Zen took you on his motorcycle to this little quaint place that served healthy breakfast and lunch items. You got a table in the corner away from most of the other patrons - not on purpose, the place was rather crowded and it was one of the few tables left. You couldn't appreciate the cute view to the garden they had in the back and it really felt like you were hiding but you thought it may be better this way considering what you'd be discussing.

"I wish we had gotten a table next to the garden…" Zen mentioned, but quickly changed his mind. "It may be better this way anyway. Some of my fans know I frequent this place and sometimes they show up here" he commented, dropping into the booth next to you and throwing his arm over your shoulder. It felt so incredibly comforting. You looked at your hands again and moved your fingers. They didn't look real anymore. It was as if you were hyper-aware of being in another dimension. You touched the table and the tablecloth fabric that lay over your legs. 'You're bound to your body. I don't think you can stay' repeated in your head over and over, like a mantra.

"Princess?" he said, stopping your train of thought, questioning your silence.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, this table is fine." you said, trying to get past not noticing how weird everything looked. Trying to take Madame Stella words out of your head when a high-pitched voice rang in your ears.

"Good morning! I'm Nana and I'll be your waitress today. Can I offer you some coffee?" a very cheerful waitress said. A very cute, petite waitress. Cute as a button... and her eyes completely fixated on Zen. Honestly, you couldn't blame her, he was stunning and could stop any woman with eyes on their tracks… but you really didn't need a dose of jealousy with the looming dread of Madame Stella's words over your head. Subconsciously you gave her a look that could set anyone on fire.

"Yeah, we'll take some coffee, thanks. I'm pretty familiar with the menu but I'll give my girl a chance to decide what she wants before we order" Zen said with a bright smile while the waitress poured some coffee on the mugs that were already on the table. He was stunning and charismatic. His smile seemed to brighten the whole place. You could see the girl's cheeks become flushed as soon as he offered his smile. You kept your mouth shut, concerned that if you opened it you would be rude to the girl who had done nothing wrong. You were just in a somber-weird mood. Once the girl walked away, you tried to relax and take a deep breath. You snuggled under Zen's arm and rested your face on his chest.

"Do you think what Madame Stella said is true?" You asked him, almost whispering her name.

"I might be. It certainly helps explain… what's going on" Zen answered. "But we don't know. She could have just been making stuff up... but a lot of the things she said made some sense." he took a deep breath, his hand running through your hair. "I don't really know where to go to try and corroborate anything she said"

"The internet?" you suggested, even doubting it when you said it.

"Sure, and we'll find a million other alternatives that might sound just as likely" he said, and you knew he was right.

"She said I won't be able to stay..." your words were barely a whisper.

"She said she didn't think you'd be able to" He corrected you. "Maybe we need to find a way to bind your spirit here"

"It's not like I can find a body here and take over it." you said, taking a sip of the coffee. You were starting to feel exhausted. "I mean, I'm not a ghost, I can't possess someone, I'm as solid as you are." What the hell were you even talking about. It felt like nonsense even as you said it. Zen felt your frustration and rubbed your shoulders.

"We'll figure something out Princess" he said, kissing the top of your head. "There has to be a way to make it work. There has to"

"Here's some water!" came the waitress again. You looked away from her and stared at the menu instead. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"I'll just have the oatmeal and a cup of fruit" you said, handing the menu to Zen and averting your eyes away.

"I'll have an omelette" Zen said, handing her over the menus. "And some orange juice. Thanks". The cheerful waitress nodded and walked away. 'You're bound to your body. I don't think you can stay' the words kept creeping back into your head over and over. What if you went to sleep again and could never come back? Would Zen be waiting for you forever? No, surely another girl would come and sweep him off his feet if you never returned. What if you could never feel his arms around you again? These thoughts just gave you more anxiety and made feel like you would shrivel up inside. You looked over at Zen and noticed he was staring at his coffee, lost in thought as well. You wondered what was going through his head, would the same things be running through his head? You put your hand in his lap and squeezed his thigh gently, trying to call his attention to you. You didn't want him to suffer the same anxiety as you, but when he looked at you his eyes told you he was.

