Fast Forward (25 page)

“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 ensuite.

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 soul mate 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.

“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 ensuite 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.

I missed them already. How could I have become so connected to them in only one day? I ached to see them again, but knew there was only one way that would happen. I had to make things right. I had to change the course of my life before destiny slipped through my fingers into the ether of lost possibilities.

I pinched the screen on my phone and then shook my head at my stupidity. No holographic phones here yet. I made a quick phone call to the restaurant my party was to be held in, then pressed the screen for a new message option to appear, adding multiple numbers from my contacts before typing a text message:

Hi guys, change of plans. Have cancelled restaurant for tonight, feel like something different. Meet at 8pm on North Beach for fish & chips
^~
K

Selena replied instantly. Selena!
Okay then, but why? Oh, and happy birthday hon ;)

I replied back:
I already told you why. Feel like something different. And thanks xo

Soon after, Kasey replied too:
Oh right, change plans at the last minute to suit yourself, typical
! Bugger, Kasey was still mad at me. A few seconds later another text from Kasey came through:
Anyway, it is your birthday, so … happy birthday I guess
.

I replied back telling her thanks and that I was sorry and couldn’t wait to see her tonight. I thought my other friends would reply too but the phone stayed silent. I guess I would just see them all tonight.

I slid my hands across my flat stomach again.
Oh, how I’ve missed you
! Then I sighed in relief at not having to try and get out of the support underwear. I’d been saved! I’d never buy one of those in the future–ever, not even version 2.0 with the expandable release valve, uh-uh.

I opened the web browser on my phone and summoned the Foogle, I mean, Google page and typed in a search, and on finding the website I was after made a phone call.

“Hi, I’d like to book in with your best personal trainer,” I said into the phone. Five minutes later I was scheduled in to see Roxanne at 9 am Monday.

Now, for something more important … I opened my contacts page and pressed C in the surname list. As I was about to select Malcolm Crawford, a text message came in:
Happy birthday sweetheart. Thought you might be sleeping in so I didn’t want to call and wake you. Have a great day, call you later
^~
Dad
.

Warmth crept through my eyes and I blinked away tears. Dad was still here and there was no way I’d be going through this day without seeing him to set things right with him and Kasey.

Thanks Dad, and by the way, can you meet me for lunch at Parkside Cafe at 12 noon? I know you’re probably busy, but it’s very important
.

Dad replied:
If it’s important, then I’ll be there for sure. See you then
.

I sent the same request to Kasey, not mentioning the fact that Dad would be there. I knew she would have just found out he wasn’t her real father. She said she’d come but probably couldn’t get there till 12:15 p.m, which was fine with me as I wanted to see Dad alone first.

I looked at my text messages again and noticed one from Grant that I’d missed:
Happy birthday gorgeous, dying to give you your present, wanna meet earlier today? How about 10am in the park, at our usual spot?
^~
G xoxo

Crap. The proposal. He wants to propose to me in … I glanced at the time on my phone … one hour and fifteen minutes. I typed a reply:
Actually, that would be good because we need to talk
.

After showering and putting on a floaty purple winged top over slim black pants and wedge heels—no curved coral hems for me today—I strode down to the park. I paused for a moment, spotting Grant sitting on the bench opposite the fountain, his leg tapping up and down. Black sunglasses covered his eyes and his hair looked tidily messy, the sight triggering a slight yearning for him again. Swallowing the lump that had wedged in my throat, I pushed on, reminding myself of what I was doing and trying to keep the fifty-year-old image of him hand-in-hand with what’s-her-name at the front of my mind.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, standing to kiss me on the lips which I accepted but subtly pulled away from before it lingered and before I changed my mind and threw my arms around him, telling him how much I missed him. “The big twenty five today, huh?”

“Yeah, guess so,” I replied, finding it extremely difficult to maintain eye contact.

“Look, Grant … I—”

“Here.” He held out a small wrapped present. “This is for you.”

Oh, man. The ring. “Grant—”

“Open it,” he urged, smiling.

Oh well, better get it over with and then break the bad news.

I tugged at the curly ribbon and slid my finger under the folded corner of the wrapping paper, pulling out a velvet box. My heart raced as I remembered how much I’d longed for this day and now here I was, dreading it. Because I knew I wouldn’t be saying yes and I didn’t want to bruise his ego. Not that his fifty-year-old ego had seemed bruised.

I glanced up at Grant whose eyes eagerly awaited me to open the box. I gulped on the lump in my throat but like a cork in water it bobbed back up. Drawing a light breath in through my nose I slowly lifted the lid, catching a glimpse of something shiny until the full beauty of Grant’s gift captured my attention. A perfect circle of silver tied like a piece of string in a mock knot, with a lone diamond on the end, sparkling under the morning sunlight.

I stifled a laugh of relief. It was a bracelet! A very beautiful, original DSJ designed bracelet, which would have cost a lot, especially considering the size of the diamond.

“Do you like it?” Grant asked, eyes wide.

Those weren’t the words I’d expected to hear. “I love it, I really do, but—”

“Put it on,” he said.

“Grant.” I closed the lid on the box. “I really appreciate your gift, but before we go any further I need to talk to you.”

His eyebrows drew together curiously. “Okay then, what is it?”

“What would you say if I told you I was planning a career change?”

His eyebrows drew so close together they almost collided. “What sort of career change could you possibly be interested in? And why?”

“Well, when I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time drawing and designing things, and I was thinking I’d like to take it more seriously now. You know—do up some proper designs, make a portfolio of beautiful homewares and look into options for manufacturing them. I have a feeling it’d make a great business.”

Grant shook his head in confusion. “So let me get this straight, you want to give up on a lucrative modelling career for … homewares?”

“I’d still do some modelling jobs to make ends meet, but once the business turned a profit, I’d consider letting the modelling slide. I can’t do it forever anyway,” I explained.

“I don’t understand, why pursue a little hobby like that when you can make money from,” he gestured his hands down the length of my body, “this?” He shook his head. “It’s ridiculous.”

I stood, his words jolting me like the paper being ripped by Mum all over again. “Because it’s something I love to do, it’s what I’m most passionate about!” I raised my voice and a few people walking by stared in our direction, but I didn’t care. “I enjoy modelling, but to be honest, sometimes it bores me. I need to use the creativity inside me, do something with my hands and create things.” I moved my hands about with enthusiasm.