
"Cut this in three" he then obeyed.
"Now darling, I want you to focus and pick 7 cards in total and put them here".
Slowly and steadily, Jim picked out 7 cards. He then placed them on the desk where Nana told him to.
Nana was the one who flipped the cards open. The first card was a jack of hearts.
"Oh, this is a good one." she chuckles. "With this card, I am given the understanding that you are attractive as I could very much see. You are nice and generous and would like to be kind to other people. Although you have this kind of sass, you certainly give me that vibe. This card often announces a new intimate friendship. As a lover, you are committed and sincere and would make good marriage material." she says while giving him a knowing look.
Blushing at this information he said, "I never knew that I am a husband material. If anything I don't even desire to be one." chuckling at his perception.
"Oh sweetie, you just haven't met the one. Let's turn the other cards in the stack so we will know more about you shall we?"
"We shall," he nodded.
Next was an ace of the diamond which means success and wealth which instills success in his career. And the other cards just revealed all about Jim and his career. Which was very exciting for him. Nana kindly explained to him some aspects of his personality that are however accurate. He now feels bad that he had doubts about a woman such as Mamcy. She is very bright and the smile on her smile doesn't seem to wear off.
After the first batch of picked cards, Nana gathered the cards and shuffled them once again. After shuffling all of the cards she laid them all on the desk.
"Now darling, I want you to pick 9 cards. Take your time to pick them, you are in no rush," Nana said.
Feeling ecstatic from the positivity of the first batch, he slowly but surely picked the 9 cards that were asked of him. He then gently stacked them there and waited for Nana to read them. Revealing the first card, gained an expression from Nana as she unraveled the first 3 cards. He gave her a look of wanting to know what she was reading. She displayed the three cards in front of him. There was a queen of hearts card in the center of an 8 of diamonds card and an ace of hearts. He could tell that she was feeling giddy from the first three.
"Okay, so I think that this time the cards are showing me your love life. And there seems to be a lady," Nana then closed her eyes as she gently nods and smiled.
"You will be committed to a very powerful woman who is often regal, commanding, and has a strong presence. She is also quite compassionate and caring towards those people who she holds dear. The two of you are a perfect match, to say the least. Everything that you will offer for this relationship will be reciprocated tenfold." she stated making Jim blush.
She is having a vision while reading the cards. "I could see a painting. It seems to be a portrait but it seems blurry to me. I just know that it is a portrait of a lady" this information suddenly made Jim's throat dry. How could she know about the portrait?
"Jim, is this information relevant to you?" she then asked Jim.
"Uhm...for my career, I do work around art paintings and portraits that were made back in the old times. I am an art conservator. So it is relevant to me, yes." Jim says as he tries to swallow his saliva to relieve the dryness of his throat.
She nods at his reply, "I see. But I could feel my eyes watering. It makes me feel like there is something about her eyes. It may be that her eyes have a unique aspect to them. I cannot pinpoint what my spirit guides me. Let us reveal the 6 remaining cards to find out the relevance of the painting in your life". She then flipped all of the 6 remaining cards.
"Honey, you should prepare for the next thing that we will do." she says all of a sudden.
"I-i am. May I ask about what we will about to do?"
"We will crossover".
Mayim
It has been a long time since she had a good laugh and had shared gossip with somebody. It is not her hobby to talk shit about other people's lives but she just likes to listen to all the tea. Especially to those people who have wronged her before. Jenna has really good ears and has good communication with sources of this information. And they have sworn to each other that there will be no secrets between them. But who are they to fool, they can both see through each other clear as day.
"I didn't mention it earlier but you are glowing. So tell me, Jenna Joyce, when did you start seeing this person?" Mayim says as she fakes a glare at Jenna.
"What do you mean? I am not seeing anybody Mayim Beatrice!" returning the fake glare at Mayim as they munch on the pizza they both had ordered and got delivered to Mayim's doorstep. They are now inside her bedroom as they were catching up on each other's life. They do it on the phone but there are still a lot of things they'd want each other to know. They can't just seem to run out of topics to talk about.
Mayim raised one brow at her.
"Alright fine. I am not seeing anybody. But I am in kind of situationship right now," Jenna admits as she sits down and leans her back against Mayim's headboard.
"And what does that suppose to mean?" Mayim shot a serious glare at her right now.
