Excerpt

​

“Don’t tell me you’re going to turn Tom down based on a dream?”

 

Melissa squirmed under Jane’s horrified glare.

“You know about my dreams, Jane. Don’t deny them now.” Melissa could hear the begging tone in her own voice, but she couldn’t help it. Jane had been the one person who’d stuck by her through all those years of taunts and teasing from their classmates, and then kept the secret when they’d moved on to high school so there’d be no repeat of the bullying.

 

The glare softened.

 

“I’m not denying them, Lis. It’s just…” Jane set her mug on the kitchen counter. Melissa cringed, waiting for the inevitable criticism.

 

“Do you think maybe you’re just hoping this one is a True Dream? I mean, he sounds hot and all, but meeting a near-naked man wearing only an animal skin doesn’t sound possible to me. And your true-dreams always seem possible, even if unlikely at the time.”

 

Melissa didn’t need Jane to plant that seed of doubt in her mind. She’d already had those thoughts.

 

“Maybe we meet at a fancy dress party,” she suggested, but even she could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

She sighed. “It just feels the same, Jane. There’s something about those dreams, something that makes them different from all the other random ones. No matter how absurd this one might be.”

 

Jane sighed. “Tom’s a great guy. He’s funny, but he can be serious when he needs to be, and he’s generous and romantic. Plus he’s got a well-paying job, and,” Jane lowered her voice to a hush, leaning across the counter even though they were the only ones home, “I’ve heard he’s extra well-hung.”

 

“What?” Melissa nearly choked on her coffee. “Jane, as if that matters to me.” She glanced at her friend. “If he’s that perfect why don’t you date him?”

 

Jane sighed. “Alas, he still looks at me as his best mates younger sister. There’s no interest there at all.”

 

“From him, maybe. You on the other hand-”

 

“What about me?”

 

“Clearly you’ve got a crush on him.”

 

Jane waved Melissa’s suggestion away, but Melissa persisted.

 

“Surely you don’t want me to get together with the guy you like. How awkward would that be?”

 

“I don’t like him, well, not like that anyway. I may have had a crush in the past, but honestly, that’s over. I’ve moved past it. Besides, I’ve met another guy online. Honestly, Melissa, Tom is all yours.”

 

“Except I don’t want him.”

 

Jane sighed again. “You’ve managed to take this conversation completely off topic.” She
took her coffee and sat down, sinking into the soft leather lounge. “We were talking about you, and how you are weird because well-paying jobs and extra large dicks don’t matter to you.”

 

Melissa put a hand on her hip. “I’m not sure we actually got to that point in the conversation actually. And that’s not weird. That’s normal. You’re the one who’s weird.”

 

Jane poked her tongue out at Melissa, who returned the favour, rinsing her cup in the sink before turning to leave the room.

 

“What you need,” Jane called after her, “is a good man to bring you back down to earth. Dreams are fine, but

you don’t just clap eyes on somebody and instantly know and love them. You’ve got to build up to that.”