The Other Side of Tomorrow

by Micalea Smeltzer

  “Thank you,” I say, smoothing my hands down the front of the dress.

  He shakes his head as if trying to rid himself of a fog.

  “We better head in,” Jasper says, trying to act as if he didn’t just blatantly check me out. I love the affect I seem to have over him.

  He places his hand on the small of my back, and my body instantly reacts to the feel of his touch. He guides me into the line and we wait for our turn. To my surprise, we get right in.

  Inside, I’m pleasantly surprised and look around in awe.

  There’s a bar on one side, a screen behind it playing a video of a beach at night. Tables line the perimeter of the room, leaving the center open for dancing. Different colored lights flash, reflecting off bubbles that float through the room. There’s a distinct smell too, one of the ocean, that seems to be pumping throughout the room.

  A remix of a Lana Del Rey song plays through the speakers, bodies swaying and shimmying in time to the music.

  Watching them, my body itches to join in.

  “Dance with me?” Jasper asks, holding out a hand to me.

  I nod, my throat too tight to speak.

  He leads me out onto the dance floor and faces me.

  Bending his head low, so his lips graze my ear, he whispers, “Don’t think, just be.”

  Just be.

  I place my hands on his chest, the muscles hard and solid, and behind them the steady beat of his heart pulses, centering me, reminding me that it’s okay to let go. I don’t have to be afraid of making a fool of myself—we’re all fools, after all.

  I take a breath, and when I let it out my body begins to move. Jasper’s lips quirk, pleased that I’m giving in to my need to dance.

  His body begins to move with mine. We move together easily, like our bodies were made for each other, both of us seeming to anticipate the other’s moves and counteract them with something to match.

  The blue and purple lights glimmer over his face and to the small exposed bit of his collarbone. They then reflect off of his bright white shirt, making him glow like some paranormal fairy prince or something.

  He smiles at me, encouraging me to let go and be free.

  I close my eyes and do just that. I feel his hands at my waist. He doesn’t guide me. Instead, he follows.

  I wasn’t looking forward to this, didn’t think it was my thing, but suddenly I’m glad he brought me here.

  For the moment, I’m not the girl who needed a transplant and he’s not the guy who lost his brother. We’re just Willa and Jasper, existing as we always should have.

  The music changes and our bodies adjust to the new beat.

  I feel his lips at my ear.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispers.

  I do, slowly, and feel as if I’m looking upon a whole new world.

  The rainbow hue of lights reflects in his eyes as he lowers his head toward me.

  “I want to kiss you,” he confesses.

  Boldly, I say, “Then why don’t you?”

  His lips tilt up in the smallest of grins before they’re pressed against mine. My eyes flutter closed and a tiny sound, completely muffled by the thundering music, escapes me. My whole body melts into him, my arms wrapping around his neck and my chest pressed to his.

  The ever-changing hue of lights flash behind my closed lids, making me feel as if I’ve been transported to another dimension. Maybe I have for all I know.

  His lips coax against mine and my lips part.

  This is how people are kissed in movies. Passionately with all the air being stolen from the room. It’s never how I imagined I’d be kissed, but here I am living it because I took a leap of faith.

  Our lips break apart and he rests his forehead against mine, breathing heavily. My hips move to the song, his hands still there following my movements.

  “Who are you?” he whispers so low I can barely hear him.

  “What do you mean?” I take a deep breath, trying to get enough oxygen to my brain.

  “I’ve never met anyone like you … someone that … that makes me feel like this.” He removes one hand from my waist and presses it to his chest.

  “I know what you mean,” I admit, blinking up at him.

  “It’s strange,” he continues. “But it’s right.”

  “It’s right,” I echo, because it is.

  So much about us doesn’t make sense, but there’s no denying the connection that’s there. It’s more than my transplant, and his brother, there’s something about us that has always clicked since that very first time I saw him. Since before I knew his name.

  We dance to several more songs before we decide to stop for a break.

  Jasper guides me to a round barstool table and I hop up onto one of the chairs.

