Wakefulness weaves its fingers through my sleepy mind. I roll over, pulling a pillow over my head in anticipation of drowning out the thumping music.
I can’t wait to do this day all over again. Maybe I can push Alex for some heavy petting or something. He’s too damn chivalrous.
Wait.
I remove the pillow from over my head.
There’s no music. No thumping. No sprinkle me.
I sit up in bed. Why is the music gone? I don’t oversleep. I don’t sleep through E-40. I don’t wake up before it starts. Not ever.
What if I’ve gone deaf? Is that possible?! I pick up the lamp on my side table and chuck it on the floor.
It doesn’t shatter, it thumps to the ground. But it does make a noise, and I can hear it. Not deaf.
I pick up my phone. It’s still dead.
Knock knock knock.
That’s the same. Sort of. Is it louder, or does it seem louder because there’s no music overpowering . . . ?
I open the door.
Alex.
I blink at him, my mouth agape.
Alex is standing at my doorstep, his arms full of brown Trader Joe’s grocery bags. “I got bagels and coffee and some fresh fruit and stuff.” He breezes past me.
I stare into the hallway outside my door. I can’t move. I’m a statue of shock.
I can’t—I can’t believe it. It’s different. It’s really different.
My whole body flashes hot and cold. I can’t come to grips with this. After all this time, after all these days, days that I had gotten used to living, didn’t expect to change, had let go of wanting to change and . . . now it’s tomorrow.
“I also got some creamer and sugar. Real sugar and the fake sugar and vegan sugar.” He’s in my kitchen, pulling stuff out of the bags and setting them on the counter. “I wasn’t sure what you preferred.” He looks up.
Our eyes lock.
I stare at him. “You’re here.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” He grimaces and rubs the back of his neck. “I woke up early. Not because your couch is super uncomfortable or anything, but because it’s literally the worst thing I’ve ever slept on.”
A startled laugh escapes me.
One corner of his mouth tips up in a lopsided grin. “Then I couldn’t leave without locking your door, since I don’t want you to get murdered or anything, but then I couldn’t get back in and suffice it to say, it wasn’t well thought out.” He holds up a package of instant coffee. “I brought back caffeine.” His sheepish smile is the cutest thing I’ve seen on a Tuesday, ever.
I don’t know if I should laugh or cry or some combination of the two. I’m still standing in the open doorway.
I shut the door and take a few steps into the kitchen. I have to make sure. “What day is this?”
He puts bagels on the counter and cream cheese, then pulls more items out of the bags, fruit, milk, yogurt, loading up my fridge and freezer. Did he do all my shopping for me?
“I think it’s the eighth.” He stops and looks at me. His smile falters. I can’t even imagine what my face looks like right now. White with shock? Stunned and blank? Stupefied and absurd?
“Why?” A crease forms between his brows. “Are you okay?”
No. No, I’m not okay. I mean, I am okay. I’m better than okay. Is there a word to describe what it feels like to be exactly where you want to be, the world suddenly open before you with an actual future?
“It’s Tuesday.” I step closer to him.
He nods slowly. “Yes.”
I slide my hands up to his neck, to the back of his head. He leans down.
And then we’re kissing. Our first kiss.
Well, his first kiss with me, my first kiss with him on a Tuesday.
I get lost in him, in us.
He pulls back, resting his forehead against mine. “Do you not like bagels? We could go out somewhere for breakfast.”
“You bought me a week’s worth of food.”
He shrugs. “You literally had nothing but condiments. How do you live?”
I’m not concerned about food right now. “It’s Tuesday.”
“Yes. I think we’ve covered that. I might be wrong. Your lips have scrambled my brain a little.” He smiles and kisses me again.
This time I pull back. “Wait, how did we get here?”
“Well, first you kissed me. Then I kissed you, and now—”
I giggle. “No, I mean last night. I don’t remember leaving Dolly’s.”
“Oh, you both fell asleep on her couch. It was very cute, and the first time I’ve ever thought having a woman I like fall asleep next to someone else is precious, but then you woke up, pretty groggy and out of it, and we came back here.”
I frown, trying to recall the prior evening. “I don’t remember any of that.”
“You zombie walked into your room, and I crashed on the devil couch.” His eyes search my face and then he adds, “Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed? Was that presumptuous? I was a little worried because you seemed like you were sleep walking, and you said something about naked lightsabers, which was really weird actually, because Leon and I had this experience one night . . . well, we don’t really talk about it. So it was a weird coincidence.”
Zombie just about describes the state of my mind at this very moment. How is this possible?
Alex misconstrues my continued silence, and probably bizarre facial expressions. “Are you sure you’re all right? Oh.” His face clears. “Is it the job? You were so calm about it yesterday, but maybe now it’s catching up? Have you decided what you’re going to do next?”
I laugh, a little hysterical. Am I upset? No. Do I think I might cry anyway? Yes.
“I’m not upset. I mean, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life, which is scary but also freeing somehow. Maybe I’ll get a new job somewhere and design things on the side. Maybe I’ll make a go of design full-time.” I move back into him, wanting to feel the warm strength of him against me. I put my hands on his shoulders. “Maybe I’ll take over the world. I don’t know. I do know what I’m doing tonight.”
His brows lift. “Tonight?”
I nod. “Dinner. We’re going out to dinner.”
“Right. Dinner.” His hands move to my hips and squeeze. “Do you think we could have breakfast first though? I’m starving. But dinner later is cool too. I do think I asked you out last night. Or I meant to.”
I slide my fingers up to where his shoulder meets his neck and rub my thumbs over the tendons there. “Or we could stay in tonight.”
His smile is smooth and warm. He leans his forehead against mine. “We could.”
Then he leans in, kissing my bottom lip, and we lose ourselves in discovery. Rediscovery.
When we part again, we’re both breathing heavily.
“Should we check on your neighbor?” Alex asks. “She was sleeping when we left last night, but maybe we should make sure everything is okay. Maybe we can share some breakfast.”
I nod. “Yes. Let’s do that. You did buy enough food for this whole floor.”
He laughs. “And then you can tell me your plan to take over the world.”
I grin and tap him on the shoulder. “Only if you tell me the whole naked lightsaber story.”
He laughs. “How did you—?”
I pull him closer. “Tomorrow.” I want more kissing first. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”
The End
Get ready, friends! An all new time-themed rom com is coming your way October 2021!
Check it out here - If I Could Turn Back Time