Chapter 1.

Listen Closely

(October 3, 2026. Micheal and Scarlette: 35)

MICHEAL: The bed is warm. The sheets smell like her shampoo. It's very early the sun hasn't quite risen yet. I'm so comfortable I don't want to move. I don't want to be disturbed. My eyes are closing I'm falling back to sleep. My eyes are heavy and I'm smiling. I'm drifting… drifting…

WHOOSH!

I snap forward and look around, my eyes darting to the door, the window… Scarlette? She's lying on our bed laughing so hard she's crying.

"What's going on?" I shout.

Scarlette keeps laughing.

"Where were you?

She wipes the tears from her eyes and replies, "January 16, 2008."

I smile…

(January 16, 2008. Scarlette: 35, Micheal: 17)

SCARLETTE: I've got to say it's times like these that I get extremely annoyed. One minute ago I was lying happily in bed with Micheal and the next I'm here. As always I'm completely nude. Quickly I pull the navy blue covers around me. I' am, although, happy I landed in another bed. Sometimes I'm not so lucky.

I take a moment to look around. I know this bedroom I remember those punk band posters and brown book case, this is-

The door knob turns.

"Oh Shi-" I begin but do not finish because a younger Micheal is standing before me, completely horrified.

"Wh-What is going on?!" He demands.

I give a sigh. He doesn't know yet, I wonder how old he is. "Would you mind closing the door?"

"No! Who are you?!" He yells.

"Hey cool it Mikey, no need to shout." I say getting more comfortable.

He gives me a funny look but closes the door.

"Thank-you." I say politely sitting on the edge of the bed the sheets still wrapped around me tightly. "Now, I can explain. It's me Micheal, Scarlette."

He shakes his head and laughs. "You must be joking."

I frown. "No, it's me."

He grabs a chair and seats himself in front of me. "But you're… you're old?"

I fold my hands over my chest. "I resent that!"

"Oh no! I mean you look great! But Scarlette's seventeen." He says.

"And thirty-five."

He looks confused. "You're not Scarlette."

I'm getting frustrated. "Yes I' am. Listen Micheal, I can time travel."

He laughs. "That's crazy! Just because you slightly resemble my best friend does not mean you're her. And time travel, please I'm not five!"

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're favorite stuffed animal as a toddler was a penguin named Lonnie. You cried at the end of The Notebook. We have a time capsule hidden under the willow tree in the deserted park. And you've wanted to be a hair dresser since you were five. Do you want me to go on?"

Micheal looks at my blankly. "How did this happen?"

"I've always been able to do this. When I was younger to other's it would seem as though I had only been gone for a second. But for me it was longer. As I get older the periods of time seem longer for everyone else as well. It's all very confusing. And I can't really explain it."

"Ok, ok." He says licking his lips. "But why are you… well... naked?"

I laugh out loud before answering. "I can't take anything with me when I travel. And at first it was all very embarrassing, but I'm learning."

Micheal nods and looks at his feet. "So what is it like in the future?"

I tilt my head and look at him. What should I say? Should I spoil all the great times we will have together? Should I tell him that we get married and live through the good, bad and ugly?

He looks up at me, waiting.

"The future is… good and bad." I say choosing my words slowly.

"Well that paints a clear picture." He snorts.

I sigh and put my hand on his knee. "Listen, what I'm telling you can't leave this room. I don't tell you this secret for another year. The Scarlette in your present time is scared and lonely."

He looks sad for a minute. His face scrunches up and I have to fight the urge to grab him and kiss him senseless.

"Why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend," He says this with such sorrow in his voice that I'm taken back.

"I really don't know babe. I was a little naive and stupid."

He smirks. "Babe?"

I freeze. Crap! Crap! That nickname doesn't come till much, much later in our relationship.

"Scar? Do we ever become something more then just best friends?"

It's funny but even the seventeen year old version of Micheal can make me blush under his dark eyed gaze. Against my own better judgment I nod.

A smile a mile wide spreads across his face. He sits up straighter and a zillion questions spew out of his mouth at once.

"When? How? Do we get married? Are we happy? Kids? And how do we deal with this time traveling thing?"

I shake my head. "Slow down buddy boy! I can't really say anything."

"Well at least tell me when." Micheal pleads.

"Soon."

"How soon?"

I groan. "Micheal please! … Ok I well I basically just… kiss you one day." I blurt out.

"What?" He smiles.

"We were walking home and you were babbling about something stupid and I kissed you."

He seems generally pleased with this and sits back grinning from ear to ear.

"Happy?" I chuckle.

"Very."

We sit for a moment and I pull the sheets up a little more. His eyes are scanning my body and I feel a little self conscious.

"So how does this whole time thing work?" He finally asks.

I shrug. "Don't know, one minute I could be eating breakfast and the next I'm in the year 1993 watching us ran around my old backyard. It's all beyond me. But my doctor thinks it has something to do with genetics. Like a great grandparent of mine had it."

Micheal blinks and looks away from me. "Wow. It just really hit me. I mean I feel… weird but good all at the same time. I mean you and me, we get together. God! I've been wanting that for a long time."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well of course!" Micheal laughs throwing his arms up. "Scarlette, you're amazing! But I always thought you never liked me like that."

I have to restrain myself. For as long as I can remember I have always been infatuated with this curly haired boy. But I don't tell him this, I have told him more then enough. And now all I can do is wait till my time is up and I can return to my Micheal back in my time.

I fold my hands and wait. He glances to my clasped hands and frowns.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He doesn't say anything.

"Come on Micheal."

"You're not - well, you're not wearing a wedding ring."

"I can't take anything with me when I time travel, remember? Thus the no clothes rule. So you'll just have to let things rip and see what happens in your future. I can't tell you too much. Knowing some things can be a terrible burden to bare." I gave him one of my serious looks and he nods.

"You trust me on all of this?"

"I trust you with my life Scarlette."

"Good, because in the years to come trust is key. Be good kiddo." And then I disappear.

(October 3, 2026. Micheal and Scarlette: 35)

SCARLETTE: I fall back in the dark on mine and Micheal's bed and I'm laughing. I can't contain myself. It's all so funny. It's like a full circle. For the next year past Micheal will be there to comfort me and help me. It's one of the main reasons why I fell so deeply in love him. His complete understanding.

My Micheal now is grumbling at me and I keep laughing.

"Where were you?"

"January 16, 2008." I laugh at him as I see him smile.

"I remember that." He says pulling me close. "But mostly I remember you being naked in my bed."

I smack his arm playfully and he rolls over on top of me. We kiss and he runs his hand over my bare back. I pull his shirt off and we make love early in the morning. It's in these moments that Micheal and I are together that I feel time has no power. I'm connected with someone I love. Nothing can keep me away for long…