Chapter 4

• Dee jumped, grabbing her chest as if to stop her heart pounding through her nightgown. “Crap, Lu! What the heck was that?”
• The banging continued as the door rocked against its frame.
• The skittish Luna squealed with terror as she shot under her blanket as if that would save her. “I told you I keep hearing stuff outside! I swear that someone has been following me. What do we do?”
• “You’re being paranoid. I’ll go check it out.” Her fearless friend jumped up and tossed her blanket on top of the other, over Luna’s head. “You’re such a wimp.”
• And that she was. Her breath quickened as she heard Dee open that door.
• After a moment of silence, her friend called, “Nothing out here but falling snow. It’s just the wind. Something was probably blown up against the door then blew away. Relax, you big chicken shit.”
• “Shut up. I hate being scared.” She pulled the covers down, feeling silly to be frightened of the wind. “Hey, Dee. Can I ask you something?”
• “Sure.” She flopped down on the couch after locking the door, seeing the seriousness in Luna’s eyes.
• “You love my cousin, don’t you? You know, Grey still likes you. You just kept blowing him off and he gave up trying to get your attention.”
• Dee ran her hand through her hair and grabbed the remote flipping through TV channels as if that conversation was too much to even think about. “It was the worst mistake of my life. Luna, if you ever find your soulmate, don’t let him get away. No matter how afraid of the outcome you are, stick with it. Love can be a scary thing, but it’s harder when it passes you by. If I ever get a second chance with Grey, I’m never letting him go.”
• “If I can help make that happen, I will. You’ve had a crush on him since we were kids.” Luna giggled as she went to hug her. “One day you will have your dream guy. I just know it.”
• “Keep sabotaging Bimbo Barbie’s beauty regimen and I may get a chance. She will run fast and far to get away from you.” Dee gave her the side-eye, smirking. “Glad I’m on your good side.”
• Puffed up with an aura of cockiness, her arms dramatically settled on her hips like a superhero. “Super Luna at your service! Although I’m pretty sure Grey’s on to me, I’m not giving up. It’s my personal mission to take down Bimbo Barbie, one failed beauty regimen at a time. By the time I’m done, April will be ready to move to Siberia and go into hiding.”
• “Good riddance. Down with the evil queen,” Dee chirped with a giggle.
• “Oh! Grey asked about you when he called last night, so I think my master plan is working. She’s going to hate it when I ask him to go to the wrestling event with me. I’m staying over at his place for the weekend. After the show, I’m going to make it hell night for her for talking crap about my sexy wrestling stud muffin.”
• “You’re low-key diabolical. I love it. Wait? Did you just call Gunner a stud muffin? You’re such a geek,” Dee laughed. “All right! Bestie sleepover story time. Tell me a story. Romance and I am the lead. Grey is my boyfriend.”
• “Are we really doing this? I can’t believe you still want me to tell you those silly stories before bed about guys we like. We used to do that when we were kids. We are adults now, not lame teenagers.”
• “Right. Which means your stories are so much steamier now.”
• “Here’s a thought—buy a book.” Quickly, Luna headed to her bedroom, trying to ignore her friend’s childish game.
• “You can make your part of the story about Gunner,” she taunted, raising her voice playfully. “You know you want to. Please, Luna, please?”
• She rolled her eyes, knowing her bossy bestie would not let it go. “Fine, just grab my voice recorder from my purse in case I come up with a good premise for a book. Last time I didn’t have notes. I could have used those ideas for the novel I’m working on.”
• Dee ran and hugged her, jumping up and down. “Yeah! I’m so excited. We haven’t done these stories since Gunner and Blair got together on that crazy wrestling show. I’m so pumped!”
• Rolling her eyes, she didn’t want to hear it. “Oh, please. Just the thought of her ruins my thought process. I’ve been thinking about him a lot, so it may be a good story this time. I’ve been having… never mind.”
• That hesitation made her friend pull at her arm to make her turn back, stopping her in the hallway. “Luna? The dreams are back, aren’t they?”
• She turned to meet her eyes with worry written on her face. “More vivid than before. It almost feels like I’m there. My writer’s block is gone, and I’ve been writing non-stop. Even when I’m not writing, I’m daydreaming again. My brain won’t shut down and it keeps me up at night.”
• “That’s good though. You are on a deadline for your next book. Your lucid dreams always made your writing better. But you need to rest, too.”
• “Yes. I guess so. I just hope the blackouts don’t come back.”
• “Me too. Come on. Let’s start the storytelling. I want to be rich and drive a hot car… and a boob job,” Dee said, nudging her playfully.
• “Why a boob job?” she giggled.
• “Because I have these distant cousins on my chest in real life. I want the girls to be sisters.” Dee pushed up her boobs jokingly. “Look. This one seriously is a whole cup size difference, and I am sure my nipples are pointing in different directions.”
• “Oh, good heavens, woman. You are seriously dealing with some issues. Come on. I have a cool idea of making you a movie star and Grey is your sexy limo driver who has to pretend to be your date at a movie screening. Then you find out he is actually your leading man in your next big film.”
• “Oh. Love it! Gunner can be my co-star at the premiere, and I introduce you.”
• “Perfect. Okay, so we are in Hollywood and...”
• Luna started telling a story that went on late into the night until the best friends finally fell asleep. Doing the same sleepover night they had done since they were kids, it was one more night of vivid dreams and fantasies of a world far removed from their reality.
• Was it childish? Absolutely. But it was those nights that the bond between them grew. After years of story nights, they became a duo that was tighter than any friends could be. And with the returning dreams, that bond was slowly becoming more important than either knew possible.