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"Are you sure?" Abby asked, concern evident in her voice. "You're not still freaked out about your weird vision thing, are you?"

Seraphina glanced down at her yellow sundress, smoothing a wrinkle with her palm. "No, I'm fine. Just need some quiet time today."

"Quiet time. Always with the quiet time." Abby's dramatic sigh made Seraphina smile despite herself. "You know what I think? You need to get out more. And by 'out,' I mean out of your astronomy tower and into the real world where interaction with others happens."

"I do plenty of interacting." Seraphina rolled her eyes. "I'm interacting with you right now."

"Not what I meant, and you know it." The playful lilt in Abby's voice suggested where this conversation was heading. "When was the last time you went on a date? And no, taking your telescope to some remote field doesn't count as a romantic evening."

Heat crept up Seraphina's neck. "I've been busy with work."

"For thirty years?" Abby laughed. "Come on, Ser. A little distraction might be exactly what you need. Something—or someone—to take your mind off whatever's going on in that big brain of yours."

Seraphina caught her reflection in the window above her kitchen sink. The woman looking back seemed uncertain and vulnerable. A far cry from the confident astronomer who pinpointed celestial bodies with precision. "I don't think dating is the answer to... whatever this is."

"Sex always makes everything better," Abby declared with such conviction that Seraphina nearly spit out her coffee. "Trust me on this. A hot, sweaty night with a gorgeous man would reset your entire system."

"Oh my god, Abby!" Seraphina laughed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. "Is that your prescription for everything? 'Feeling sad? Have sex. Stubbed your toe? Have sex. Experiencing inexplicable visions? Definitely have sex.'"

"Hey, it works! Don't knock my methods until you've tried them."

Seraphina shook her head, smiling. This was why she loved Abby—her friend's unapologetic approach to life was the perfect counterbalance to Seraphina's cautious nature. Where Seraphina analyzed and overthought, Abby dove in headfirst, consequences be damned.

"I'll keep your prescription in mind," Seraphina teased. "But for now, I'm sticking with my sea air therapy."

"Fine, fine. But if you see any hot guys on the beach, get their number. Doctor's orders."

"Good-bye, Abby."

Seraphina hung up, setting her phone down with a soft chuckle. Her friend's vibrant energy always left her feeling lighter, even when her world felt like it was tilting on its axis.

Seraphina locked her front door and stepped out into the Miami morning sunshine. The yellow sundress fluttered around her knees as a gentle breeze carried the scent of the ocean and promised temporary relief from her chaotic thoughts. She slipped her feet into the sandals she'd left on her front porch and headed toward the beach, her sanctuary when life became too complicated to untangle.

Ten minutes later, the sand shifted beneath her feet as she kicked off her sandals, relishing the warm grains between her toes. She inhaled deeply, letting the rhythmic crash of waves against the shore calm her frayed nerves. Science had always been her anchor—predictable, explainable, and governed by immutable laws. These visions defied everything she believed about the universe.

"Focus on what's real," she whispered to herself, digging her toes deeper into the sand. "The beach is real. The ocean is real. These weird premonitions are?—"

"More real than you might want to admit."

Seraphina whirled around, nearly losing her balance. Standing there was the man from her visions—impossibly,inexplicably real. Same storm-gray eyes that seemed to carry years of wisdom. Same expertly styled gray hair. Same powerful build beneath a fitted Henley that did nothing to hide his muscular frame. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

"How..." The word came out as barely a whisper. Her scientific mind scrambled for explanations. Coincidence? Hallucination? Had she somehow seen him around Miami before and incorporated him into her visions without conscious awareness?

"I'm Orion." His voice carried the same rich timbre she'd somehow known it would. He extended his hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "I've been looking for you."

"I'm Seraphina. But I don't... I can't..." Seraphina stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You're confused. I understand," he said, pulling his hand back.

"How could you possibly understand?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them. "I don't even know you, yet I've been seeing you in my—" She cut herself off, unwilling to admit to the visions aloud to him.

"In your visions." He completed her sentence, his expression infuriatingly calm. "It's perfectly normal, given what's happening to you."

A chill raced down Seraphina's spine despite the warm sun beating down on them. "I'm sorry, but I've been ill lately. I'm not really up for talking right now." She took another step back, desperate to put distance between herself and this handsome stranger who couldn't possibly know what she'd been experiencing. "I should go."

She turned to leave, her mind racing with questions. How had he known about her visions? Who was this mysterious man?

"Seraphina," he called after her, his voice rising over the sound of crashing waves. "You're not ill. You've manifested your Luna powers."