Aleeza:JAY . . .
Jay:Right. Your interest in octopuses is totally G-rated. We’re not even going to acknowledge the existence of tentacle erotica.
If he thought I was cute when I turned red in the library, he’d think I was downright adorable right now.
And also, what am I doing? Flirting with Jay Hoque across time? I need to change the subject.
Aleeza:What are temporal paradoxes and Novikov whatever?
Jay:Time travel physics. Didn’t understand any of it.
Aleeza:But if you were in the library looking up this anomaly, then how could I remember bumping into you in my timeline? In my timeline, we’d never spoken before. So you wouldn’t be researching time travel physics in the library.
Jay:Yeah, it’s weird. I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t remember us meeting in the library. That would mean that our timelines aredifferent enough that it would be safe for me to ask out past Aleeza, since you, current-Aleeza, wouldn’t remember it at all.
I exhale. Is he real? Is all this real?
Aleeza:Are you making fun of me again?
It takes him a while to write back.
Jay:No, I’m not making fun of you. I mean it. Meeting you has me wondering if I’ve been drawn to the wrong kind of girl this whole time.
I don’t know what to do with the fact that Jay Hoque thought about asking me on a date.
Aleeza:You’re about to disappear, and you’re analyzing your relationship preferences?
Jay:The fact that I’m about to disappear is WHY I’m overthinking everything, wondering if I made the right choices with my life.
His impending doom is really messing him up. It would certainly mess me up. And it’s not like he can go to therapy or anything. I’m the only one he can talk to.
Aleeza:I get it. I know that it’s nothing like what you’re going through, but I was terrified last night when you weren’t here.
He doesn’t respond. I put my hands over my face. Jay’s never going to speak to me again. We’re only friends. How can I expect him to tell me where he is all the time? I’m being clingy.
But every time his name isn’t there on ResConnect, I worry it will never be there again. All day I’m talking to people about him being kidnapped or hurting himself or running away. Or being killed.
The only time I know he’s fine, that he’s safe, is when we’re in this room together.
Jay:I wish there was a way for us to keep in contact when we’re out in the world.
Aleeza:Me too. Who knows? Things could happen differently for you. You could disappear on a different day. Or not at all.
Jay:And something bad could go down at Jack’s party. And neither of us would know what happened.
Aleeza:I have to go to Jack’s. I’ll be okay.
It’s the only way. Because even if I can’t save Jay in my timeline, I have to save him in his.
Jay:I know. Promise me one thing though ... Come home after the party and message me right away. No matter what time it is. Don’t spend the night there.
Aleeza:I’m not interested in spending the night at a sketchy, snobby party.
Jay:Promise me anyway. And we’ll talk before you go about what you can expect. Jack is ... a lot. Deep down, he’s a good guy, but you have to get through a lot of not good to see it.
Aleeza:Okay.
Jay:I wish I could come with you.
