I stare out at the hydrangeas, watching as they buzz with activity from the bees roaming the garden.
How does Blake get under my skin so easily?
It’s not like there’s anything special about him—not really. Sure, great ass. But as much as I can appreciate his physique—it’s not what’s annoying the crap outta me. Maybe it’s the fact he’s right. Something is sparking between us—despite my best efforts to ignore it. For the first time I can remember, I’m not in control of how it’s gonna play out and that scares the hell outta me. Something’s sweeping me away and I’m powerless to stop it.
Honestly, I’m not sure whether to be intrigued, or pissed off.
Suddenly, flashes of a possible future consume my vision and I stumble backward. They flit back and forth: caught in Blake’s embrace, white dresses, birds flying, and music playing. The emotions come through clearly—bliss, love, light. Green lights twinkling.
I shake away the vision, surprised.
Green means go.
The thought repeats in my head—the same words I tell my clients all the time.
The only difference, this is for me.
I’ve been at this for centuries—of that, I’m certain. I’ve kept my journals dating back to when I realized I wasn’t aging. But this—this is the first time I’ve ever seen anything of my own future. Gotten any specific info or details. And believe me, I’ve tried. It’s even put Demetri in the hospital.
What in the hell?
A knock on the door makes me jump.
“Everything okay in here?” Ren asks, leaning in.
“Yeah, I uh—yeah, why?” I say, blinking away the last tendrils of the vision.
“Because I’ve been buzzing you for the last ten minutes and you haven’t responded, weirdo,” he says.
I walk over to my reading table, “Sorry, I was—send them in please,” I say, taking a seat.
Ren shoots me a sideways glance, and turns to the woman beside him, “Diana will see you now,” he says.
He does his typical flourish with his hand as he sweeps it out to allow her entry.
“Thank you,” the oriental woman says, ushering past him and walking to the seat opposite me.
“Hello, Tina,” I say, picking up on her name immediately. It was loud and clear—as if it was the one thing she wanted me to know before anything else. A test, most likely.
“Hi. Hi, Diana,” she says, taken aback, but recovering quickly. “I—do you need me to tell you why I’m here?”
“Why don’t you take a seat and we’ll get to all that,” I say, sweeping my hand toward the chair.
She circles the chair and sits down quickly, placing her hands in her lap and facing me tentatively.
I watch her closely as she fidgets with the ends of her hair.
Her nervous energy gives way—sending over details. Light and dark—life and death.
“Did you lose someone?” I finally say.
Tears well up in her eyes and she nods.
I nod to myself, tilting my head slightly as I wait for more details. After a moment, I reach my hands out across the small round table.
“Can I have your hands for a moment?” I ask.
Tina holds out her hands and places them face down over my own. Her hands are cold and clammy—but our contact relays who she’s thinking of. She’s recently lost her boyfriend, Trevor to a car accident.
“Okay, I think I see—you’re wondering about Trevor. About whether or not you’ll ever see him again,” I say, opening my eyes. “Am I right?”
She nods, large droplets falling from her eyelashes to her lap.
“Is there—I need to know if there’s anything after this life. Will we ever be together again?” she asks, her lip quivering. “Will he be reincarnated?”
This is one area where I honestly have no idea. The universe has never relayed information one way or the other about it. I can’t say in all the time I’ve been alive, I’ve never stumbled upon anything conclusive. At least, as far as I’m aware of—and with my lifespan as it’s been, I would have thought if it were a thing, I’d know.
“Physics dictates all energy created can never be destroyed. Whether or not you’ll join Trevor in the recognizable form as you are now—I honestly can’t say, nor can I promise. The universe hasn’t given me that kind of insight. However, I do know he’s around you now. Part of his energy and essence will always be with you,” I say, trying to carefully tread the line between honesty and hopefulness.
Her eyes widen, “He’s here? Now?”
She looks over her shoulder.
“No—not like that. He’s not a ghost or anything. I just mean, part of his energy—his atoms if you will—are with you. They’ll stay with you until the end. Does that make sense?” I ask, watching her.
“I miss him so much—I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. Do I wait? Do I try to move on?” she whispers, dropping her eyes back to her clasped hands in her lap.
“If there’s one thing I know for sure—it’s Trevor wants you to go on living. He may not be here, but he doesn’t want you to stop living your life. He wants you to embrace all this world has to offer. Run at it headlong and don’t ever look back.”
The words, keep trucking pop into my head.
“Keep trucking,” I say, “he wants you to keep trucking—if that makes sense.”
Tina’s head jerks up.
“He—he used to say that all the time,” she gasps.
It’s a clear sign to her—I see it in her eyes.
“Thank you, Diana. Thank you,” Tina says, standing up.
She rushes around the table and leans down, embracing me in an awkward, tight hug.
“Don’t mention it,” I say, patting her arm.
“Thank you, thank you—”