  “I’ll get us some water,” he says, before disappearing into the crowd.

  I take a moment to catch my breath while he’s gone. Sweat dampens my brow, and I worry about the state of the makeup Meredith applied—but not enough to go check.

  It isn’t long until Jasper returns with a glass of water for the both of us.

  I slurp it down greedily and he chuckles.

  “Remind me to hydrate you more often.” He winks, sliding his own glass toward me.

  I blush. “I’m supposed to drink loads of water, because … you know … transplant, but I find I want to drink all the time now anyway.” I shrug and finish off his water while he crunches on a piece of ice from mine.

  “How are you liking it?” he asks, motioning to the club.

  “I love it,” I admit, tucking a loose hair behind my ear. “I never imagined myself liking a place like this, but I do.”

  His answering smile is blinding. As much as he insisted I’d like this he was still unsure.

  “Do you want to dance some more?” he asks.

  I nod, and he stands, holding out a hand to me. I slip my hand into his marveling at the contrast of his tanned skin against my pale one.

  Back on the dance floor we fall into the rhythm.

  All too soon, our night has to come to an end since my dad insisted I be home by midnight like some masquerading Cinderella.

  Jasper leads me out of the club and I shiver when the breezy night air hits my heated skin. He tosses his arm around me, drawing me close to his warm body.

  I curl against him.

  Safe.

  Secure.

  I could get used to this.

  He unlocks the Jeep and helps me inside.

  When he gets inside he doesn’t start it right away. Instead, he leans across the center console. Our eyes meet like stars crossing paths in the night sky.

  He reaches up, his hand cupping my cheek. It’s funny how much larger his hand is than my face. His eyes flick down to my lips and my heart skips a beat. It picks up speed when he kisses me.

  If I get to kiss him for the rest of my life, I hope it’s always like this.

  When he pulls away, I breathe, “What was that for?”

  “Because I wanted to.” He grins. “And,” he begins with a shrug, “because I figure your father will be watching with his face pressed to the window when I drop you off.”

  I smile. “That’s a very good reason.”

  He starts the car and puts it in drive before holding out his hand to me.

  I look at it stupidly for a moment before I take it. His hand curls around mine, making me feel small and protected.

  The drive home is too short, and I find myself sad when he parks outside the front walk.

  Sure enough, I can see my dad’s shadow hanging near the windows by the front door. I glance at the dashboard; the vivid green lights shine back a resounding 11:56pm.

  “Will I see you tonight? On the beach?” I add unnecessarily.

  He shakes his head.

  “Why not?”

  He smiles, tucking that stubborn piece of hair behind my ear. “Because, tonight I’ll be able to sleep.”

  “Why tonight?”

  “Because right now, only you
fill my thoughts and nothing bad can bring me down from this high.”

  “Oh,” I whisper into the darkness.

  “I’ll walk you to the door.” He undoes his seatbelt and gets out.

  He helps me out, which is unnecessary since I ditched the heels the second I was in the Jeep and now clasp them in my hands. I quickly shrug into the jacket, hoping my dad hasn’t spied what I’m wearing from the window.

  We walk side by side up the walkway, careful not to touch since we have an audience—an audience I’m sure that thinks they can’t be seen, since I also spy my sister and Meredith watching from upstairs.

  Jasper kisses my cheek. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

  “Thank you for asking me.”

  Thank you for asking me? God, Willa, that sounds pathetic. Could you be any more helpless when it comes to dating? Read a book on it or something.

  “I’ll see you back on the beach tomorrow, right?” he asks. “No offense, but you need a lot more surf lessons.”

  I snort—so attractive, I know. “Am I that bad or do you just want to spend time with me?”

  His lips tilt up on one corner. “A little bit of both.”

  I smile back. “Well, I’ll take that. Goodnight.”

  I give him a small wave and then I open the door, stepping into my house.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “What? Who? Me? Hi.” He peeks back around the wall that separates the foyer.

  I shake my head and laugh before starting up the stairs. My feet are sore, but I don’t even care.

