I noticed in the mirror wasn't my blond hair and light eyes staring back at me, but an attractive woman with short black hair and dark eyes. I put my hand up to my face, still not believing what I saw there and stare back again at my reflection. "What's going on? I only thought I was another person but I looked like myself but I'm totally another person here. I tried to think about other dreams I had when I was someone else. I couldn't recall if I was someone else because I don't remember looking in a mirror in these dreams. Had I done so and just forgot and this was just another dream like that? Or had it never happened at all? I started to feel a cold sweat and not realizing it, I let out a scream. Of course, at that time a woman walked out of the bathroom and looked at me strangely. She muttered something that sounded like, "I have hand sanitizer" and she ran out of the bathroom before I have a chance to give some sort of excuse. Great, I thought frowning. I told myself again that this must be a dream and who really cared what anyone else thought of me. Why did I suddenly have doubts though this was a dream?

  I put these thoughts out of my mind and walked back to the table. "Please go get something to eat and drink. By the time you come back, your phone should be ready to use," he said.

  "Sure, thank you," I said. I returned a little while later with my food and see my phone is half charged. This time I knew not to dial Esme's number. But, what is the name of this friend in this dream? I thought. I wasn't sure but I thought scrolling through names would bring the name to me. That definitely worked because, I saw a name and realized it was the name of that friend. So, I dialed that number and after a number of rings, no one answers. "I can't believe it! No one's answering. That's not good," I said.

  "Well, there could a number of reasons why she's not responding and it doesn't mean that they are all not good. "Maybe, she's at a bar and can't hear her phone ring? Maybe there was a delay in getting the phone charged so it is still dead," he said.

  I thought about this and relaxed a little. I still wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I would think in a dream that all of a sudden the answer would come to me, but it didn't.

  "Hello? Hope, you there?" he said. "I said I had an idea and you didn't respond," he said concerned.

  "Oh? What? Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What was your idea?" she said.

  "You should come back and stay with me," he said.

"What!?" I said a little too loudly and vehemently. When Kaleb and other customers started staring at me, I was blushing.

  Kaleb looked at me strangely. "What are you thinking I'm asking you?" I must have still been blushing because my face felt hot. I was fidgeting like crazy and I couldn't respond. "Uh...", I said.

  Then Kaleb laughed and said, "You didn't think I was asking you to sleep with me, right?"

  "No!" I protested a bit too much. "I mean, I thought you were asking me to stay with your parents. Isn't it kind of last minute to invite a guest over at night?" And also a bit awkward, I thought. I wanted to act a bit more confident with my response, but I didn't succeed.

   He was still laughing at me and I gave him a dirty look. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh. First of all, I wasn't asking you to sleep with me and I wasn't taking you to my parents' place," he said.

  I wish I could have disappeared now, because I was embarrassed as hell. Also, I was still a little angry because he was treating me like some sort of moron. I kept my cool and said, "Uh, ok. So what were you suggesting?"

"You could come back to my place. I'm moving out of it for now, but I didn't move the furniture into storage yet," he said.

  I looked at him warily and didn't respond. "I know you still seem skeptical. First of all, I was offering you my guest room. Secondly, it's late and you look exhausted, so I wanted you to get some sleep. I was thinking your friend was at one of the bars, so I was going to find her for you," he said.

  I thought about this for a second. "Shouldn't I go with you? It's my friend. You don't know who she is. And wouldn't it be weird for some strange guy to come up to her and say someone is looking for her!?" I exclaimed.

  "It's okay. You had a tough day. You need to take care of yourself so you can find your friend. Just show me a photo of your friend and when I find her, I'll just flash my badge and we will all be good," he said.

  I was still staring at him skeptically and trying to think how to respond to this. "If you want to do that, it would be greatly appreciated. But, I don't need to stay at your place to do that. I could go to a hotel and we can exchange numbers and you can get in touch with me and keep me posted," I said.

  "Well, it could be a lot easier to get a hold of you if you are in my apartment. You may be sleeping and may not hear your phone ring. And we can discuss other options if she's not at the bar," he said.

  "What does that mean?" I shouted at him. I frowned realizing how rude I sounded. "Sorry, I mean I was wondering what you meant by other options and I probably wouldn't be sleeping anyhow, I'm too anxious," I said shyly.

  "I'll give you some time to think about it. Send me your friend's photo anyhow. I'm running to the bathroom before you go and let me know what you think when I get back," he said.

