Morning light traced the edges of the curtains like a single line of lace, but Arabella lay still, her eyes open. The dream clung to her like fog, refusing to burn off. She didn't know where she'd been but knew it wasn't here. Her sheets twisted like ivy around her legs. The dream was gone, but its presence lingered, thick in the air, as if someone else had been in the room with her. Arabella couldn't shake the feeling about the man she had just dreamt about; something was special about him as if she already knew him. The dream was vivid as if she could almost touch him. She could see his face still in her mind, his big brown eyes, tightly chiseled chin, and full but somewhat curly hair that sat so perfectly messy on his head. His six-foot frame stood a little taller than her five-foot-seven stature. And her bracelet… Arabella grabbed her wrist, spinning the thinly roped gold bracelet around her fingers. The small sapphire jewels were surrounded by jagged edges, all in an ongoing pattern that overlapped one onto the other. What was the significance of the bracelet she saw him wearing in her dream? It was like the one her grandmother had given her as a young girl, the one she never took off. But she was almost certain it was an original handmade piece for her. Still, she knew what she saw in her dream, and he was definitely wearing the same one. More questions than answers flooded her mind. She turned her head to look at the time. "10:30 already." she sighed, her soft pillow engulfing her messy brown strands. She couldn't help but be tempted to fall back into the world she had just left, to see him again, smell him, and feel his presence, but she had to get ready to start the day. The Valencia Lights festival was finally here, and Ria would be too. They had been waiting all year for this day full of fun, food, and celebrations. His presence still lingered in her room, and the timing of the dream made her wonder if maybe he would be there. There was no rhyme or reason as to why she should even expect this man to be real, but she just couldn't get him out of her mind. Her stomach fluttered, thinking about his hand grabbing hers, gripping it so tightly. She could still feel his warmth, even if it was just a dream. It was foolish thinking, but her mind was elsewhere. Footsteps shook her out of her daydream, and a voice fell into her ears. "Bella, you better be dressed!" Ria's voice echoed in the hallway outside of her room. Arabella jumped out of bed quickly, grabbing her robe behind her door. Ria emerged just in time to see Arabella slip into her oversized blue plush. "Girl, why are you still not showered!" Ria's voice echoed with slight annoyance. "I know, I know, give me 20 minutes; we'll be out the door before you know it," Bella wiped the sleep from her eyes. She wanted so badly to tell Ria about him, the dream, and how she could hardly think of anything else, but that would have to wait. They wanted to get a head start at the festival so they could enjoy all the music and culture before the anticipated fireworks that would cover the night sky. "This is the perfect spot," Arabella said in a low voice as she adjusted her feet in the grass. The night breeze hit Ria's face delicately, enough to tone down the night's heat. "I'm so glad we got here early." The day had been amazing, and Arabella looked up at the mixture of the coal-black skies and the beginning of the glimmering lights. The smell of heat and sweat somehow triggered anticipation inside of her. This surreal feeling had stuck with her all day; she couldn't explain it. She looked around the crowd as everyone else looked up. "They're gorgeous this year!" Ria shouted in Arabella's ear, echoing against the cracking lights above them. Arm in arm, the girls stood beneath the explosion of magenta and gold, the fireworks reflecting in their wide eyes like scattered diamonds. For a moment, their faces glowed—lit by color, frozen by awe and wonder. "I'm so glad I'm here with you. This is perfect!" Arabella called, gripping Ria's hand a little tighter. But Ria noticed it—that subtle shift. Arabella's gaze had drifted, scanning the crowd with quiet urgency, like she was searching for something, or someone, that she already knew. "Who are you looking for?" Ria asked, her question cutting gently through the silence between bursts of light. Arabella blinked, her focus snapping back. "Don't worry about it," she said, wide eyes flickering toward the crowd. Ria's mouth curled into a focused grin. "Him," she said, her voice spilled with knowing. Arabella's slight distraction hadn't gone unnoticed by Ria earlier that day. And because Ria knew her almost better than she knew herself, she didn't hesitate to press. "Tell me what's going on. You've been somewhere else all day." It wasn't the first time Arabella had drifted like this. Her breakup earlier last year with Corey had left her hollow for months, and Ria had watched her friend slowly claw her way back to herself. Now, seeing that same far-off look in her eyes made Ria uneasy. But as effortless as the tide hits the shore, Arabella spilled the dream on Ria with a slight fear of judgment and an unwavering knowing that Ria's curiosity would be just as strong as hers. "Oh, come on, Ria! I told you—it was just a dream. He's not real." Arabella forced a laugh, the words sounding more like a wish than the truth. The two stared at each other, their smiles soft, lit by the sparkle of the fireworks above. Valencia always promised a good show, but this year, something about it felt different. More alive. More… expectant. As a gold cascade shimmered down from the sky and the crowd cheered around them, Arabella turned her gaze across the field, still searching without knowing why. The same golden light that warmed her skin lit another face across the way, though neither knew they were standing beneath the same moon, wanting the same something. *** Antonio tilted his head back, letting the colors wash over his light golden skin. Stretching his arms behind his head in a smile, he smiled, and the small gold roped bracelet reflected off the lights. “Antonio, bro, catch up!” Diego’s voice cut through the crowd, waving his arm high so Antonio could see him. Antonio's mind darted between his admiration for all the colors and his hopeful curiosity about her, whoever she was, if she were even real. “Hey man, what did I miss? I came straight from work,” Antonio yelled to Diego, greeting him with a side hug. “I’m glad you made it to the end,” Diego’s voice trailed off. Antonio couldn't bear to admit that he wouldn't miss this night because he still saw her all day long in his mind. Maybe this moment