"We fool around and do things couples do but without a label. You know. Same with you and Ryan the dream boat, the only difference is that we communicate about everything and we don't have impending issues," Jenna says snarkily as Mayim drops her jaw in response.
"You don't have to be mean!" they both laughed.
"I am sorry! But enough about that. We can talk about it on the phone. But my kind of upset friend here needs to divert its attention some place or another does it not?". Jenna says as Mayim sadly nods.
"Well, how's the writing going? Has she started anything yet?" Jenna asks comically.
As Jenna says this that thoughts of Blue-eyed man has intruded her thoughts once again. She hasn't gone out yet and has been a monk again for a couple of days. She just spends the rest of the days writing about her manuscript. She'd be submitting it soon to her editor.
"Well yes she is in fact. Yet a good friend of a dwarf she has had disturbed her wonderful day of work. But she must not fret, she is only teasing the dwarf. Her presence is very much appreciated." Mayim sincerely says as Jenna pokes her ribs.
"Well, what are you working on then?"
"A lady doesn't kiss and tell. Just buy the book,"
"A good friend she says" she sulks.
"Alright... fine! I'll tell you." she says as she prompts herself in front of Jenna on the bed. "So you see, I went to this café a few days ago to get some work done. As I was there I ordered the usual things, coffee, a pastry you know? And then I received a text from Ryan." she covers as she slips. She was not supposed to mention that to Jenna because she would dig a rabbit hole and would make her tell her all the juicy bits and she was not in the headspace to discuss it at the moment.
"And what does the text say you randy girl?" she motioned her brows up and down. Jenna earned an eye roll from her.
"It's a text saying that he was on my way to my apartment and said that we need to talk." she replies.
Jenna gave her the knowing look as she says, "Damn right he did." both of them chuckled. "And then what?"
"As I was gathering my things, I could feel someone staring at me from a distance. And when I look in that direction of where I felt it, I saw a man staring at me."
"Why the heck does it seem to be fascinating to you? That may be creepy." Jenna irks.
"I know right? But he was giving this 'awed' look in his eyes. It was kind of flattering. Then I remembered Ryan and went home. The next morning, his eyes were something I couldn't stop thinking about. So I made a novel about it. I can only tell you that much so I won't spoil you". she claims.
"What is something special about this man's eyes?"
"It was very dark blue. Almost dilated I'd say. I mean, I do have a boyfriend but he doesn't even stare at me that way. At that moment it made me feel something."
"Well, would you want to see him again?"
She chuckled. "I would. He has such pretty eyes. I don't quite remember what his face looks like but I could tell that he is handsome. But I doubt that I could ever see him again. I mean, what are the odds right?"
"That's true. But the world is small. You'd see him once again. I could sense that." they just both nodded.
"Oh I know, why not join me and Chad this weekend."
"Girl, I need to go home too. And the weekend is tomorrow."
"Oh yeah. But you are welcome to stay here. Come with us."
"Where?"
"At the museum! Chad and Chanel will be there and I don't want to be a third wheel. But together, we can be four wheels."
"Sure. What the heck? Also, I miss Chad. And I honestly want to know more about Chanel. It was a very long time since I saw her."
"I know. Oh, this might be fun. I will give him a ring later to tell him that I will be going with you."
"Yeah, might be. If we could spot Mr. Blue Eyes then it sure is. But first, can you lend me some pajamas so we can start our night?"
"Sure!" she jumps excitedly as she walked near her closet to retrieve some clothes and unused undergarments for Jenna to use.
It has been a while since Mayim to feel like this. She didn't even know that she was longing for companionship thinking that her solace was enough. She keeps on forgetting that there are these people around her that although it is a few will always be for her no matter what. Pondering over this, she is thinking of the next things she needs to do for her life. Before Ryan, there were Chad and Jenna. Two of the people who'd do everything under the sun with her without asking them to do so. Maybe I am better off without him. she thought. The relationship does not seem to be giving her something anymore. The next time that she and Ryan will be meeting, she'll make sure to bring up the subject. Her decision is final. That's it.
Jim
"A crossover? What does that mean?" he asked being clueless about this term. Where would they cross to?
