Esme's POV

  I woke up and found myself not in our apartment but in a car I never been in before with a woman I didn't know. And what was even stranger, the woman didn't know why we were there and who I was. I wasn't sure what was going on. I figured I must have woken up in my dream and this was still part of a dream. It was weird because in the dream I simultaneously think I'm myself and this other woman. I even went as far as asking the other woman about her sleeping when we ran out of gas. I thought back and remembered having dreams where I was myself, playing somebody else. This must have been one of those dreams. I didn't get why the other person in my dream was confused too. That part threw me off. I decide to continue "playing" this woman and said, "Uh..this is about how we are stuck here with no gas." But then I suddenly say to her, "You know what? I was going to say something too. I can't remember what?" She looked at me briefly with a flash of recognition and I thought she was going to explain her behavior before.

Olivia's POV

  Let me just go along with this dream. I thought to myself. Then I said, "One of us should call AAA."

  The other woman grabbed her phone and stared at it for a few moments and then looked scared. "I thought I charged my phone before we left." Now she was looking embarrassed and said, "Since I thought I already did it, I didn't bother checking to see if it had enough battery power. And, it's dead. You have your phone, right?"

  "Let me get it," I said. It was my turn to look shocked as I looked at the low battery symbol on my phone. "My phone is close to dead. I was blushing and said, "I fell asleep and I forgot to charge my phone."

  The woman looked defeated and said, "Now, that we have no gas, we can't charge our phones and one of us has to go find help." Then she said a bit more confidently, "I will do it, because I rented this car and it is my responsibility."

  I said reluctantly, "Are you sure?" She nodded at me. But, I felt guilty because it seemed like it was my fault too. So I said, "I need to take some blame too and I could get help if needed."

  "Well, let's not worry about who is at fault. I'm more than ok with going to get help," she said.

  "Please just be careful," I said concerned.

"I will bring a flashlight and my phone and phone charger, so I can charge it later," she said reassuringly.

  I noticed that there were lights to a city, but it actually seemed like it was further away than it looked, so I brought that up to her and she said, "I will do my best to get there as quickly and carefully as I can. Bye!"

  "Bye!" I said.

  Some time had passed. I wasn't sure how long it was, but it was starting to get dark and I was worried. Dream or no dream, it still was a scary situation, I thought. I checked my watch to see the time and I discovered an hour had passed. I was having bad thoughts and because I was afraid to be alone at there in the dark, I spoke those thoughts out loud, at the risk of looking like a lunatic. "Oh no. It's been an hour and she's not back. Maybe she didn't get there yet?" I continue further with my spoken thoughts and then finally take a deep breath. This time I thought to myself instead of speaking out loud. I have to calm down. This is a dream anyhow. What could happen to us? She'll probably be back any moment.

  As I was calming down, I started to daydream about being an actress and I was all caught up into my daydream when I was startled out of it by a knock on my window. I screamed but then I calmed down. I started to say, "Is that you? I'm glad you are back and found help...," when I looked up and saw it was not the woman from the car but someone who I didn't think could possibly be there. Well, it's a dream, so anything is possible. The person I saw looked like Kaleb from "A Life's Journey". First I thought, well it's dark, so it could just be someone who looks like him. Then I thought, it's a dream, so why couldn't it be him? Still dream or not, I was afraid to open the door and I was worried that the car didn't have enough fuel for me to turn on the car and open the window.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I don't think I am the person you are looking for, but I can help," he said. I fidgeted awkwardly partly due to being scared and also to being confused. Finally, I got myself together enough to find a flashlight. I turned it on and noticed it really was Kaleb.

  "Oh my. It's you! I can't believe it!" I said shocked.

  Kaleb looked embarrassed for me and said awkwardly, "Uh, do I know you?"I quickly recovered and said, "Sorry, I just thought you looked like someone I know." Kaleb was still looking at me awkwardly so I suddenly blurted out, "I really should not talk to strangers, no matter how cute they are." I blushed from embarrassment. Why the hell did I say that, dream or not, it's still stupid, I thought. Then I said, "I can't believe I said that." I bet I was still blushing. I hope the real life me wouldn't have come off so silly in front of someone like him. "Thank you for your offer of help. I'm just waiting for my friend, she'll be back soon," I said.

