Page 27 of Harbinger of Destiny

A soft smile formed around her lips, and she looked almost beautiful.

He had to force himself to walk toward the door instead of the bed, and left the apartment.

The coffee shop around the corner was busier than expected, and it took him twenty-five minutes before he entered his studio again, two cups of fancy coffee and a bag of pastries in his hands. While the door fell shut behind him, his gaze drifted to the bed, but it was empty. For a moment, shock charged through him, but then he heard sounds coming from the bathroom, and he began to relax. Amy was still here. He wasn’t entirely sure why that fact filled him with joy, but it did. He was starting to care about Amy—like he cared about a good friend. Well, a friend with whom he had sex.

By the time Amy came out of the bathroom, now dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top, her hair still wet from her shower, he’d cleared the coffee table and set the coffee cups and pastries down on it.

“Thank you for getting breakfast.”

She smiled at him and sat down next to him on the couch. He leaned toward her and kissed her gently on the lips, before he reached for his coffee and settled back in the cushions.

It was time to tell her the truth about why they’d met and who he really was.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Joshua started, suddenly feeling nervous about what was ahead of him.

* * *

Amy almost choked on her first sip of the latte that Joshua had brought for her. She noticed his serious facial expression, and her heart sank. He probably regretted now that he’d offered her to stay at his place, having acted in the spur of the moment, and was looking for a way to get her to leave. She should have known that her luck wouldn’t last.

Steeling herself, she set her cup back on the coffee table. “Yes?”

To her surprise, Joshua took her hands into his and turned his body toward her to face her directly. “I haven’t told you much about me, and there’s a reason for that. But with all that’s happened since we met, and with you having lost your room because of me—”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she protested automatically.

But he shook his head and smiled at her. “No, it’s my fault. But that’s not what I need to talk to you about. It’s about where I’m from. Or rather when.”

Her forehead furrowed. “What do you mean?”

He took a visible breath. “Now, this might sound fantastic, but it’s the truth. I’m from 2085, and I’ve traveled back in time to save you from a pandemic and take you back to the future with me.”

All air rushed out of her lungs and she freed her hands from his, while she moved back on the sofa. Already, she was shaking her head. Disappointment rushed through her. How cruel of him. She would have never pegged him to be so heartless, but to come up with such a cruel prank, could only mean one thing.

“You went through my sketchbook. You saw what I’m drawing. How could you?” She jumped up.

Joshua rose from the sofa and stared at her as if she’d gone crazy. “What sketchbook? Listen, I don’t know what you’re talking about. But you have to believe me: I’m from the future, and I’m here to take you back with me so you won’t die in the pandemic.”

“Drop it, Joshua.” Tears threatened to cut off her airways, but she forced them down and looked around the studio. She spotted her backpack. “I don’t need you making fun of me.”

“I’m not making fun of you, Amy. I would never.”

She glared at him. “Wouldn’t you?” She reached for her backpack and pulled out her sketchbook. She opened it and turned back to him, showing it to him. “You saw this, didn’t you? You went through my stuff while I was sleeping.”

He stared first at her, then at the sketchbook. His facial expression changed to one of surprise, and he reached for the sketchbook. “You drew these?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she pressed her lips together, trying to hold back the sobs. Joshua paged through the sketchbook, his face showing true surprise and interest. The drawings depicted scenes from a different world, a future world, one that she’d dreamed up to escape from this one for a while. A world where life was easier, one where she wouldn’t have to struggle every day just to be able to eat and have a roof over her head.

Joshua lifted his head and looked straight at her. “These are amazing. You’re an artist. A very talented one. And your imagination…” He shook his head. “It’s as if you’ve already seen glimpses of the future I come from.”

A sob tore from her chest. “Please just stop with the charade. I’m packing my things, and I’ll leave.”

Joshua laid the sketchbook on the coffee table. “Don’t, Amy. It’s not a charade. I can prove to you that I’m from the future.” He shoved the sleeve of his shirt back to his elbow and tapped on his left wrist.

She was about to turn away, when she saw a hologram appear. It hovered over Joshua’s arm and moved with him when he moved closer to her. Instinctively, she took a step back, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the mirage. She’d watched sci-fi shows on television and was familiar with holograms, but she knew that they didn’t really exist outside of a movie studio. For certain, no person could project a hologram from his or her naked wrist. Because there was no electronic device on Joshua’s wrist that could have conjured up such a thing.

Amy wasn’t sure she knew how long she’d stared at the hologram, when Joshua finally spoke again.

“It’s called a holocom. In my time, everybody over the age of five has one on their wrist. It carries all our information, our medical history… it does everything a smartphone does, and so much more.”