"Ate Soraya, we're here!" A soft little voice whispering in my ear tickles before little hands shake my arm. Dazed, I straightened on my seat and wiped the sleep off my eyes with my knuckles. Little Anya's huge smile was contagious. It instantly brought a smile to my lips while I put the locks of her hair on the side, taking each end of the braid to her shoulders. I envied her silk black hair, yet she said she liked the curls of my ash grey more and even wished to dye her own once she reached the right age just to achieve this look. I had been asked countless questions about my hair, and when they didn't seem to believe this mess on my head was natural, I simply let them believe what they wanted to believe. "We're here?" I glanced at the car window. I did notice the familiar street going to the animal shelter we visited a week ago. "I'm sorry I dozed off.""That's fine," Anya innocently and absentmindedly murmured as she fidgeted on the pink leash on her lap. It was a gift from Mr.

"Rise, my sweet, precious Luna." I heard rustling sounds and a soft giggle from a distance first before that gentle voice rumbled in my head. The warm tone urged my eyes open to see Anya playing with Fluffy on the grass. I shifted and realized I was lying at the pergola, a throw pillow around my arms and against my chest. A bit disoriented, I sat upright and glanced at the kennel behind me. Was that a dream? Did I fall asleep? My mind raced back through the recent events. The last thing I remembered before falling unconscious was the face of an unfamiliar man. But before that, what was I doing? The moment I approached the kennel, it was a reality. Was it? I was trying to write something on my laptop and got distracted by the dog's scratching noise before I left my seat to check it and… I rested my forehead on my palm as my head throbbed. What exactly was a part of the dream, and what was not? Anya's soft giggle resounded in the garden again. My eyes widened as the sight finally

"Alright… you can do it, big boy. One more and—dang, here you go!" I gritted my teeth and pushed the man off my shoulder and into the bed. When I was certain his dangling arm would not drag me along, I stumbled back with a sigh to watch his massive space crowd the twin-sized bed. My eyes widened as the bed creaked against his weight. I stretched out my arms and walked closer to the bed again; I don't know, maybe in an attempt to stop the mattress from crumbling down because of the weight. My action was out of instinct. The bed had never made that sound before. I wasn't that massive, to begin with, and I worried about the sound it created, like how a person would groan if someone smashed against them. "Wow! You're indeed a beast," I breathed in relief and gratitude that the bed remained steady. I placed my hands on my waist and intently watched the stranger. He definitely was a stranger. Nothing but a faint familiarity from my dream because there was no way he was actually the man f