Love At Half Moon (February Prompt)

I am posting this one again because I have decided to get back to this story!

Feb. WIP Challenge: Waves of Love

It had been two years since Lauren had lost her family in that horrible accident on the way home from the airport on Christmas Eve. Lauren had slipped into such a deep depression that her friends grew increasingly worried about her. She had stopped writing. Her food blog, cookbooks, and YouTube cooking channel were her career, and not only had she not been writing, she hadn’t been cooking either. A few of her loyal followers had also grown concerned, sending emails and personal messages through social media. After a really long, heartfelt conversation with her best friend, David, she decided to give therapy a try.

Her therapist advised Lauren to write about her pain and grief. That it might bring her some healing, and Lauren was surprised to find out that during this transition, her followers were incredibly supportive. Some even offered to let her come and stay with them to get her out of the house, or offer inspiration to start cooking again. She poured her heart out about her feelings from the accident, and how painful grief was, and her followers empathized, some sent her cards in the mail, gave her their phone numbers so she could call them if she needed someone to just be there to listen, and she was so touched by the warmth and acceptance, she dived head first.

It’s where it all started, her love for lucid dreaming. She noticed she was getting quite a lot of likes from a certain follower who referred to himself as “The Detective.” Having always been taken with “Sherlock Holmes,” Lauren’s interests were piqued. As luck would have it “The Detective” wrote poetry about the world from his astral point of view. His poems were so beautiful and well written, it made Lauren curious, and before long the two were talking and he was giving her tips on how to lucid dream.

It took Lauren a year to finally learn how to completely control her dreams, but she had no idea where those dreams would lead, and to be perfectly honest, neither did “The Detective.”

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February 10t^h, 2018 (1 year practicing lucid dreaming, 3 years since the loss of her entire family)

Lauren sat in the backseat of David’s car, his partner, Matt beside him in the passenger seat. Matt would casually reach his hand over and pat David’s thigh, their eyes meeting just briefly, but long enough for their eyes to make love to each other’s souls, and David would turn his attention back to the road. Lauren tried desperately not to notice, she even made a race between two raindrops trickling down the back, passenger window, she found herself routing for the left raindrop. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for her friend, she was ecstatic that he had found someone who was so good to him, and he deserved it, more than anyone else she knew. However, it was hard not to be bitter around this holiday, a holiday she was never really all that into to begin with, but once one loses their forever valentine, the holiday becomes even more lonesome.

She watched as they pulled up in front of “The Half Moon,” a bed and breakfast that she had “helped” her dad build, by hammering a nail or two in the entire b&b. Her dad’s sister owns the eclectic place that draws lots of visitors in the summer but not a lot during the winter months. Lauren had agreed to watch the place for a couple of months while her Aunt Tina flew to Hawaii for the birth of her granddaughter.

“I swear, Lauren, you become more and more beautiful every day!” Her aunt Tina exclaimed as she hugged her niece.

Lauren chuckled, “You’re too kind Aunt Tina.”

“Nonsense, you’re gorgeous, it runs in your genes.” She said popping her hip and flipping her hair.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Lauren turned to David and Matt, thanking them for driving her.

“Yeah, we really need to get back, we have a few errands we have to run tomorrow.” David replied.

“Okay,” Lauren sighed. “I’m really going to miss you!” She threw her arms around David.

“I’m going to miss you too, sweetheart.” I’m going to come and visit one weekend. I promise.” He said looking into her eyes.

“I’m holding you to it.”

Lauren’s aunt walked her through the routine of booking rooms, cleaning schedule, and rewards clients. Aunt Tina had a very sweet soul and she gave discounts to single mothers, veterans, and anyone who was cold and had no place to stay. She didn’t charge full price, and all of the meals were free.

“And then there’s Marcus,” her aunt turned to her and smiled. “He came in about a month ago or so, and he saw the picture, you know, my favorite one of all of us, you, your mom, Katie, and me. You and Katie, you were always more like sisters than cousins.”

“We still are, I’ve already made plans to come stay with her when she gets home with the baby.”

“Of course you have,” she kissed Lauren’s temple. “He picked it up and his eyes instantly landed on you, he was enamored. He said something about your smile, I can’t remember his exact words, but he was pretty much saying it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. I told him about your laugh, and how it comes all the way from your toes, and when something really strikes you funny, you won’t be able to stop laughing, and it’s one of my favorite things about you.”

“Okay, so what about him?”

“He’s different, because he knows I do this, so he donates a lot of his money so that I can stay open. It’s how I can afford to give meals for free, or give returning costumers a free night stay once in a while. Honestly, he donates so much, I could probably close the two months I’m going to be gone and be okay.”

“Wow. What does he do?”

“He’s a detective.”

Lauren let out a soft chuckle.

“I know how you like detectives.”

“Does he have dark, curly hair and pop the collar on his jacket?”

The ladies couldn’t stop their giggles. “Oh Lauren, I have always adored your sense of humor, you get it from your daddy.”

“I mean, it seems to do something for me.”

“Well I don’t know about the popped collar. His hair is brown, but it’s not curly. And anyway, that’s not the point of my story,”

A few moments of silence fell between them.

“What is the point, Aunt Tina?”

“I told him about you coming to run the place while I went to Hawaii for two months.”

“And?”

“I mean, I don’t know, you know what, he probably won’t, he was only here on a job.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. I’m a crazy woman.”

“I think I believe you.”

Aunt Tina laughed before hugging her. “Alright, well I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“Alright, Aunt Tina, down worry about the b&b. I’ll take care of it.”

“I know you will, and while you’re here, maybe you can start making new recipes again?”

“Maybe.” she paused, truly giving it some thought. “Well, let me know when you get there, and give Katie a big hug from me.”

“Will do, baby girl.”

Lauren sighed, and decided she would head to the master suite, take a long relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi, and call it a night.

…

The next morning was beautiful, the sun was shining, a dusting of snow blanketed the ground and trees and Seattle’s Best coffee was calling Lauren’s name She put on the Temptations record, using a Swiffer as a microphone and danced around like a fool.
She was just in the middle of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” when she heard him clear his throat. Blushing, she still turned towards his gaze, and she dropped her Swiffer as soon as she saw him, the man from her dreams…
“The Detective.”

*There will be a Part Two

Love & life lessons,

Kristian