  Before I had a chance to respond, he left the table to go to the bathroom. He took a little longer to come back, which made me a little relieved, as I was still debating about my decision.  I knew the right thing to say to him was to take me to a hotel. But when he asked me for my answer, I said, "Yes, I will stay over at your place."

  "I was thinking about it. I could understand why you would feel uncomfortable there. My colleague and friend Vanessa doesn't have to report to work for two hours and she said she would stay with you until I got back," he said.

  I just stared at him and he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. I knew who this Vanessa was and strangely enough, I couldn't help being jealous. Which was kind of silly because, he only dated her a few times and remained friends and he wasn't a real person anyhow. I had to stop thinking like this, because it's weird for me to feel like this. But maybe, it was just dream me, Hope who was feeling like this, having a crush on Kaleb. Yes, that must have been it, I thought.

  "Listen, if you are not okay with this and you really want to go back to the hotel, we could do that," he said. I could have easily gotten out of the situation and just asked to be taken to a hotel, but again I surprised myself and probably Kaleb too, by saying that I wanted to go to his apartment. "If you are sure, then yes, let's get going. How is your phone doing?" he said.

  "It's at 65% percent now," I said.

  "Good. You can continue charging it at my apartment," he said. As we parked by his apartment, he got out his cell phone and called Vanessa. I could really only get what he was saying and not all of it, because he was kind of vague at certain times. I had no idea how Vanessa was responding. Suddenly, I realize we are standing in front of a door. He gets out his keys and opens it to his apartment. I look around. I remembered seeing it on the show. It looked like the typical high end bachelor pad. I was surprised how neat it was though. He must have just got off the phone and saw me staring, because he said, "You wouldn't normally see it this neat. It's because I have a lot of stuff in boxes, as you will see."

  "Uh, ok," I said.

  "By the way, Vanessa said she could be here in 10 minutes", he said.

  "Shit!" I exclaimed.

  "What?!" Kaleb said worried.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I just realized in all my rush, I didn't take a change of clothes with me and I left the car there alone by the side of the road," I said.

  "I realized that and asked Vanessa to bring you something to sleep in. I can retrieve your luggage for you, so you can have something to change in for tomorrow, but you wouldn't get your luggage until later and may be tired before then. In addition, one of the other calls I made was to my mechanic friend, who said he would come with me to tow your car and he can fix it sometime tomorrow," he said.

  I started to rush over to hug him, but stopped myself. Kaleb stared at me for a moment but said nothing. "I'm going to get myself some water. You want some?" he said.

  "I'm okay for now," I said.

  "Vanessa knows where everything is, so if you want something later, don't hesitate to ask. I forgot to ask you, your friend's name," he said.

  I was happy that I was prepared for this question and told him her name is Candace. "Ok. Thanks. I'll be right back," he said.

  A minute or two later he was back. I was just fidgeting staring at him and he stared at me. We were standing there for two minutes when suddenly the doorbell buzzes. There's some sort of intercom and I heard a women's voice say, "I'm here."

  Kaleb said, "Thanks Vanessa. Come right up."

  "So she's a cop too?" I said. I knew she was but Hope didn't know that.

  "Yes, we started on the force at the same time and we used to be partners. She took over my detective position while I am out on leave," he said. I was staring at him starting to say something. He said, "I'll get my position back when I'm done with my leave and she was going to be promoted soon anyhow." I didn't get a chance to reply because I hear a knock at the door and Kaleb rushes to get it. At the door, I see an attractive Latino woman with pretty long, dark curly hair and hazel eyes, dressed in a grey pant suit and a plain white shirt. "Hello," she said waving at me. She then goes to give Kaleb a hug and said, "How are you doing? You been feeling ok?"

  Kaleb shot her a look and she said, "Sorry. I know you just got over a bad cold."

  Kaleb said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm doing better. Anyhow, this is Hope here. Thank you for coming over."

  Vanessa said, "It's nice to meet you Hope. When Kaleb told me about your friend and asked for my help and all, I told him I would definitely help," she said.

  I said, "That's really nice of you. I appreciate it,"

  Vanessa blushed and said, "It's nothing." Then she looked all business as she said to Kaleb. "I need to talk to you privately."

  Kaleb crossed his arms and said, "Really? Let's just make it quick."

