Sam responded by wagging his back end as he stumbled around on the bed. He finally came to rest beside me, albeit a little too close for comfort, stretching half his body across mine.

“Can’t breathe, buddy,” I said, struggling to free myself from the weight of our massive black lab. Scooting out from under the excited dog, I draped my arm around him, hugging him tightly. A quiet buzz rang from my nightstand. I opened the drawer, then pulled out a brand-new cell. Something rolled around inside the drawer as I slid it closed. Curious, I opened it again, fishing out a clear vial with a yellow crystal stopper. I knew immediately what it contained.

With trembling hands, I removed the stopper and dabbed a little on my wrists, mindful not to spill any of the precious liquid inside. I replaced the lid before snuggling back into bed. Resting my wrist directly beneath my nose, I breathed deeply.

James’s mother, disguising herself as a flea-market merchant, had sold this elixir to my mom when she’d gone shopping for a natural remedy for my sleepless nights. What my mother had believed to be an aromatherapy treatment had actually been James’s essence. My shared dreams with James started the first time she’d used the elixir on me.

My mind was flooded by the memories of the hundreds of dreams I’d shared with James over the course of my lifetime. I closed my eyes, relishing every treasured moment. The times we’d danced together, the long walks on the beach, and then wonder of wonders, how my dreams had come true when James moved to Woodvine for me.

I remembered the day I met James and how carelessly I left campus with him less than twenty-four hours later. And then another memory, one of my favorites, of lying next to James in a hotel room on a high school trip. I remembered the gentle way he held me, whispered to me, that he’d loved me all of his life. How he would love me forever. Whenever he said these things, I knew there was no greater truth.

I remembered the talks we’d had at Judaculla Rock. The first time he’d kissed me. The first time I kissed him. My heart was full as I thought about how each kiss was significant, as if they were all “the first” one. I wanted to go to James, feel his arms around me, hear his beautiful voice telling me that he loved me. I wanted to be a part of him like I had never been with any other boy. I relived the memories until I drifted off to sleep.