  I barely cross the threshold of my room when Meredith and Harlow inundate me with questions.

  But I answer them all with a smile because I can safely say this was the best night of my life.

  I roll over and get a face full of blonde hair. Opening my eyes, I spot Harlow passed out beside me, sleeping like nothing in the world could possibly wake her up.

  Rolling to the other side I smile when I see Meredith on the floor in a sleeping bag, her red hair fanned around her. When we were little I was convinced she was Ariel from The Little Mermaid and kept waiting for her to grow fins. Unfortunately, she never did.nbsp;

  Beside Meredith, curled on his side, is Perry—snoring like a grown man.nbsp;

  I can’t help but smile. I love my sister and best friend so much and even that crazy dog.nbsp;

  Easing up my sheet and blanket I slip from the bed and tiptoe across the room to my bathroom. I freshen up and, when I come out, the girls are stirring.nbsp;

  “Morning,” Harlow says, sitting up and stretching her arms.

  “Ugh, can we sleep all day?” Meredith asks, rolling over in her sleeping bag and clutching her pillow to her chest.

  “Well,” I begin, heading to my closet, “Jasper invited me to surf again today, that’s what I’m doing. Do you guys want to go?”

  “I’m in,” Harlow says, rolling out of my bed. “Spencer said he’s going to be at the beach today, I can hang with him.”

  “And what am I? Chopped liver?” Meredith scoffs. “So much for hanging with my girls this summer. You both go and get boyfriends and I turn out to be the single one. What kind of stupidness is this? I’m hot, I deserve love too.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Harlow and I say together and both laugh.

  “Whatever, they’re close enough to it. But fine, I’ll go too.”

  “I can ask Jasper if his friends are going?” I suggest.

  Meredith perks up. “Hot college boys? Um, yas, girl.”

  I shake my head and grab a swimsuit, shorts, and a tank to change into. Harlow heads to her room to change and Meredith takes over my bathroom.nbsp;

  After I’m dressed, Perry follows me downstairs to make breakfast.nbsp;

  My dad sits in his chair drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. I told him once that he could get the newspaper on his iPad and he looked at me like I just killed all his hopes and dreams.

  “You girls going out today?” he asks, not bothering to look up from behind the newspaper.nbsp;

  “Yeah, to the beach,” I say, pulling out the carton of eggs. “Are you hungry?” I ask.

  “Yeah, what are you making?” he asks.nbsp;

  “I was going to do omelets.”

  “That sounds good.”

  I pull my phone from my pocket and turn my music on so that it’s not completely quiet while I make breakfast.nbsp;

  I make an omelet for me and the girls, my dad, and my mom.

  “That smells delicious,” my mom says, coming down the stairs, the girls behind her. Everybody greedily grabs a plate. My mom sits down at the kitchen table and we all join her, even Dad who reluctantly puts down his newspaper.

  “Willa, I wanted to remind you,” my mom begins, “you have a doctor’s appointment at the hospital Tuesday. I took off to take you.”

  I nod—I haven’t forgotten. I’m down to the monthly checks right now, and while everything has been looking good I still can’t help but worry. I’m not sure the fear will ever go away, especially with knowing it’s inevitable that this kidney fails too. I know I have to live in the moment, and right now everything is great, but sometimes I can’t help but go to that dark place.

  “Maybe we can get lunch together while we’re out?” she suggests. “Harlow, you can come too if you want.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I agree, and Harlow nods, her mouth full of food.

  We finish breakfast and the girls and I clean up. Once everything is clean I send Jasper a text letting him know Meredith and my sister are coming—and I hint that it’d be much appreciated if he invited a friend so Meredith is occupied.nbsp;

  Since it’s still early, I rope the girls into helping me clean my room since most of the mess is their cause.

  Meredith grumbles the whole time, as per usual. I’m used to her whining at this point that once she starts I tune her out.nbsp;

  Harlow turns on some music while we clean—and you guessed it, it’s her K-pop boys. The songs are catchy, and I’m afraid she’s going to suck me fully down the rabbit hole.