"I'm sorry" you whispered.

"Don't be" he said. "Even if you disappeared now, just meeting you would have been worth it"

"Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all…" you said, almost with a questioning ring to it.

"That's exactly right, Princess" he said, kissing the top of your head. "But don't worry, I'm sure we can figure it out" he added. "We will figure it out" You leaned your head back against him and closed your eyes. You had been up all night and frankly you were exhausted at this point. The whole situation weighed heavily on you. You still couldn't make up your mind and understand if this was really another dimension or you were dreaming or what was even going on. All you knew was that you were with Zen and you'd do anything to stay with him. You were so comfortable leaning against him in this booth, it was like you finally knew what it was to love someone. To feel as if your body fit perfectly against his, as if his very touch was something you had been craving and lacking your whole life. Being with him felt like you were finally complete. Was this what it felt like to have a soulmate? You'd heard the term used a million times before as nothing more than a romantic word but it seemed to have a deeper meaning now. Maybe this time you were here for good and you wouldn't return to your own reality. Maybe...

You felt sleep creeping up on you and you startled awake. You looked around nervously and found Zen still sitting beside you. You took a deep breath trying to calm yourself down, worried you had fallen asleep and would wake up back in your dimension.

"Let me… uh… I'm going to the ladies room" you told Zen. He nodded and moved out of the booth to let you out. You got out off the booth and headed to the restroom. You stood in front of the mirror staring at yourself. How could you not have noticed how different you looked? You opened the faucet and splashed water on your face. I've got to get it together. I need to figure out what is going on. The water was cool and invigorating, it made you feel a little better and certainly more awake. You headed back to the table when you saw a 3 girls surrounding your table and talking to Zen.

"See! I told you I had seen him eat here before!" one of the girls said. "And he's so nice, he signed a picture for me!"

"Can we take a photo with you pleeaaase" another girl said. "I love the plays you've been in, my sister will be so jealous I got to meet you!"

"Of course!" Zen replied, standing from the booth and putting his arms around two of the girls while the third took a picture with her phone.

"Oh, it looks really good!" One of the girls squealed. Zen smiled at them. You realized you had stopped at the bathrooms entrance and you were just admiring him from afar. He was so good to his fans. Despite the initial surge of jealousy from seeing all these girls around him, you felt oddly proud of him. You'd heard of celebrities being approached by fans and scorning them away because they didn't want to be bothered. Of course, you wouldn't expect Zen to be mean to his fans, but it was still nice to see how caring and charming he was towards them. He looked in your direction and locked eyes with you, a loving smile appearing on his lips. A smile different than the smile he had given his fans. A smile that reached his eyes and made you feel like the only girl in the world. Your heart fluttered.

Zen said something to the girls and waved them goodbye. They seemed disappointed to go back to their table but were respectful enough to do it and you were glad for it. You walked over to the table and Zen moved out of the way so you'd be on the inner side of the booth. Once you sat, you took another sip of coffee.

"Here's your food! Enjoy" said your very lively waitress as she brought the plates out. Part of the fruit she'd brought you was a whole apple. You took the knife, cut a slice off of it, and ate it. Zen worked on his omelette. When you took another slice off the apple, your hand slipped and you cut your finger. You squirmed and dropped the apple on the plate.

"What happened?" Zen said, surprised and concerned

"My hand slipped, it's no big deal, just a tiny cut" You grabbed a paper napkin and wrapped it around your finger. It really was a tiny cut, there wasn't much blood. It just stung and made you jump.

"Are you sure you're alright Princess?" Zen questioned again, looking at your finger.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, it just stung a little, it's all." you said, examining your finger. "It's not even bleeding anymore. It's not deeper than a papercut. I'm just a klutz"

"Just… be careful. Seeing you hurt scares me" he said, grabbing your hand and putting a kiss on your finger. You smiled at his sweetness. You continued to eat without any other mishaps and you talked about his job and his upcoming plays.

