I hugged a faded throw cushion, imagining it all. I knew what came next from what I’d seen in him yesterday – the years of searching, up and down the country. “I’m glad you found me,” I said after a pause. “Seb, I really am – I’m so glad. I’ve been lonely too.”

“I know,” he said softly, studying my face like he was memorizing every detail. “I feel as if...I’ve known you for ever. The whole time I was searching, I always knew how much we needed each other.”

He was so right that tears came to my eyes. I couldn’t help myself this time, and I sat up, clearing my throat. “Seb, can I – I mean, don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but—”

Understanding came over his face; he sat up too, swinging his legs forward. “Come,” he said in a quiet voice. “A brother can hug his sister, yes?” He held his arm out to me.

I wiped my eyes. “Yeah, he can. And – I’d really like that.”

I shifted towards him on the sofa and we hugged tightly for a minute. It felt so good just to hold each other – like something I’d been missing my whole life. Seb’s arms around me were strong; he smelled of soap, and a sort of clean woodsy scent. I closed my eyes and pressed against him, feeling his heart beating against mine; the gentle shiver of our auras as they mingled. Seb let out a breath and dropped his head to my shoulder. “Willow...I can’t tell you how I feel, to find you after so long,” he whispered. “I’d stopped looking. I told myself, You’ll never find this girl; she doesn’t exist.”

I pulled away. “‘This girl’? But—”

He hesitated; I noticed again the gold flecks in his hazel eyes. “I always knew it was you I was looking for,” he said finally. “I always felt so strongly there was only one other half-angel: a girl my own age. Then I saw your picture, and your dream – and I knew I was right.”

My dream. Feeling flustered, I looked down at the sofa, at our legs almost touching each other. I didn’t even know how to explain my dream to myself, much less to Seb. Had I been reaching out to him in some way, without realizing I was doing it? I didn’t know – the only thing I was sure of was that somehow we were meant to be in each other’s lives.

“Why didn’t you tell Alex about my dream?” I asked suddenly.

Seb looked surprised at the question. “It felt too private. Like something that’s just for us.”