  Once my room is clean, Meredith insists on redoing her makeup.

  “You do realize we’re going to be outside. In the sun. Where it’s hot. And you sweat,” I deadpan.

  She rolls her eyes. “That doesn’t mean I can’t attempt to look my best. Plus, have you ever heard of the word waterproof?”

  With a swish of her hips she disappears into my bathroom once more while I shake my head.

  Harlow flops onto my bed and Perry joins her. He looks up at me with his big brown eyes, giving me a sad look. He’s already figured out that we’re leaving and he wants us to stay or take him with us.nbsp;

  “Sorry, Perry, you have to stay here today. I’ll take you for ice cream tomorrow.”

  He perks up at that, wagging his tongue.nbsp;

  Out of the corner of my eye I see movement and jump. Calming back down, I mutter, “It’s your stupid cat,” to Harlow.

  “Aw, Webber, come here. Did you miss Mommy?” Harlow coos at the cat as he sneaks into my room, looking this way and that like he’s being followed.

  Weirdest cat ever.

  She picks up the cat, who glares at Perry. Perry just pants and wags his tail, not at all bothered by the mutant cat.

  I watch in astonishment as the cat’s tiny pink tongue flicks out and licks the side of Harlow’s face. She giggles and hugs him closer. The cat’s eyes land on me and I swear he looks at me like he wants to murder me. I shiver in response. It’s silly, but I’m afraid of my sister’s cat. He’s abnormal.nbsp;

  When Meredith is finally done getting ready we head to the beach. It’s still a little early, but this way we can sit and have some more girl time before the guys show up.

  Meredith and Harlow fight over who gets shotgun—I don’t know why it matters. My car is so small that the backseat is practically in the front. Meredith ends up winning and Harlow slides glumly into the backseat.nbsp;

  “Can we get coffee first?” Mere
dith asks, slipping on her sunglasses—some designer monstrosity I think looks stupid but she insists is in fashion. She should know; she’s way more into that stuff than I am.

  “Yeah, sure. I wouldn’t mind one myself.”

  I head to our favorite place, Cool Beans, because when you want coffee there’s nowhere else to go.nbsp;

  I park on the street since there’s an open spot and we head inside. Meredith places her order first and then Harlow and I follow.nbsp;

  Since we’re not staying we don’t sit down at a table and instead stand off to the side to wait for our orders.

  I feel someone step up behind me and I can’t help but look.

  I gasp, and Jasper smiles down on me. “Are you following me?” he asks, his smile turning mischievous.nbsp;

  “N-No of course not,” I stutter, shaking my head.

  “I’m kidding,” he says, putting me out of my misery.nbsp;

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “It’s the best coffee in town.” He shrugs, shoving his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts. “And my parents kind of own the place,” he adds.

  “Oh,” I mouth. “I forgot.”

  He chuckles. “Are you guys already headed to the beach?” I nod in answer to his question. “I have to help out here for a bit, but I’ll text you when I’m on my way there. And …” He lowers his voice and crouches down so his mouth is level with my ear. “I promise one of my friends will be there to entertain your friend.”

  “Thank you.”

  He smiles and tips his head at Meredith and Harlow before heading toward the back of the shop and around the counter.

  Meredith bumps my shoulder with hers. “He is so hot, seriously. I’m proud of you, girl.”

  I shake my head. “That’s not why I like him, you know.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Of course I know you’re all about substance, but it doesn’t hurt that he looks like a Calvin Klein model, either. I mean, those biceps? Damn.”

  I’m saved from replying by our drinks being ready. I grab my iced coffee and stick a straw into the cup before taking a sip. Like always, it tastes like heaven. I wonder what they do that makes it so good.

  We head out and pile back into my car to go to the beach.

  Once there we gather our stuff—the usual, towels, magazines for Meredith, my book, our drinks, and totes we have pre-filled with things like sunscreen, hats, lotion, and a change of clothes if need be.