"We actually have an opening night next week. I need to be at the theater this afternoon rehearsing." Zen explained. "I'm one of the leads on this one"

"Could I… could I go watch you rehearse?" You said, almost shyly. You didn't have any friends in theater but you imagine seeing actors rehearsing a play might be frowned upon. He thought about it for a second and chimed in.

"Well, I'm not letting you out of my sight, so they'll have to let you come" he said. You chuckled in appreciation of his determination to keep you close. You hoped this wouldn't stop, it made you feel safe in your overwhelming feelings for him. You were glad it was him. It made you wonder how would things would have been if he hadn't been the RFA member you fell in love with.

"Zen… I haven't really been active in the RFA while I've been here. Do they… know what's going on?"

"Not at all" he said, pulling his phone out "after you and I first met… I really believed you regretted being with me and that was why you left. I didn't want to tell them about us because… well, I didn't want them to blame me for you leaving" he loaded the RFA chatroom. "I told them you had said you wanted some time off from the RFA and that's why you weren't around" he started at the screen for a second "I was about to come clean about it by the time you showed up again, I was worried something had happened to you by then"

You pulled your phone and loaded the app. Only you and Zen were participants at that moment.

"I would like to meet them" you said, closing back the app.

"They all pop in here and there everyday. If you check back often you're bound to find them"

"I figured... " you said. "I'll keep an eye out during your rehearsals." you said, giving him a smile.

"Alright, let's get going. I have to be at the theater by noon or I'll be late" he said, motioning the waitress to get the bill.

About a 30 minute motorcycle ride later, you were at the theater. It was a small theater as it was a small production. He asked you to stay at the front while he went around the back to let you in. Too many people in the back going around err… indecently right around now. He had claimed. Everyone was changing into their outfits or getting fitted, and it was really frowned upon to bring an outsider through the back. You stood by the front of the theater and looked at the posters… until you found one with Zen in it. He was dressed as a Prince with a swan overlaid in the background. It read The Swan Princess, Coming Soon. This must be what they were rehearsing for. He's really is a prince. The thought made you smile.

"Princess?" he called out, opening the front door of the theater. And I'm his princess.

"Coming my prince" you said, with a grin from ear to ear.

Rehearsals when through uneventfully. Zen was captivating, even if he made a mistake here and there but quite frankly it looked as if the play was almost ready to be premiered. Some of the casts members came over to introduce themselves to you and tell you how much they liked him and how he really was devoted to the theater. While they rehearsed some of the scenes that Zen wasn't in on, you checked the messenger. Seven appeared and you took the chance to message him.

Log:

707: MC! You're back!

707: dfxkljsjfgl;fgjsld

MC: I am! At least for now!

MC: I am at Zen's rehearsals. This play will be amazing!

707: Σ(゜ロ゜;)

707: You are?! Hold on

-707 has left the chatroom.-

-707 has entered the chatroom.-

707: Zen didn't answer

MC: Yeah, he's rehearsing

707: But how do I know you're REALLY there?

MC: You don't trust me?

707: Well, yes

707: I mean

707: none of us had met you

707: and… I mean… I don't understand

707: How?

707: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

MC: I just asked Zen to come get me. Don't worry, I didn't give him the address to the apartment. We met at a gas station.

707: ( ˃̶͈ ̯ ̜ ˂̶͈ˊ ) ︠³

707: Tell Zen he needs to bring you over to my place

707: Like

707: now

MC: What?

MC: Why?

707: We need to talk

MC: what?

707: or actually

707: I just really want to meet you

MC: You just said we needed to talk

707: I just really want to meet you

707:Of course!

707: what else

707: would it be for?

MC: Is there something you're not telling me?

707: ( ˃̶͈ ̯ ̜ ˂̶͈ˊ ) ︠³

707: YEP

707: I mean, no

707: I'll tell you when you get here!

-707 has left the chatroom-