“Please. Please. I… I feel like I know you. You have to tell me if you recognize me.” I say, sounding perhaps more desperate than I ever have in my life. Her hand tenses, and her throat bobs as she seems to swallow her answer.
“...come inside. I’ll explain what I can.” She says, and I am almost certain my heart will pound out of my chest. As I follow her inside, I see her home is decorated with pieces across the timeline. She takes a seat at her dining room table, preparing herself a cup of coffee. I sit opposite her, waiting for her to explain herself. “You are the man I saved from the castle guards… gods, centuries ago.” She exhales, seeming almost defeated. I am certain I could be no more elated if I tried, and I reach out to grasp her hand. She flinches away, considering me through narrowed eyes. It is then I realize how odd this must seem. I have met her only a handful of times, but I am certain that the feeling brewing within me is unquestionable.
“Tell me your name.” I implore pleadingly. She hesitates, folding her hands atop the table.
“Just call me Jenny. I have had many names across the timeline. Immortals scarcely keep the same name for long.” She murmurs, averting her eyes. My heart swells, and I am more certain of my feelings than ever.
“I’m… Jameson.” I mumble, cheeks turning purple as she turns to consider me. She is as beautiful as ever, but I suppose an immortal being has all the time in the world to master any beauty secrets. My mind flickers to the moment we shared in the future, but I realize with a start that it has not happened for her. Not yet, anyway. I swallow thickly, uncertainty rising in my throat. There is much I want to say to her, but everything seems to fall so short. What I feel is unmistakable in my mind. I open my mouth to speak, but as if reading my mind, she holds up a hand to interrupt me.
“I’ve not seen many time travelers in my time. From your expression and… actions, I suppose you know me a bit more well than I know you.” She smiles, though the expression is visibly forced.
“How do you know I’m a time traveler? And not an immortal like you?” I implore, and she glances to my hand.
“The wound on your hand. Were you an immortal, it would have long healed.” She says simply. I feel as if she is somehow preparing me for some devastating blow, but certainly she cannot know what I intend.
“I… feel like this meeting was fated. As if it is destiny. I feel like you and I,” I begin, but she only laughs humorlessly.
“There is no you and I, Jameson. I’ve lived many a year, and have had many a lover. You are not the first to approach me in this manner, and I am certain you will not be the last. However, in my time shared with mortal beings, one thing remains the same. I am always the one who is forced to say goodbye.” She says drolly, resting her chin in her hand and idly stirring a spoon in her cup. I feel as if my heart is being ripped clear in two, but even I can see the logic of what she is saying. I am but a mortal, and even though I could offer her my world, my world is but a speck in her life. I open my mouth to speak, but she seems uninterested in what I have to say. Even as she is rejecting me, I am certain she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon.
“I think you should be going, now.” She says carefully, and I stare at her but for a moment longer before rising from my chair. The pain is unbearable, but I can’t force myself upon her. I won’t. Instead of offering any further argument, I turn my back to her. I inhale a shuddering breath, and hope that future travels will somehow seem less bleak. However, it seems as if nothing will ever be the same, knowing that she will exist in my time, yet… I can never have her. The knowledge rests heavily on my mind, but I slip out of her home and back to my time machine. It seems there is little left to do but go home and consider my future.
Chapter 5
Even home alone, left to my own devices, I cannot stop thinking about her. There is no question in my mind nor heart that what I feel for the immortal woman is nothing short of love. I know, however, that I cannot force her to endure my short life. Even with a time machine, I cannot make myself live forever. Even to look at my invention now feels me with dread and uncertainty. I know in my heart that in each timeline, I will somehow find her. Whether or not it is my intent, I cannot deny the feeling that she is my soulmate. I know she is meant for me, and I for her. Struck by a sudden thought, I lurch upward in bed. It’s a longshot. A near impossibility. But with all the impossibilities that have proven true in the past few days, I have to give it a shot. I have to find her.
I rise out of bed and dress as nicely as I am able. I feel woefully underdressed for my intents, but I have little money beyond what I have spent on the creation of my time machine. I cannot afford the luxury of silken garments. I wonder if this fact alone will make her decision, but I cannot allow myself to linger on the what-ifs. I simply know I have to find her and make my proposition. For better or for worse, at least I will have tried. I can go to my grave knowing that I did all that was possible to make my soulmate my own.
I slip out the door of my home, for the first time in perhaps months. Everything seems dreadfully normal, exceptionally plain, but when I think about the future where everything seemed a funeral march, I remember that she could make even that possibility a good one. Smiling to myself, with love in my heart, I follow a path that seems to have ingrained itself in the very fabric of my being. I receive glances from those I pass by, but pay them little mind. I know that the purpose with which I walk may seem strange, especially to those who may have briefly met me in the entirety of my previous life. I feel a tug in my chest, and I know I am on the right path as I turn to the left at the end of my block. As I approach the park, I spot her almost immediately. My saliva has grown impossibly thick, and I know that my entire future hinges on this conversation. I walk towards her, and it as if she feels my presence. She turns to face me when I am but a pace away, eyes narrowed in careful consideration. I offer her a smile, but she is too lost in thought to reciprocate. At least, I hope she is simply lost in thought.