  They rush off into his bedroom and close the door. At first I was having naughty thoughts, that maybe they were friends with benefits. I quickly dismissed that thought but I sneaked up quietly to the door and tried to listen to their conversation, but it was all garbled. I walk defeated to the couch. Before I sit, I looked around for an outlet and plugged in my phone. I decided to see if I have any games on my phone and found an interesting word game and sit down.  A few minutes later, they both came out.

  Kaleb said, "Sorry about that. There was just something private that was important for Vanessa to talk to me about."

  "You don't have to apologize about that," I said. 

  "I just feel bad that I didn't give you the remote control to give you something to do in the meantime," he said.

  "Don't worry. I found a place to charge my phone and was playing a game," I said.

  "Great. I'm just going to take care of your car and check out a few bars," he said.

  "Listen, I can..." I said, but he cut me off before I could finish.

  "I know you want to come help. But you are exhausted. You need to take it easy. I promise you I'll do everything I can to find your friend," he said.

  "Thank you. I know you will," I said.

  Vanessa exchanged a look between Kaleb and me, didn't say anything but just smiled. Then she thought for a second and said, "I forgot to tell you I need to leave by 11:40 to make it on time to meet my new partner at the station before our shift starts," she said.

  Kaleb smiled and said. "Was this the new partner you told me about?"

  Vanessa blushed and said, "Um yes, Darnell, it's our first week together and I want to make sure we go over some things before we start our shift," I hadn't seen the new partner yet on the show but I remember her saying on the show not long ago that she was starting with him this week.

  Kaleb thought for a second and said, "I should be back by then. I don't know this guy. Is he new?"

  Vanessa was fidgeting now too and said, "Yes, I'm training him," As to prevent further conversation, she said, "You should go. You don't have that much time as it is," she said.

  "Don't worry. I'll definitely be back by then," he said. He grabbed his keys and checked to make sure he still had his phone and said, "Bye ladies. I'm sure you will be having tons of fun without me," He laughed and turned to leave.

  We wave to him and then we walk to the couch and sit. Vanessa smiled  at me and she said, "What an interesting way to meet. Kaleb told me about that."

  I blushed and said, "Oh?"

  "No need to feel embarrassed. I know how women find him hot," she said.

  What an awkward conversation we were having, his ex, with possibly his new love interest, I thought. Why was I even thinking that, he's not real nor is Hope, so we can't be a couple anyhow.

  "Shit. Sorry, about the language, but I get how that sounded about Kaleb. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. What I meant to say was that you were lucky to have met him because he helped you out of the situation and will probably find your friend for you," she said.

  I stood and said, "I really should have gone with him."

  She was staring at me as if we was thinking how to respond to that. "I understand you want to try to find your friend yourself, but you would be no use if you were very tired and it's a bit of stressful situation."

  "Uh ok," I said. I wanted shake my head at my response. "You get what I mean though. Thanks."

  "Are you hungry or thirsty? Kaleb showed me where everything is," she said.

  "What does he have to drink?" I said.

  "Do you like beer? He has tons of that," she said.

  "I'm sorry I'm not much of a beer drinker," I said. I wasn't sure if that was Hope or me responding.

  "I like beer but I know he has some soda. Do you want that?" she said.

  Knowing I wouldn't get fat in my dream I said, "Sure why not?"

  "Ok. I'll be right back," she said. She went to the kitchen to get our drinks and I checked my phone again. It was closer to being fully charged. She came back quickly and gave me my drink.

  "Do you want to talk or watch some tv for a while?" she said.

  I thought about that. I kind of knew about her and her relationship with Kaleb from the show and I remembered how awkward I felt when Kaleb was talking about her just now. I didn't want to be rude, so I said, "We can talk for a little bit and then watch some tv, if that is good?"

  "Sure. So, Hope, what brings you to this part of the country?" she said.

  "Kaleb didn't tell you about our trip?" I said.

  "He didn't get a chance," she said.

  I was happy she was letting me talk about myself and I didn't have to ask her questions. "It's a ladies only trip with my best friend, Candace. First we visited my cousin and then we were to go to Chicago," I said.

  "Have you guys ever been to Chicago?" she said.

  "No, we haven't. Have you?" I said.

  "I used to live there. Do you need any recommendations on what to see there?" she said.

  "We're good, but thanks. Hopefully, we will be able to go over there soon," I said.

  "Of course you will go soon. I'm sure you are itching to get out of our boring town," she said laughing.

