Page 54 of Time After Time
I averted my gaze from the mirror, aware that facing my reflection would only spiral me into overthinking. Instead, I grabbed a towel and cleaned myself up, later tossing it into the small golden basket for dirty clothes. Then I rummaged through the rest of the towels, testing each one until I found the softest one to use.
As I approached the washbasin, I turned on the faucet and waited for the warm water to flow. Soaking one side of the towel,I then turned off the tap and returned to Gen, whose gaze had been on me the entire time.
“You okay?” She asked, her voice low, a crease forming between her brows as she searched my face.
When Gen’s eyes met mine, I nodded. Her smile brought a wave of comfort, wrapping me in a sense of peace. I returned her smile and settled onto the edge of the bed, propping myself up on my side. I carefully used the towel to clean and dry her skin, taking my time with each touch. After tossing the towel aside, I moved to the other side of the bed and sighed in relief when Gen eagerly curled up in my arms.
Chapter 17
Geneviève
“Ican’t wait to see what Cora will do with that wardro-.”
“I had sex with Sebastian.”
I didn’t flinch when the liquid splashed across my face, not even as a stray drop stung my eye. “You had sex with Sebastian?!” Sylvie’s exclamation pierced the air, and I instinctively glanced around, hoping no one had overheard. “Look at me, Gen.” With reluctance, I turned to face her.
The sun cast a warm glow, but a brisk wind made me shiver, wishing I had grabbed a cardigan in my haste to drag Sylvie to the backyard to spill everything about what had transpired with Sebastian two nights prior.
Even now, two nights later, I could still feel his touch, sending ripples of sensation through me.
Two nights ago, I wondered where our encounter would take us. But since then, I hadn’t heard from him at all. When I got home and wanted to talk to Sylvie, she was already gone. My mum told me she had left for some kind of automobile conference a few towns away.
“Don’t make me say it again.” I focused on the garden chair beneath me, my fingers running over the faded floral pattern.
Suddenly, it was all I could think about as heat crept up my cheeks. Memories of my time with Sebastian flooded my mind, replaying in a loop. “It just... happened. We were both terrified of what it might do to our friendship.” My breath hitched as I stared down at my trembling hands. “But we couldn’t stop ourselves.” My voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. “We just... wanted it.”
Sylvie didn’t say anything, and the silence stretched so long it made my chest tight. I glanced at her, searching her face for some kind of reassurance, but her expression stayed serious, her eyes clouded with something I couldn’t quite read.
My stomach twisted.
“What now?” she finally asked, her voice quiet. “Are you still best friends? Or… something else?”
My chin trembled, and Sylvie, sensing my distress, slid her chair closer, her hand finding mine and squeezing as tight as she could. “I don’t know. I’m scared things will change,” I threw my head back, glancing at the sky and breathing in. “And I’m not sure if it’s for the better or worse.”
We hadn’t talked about it, and the silence made everything feel off. The thought of anything more than friendship was too much, so I did what I thought was best. I pushed it away and tried not to think about it.
“Was it good?” My sister’s question caught me off guard, and a giggle escaped my lips. I met her worried gaze with a grin, my eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Sylvie had never been one to shy away from tough questions. I could see it in the way she watched me, waiting, tempted to dig into what had happened with Sebastian. But then, with a small, knowing look, she let it go. Instead, she took the easier route, one that hinted at what she really wanted to ask.
“It was… overwhelming,” I confessed, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks. “There was a moment where it hurt, morethan I thought, and it felt like I could pass out from the intensity of it all… But I can’t even put it into words.” As I spoke, sunlight spilt through the branches, warming my skin. But the breeze still carried a crisp edge, rustling the leaves and sending a shiver through the trees. “Yet, I felt so… secure. I just wanted him closer, and I never wanted to let go.”
“Gen,” Sylvie’s tone carried a weight I couldn’t ignore. “You’re smart, I know that. And honestly, I think everyone in this town knows just how inseparable you and Sebastian are.” I nodded, keeping my gaze fixed on the swaying trees. “I can’t pinpoint when it happened, but there was a shift in Sebastian’s demeanour one day. It wasn’t the same look he always gave you. There was a certain sparkle in his eyes, and his smiles… they were brighter. I just knew… I knew he was falling for you.” A laugh slipped from her lips as she shook her head, strands of hair catching the light. My expression must have given me away, because her amusement only deepened. “At first, I thought it was just a crush. But as time went on, I realised it was more than that.”
I opened my mouth, ready to protest, to argue that Sebastian had always looked at me the same way. But as Sylvie’s words sank in, they hit harder than I expected, leaving me silent, caught off guard.
“And then one day, I started paying more attention to you. And your eyes… they were the same until they weren’t.”
I swallowed hard, feeling a knot form in my stomach. “What are you trying to say?”
Sylvie rose from her chair, dusting off her dungarees. As she straightened up, her crimson rag slipped from her grasp, tumbling to the ground. “I think you know what I’m saying,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she used her boot to kick the rag upward, grabbing it in the air and putting it back where it belonged.
Before we could go any further, my phone beeped in my pocket, snapping me out of the conversation. I pulled it out, feeling a rush of relief as I glanced at the screen.
SEBBIE
Emergency. Come to my parents’ house. ASAP.