“I have a proposition for you, Jenny, if you will give me but a moment of your time.” I say carefully, and she continues to trace her eyes up and down my form. There is a strange look of incomprehension, and I wonder if she has somehow forgotten me.
“I’m listening, Jameson.” She says quietly, almost too quietly to hear. She seems to be wrapped up in thought, but I hope that her decision to at least hear me out is a step in the right direction. Her eyes are drawn to my hand, but I can only wring them together uncertainly as I begin to speak.
“I know my life will be a short one, compared to yours. A speck in this massive existence you call your own. But I love you, Jenny. Of that I have no doubt.” I begin, and she makes as if to interrupt. I continue on, unwilling to be rejected so swiftly. “I have something that not many can boast, a time machine. And it was through that machine that I was able to know you and fall in love with you. My life may be a short one, but I can at least prolong our relationship in some way.” I continue, knowing I sound nothing short of crazy.
“Jameson…” She tries, but I continue relentlessly.
“Live this life with me. Together. And every day, I will take a trip into your future, to be with you. In a way, it’s as close to eternity as… as I can come. I know it’s very little, but I can’t ignore the feeling that we are fated to be together.” I finish lamely, hands tensing at my sides. Her eyes are locked on my hand still, and the only thing that seems certain is rejection.
“I… that’s not going to happen, Jameson.” She says quietly, and I feel my heart drop into my gut. I bring my hand up to wipe my eyes, staring uncertainly at the spot where my wound had been only scarce moments previous. The skin seems to ripple before my eyes, and I am certain I am hallucinating. It’s obvious I’ve lost my mind. Slowly, the skin begins to stitch together, forming a flat plane of flesh as if the wound had never been present at all. I blink slowly, drawing my eyes away from the anomaly and back towards the immortal woman. She smiles, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes as she
steps towards me. She grabs my hand, pulling it towards her lips.
“What… what’s happening?” I inquire bleakly, certain I am near death. She looks around us, noticing that we are receiving our share of stares. She takes me by my newly healed hand, pulling me down the path that winds around the park. My mind is blank, and I allow her to pull me because there is little more that I can think to do. If I am not near death, I may as well be. I will be forced to live the entirety of my life without her. I blink as I am tugged through a doorway, and recognize some of the decor from her house in the early 21st century. Before I can speak, her lips are on my own. I press desperately against her, as if it is the last moment I will ever see her. She pulls away, caressing my cheek tenderly. “Jenny…?” I ask quietly, and she begins to laugh that melodic laugh.
“Our space and time works in mysterious ways.” She says simply, rubbing her thumb against the healed part of my hand.
“What…” I begin, and she pulls me in for another kiss. She pulls me along, guiding me on an unfamiliar path with a certainly unfamiliar destination. She opens another door, and I can see a plush canopy bed just beyond the door.
“I did not want to say how I very much feel the same. From the moment I lay eyes upon you, I knew you were special. Your offer is very kind, and were the situation different, I would accept it in a heartbeat. However, it is unnecessary.” She murmurs. She draws me closed to the bed, slipping her gown down off of her shoulder. Everything seems to be moving impossibly fast, and I am certain that my expression is contorted in near laughable confusion. She only smiles at me, continuing to slip her gown off.
“Unnecessary…?” I inquire hesitantly.
“The space time continuum works in mysterious ways. I thought, when I saw you, that I sensed something strange. When your hand healed, it was only confirmed for me. Tell me, have you noticed anything strange about your travels?” She murmurs, and it is all I can do to focus on her face. I think as best I can, and it suddenly strikes me.
“When I traveled. There was a gap between the safety doors. A strange and brilliant light enveloped me before our every meeting. I didn’t think much of it, but…” I trail off, looking uncertainly between my own hand and the vision standing before me. She steps towards me, brushing a lock of my shaggy brown hair away from my eyes. “What does this mean…?” I inquire haltingly. She smiles, leans in, and pauses but a breath away from me.
“Welcome to the world of immortality, Jameson. Not even the bounds of time can constrain you now.” She murmurs, and our lips meet once more. Her bare form is pressed against me, and though I know there are perhaps more pressing matters, all I want now is to feel her flesh against me. She pulls my pants down, and I feel myself spring free with a strange sense that everything was falling into place. Not just in the sexual sense, either, though I suppose that is relevant as well. She presses against me, and I feel her from all the most tantalizing angles.
“Does this mean… you love me too?” I implore, and she brings me close, lowering me to the bed.
