The drive to the mall took less than twenty minutes.
Samuel sat in the backseat of the car, one arm resting against the window as he watched New York pass by.
Beside him, Jane was scrolling through emails on her tablet.
"Remind me why we're here again?" Samuel asked.
Jane didn't look up.
"Because unlike you, I actually enjoy shopping."
"You enjoy buying things."
"Exactly."
Samuel sighed dramatically.
"Same thing."
"It isn't."
"It is."
Jane finally glanced at him.
"You complain a lot for someone whose entire wardrobe costs more than most people's houses."
Samuel looked offended.
"I complain professionally."
Jane laughed.
The car pulled into the mall parking lot a few minutes later.
Almost immediately people began noticing them.
A few heads turned then more.
The Black family name carried weight almost everywhere.
Samuel ignored the attention. He was used to it.
The moment they entered the mall, several employees immediately greeted them.
Jane smiled politely before heading toward one of the luxury stores.
Samuel followed behind.
For approximately eight minutes.Then he got bored. Very bored.
"Mom."
No response.
"Mom."
Still nothing.
Jane was currently examining handbags with frightening concentration.
Samuel sighed.
"I'm going to walk around."
"Don't disappear."
"I won't."
"You always say that."
Samuel grinned.
"Love you too."
Jane waved him away without looking.
Free at last.
Samuel shoved his hands into his pockets and wandered through the mall.
The place was crowded.
Families,teenagers,tourists.
He passed several stores before stopping near a large fountain in the center of the building.
Something felt...
Strange.
He couldn't explain it.
Almost like someone was nearby.
Watching.
The feeling reminded him of the dreams.
Samuel frowned slightly.
"Ridiculous. It was just a dream.
Right?".
Shaking off the thought, he continued walking.
He turned towards a corner and collided directly into someone.
THUD.
The impact wasn't hard, but it was enough.
A bag slipped from slender fingers.
Books, makeup, and other belongings scattered across the floor.
"Oh—"
Samuel immediately crouched down.
"I'm sorry."
He reached for a small notebook that had slid across the floor.
At the same moment, another hand reached for it too.
Their fingers brushed. Samuel froze.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
He looked up.
Green eyes.
The same impossible shade he'd seen a thousand times before.
His breath caught.
No.
That wasn't possible.
The girl from the dreams stared back at him.
Golden curls framed her face.
Her green eyes were wide with shock.
For a moment neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
The noise of the mall faded into the background.
Samuel could only stare.
She was real.
Not a dream.
Not a memory.
Real.
Standing right in front of him. And somehow...
She looked just as surprised to see him.
For the first time in years, Samuel Black was completely speechless.
****
"Samuel."
The voice barely registered.
He was still staring.
Still trapped in those green eyes.
For a moment, everything else had disappeared.
The crowd.
The noise.
The mall.
Her.
All of it blurred together.
Then suddenly a hand grabbed his arm.
Firmly.
"Samuel."
He blinked.
The world snapped back into focus.
Before he could react, Jane was already steering him through the crowd.
"Mom—"
"Keep walking."
Samuel looked over his shoulder.
The girl was still standing there.
Golden curls.
Green eyes.
Looking just as shocked as he felt.
Then the crowd moved between them.
And she disappeared.
---
Several moments later, Samuel finally came back to his senses.
The first thing he realized was that he was no longer inside the mall.
The second thing he realized was that his mother was staring at him.
"Done?" Jane asked.
Samuel frowned.
"What?"
"You looked like someone had stolen your soul."
Samuel groaned.
"Why did you drag me away?"
Jane raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"At that exact moment."
"Because," Jane replied calmly, "I was saving you."
"Saving me from what?"
Jane looked horrified.
"Another girl."
Samuel stared at her.
Then sighed.
"Mom."
"What?"
"Why would you save me from that?"
Jane rolled her eyes.
"Wasn't she trying to hit on you ."
"No?"
"Oh my bad."
Samuel did not no wither to laugh or cry.
Jane crossed her arms.A teasing smile appeared on her face.
"The girl was actually pretty."
Samuel froze.
Jane's smile widened.
"Oh."
"Don't."
"Oh, she was definitely pretty."
"Mom."
"You were staring."
"So was she."
"Exactly."
Samuel groaned and ran a hand through his hair.
Then suddenly turned.
"I'm going back."
Before Jane could stop him, he was already heading toward the entrance.
"Samuel!"
He ignored her.
The automatic doors opened.The mall swallowed him once again.
Samuel searched everywhere.
The corridor. The café area.The nearby stores.The fountain.
Nothing.No golden curls.No green eyes.
It was like she had vanished.
After nearly twenty minutes of searching, Samuel finally slowed to a stop.
Disappointment settled heavily in his chest.
He didn't even know her name.
A bright light suddenly flashed above him.
Samuel looked up.
A giant digital billboard stretched across one of the upper walls.
The advertisement changed.
And Samuel stopped breathing.
A girl appeared on the screen.
Golden curls.
Green eyes.
The same girl.
The exact same girl.
She smiled brightly while holding a luxury skincare product.
The advertisement shifted.
Then a name appeared beneath her image.
ANGEL DOVE
Samuel's entire body went still.
Angel.
Her name was Angel.
For some reason, seeing it made everything feel even more real.
Angel Dove.
The girl from his dreams.
The girl from the clock tower.
The girl he'd just met.
His fingers unconsciously brushed the fairy charm on his bracelet.
And for the first time in years...
The dreams no longer felt like dreams.
****
When Samuel finally returned, Jane was seated outside a boutique scrolling through her phone.
She glanced up immediately.
"Well?"
Samuel said nothing.
Jane smiled knowingly.
"You didn't find her, did you?"
Still nothing.
"Did you at least get her name?"
Samuel looked away.
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Jane noticed instantly.
"Oh."
She sat up straighter.
"Oh, you did."
Samuel remained silent.
Jane laughed.
And somehow that only made Samuel think of Angel all over again.