Lorelei shows up at my apartment absolutely frantic after the message I left her. I probably shouldn't have said there was an emergency and I needed her right away. But I do need her right away, and it is an emergency. Just maybe not the kind of emergency she was expecting.
"Raya, what on earth?" She exclaims, coming in and unraveling her scarf. "I was scared to death. I even left the restaurant I was reviewing early. I didn't get to dessert. What happened?"
"I'm sorry. You didn't have to do that, really. It's just that… it's just that…"
I don't even know how to say it. It sounds nuts. It sounds nuts in my own mind, I don't know how I can make it sound less so even to my sister, who I trust more than anyone.
"What, what?!" She rushes over and grabs hold of my hands, which are trembling now that I have made it back to the safe haven of my own home and all the reality of what is happening to me comes crashing down.
"He's real," I squeak.
"What?" Her face twists in confusion. "Who is real? What are you talking about?"
"The guy… the guy from my dreams who won't let me get a decent night's sleep. I met him today at work. He is absolutely, one hundred percent real."
She groans and lets go of my hands. "Are you serious? I left my work for this?"
"I'm not making it up, Rory! I… I am absolutely certain that he is the very same guy. He looks exactly the same. His voice… his voice is the same. Everything about him… and he recognized me too!"
"What? He admitted that he has dreams about you?" She chuckles and heads to my fridge, grabbing a sparkling water from the door.
"No, of course not. But he kept looking at me, and he told me that my name and voice were familiar. What the hell is happening, Rory? Now this isn't just me losing my mind. I mean… if he recognizes me as well, this is something else entirely."
"It's like group hysteria. When everyone shares in the same hallucination." She pops the top of the bottle and takes a big swig. "Sorry, the dinner was gross. I have a bad taste in my mouth. Do you have any ginger?"
"No I don't have any ginger," I scoff, looking at her like she's crazy. "You think I just have ginger laying around my apartment?"
"You should. It's amazing in green smoothies. I could give you the recipe. Spinach, jicama, frozen berries…"
"I don't need your green smoothie recipe!" I roar in frustration.
"Maybe you do. This could be a nutrient deficiency. I mean, what on earth do you eat? Frozen dinners?" She opens the freezer and groans before closing it again. "At least get on a good multivitamin."
"K, thanks mom," I roll my eyes. "Have you forgotten that you're the younger one?"
"Age doesn't matter. Apparently I am just better at things like this. And you are the one climbing the ladder to ever-rising hysteria right now. I'm just saying… what you put in your body makes a big difference."
I sputter laughter before I can help myself, and she stares at me, wide-eyed and finally beginning to realize the true pervert I have become.
"You're right," I say, regaining my composure. "It does make a huge difference what I put in my body. It's important. So fucking important."
And then I growl and start pacing, leaving the kitchen and going into the living room where there are at least plants. Plants are good.
"So who is this guy?" She asks, following me.
"Alexander Möbius," I say, grinding out the name. "Dex. He goes by Dex."
"Möbius? As in…"
"Yeah, one of the fucking sons of the CEO himself. And the reason why he arrived today completely out of the blue like he was plucked from my very dreams themselves is because his father is ill, and apparently he's set to take over the company."
"What about the COO you are going on a date with Friday?"
"Yeah, his brother Lawson. There is apparently all kinds of family drama revolving around this shift in power that I don't even want to begin to know anything about, but now I'm roped into that too. And my date is off."
"Why is your date off?" She asks, leaning against the sofa and watching me pace.
"God, it's such a long story. But that in itself is a nightmare. Lawson called me into his office and told me that his brother Dex is basically untrustworthy, that his father is not in his right state of mind to want to leave the company to him instead of Lawson, and then he asked me to spy on Dex as his assistant so I can get dirt on him for Lawson to take to the board."
Rory just stares at me, stunned with her mouth hanging open.
"I know, right?" I chuckle.
"That's not okay for him to ask that of you, Raya. That sounds dangerous. Why did you agree?"
"I don't know. I didn't know all of the details before I told him that I would help him with a 'favor'." I raise my hands, indicating the quotes that particularly manipulative word is in.
"And I hadn't met Dex yet. If I had known I would be not only spying on him but forced to just… to just spend time with him when he's the one…" I wring my hands desperately. "Maybe I should just quit. I mean, it's like my dream company. But… but this has got to be a sign, right? It's a sign from the universe that I'm not meant to be there."
"That's such bullshit. Lawson was obviously just planning to use you to get into your pants, and then he quickly switched tactics and decided to use you for something else, because you are beautiful and kind and generous…"
"And gullible and easily-manipulated…"
Lorelei sighs and slumps down into the sofa. "This is so unfair. You've worked so hard. I remember how thrilled you were to land this internship."
I sit heavily next to her and rest my head on her shoulder. "Why is this happening?"
"I don't know, dear." She pats my head. "But don't let these stupid men push you out. You have to fight for your right to be there. And don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable, either. If this Lawson guy is asking you to spy on his brother, just pretend you are, but… don't," she shrugs. "It will all sort itself out without you. If Lawson can't figure out what his brother is doing on his own, he doesn't need someone like you who is in a very vulnerable position to do it for him. You can claim ignorance when the time comes."
"Maybe you're right," I sigh. "Maybe it will figure itself out."
"I think it will."
"What about the whole… man of my dreams in the flesh part?" I ask, looking up at her.
"Maybe that will sort itself out, too," she giggles. "You never know. Maybe he is the man of your dreams… in real life, too."
"Pfff," I scoff, but then a warm, comforting sensation comes over me at that thought. I can't let myself believe that, because it will only lead to heartbreak. But if Rory is right, then that would be the most ideal culmination of all of this drama. I already know what turns him on, that's for sure…