Chapter 8
By the time Kennedi got back to her apartment from breakfast with Dante’ she was beyond exhausted. She knew her body needed a rest, she just wasn’t totally sure if a nap was in the cards. Suddenly realizing that her noon appointment had been canceled and the earliest she had to be somewhere was 3:00 PM, Kennedi decided that she was not only allowed to take a nap but that she could totally do so guilt-free. Eager to get to it, she sat on the edge of her bed and swiftly kicked off both of her shoes. Shortly afterwards, she let her body fall backwards, drew her sock-clad feet onto the bed, and pulled the covers over herself. Before she knew it, Kennedi was snuggly tucked into her bed and out like a light.
Though it felt quite real to her, subsequent to falling into her mid-morning slumber, Kennedi found herself in the throes of a very life-like dream. One that, despite its twists and turns, never made her question whether she was in her waking life or not.
When the dream opened, Kennedi found herself sitting in the back of a limousine, sipping champagne out of an elegant flute, and watching the city pass her by from the vantage point of a large tinted window. Distracted by something in her peripheral vision, Kennedi pointedly shifted her gaze from the window down to her lap. To her complete surprise, and sheer amazement, she soon discovered that she was wearing an elegant, floor-length ball gown made of soft pink taffeta. It was like, until this very moment, until she looked down, she completely neglected to realize what she was wearing.
After reaching down to admire her dress and run her hands over the soft fabric, she was struck by the odd sensation of a weight shifting on top of her head. To investigate further, she poked her fingers upwards and their tips were quickly met with a hard, presumably-metallic structure. Curious to get a better look, she hastily decided to search for her cell phone – her camera was her favorite, most accessible, go-to mirror. She looked to her left, found her evening clutch, and searched through it until she uncovered her targeted treasure. After launching her camera and positioning it just right, Kennedi quickly learned that she was actually wearing a small, but intricately bejeweled tiara. Further inspection revealed that she was also wearing makeup that had been flawlessly applied to her face, complete with winged eye-liner and a bright red pout. Kennedi was shocked. She’d never seen herself so polished and couldn’t ever remember wearing a crown of any kind on her head – not even the paper ones they handed out like water at her favorite restaurant.
By the time she looked out of the window again, Kennedi could see that her limousine was stopped outside of – what looked to be – a stadium. Much like the city-scene floating outside of her window earlier, she couldn’t quite place the stadium and everything about her surroundings felt largely unfamiliar. In the face of it all, however, Kennedi was never afraid or anxious; in fact, she enjoyed how everything was unfolding and was excited to see what would happen next. Everything, from what she was wearing to where she was going, all seemed to be a part of a well-coordinated slow reveal; Kennedi was more intrigued by all of that more than anything else.
As soon as the car stopped, someone opened her door, extended their hand, and said, “Please allow me to escort you to your date for the evening.” Fully enthralled, eager to see who her date was, and curious about the occasion, Kennedi grabbed a hold of the escort’s hand and was quickly taken to a very sleek, state-of-the-art golf cart. “Ma’am,” the unnamed escort said pointing to the passenger’s side seat, “will you need me to help you up?”
Carefully scrutinizing the circumstances, Kennedi was confident that she could safely board the cart with minimal help. “No,” she replied gleefully, “I think I can handle it!” After gathering her dress and leaving adequate room for her legs and feet to maneuver, Kennedi swiftly hoisted herself up and made herself comfortable.
Once the escort took the driver’s seat and began the trek forward, Kennedi grew increasingly excited; just when she thought that she’d reached her zenith, she discovered new, blissful heights of fascination and wonder. She was bursting with intrigue and wanted to probe the escort for more information but, based on his quiet demeanor, figured it was best to keep silent.
“Not much longer,” the escort said, presumably sensing Kennedi’s anticipation. Before she knew it, the golf cart had cleared the outer stadium and was making its way toward the center of a lush, green football field. From a distance, she could see a table adorned with a white table cloth, two lit white candles, silver dome plate covers, and a flower bouquet as a centerpiece. She could also see a man seated at the table, but initially couldn’t make out his face from so far away. Reckoning that the man seated at the table had probably orchestrated everything, Kennedi immediately began to feel butterflies in her stomach. Clearly this had to be someone who considered her special enough to go through all of this trouble.
As the cart got nearer and nearer to the center of the field, Kennedi’s impatience began to take over. Wanting to know, once and for all, who she’d be dining with for the evening, Kennedi started intently as the fuzzy form of her dinner companion as the golf cart lurched forward. Once she was able to adjust her eyes and reduce the glare of the stadium lights, Kennedi was surprised to see that her date for the evening was none other than Dante’ Douglas. She immediately roared with laughter, confident that she was about to have a charming, engaging evening.
When the cart finally arrived at the table, Dante’ rushed over to collect Kennedi, and help her safely disembark from the golf cart. Once she was firmly on the ground, Dante’ thanked the escort for his services, and then excused him until further notice. Happy to see her and ready to get dinner started, Dante’ kissed Kennedi on the cheek and then walked her over to their well-appointed table. “For you, my dear,” he said, genteelly pulling out her chair. As she took her seat, Kennedi felt special, appreciated, and like everything had fallen into place just as it was supposed to.
From the moment she sat down, Kennedi enjoyed the rich and engaging dialog she shared with Dante’. She felt like she could talk about anything with him and either learn something, laugh, or both. Most of all, however, she enjoyed how it felt when they explored each other’s minds and became closer in the process. Throughout dinner, she looked over at him and saw a suave conversationalist who was as talented one-on-one as he was on the football field. To add to her delight, the delectable three-course meal he had arranged, which included caviar, crab cakes, and crème Brule, was the perfect accompaniment to their evening. As far as Kennedi was concerned, she couldn’t have planned it better herself.
At the end of the date, Dante’ summoned the golf-cart and bid Kennedi adieu. But, before he sent her off, back to her limo, he drew her in for the most passionate, charismatic kiss she’d ever experienced. As she savored the warmth of his lips and the sensual interplay with his tongue, Kennedi woke up, mid-kiss, and realized that it was all just a sweet, romantic dream. Though she was a little disappointed to wake up when she did, before the dream was completely over, Kennedi was able to steal away vivid memories right after she woke up. In fact, she found herself replaying some of her favorite parts of the dream over again, on repeat.
After essentially coming back down from the high she experienced during the dream and shortly after she awoke, Kennedi laid in bed, stared at the ceiling, desperately trying to sort out her feelings. Embarrassed to admit it, she slowly came to the realization that she was actually falling for Dante’ in real life. The dream, she figured, was just a mirror for her true feelings.
Although Kennedi was not resistant to love and relationships, she felt a little odd about this particular circumstance. The thing that was most off-putting for her, in terms of what she felt, was how cliché the set-up was. In her mind, if this was a movie, she’d be the girl who wasn’t looking for anything serious but ended up finding love in the most ironic of places. Here’s the deal: Kennedi never liked those movies and was annoyed that she, essentially, was starring in one. But, whether it was kitschy or not, Kennedi knew that she couldn’t deny her feelings any longer and frantically wanted to get her love life resolved, ASAP!