  "I wouldn't know. We haven't seen much of it yet. I'm sure it has its charms," I said.

  "It certainly is, but it's no Chicago," she said continuing to laugh.

"You said you lived in Chicago?" I said. That was something I didn't know about Vanessa from the show. I knew she came on the scene a few years ago but I couldn't recall if she was from here or someplace else.

  "I grew up as a child in Chicago, interestingly enough and went to college in Indiana University on a soccer scholarship," she said. "It was a great opportunity to get out of where I was living in Chicago. It certainly wasn't like the tourist spots that you are visiting".

  "Oh, but how did you end up here specifically?" I said. I knew it was for the job but not much more about why this town over any other one.

  "They had a career fair at the university and the person who came to talk to us there, is Kaleb's and my current supervisor, Chief of Police, Chief Anderson. I had no idea what I wanted to do at the time so I visited many different booths. This is going to sound really silly, but I'll tell you how I ended up at the Clearview PD booth. A promotion pamphlet with Kaleb's picture caught my eye and I noticed how cute he was," she said blushing.

  I giggled. "Sorry," I said.

  "It's okay. I know it's a funny story," she said. "Anyhow, the Chief noticed me staring and thought I was interested in joining their police department. Of course I couldn't tell him the real reason why I was staring at the pamphlet, so I lied and said I was interested. But after our conversation about my childhood in a rough neighborhood in Chicago and how I felt about it, it got me thinking I wanted to be a cop in my old neighborhood. That day, I told him I would think about it. So, you are probably thinking how I ended up here instead of Chicago? I did initially join the Chicago PD. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience. Some of my fellow precinct members were racist and misogynist. And it didn't help that my partner was one of those members. I tried to ignore it but it was really getting to me. I wasn't sure how to handle it. I thought they would think badly of me if I went to the Chief to complain. So I thought back to my conversation with Chief Anderson and remember I still had his card, we hit it off, so I felt comfortable calling him. I decided to call him. I explained to him what had happened and he said that I made the right decision not to report my partner to the chief, because it's possible he might have known about his behavior and looked the other way and might not have been happy that I was complaining about his employee. First, he asked if I wanted to transfer to another precinct," she said.

  She took a moment to take a drink from her beer bottle, then she continued her story. I told him I asked to put in for a transfer, but it would take several months because there were currently no openings for rookies in any of the precincts, because after Police Academy, all the positions were filled and no one else put in for a transfer at this point and no one was retiring just yet. He asked me if I considered joining their department. He told me this was perfect timing because one of the cops in his department was injured and was on leave, so they needed someone to replace him. I was concerned that I would have to leave before the officer came back but he said that someone else was retiring in a few months, so if I proved to be good, he wouldn't mind having an extra cop for a few months. It was the best decision I made," she said.

  We talked a little while longer and I told her about my friend and my job. Then, we watched some TV. A little while later, my cell phone rang and I rushed to get it figuring it was either Candace or Kaleb. It was Kaleb. "Sorry, no luck. I tried 3 bars and no one fitting the description of Candace was there. I already brought your car in and have the luggage. I'm coming home in a few minutes and Vanessa will have plenty of time to leave. Can you please put her on the phone?" he said.

  "Sure," I said. I figured he just wanted to thank her for help. However, when the conversation took a little longer than that, I was suspicious. What were they talking about? It was just like the conversation in the parking lot and in the bedroom, I thought. I wasn't worried about Vanessa as a threat against a possible relationship with Kaleb, but suddenly thought that maybe he was asking Vanessa questions about using her cop resources in helping finding Candace. It was difficult to tell from Vanessa's side of the conversation. One thing she said made me think though that was what he was doing. She said, "I don't know if I could do that. I may get in trouble," It had me thinking that he wanted her when she was on her shift to try to find Candace herself but it was probably against the rules, with the whole 24 hour thing with someone being missing, which I knew from my cop shows. Finally, Vanessa agreed to help Kaleb. She hung up and when I questioned her about it, she was cryptic and only said we would discuss it more when Kaleb returned. Vanessa put back on the TV and I pretended to watch it, but I was on pins and needles worried about what Kaleb wanted Vanessa to do and why he needed her to do it. What was he thinking happened, I thought. So when he entered the front door, I blurted out, "Why do you need Vanessa to help you??!! What do you really think happened to my friend?!"