was written in the stars, or perhaps he was just a delusional fool who couldn't stop thinking about his dream. Like a movie, it played in his head all day, and he could see her as if she could appear at any moment. He could still see her gold bracelet illuminating blue under the night sky. His mind was incomplete, and nothing seemed to organize it. The bracelet she wore in his dream was identical to the one he also wore, a gift from his aunt. He never saw fireworks in his dream, but his heart felt them and the bright ocean blue of her bracelet summoned him with its siren song. “Hey man, let's walk around and grab a drink before the street stands close; I'm parched.” The sweat glistened in drops where they had collectively formed on Diego's forehead. “Bet,” Antonio muttered in his rather distracted tone. “Hey, I told Liam I would be back in front of gate six by eleven. I think we need to head that way,” Diego murmured between his water guzzles. Antonio and Diego walked side by side, weaving through the crowd as they made their way toward Gate Six. Diego craned his neck, scanning the masses of faces. “You see Liam yet?” Antonio asked, watching his friend rise on his toes. “Not yet,” Diego muttered, still peering ahead. Just then, Antonio stumbled slightly, catching himself as someone brushed past him. “Oh, excuse me, I'm so sorry!” he said, instinctively reaching out as he nearly collided with a girl brushing against him, walking in the opposite direction. “You're good!” she called back over her shoulder, tossing him a quick, amused smile as she disappeared into the flow of people. It was Ria. A few steps behind her, Arabella followed, staying close, their arms linked tightly as they pushed toward the heart of the crowd. Antonio turned his head, catching just the edge of her face. It was the kind of glance that lingers longer than it should. He couldn't see her clearly. Just the flash of her brown hair and the curve of her jaw. But his eye caught the bright blue light that beamed through her bracelet. Something in his chest paused, and then she was gone. As Arabella and Ria pushed their way through the crowd, a shock traveled up Arabella's arm, forcing her to slow down her pace and retract her arm from Ria's. “Woah!” she grabbed her arm in response to the shock, looking down at the blue illumination on her arm. “What's wrong?” Ria mumbled, narrowing in on Arabella's face. “The bracelet, it just, um, shocked me.” Rubbing her arm, she noticed the bright blue light was now dimming out. “Are you serious, Bell? Have you ever seen it do that?” Ria tried to contain the look of shock as she stared down at the now slightly dimmed-out bracelet. “I know this is going to sound so insane, but that bracelet glowed for a reason. It was right when I brushed up against that guy's arm,” Ria proclaimed. Arabella and Ria looked at each other with curiosity and an expression that both silently understood. “I have to go back; I have to follow that guy!” Arabella shifted her body around in the opposite direction, shuffling her feet quickly, pulling Ria in tow behind her. Antonio grabbed his wrist, and he felt it, too, almost a shock-like sensation. Antonio looked down at his gold bracelet, which was now illuminating blue. Beside himself in disbelief, he could feel the breath almost leave his body. Antonio swiftly turned around to look in the direction of Ria and Arabella, who had just passed him. “Hey Diego, I'll catch you later, man. Something came up, and I got to go!” Antonio proclaimed loudly, smacking Diego on the back. “What, bro? No, Liam is probably there waiting on us now!” Antonio heard his friend's words but could hardly keep his composure as it felt like his dream was about to play out before his eyes. “No, I got to go! I'll text you. Don't wait for me!” Antonio rejected the desire to talk himself out of this seemingly foolish, yet strong need to see if the mystery girl was the girl of his dreams. But still, too far ahead, he couldn't see her. Arabella was now completely out of sight, but he knew he had to find her. “You better lead me back to her,” he said, as almost to whisper a silent prayer to the bracelet that had just shaken his world. He walked faster and faster until he felt the buzz again on his wrist. “The bracelet.” She was near. “Excuse me, sorry,” he repeated, grabbing people's shoulders and maneuvering through the crowd. His heart raced with anticipation as his palms drenched with desire and reason. Trying to allow his feet to catch up to the pace of his heart, he saw them. The same two girls he'd passed just moments before his bracelet had buzzed. He could feel the second shock through his wrist, elongating his arm. He clutched his bracelet, watching the small gems glow a soft, electric blue. Then—their eyes met. It was as if all else had vanished, and time froze. His gaze dropped to her wrist. Glowing in the same blue. He looked back at her face. Back and forth, as if trying to decide which was more important to admire. They stood frozen, staring at one another. Time didn't slow down. It stopped. Neither of them spoke. Beside her, Ria stood motionless, wide-eyed, her breath caught in her throat as if she were witnessing the first page of something already written in the stars. “I, I, Oh, go ahead, no, you go first.” Their words awkwardly fumbled out at the same time. “Okay, let me make sense of this,” Antonio said quickly as he focused in on Arabella's big brown eyes. The same eyes that he had investigated in his dream. “All I'm going to say is, it's you, the one from my dream. And based on the look on your face right now, you know exactly what I'm talking about.” “I can't believe this is happening. This is all so strange, I, I, I don't know what to think right now,” Arabella stared intently, her eyes never leaving his. Antonio looked down and grabbed his wrist while bringing hers up next to his. Their bracelets were identical, all down to the jagged edges around the blue jewels. They knew something magical had just transpired between them, yet their mouths didn't need to mutter a thing. Antonio embraced her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “I can't believe this is real,” she whispered. “I don't know what this is, but I just know I was meant to find you. My heart was meant to find you, and it did.” Arabella's eyes darted toward Ria; her face riddled with a million emotions. “I'm going to be over here, Bella, you know, if you need me.” Ria's words became almost an echo. “I have the feeling it's going to be a long night,” Antonio confessed with an unbroken smile as they moved toward the empty café tables that just seemed to be calling their names.