Chapter 3: Something More

Over the next week, Lena and Manuel exchanged messages almost daily. Their conversations flowed easily as if they'd known each other forever. They talked about their lives, their dreams, their fears. She opened up to him in ways she hadn't with anyone before, revealing pieces of herself that she usually kept buried.

And the more they talked, the more she began to feel a strange connection to him. It was as if the dream she'd had, the one that had haunted her, was somehow leading her to him.

One evening, as they chatted about their favorite books, Manuel shared details about his life that stopped Lena's heart.

I'm a photographer, he had said. I travel a lot, capturing the world through my lens. I've been to places most people only dream of.

Lena felt a strange jolt of recognition, as though her body knew something her mind hadn't caught up with yet. I'm a photographer too, she typed back, her fingers trembling slightly. I'm not as well-traveled as you, but I love capturing moments. My camera is like an extension of my soul.

Funny, he replied, I've always felt the same way. It's like the world speaks to me through my lens.

She couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence. It's a small world, isn't it?

Maybe it's not so small after all, Manuel replied. Maybe we're precisely where we're meant to be.

As Lena closed her laptop and prepared for bed, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was at play. She had always been careful with her heart, never one to dive headfirst into relationships. But something about Manuel made her question everything she thought she knew about love and fate.

Was this the connection she had dreamed about all along?

The dream from weeks ago, the one with the grand church, the aisle, the rose petals; flashed in her mind. Was this it? Was this the man she had been waiting for?

But Lena knew one thing for sure: her life was about to change, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

Days blurred into weeks as Lena and Manuel continued to talk. What began as a simple exchange of messages soon became something more. Their conversations stretched into late-night hours, and an undeniable sense of closeness formed despite their distance.

But with each passing conversation, Lena felt the pressure of an unspoken truth pressing in. Manuel had become her confidant, someone who understood her in ways no one else did. And yet, she had never seen him in person. What if the connection was only in her head? What if she was projecting something onto him that wasn't there?

Lena was walking a tightrope between curiosity and caution, and it felt like the fall was imminent.

One evening, as they discussed photography, Manuel sent a picture that made her heart skip a beat. It was a photograph of a city skyline at dusk. The light from the setting sun cast a soft golden glow over the buildings, and there was a sense of serenity in the composition. She had seen countless photos like this before, but something about this one felt familiar as if she had seen it before in a dream.

I wrote this, which I took last week. It's one of my favorites, and I wanted to share it with you.

Lena stared at the image for a long time, her pulse racing. The skyline, the colors, and the angle of the shot. It all felt like something from her past, something she had witnessed in a place she couldn't quite remember. The dream. The one with the rose petals, the church, and the overwhelming sense of love.

It's beautiful, Lena typed, trying to ignore the rising dread. It reminds me of a dream I had. A dream where everything felt... familiar. Like it was meant to happen.

Manuel responded almost immediately: Tell me more about the dream. I'm curious.

The floodgates opened as Lena recounted the dream in detail, describing everything from the sense of destiny she had felt in the church to the vivid image of the man in the dream. Her words flowed faster than she could think, and her fingers moved across the keyboard frantically as she attempted to make sense of the vision that had haunted her for so long.

When she finished, there was a long pause. Her heart raced in her chest, her hands trembling. She had shared something so deeply personal, something she had never told anyone, not even her closest friends.

Finally, a message from Manuel appeared on the screen: Lena, you're not going to believe this, but I had a dream like that, too. In it, I was in a church, walking down an aisle with a woman I'd never met. She was holding roses, and I felt like I knew her.

Lena's breath caught in her throat as she read the words. Her mind reeled. This couldn't be real. This wasn't possible.

She typed back, her fingers unsteady: How is that possible?

I don't know, Manuel replied. But there's something about this that I can't shake. We're meant to be part of each other's story.

Weeks passed in a haze of constant messaging. Manuel's words had become a comforting presence in Lena's life, and yet, she still couldn't entirely shake the fear that this all might be some elaborate coincidence. After all, they had never met in person, and everything about their connection could be chalked up to chance.

But then, one day, as Lena sat in her favorite coffee shop on a chilly morning, she received a message that changed everything.

I'm in town, Manuel's message read. I'm staying here for a few days and wondered if you'd like to meet. I think it's time.

Lena's heart stopped in her chest. She had known this moment would come, but now that it was here, she was terrified. Meeting in person meant confronting everything she had felt, a feeling that had started as an inexplicable connection and now was blossoming into something tangible.

I think I'd like that, Lena typed back, her hands clammy as she hit send.