“I have never not loved you, Jameson. As you said, it was fate. It seems there are things that even I cannot understand.” She smiles, and I feel her settle between my thighs. I am inside her all at once, and stars explode behind my eyelids as she slowly rocks against me. This is an outcome beyond any I could have expected, and I can do little to react to her slow and gentle motions. While my mind is racing, my body is reacting as only a man’s can. As she presses solidly against me, her soft cries of my name echo melodically through the room. It’s my name she’s crying out. My name.
“Jenny,” I gasp, elation flooding my veins. She smiles down at me, and another shift of her body and I feel as if my body is alight. I can feel her all around me, and she buries her face in my shoulder as she seems to reach her own peak as well. We continue to rock against each other for a long moment, simply reveling in the closeness. A soft chortle of disbelief spills past my lips, and she tilts her head to consider my expression. “I could stay like this… with you… forever.” I murmur. She goes still, before pressing a tender kiss to my Adam’s apple.
“Well, that’s very well a possibility.” She says coyly.
“A possibility, huh? Us staying like this forever?” I tease.
“Perhaps not like this. But forever, I hope” She corrects. Warmth blooms in my chest and I smile, wrapping my arms around her. I’m overwhelmed by feeling of true happiness for perhaps the first time in my life. Only now, I realize, there are many moments like this to come. An eternity of moments, spent with the woman who’s heart I had somehow managed to grasp. I hum thoughtfully, brushing a hand through her hair. Her breathing is evening out, and I can feel her falling asleep in my arms. Of all the impossibilities, this is perhaps the most compelling of all. As I feel myself beginning to drift off as well, ready to give way to sleep, I speak just loudly enough for her to hear.
“Forever. That sounds good to me.” I offer. She simply snores in return. I consider her through weary eyes, blinking them closed and sagging into the bed. “Forever.” I repeat, drifting off to sleep. Premonitions were never my thing, but then again, never had immortality been my thing either. However, the dreams I have spoke of an eternity spent with my first love, my last love, and my only love.
Forever.
THE END
Stranger
~ Bonus Story ~
A Hawk Shifter Romance
I stood up and grabbed hold of his hand. He let my hand go.
“It’s not safe for you if I stay,” he replied, “He may come back!”
He took a step closer, leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. Warmth travelled down my body.
“I have to go.”
“Wait!” I cried, “Please don’t go!”
He had barely been there a minute and he was now back at the balcony door.
“Teseen!”
He shifted into his hawk form and disappeared into the night. I stared at the door, but he didn’t return. How could he just leave again like that, I thought.”
Layla
I’ve always felt out of place, with family, with friends and even with guys. So from a young age I began to prefer the company of books. In my job, I’m surrounded by the things I love, but something is still missing. Even though I was used to feeling lonely, being an only child, when something surprising comes into my life and then leaves again, I feel a melancholy even my meditation can’t cure. All I have left are these strange dreams I keep having. I would never have guessed they would be linked to the tall, handsome stranger, who is not who he appears to be.
Teseen
I couldn’t believe I found her again after searching for so long. I cannot burden her with the knowledge I have, but I only pray she will have me once again. When my nemesis tracks me down, I have to protect her at all costs. She is my one true love, and has been for many lifetimes! I must be with her or more than just our lives are at stake!
* * *
Chapter One
I used to watch the avant-garde building being constructed as my parents drove me to school every morning. When the builders finally applied the bright red paint to the building’s exterior, the extraordinary masterpiece was complete, and I knew in the future that was where I would work. That knowledge was one of the few things that got me through the school day. The incessant teasing from the other girls or tyrannical control of the Sisters definitely contributed to people becoming my anathema. I wished I could have been expelled from the school, but only managed to escape the suffocating dogma after I graduated.
I have always loved bright colors and the “Enchilada Red” paint they’d used on the new building reminded me of the bright umbrellas outside my favorite Mexican restaurant along the river. It was a San Antonio classic. As a child, I remember hopping out of the car and dashing towards the restaurant when my parents took me there, much to my mother’s chagrin. I loved to lean over the railing too and watch the boats pass by. I was glad I now worked close to the river and walke
d down on my lunch breaks occasionally, if I hadn’t opted for an oversized cushion on one of the reading porches, another of my hideaways.
My parents may not have approved of everything I did, but they never had a problem with my profession. I didn’t think I would ever leave the library. On that occasion, though it was beginning to get chilly, my mood led me to the reading porch, accompanied by one of my best friend, a novel. I was pleased to have the spot to myself too.
After ten pages I uncrossed my legs, put down The Path of Alchemy and looked out over the city. I could see people walking over a walkway that connected two building. I had always preferred the company of books, even in college. My roommate had never understood. I just didn’t find any pleasure in the frivolous games they played. And I never seemed to meet anyone I was interested in either, though I would be subjected to blind dates at least once a month. The only guy I found mildly intriguing was one who was studying nature conversation. We met at a party and started chatting, but then he started messaging me every day thereafter and that was the end of him.
The last date I had been on was more than six months ago, I thought, opening the cover of my book again. I noticed the end of the chapter had meditation exercises. At least I would have something to do that night at home.
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