  Kaleb looked dangerously sexy as he crossed his arms and said, "Ok..but you do think it is a good idea to wait out here in the dark for her?" However, he also looked like he was challenging me somehow and I wanted to show I wasn't a silly ignorant woman alone and helpless. "Probably better than leaving with a stranger," I said. Probably wasn't the best thing to say. What if this was a nightmare? I thought.

  Kaleb didn't change his expression or move from his stance, "What?" he said.

  I was back to looking embarrassed and maybe a bit scared and said, "Uh nothing. I just said I didn't want her to come back and not find me here."

  Kaleb realized I must have been a little scared and said, "Listen, if it makes you feel better, why don't you try calling her and seeing where she is?"

  I answered shyly, "I would if my phone wasn't dead."

  "You can use mine," he said.

  I must have looked like an absolute ninny just standing there with my mouth gaping open and saying nothing. Finally I said, "Are you sure?"

  If he noticed it, he didn't show it. He just smiled reassuringly and said, "It's no trouble at all."

  "Thank you," I said. He reached in his pocket to get his phone and motioned for me to open the door or open the window. I figured I have just enough gas to open the window and grab the phone but not enough to close it again. I guess I will have to take my chances, I thought. What was I thinking? I was embarrassed at the way I sounded, I thought. Truthfully, I realized I didn't have a choice anyhow if my friend didn't come back and I was left alone out in the woods here. Besides, what the courageous, kind and sexy police officer Kaleb would do to me? I thought. Where did that thought come from? Gosh, was I falling for Kaleb, a character and not a real person, I thought.

  I quickly turned on the car and opened the window and shut it back off and Kaleb handed me his phone. I took a deep breath after he did that but I was embarrassed to admit that I was sad that he didn't make a move to come in the car with me. I dialed the phone number and no one picked up. Then I realized that I called Esme, not this woman whose number and in fact whose name I didn't know. Ok, it's a dream anyhow, no need to panic, I thought. But I wondered what I should do next and was scared because I had no idea how to proceed. "I'm concerned now," I said sheepishly.

  "Maybe her phone is dead too?" he said.

  I try to act nonchalant but I ended up saying, "Maybe. I'm even more worried."

  Then, Kaleb gave me a warm smile that I was sure would be my undoing. He said, "That's even more reason to come with me." I'm wondering why I was feeling so flushed and aroused by him. I wasn't even the one who had a big crush on his character. "Look here, he said as he gestured to his pocket. "I can show you my badge."

  I guess this was the dream me playing this other character saying this in surprise, "You're a police officer?!"

  He reached into his pocket and I took a deep breath. What is wrong with me? If it was a gun, he's probably have killed me already, I thought shuddering. I quickly put myself back together as Kaleb said reassuringly, "I thought that would help." I looked at him as he brandished a shiny badge in front of my face with his name on it. I looked closely at the name and it said his first and last name, the same name as his character on the show. A small smile came to my face. But, I must have been blushing again as I said to him, "It's you. I mean you're a police officer," I said quickly trying to recover from what I blurted out. "You're not on duty?" I said.

  Now, for the first time since we met, Kaleb was the one to look embarrassed as he said, "Uh..not right now, no."

  I wasn't sure if it's because I realized it's Kaleb from the show, or that he's a cop or that I found him devastatingly attractive, but I found myself saying "Alright, I will come with you to get help."

  I asked casually to make conversation, "May I ask though, what are you doing on this deserted strip of road at night?"

  "I was going out to my parent's ranch. I was at the coffeehouse and ready to head over there. They live out in the country. However, I could take you back to the coffeehouse and maybe you'll see your friend there," he said.

  I couldn't help being excited about the prospect of spending more time with Kaleb, I was surprised. "Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate it."

  We got into his car, a sporty SUV. I shyly said, "This is great, now I don't have to worry about being out there alone."

  "It's the least I could do," said Kaleb blushing. I couldn't leave you alone out there in the dark. I realize I didn't even ask you, what's your name?"

  "Uh...." I said unsure. Now, I was confused. Would I try to say my real name or would some other name come out? So instead of saying any name I just muttered, "Uh...." I must be beet red at this point. I'm sure I looked like a total moron.

  Luckily, Kaleb must have just attributed my behavior to being worried about my friend, because he asked reassuringly, "Are you ok?"

  I quickly recovered and said, "I'm sorry. My mind is on my friend and what is going on with her. By the way, my name is Hope".