"This may sound ridiculous but we will crossover to a place where this spirit wants us to bring. The cards revealed that there is a spirit of a lady who seems to tell you something. It can be explained through the cards but she wants to show you something You may have seen her in your dreams, am I right?" she replied in kind.
"Yes. I do. As a matter of fact, I have seen her twice. As an art conservator, so I often work with paintings. You were accurate about that. A few days ago, I was commissioned to restore this portrait of a woman who was made during the 1800s. Without any explanation, I was very drawn to this woman and she started to appear in my dreams."
"And how do you see her in your dream?" she asked him.
"It seems that it is not a dream at all. It is like a flashback of memory but the thing is I never met her and so is being in a relationship with someone."
" I see. Now we will find out how she is related to you."
"How are we gonna crossover exactly, Nana?" he asked not knowing what to expect.
"I will be opening your third eye for you to see what she intends you to see. The entire time we will be crossing you should not be disturbed by any foreign sound or even light so you need your eyes closed. It might feel like you are in the state of a dream, but I will be with you the entire time. I want you to calm down first and tell me that you want to do this. She will not show us anything if you are forced. So are you ready?" Nana reprimanded him.
He was kind of freaking out because he does not know what to expect. He was only expecting a reading of cards and whatnot based on what he would normally see from movies of what mediums usually do. But this was different. He hasn't even heard about what a crossover means. Shrugging his anxiety away, he wiped his sweaty palms on top of his pants as he nods in front of Nana.
"I am."
"Always remember that whatever will happen, I am here. Okay?" she added earning Jim's approval.
After the confirmation, Nana stood up and grabbed a blindfold. She came close to Jim and she placed it around his head to cover his eyes. He can hear her whisper and chant a spell while placing her hands on top of his head.
"Take a deep breath, sweetie. Now, at first, you will just see complete darkness. What I want you to do is tell me everything that you see and tell me if you can hear anything. If you feel like it is too overwhelming tell me so we could stop. Now tell me, what can you see?" she told Jim as she sat near him and held his wrist to feel his pulse.
Once the blindfold was placed on him he was immediately situated in a place where it feels like it is not a dream and at the same time it is not. Like he is awake and conscious about his surrounding but the environment is kind of hazy as if it is a dream. He could move around a place and control his action. He was pulled back when he heard Nana speak to him again.
"Sweetie could you hear me?" she asked.
"Y-yes. All I can see right now is completely dark. But here at my right there is like a small circle of light," he answered.
"Go towards to light and tell me what you see." she said while still holding his wrist.
He did as he was told. And as he came closer to what seemed like an orb of light, it became bigger and bigger until everything went bright. While this is all happening he was also describing all of them to Nana who was just listening to everything that he was blurting out. When the brightness turned down, he saw his environment change. From having to only see complete darkness, he seems to be situated in a place he has seen before. But he couldn't pinpoint where it was. He just feels like he has been here quite often yet he hasn't even been here before. He just continue to walk down the road where he was. There were a lot of people around him but they don't seem to mind him or see him at all.
Nothing interesting was coming up not until he went to turn to a corner and saw a very familiar-looking tree. This is the tree that can be seen on my way to work. This is Pasadena, I am in Pasadena!
"I seem to be walking around the streets of Pasadena during the old times!" he exclaimed.
She chuckled in response and told him to just continue.
He walked down the road and only stopped when he saw a man that appears to look like him dressed in a short-fronted tailcoat in a fitted waistcoat that was worn over a plain white linen shirt. It is not his style of dressing but he must say that he doesn't look half bad dressed in something he'd thought to be ridiculous during this century.
"Nana, I could see myself but dressed differently. He seems to be busy with something. But I am too far from him that I could not see what he is doing."
"Go near him or follow him," Nana replied in kind.
He complied and came close to the man who appears to look a lot like him. He was purchasing things that were often used in paintings. He seem to purchase pigments and after paying for them he went around a corner and came close to a woman who was selling flowers and purchased some as well. After paying for it he went ahead and continued walking. Jim followed him as they reached a house and saw him enter the house. He entered the house as well and heard him call out a name in a kind manner but loud enough to be heard around the house.
"I can hear him yelling a name..." Jim says.
"What name is it?"
"Amy. He is calling someone named Amy".
A few moments after, he saw someone immersed in the living room. Smiling as she made her way to the man calling out her name, it was the woman from the painting.