Page 62 of Fast Forward

We thanked the driver and my heels clicked as we walked the steps to the front door which Will unlocked with his e-pad. Apart from a soft light in the kitchen, darkness greeted us as we entered, but not so dark as to miss the two figures sprawled on the couch in the living room. Bungy Ben was cosily squashed into the corner of the armrest where one arm lay, the other arm cradling the back of the couch. Ryan lay on his back, his head resting on Ben’s shoulder and his chest rose slowly up and down as his mouth hung lazily open.

“I think those two have finally revealed their feelings for each other,” Will whispered as we tiptoed into the kitchen and Will placed his googly sunglasses on the bench while I placed the teddy bear and glitter wig onto a chair.

Smiling proudly at my son’s courage, my smile widened on seeing the two cling-wrapped plates containing slices of cake adorned with edible silver baubles on the kitchen bench. On top was a Post-it note:

Hope you had a memorable birthday, Mum. Enjoy the cake! ~ Ryan.

Will picked up one of two small forks that had been left on the bench and peeled the cling wrap from one of the plates. “Can you fit in a bite or two?” he asked.

“Sure, I can make room for a bit more sugar. Just one bite though, I think I’ll save the rest till tomorrow.” I couldn’t believe my appetite was still strong after the horde of food I’d eaten today, but my appetite for something unrelated to food was even stronger.

Will dug the fork into the pointy edge of the triangular slice, lifting away a morsel and bringing it to my mouth. Vanilla cream frosting and velvety sponge kissed my tastebuds, the fork cooling my lips as it slid out of my mouth.

“Oh wow, this is divine,” I sighed. I picked up the other fork and cut away a piece for Will, delivering it to his eager mouth and letting his lips wrap around the fork.

“I see what you mean,” he said. “Delicious.”

“Maybe I could fit in a tiny bit more.” I pinched my thumb and forefinger together in the air and let the corner of my mouth rise upwards. “I could even just eat the icing alone, it’s heavenly.”

Instead of digging the fork back in the cake, Will swiped his finger against the top of the cake, frosting clinging to his skin. My lips parted as he brought his finger to my mouth and I enveloped it eagerly, pulling the vanilla cream off his fingertip and leaving behind a glossy trail. Licking my lips, I followed his lead again, swiping a lick of frosting from the cake and delivering it to Will’s warm, hungry mouth. He grasped my hand as he devoured the cream and tilted his head towards the bedroom.

He switched off the kitchen light as we walked past and kicked the bedroom door closed behind us as he pulled me close to his body and ran his finger across my cheek as he’d done on the Ferris wheel. Our breathing quickened in sync with each other and he leaned his mouth towards my ear.

“Don’t go anywhere,” he whispered. “I’m just going to get out of this costume and have the quickest shower in the history of mankind. Be right back.” He teased me with an expectant smile and let his hands trail down each of my arms before he trailed off to the en suite.

Tingles shot along my nerves and I glanced around the room, spying a large red candle on the dresser. I scurried over and picked up the lighter lying next to it, pointing the flame towards the wick. A yellow glow sprung from the candle and the flame flickered, casting a pinky-red arc across the wall. I kicked off my shoes and fluffed the pillows on the bed, before laying down and assuming the sexiest position I could muster, considering the disadvantage brought on by my underwear, which hopefully Will had some bright idea about how to remove, or else our romantic encounter would turn into a wrestling match.

I bent my elbow and propped my hand behind my head and slightly bent one leg so that it dipped over the other to accentuate the hourglass shape of the female form. The muffled sound of running water from the bathroom soothed my senses and I basked in the bliss of the moment. The anticipation, the excitement, the… knowing.

Knowing that the perfect end to this day was only moments away. Knowing that the man in the next room loved me more than life itself. Knowing that… Oh my God. Knowing that… I loved him too. I love him. A sharp burst of realisation shot through me and the hair on the back of my neck bristled. I love Will.

The truth dispersed throughout my body, filling it with the most amazing, unimaginable sensation I’d ever experienced, as though this was what life was all about. Immediately I knew, without hesitation, that Will was my soulmate and this was the life I was truly destined for.

My thoughts turned to Diora, who right at this moment was enduring immense pain to bring new life into this world and Ryan, who through courage took a risk in the hope of finding love, and Will, the magician in this magical future of ours I was so lucky to have glimpsed.

A smile oozed from my lips at the thought of the three most important people in the world to me and as love filled my heart, peace filled my body, and my muscles turned into warm soothing liquid, melting into the bed with each breath. My eyelids flopped down, unable to remain open and my body became a weightless sensation of pure joy as I surrendered completely to the welcoming darkness behind my eyes.

Chapter 19

Happy Birthday

“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” – Father Larry Lorenzoni

My eyelids eased away from the tangled embrace of my eyelashes and I squinted at a small spear of light coming through the edge of the curtains. I must have dozed off. “Will?” I called, but only silence replied.

I rubbed my eyes and flung my legs over the side of the bed, the balls of my feet cushioned by the soft carpet. I pushed up to standing, my body overtaken with post-sleep fogginess. I slid the en suite door open and switched on the light, still rubbing my eyes as I headed straight for the sink. Cool water awakened my face as I bent over the sink, then I stood back up and met my reflection in the mirror.

I was about to wipe some sleep from my left eye when a jolt of shock coursed rapidly from my toes to my scalp and I gasped, flinging my hands to my mouth. The wrinkles I’d met earlier had disappeared. The crow’s feet I’d despised were nowhere to be found. Instead of laughter lines, forehead furrows and the dreaded lip wrinkles lay smooth, unblemished skin. I’m back! I’m twenty-five again!

I stood and stared at my face, examining every feature, making sure there were no remnants of fifty-year-old Kelli. I lifted my nightgown and let my hand grace my flat stomach, then cupped my firm breasts that were back in their correct geographical location above the equator and twirled my varicose-vein-free ankles in easy, creak-free circular movements.

Ha! My old young self had definitely returned! I lifted my wrist to check my e-pad, but no e-pad was there. Of course, they hadn’t been invented yet. I dashed back into the bedroom and plucked my phone from its charger to check the date. Yep – definitely my birthday! I swished open the curtains and daylight flooded the room and, as I blinked my eyes to adjust to the light, I remembered. Diora!

She should have had the baby by now, only how could she, when my return to the past signalled the return to a life she was not yet a part of? I didn’t even get to meet my grandchild! I didn’t even know if it was a boy or a girl!

Ryan! I wanted to thank him for taking care of the guests after we left the party due to the unexpected waters-breaking incident, and ask him how Ben reacted on sharing his feelings for him, even though their cosy presence on my couch implied he responded just as Ryan would have hoped.

And Will! He might have come out of the shower wondering where the hell I’d disappeared to. Except… he wouldn’t have because if I was back in the past, he was too. He was probably getting out of bed like on any other Friday morning, shaving the small growth of hair on his face and putting on a pinstriped shirt with a plain tie, sliding a pen or two into his shirt pocket, ready for work.

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