  I must have looked puzzled because Kaleb looked at me worried. I just looked like that because I was confused where I got that name from.

  Then he just smiled and said, "I'm Kaleb."

  I knew that but to hear him actually say that, was still a shock, "Kaleb?? Uh.. sorry, I mean nice to meet you."

  Kaleb reached out his hand to shake mine and said, "It's nice to meet you too."

  I wasn't sure what made me ask him questions. Maybe it was because I still can't believe it's Kaleb or because I wanted to feel more comfortable with him. Technically, he was really still a stranger. "May I learn a little more about you, Kaleb?" I said.

  "Sure. However, I get to ask you questions next," he replied with a smile.

  "Where are you from?" I asked. I figured I would know his answer, but if this was some sort of weird dream, it really could be anywhere.

  "I'm from this town, Clearview," he said. It was a little eerie to hear him say that, because dream or not, I was in the same town as the soap opera. "Clearview?" I blurted out.

  I was embarrassed because he's probably wondering why I made a big deal about that. I was correct in the fact that he was puzzled about my response, "Yeah, do you know it?" he said.

  I quickly thought of an answer and said, "No, sorry I don't know it. I just realized we're very far from where we're supposed to be."

  "And where's that?" he said. I realized I didn't know at first the answer to that.

  Maybe it would have come to me like the name Hope, but I didn't want to take the chance, so I said, "It's my turn to ask questions now." I asked him more about his job. "What's it like being a police officer?" Part of me was curious to see if he would give any hint to his departure from his job.

  "Uh..well..I took some time off from the force," he said. Okay, everything here seems to be just like it is in the soap opera. Same person, same town, same job situation, I thought.

"Can you please tell me what you been doing on the force?" I said, again fishing for more information about what happened with his job.

  "I became a detective two years ago. I have been responsible for cases dealing with burglaries and robberies," he said. That's all stuff I knew already, no surprises there, I thought. Then he crossed his arms and said, "I don't really like to talk much about my job. Sorry."

  I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable at his and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." I figured I would change to a different topic that he'd feel more comfortable talking about. "What is it like to live on a ranch? I hope you don't think I'm being nosy. Did you grow up there?" I said.

  Kaleb laughed and said, "That's two questions you asked me."

  "Ha-ha. Basically, I just want to know what it's like there," I said smirking.

  "To answer one of your questions, I did grow up there. I don't like to talk about it much," he said dismissively. "I don't like to draw too much attention to my family."

  Abort, Abort mission. No wonder I'm single. I just really know how to make a guy feel at ease. I knew these topics were ones to avoid, but yet I still had to ask about them, I thought.

  I knew why he said that, but I didn't give him any hint that I knew that. So, I gave him a shy smile and said, "I'm sorry. I feel bad that I was being nosy."

  I breathed a sigh of relief as he gave me a half smile and said, "No. You don't have to feel sorry. I don't like to advertise to people I just meet that I'm from a rich family."

  "Oh. I see," I said sheepishly, acting like I didn't know what he meant.

  Now, Kaleb went back to looking defensive and he said, "People who don't know me well and know my family name assume I'm a snob and lazy. They don't know me and my whole story."

  I realized I thought that myself when I was watching the show and felt bad at those thoughts. I said reassuringly, "That's not fair. I could understand why you'd feel that way."

  "Anyhow, aside from a few horses, there is nothing else about it that would make it seem like a working ranch. It was mainly designed to look like one. It's beautiful and very quiet, as it's out in the woods. If you like horses, there are some great trails to explore," he said and then blushed.

  "I bet it's wonderful," I said.

  "It really is!" said Kaleb.

  I was wanting to ask about his family, but then think that he said that he didn't want to talk about it and I kind of knew about them from the show. There was a pause as I tried to figure out if I wanted to ask any more questions. I also knew when I stopped he would ask me questions and I worried I wouldn't know what to say.

  Before I got a chance to think of another question, he said, "Now it's my turn to ask you questions."

  I swallow and said sheepishly, "Uh...What do you want to ask?"

  "Where are you and your friend from?" he said.

  "Uh..uh.." I said willing some answer to come to me. I was nervous that not any answer came to me and just took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

  "Are you ok?" he said concerned.

  Again, I was embarrassed and I said, "What? Oh sorry! I zoned out for a minute." However, at that point something suddenly came to me out of nowhere and I said what had come to my mind. "We're from California. We're taking a trip to Chicago."

  "Road trip"? he asked.

  "It's kind of a road trip. We flew to Indianapolis and took a detour to a small town in Indiana first. I have some cousins there," I said. I was impressed with my answer. I wondered where all that came from. I thought that it was a little freaky. Thinking about that, I took another deep breath.

  "Are you sure you are ok?" said Kaleb.

  "I'm sorry. I'm alright. It has been a long day," I said reassuringly.

  "Would you prefer if I ask you questions later and we just get to the cafe?" he said apprehensively.

  Not wanting to look like a total idiot, I said, "It's ok. Thanks for asking. You can continue."

  "So, what made you decide to come to the Midwest specifically?" he inquired.

  "I had wanted to see my cousin for a while and I had casually mentioned to my friend that I had wanted to have a little ladies only trip. She had thought it would be a good idea for me to combine the two trips, visiting her and our trip and my friend and I should spend some time in Chicago." I suddenly realized there was some other reason for Hope wanting to get away, but it's not something I could have shared with Kaleb.

  "Oh really? What part of Indiana?" he asked.

  "It's some small town where my cousin lives. You're probably not familiar with it. It's a few hours from here," I said.

  "Did you decide what you want to visit in Chicago? It's a great city," he said.

  "Yes, my friend is the type of person who likes to plan everything in advance," I said.

  "Good. We'll make sure we get you and your friend there soon," Kaleb smiled.

  "Thank you," I said sheepishly.

  Then, he asked me questions about my job, living in California and my family. It was amazing how quickly I thought up answers for Hope so quickly. "I'm a lawyer and my friend is a teacher," I said.

  He was excited that I was in a law related profession and we started to talk more about my job. "Wow, you work with children who have been abused? That must be very tough but rewarding."

  I nodded at this. Then I proceeded to tell him what it was like living in California and how my friend moved there from Georgia when she was in high school and that is how we met.

  Finally, Kaleb looked at his watch and said, "We've been sitting here talking for a while. We should really get back to town and the coffeehouse. Sorry for the delay," he said awkwardly.

  "That's okay. I enjoyed talking to you," I said smiling.

  We were driving for a while in silence and I tried to get feel of our surroundings, but it was difficult to do in the dark. Soon, though we got to an area that looked like a small city and I was able to take in the stores and restaurants that are all lit up. Finally he parked and said, "This is our local coffeehouse or cafe, if you want to call it. Welcome." We walked inside and it seemed pretty busy for this time of night. I instantly recognized the coffeehouse as the local hangout on the soap.

  "Do you want to get something to eat?" he said.

  "I should probably look for my friend first. I'll walk around the cafe to look around and join you shortly. Maybe you can find us a table and we'll join you?" I said.

  "That won't be a problem. See you soon," said Kaleb and he gave me a sexy smile.

  I was walking around through the groups of people trying to get a closer look at them to see if they were my friend. Some people hadn't noticed me but some others looked at me like they thought I was strange.

  Suddenly, I stop short and thought, wait a minute. My friend wasn't Esme, it was someone else. Yet these people though don't look like this friend from this so called dream. When I look terrified and thought, She's not here! Where can she be, some people stop talking and stare at me.

  "Oh my!" I exclaimed. "I thought I lost my phone but it looks like I had it all along," I said as I tried to recover from acting like a fool. Then the people who stared at me, just went back to their conversations.

  A little while I came back and spotted Kaleb at a table. He waved at me and I walked over to sit. He noticed I was looking a little pale and worried. "I guess you didn't find your friend?" said Kaleb concerned.

  "Thank you for finding a table and yes you are right, I didn't see her here," I said worried.

  "Do you think you can charge my phone for me, while I look for the bathroom?" I inquired.

  "You should get something to eat or drink first. I can get it for you if you like," he said.

  "You're sweet, but don't worry about that. I'll get something to eat when I get back," I said.

  "Are you sure?" said Kaleb doubtfully.

  "Yes I'm sure. I'll be right back. Thanks," I said. Before he has a chance to say anything else, I run off to in search of the bathroom. After finishing in the bathroom, I go to the sink and wash my hands and look up to fix my hair.

  I'm terrified at what I saw, "That can't be. That's not me, who is it?"