The sight of his smile kept me going. "You're too slow, Mini-me!" he exclaimed as we rushed down the road. We were two hedgehogs under one sun; I thought I'd never witness such a phenomenon.
He was me, but there was something different about him. Something about Older-me seemed to call out to me—much moreso than any woman had ever done before. I knew—and I still know—how some may view our relationship is immoral, but we didn't care. Even so, he served as the only bit of love I could receive from the other side; he was perfect.
Witnessing as Older-me rushed down the city slope, I started panting. What am I gonna do? I wondered, feeling my potbelly slowing me down.
It was while running when my eyes caught a most heavenly site: a lone skateboard. Such a sight brought a glint of hope to flare within my head. With Older-me appearing to grow smaller with time, I made my snap decision. I'm taking it!
Determined to beat my older self in this pursuit, I swiftly rolled over to the abandoned board. Gotta make this count! Keeping the thought in mind, I drew my trembling hands toward my key to success. I clenched my eyes shut—and in the span of a second, I felt the skateboard as it cradled within my hand.
Success welling over my head, I thought, Yes! and placed the skateboard under my feet, quick as a flash. With the wheels rolling faster and faster, I let momentum do the majority of the work for me. Before too long, I find myself blazing past Older-me—leaving him completely and utterly baffled. Seeing the stupefied look on his face, I took a look behind my shoulder and stuck my tongue out at him. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "That's cheating!"
Paying little attention to his words, I turned back around and caught sight of a speed booster. With only seconds to perform my task, I jumped off my board and ran along the conveyor.
Once there, I curled up into a ball and continued speeding down the road. It didn't take long for me to reach the end of this great race—nearly running into the wall as I did so. Uncurling from my spherical state, I looked up at Older-me, put my hands on my hips, and gave him my world-famous impatient stare.
Within seconds, Older-me came to the end of the road, as well. Chuckling and panting, he pointed out, "You're a clever little guy." His ears twitching in displeasure, he paused. "Er—I mean—I am." He paused again. "You know what I mean."
Those words proved enough to pull a silent laugh out of me.
In the midst of my chuckling, I caught sight of just what I needed: some chili dogs. Those would fill up my potbelly nicely! My nose filled with their delectable scent, I pointed toward the stand on which they sat.
Confused, Older-me turned around and pointed his gaze toward the stand. A smile on his face, he turned his head back over to me and asked, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
In response to those words, I gave my head a sharp nod. Not sparing him any time to speak, I sprinted up to the stand—startling the man behind it. Older-me did the same, following soon after.
With the dogs barely a meter away from me, I tried emptying my pockets of whatever money I had—only to realize I didn't have any pockets in the first place! How sad.
Seeing the disappointed look on my face, Older-me looked down at me—gazing into my beady black eyes with his enticing green ones. Such a site made me feel like I had been thrown into a whole new world. A world where only we existed; a world where every harsh action, every wronging, every mistake ceased to exist. Such a world only reminded me why I loved him so much.
As if out of nowhere, Older-me pulled out some rings. "I got this," he murmured with a wink. Without a word, he picked up two of the chili dogs and handed the clerk his rings. Their scent proved enough to make me salivate.
Older-me handed me one of the dogs and exclaimed, "Chow down, Mini-me!"
Suddenly snapped out of my trance, I let out another quiet chuckle and pulled the chili dog out of Older-me's hand.
A smile on his face, Older-me slowly but surely started swallowing the dog one bit after another. I noticed as the chili messed up his face—making him look something like a psychopathic murderer.
The chili dog was tempting, I will admit. I could not simply ignore as it beckoned me. But even with its shine flashing in my eyes and its scent wafting in my nostrils, I found myself with different plans.
I wasn't going to eat this; I didn't even plan on letting Older-me eat his own chili dog. I planned to do something my mother had always told me not to do with food: play with it!
A sinister smile turning up my lips, I yanked Older-me's hotdog out of its bun and shook off the chili and cheese covering it.
Baffled, Older-me scratched his ear when he wondered, "What are you do—"
Not even giving him a chance to finish his sentence, I wagged the naked dog in front of my future-self's face. Almost like a pendulum, the rod-shaped food swayed here and there—occasionally whacking Older-me's nose.
In response to my naughty behavior, Older-me blushed. "H-hey—give that back!" he demanded, unable to suppress his laughter.
Before he could receive a sliver of a chance to swipe his hotdog back, I shoved Older-me's hotdog in my mouth—grinning all the while. A good portion of the sausage protruded from my lips as I gave it a good twist.
At such a sight, Older-me blushed an even deeper shade of red as a warm bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.
Just make your move, already! I thought, growing impatient. Through those silent words, I continued smiling.
Almost as if he had read my mind, Older-me hesitantly reached over and touched the hotdog with his gloved hand. As he did so, he let a nervous smile cross his face. That was enough to do it for me.
Losing control of myself, I started leaning in closer and closer to my lover. He did the same—allowing me to pull my arm up to his shoulder. All the while, he placed a hand down to my waist. His nose touching mine, he asked, "M-mini—are you feeling something, too?"
I could only nod. The little hotdog coming in between us, I touched my lips to Older-me's—and he touched back. Before then, I thought him merely staring into my eyes would drive me insane, but his lips touching me in the sweet, passionate way they currently had allowed me to lose myself completely.
Just one thing stood in my way of fainting: the hotdog. Seeing it as a distraction, I grimaced before pulling myself away from Older-me and noticing the hotdog protruding from his mouth.
Slowly and carefully, I pulled the dog out of his mouth—the sight of which nearly made me giggle. Paying no heed to the saliva-covered hotdog, I tossed it away and resumed kissing my lover. I almost wondered why he even bothered to purchase that food for us; he didn't seem angry when I threw it away.
I felt as if heaven had been thrust down upon me—ready to take me for the ride of my life. I didn't care who stood nearby or who dared to challenge my love toward Older-me; he was mine to love! I resisted the terrible urge to lie down on top of him as our lips pressed together with almost painful force.
As I prepared myself to slip my tongue into my older self's maw, I noticed something strange happening to me. I felt lighter, floaty—almost like a balloon. Unable to ignore such a notion, I flinched and pulled myself away from Older-me.
In the mood for more affection, Older-me wondered through a blush, "What's wrong?"
Blinking in response, I took a look down at my hand—only to see a transparent blur before my eyes!
Horrified by such a sight, Older-me gasped. "M-Mini-me! What's happening?" he wondered, his voice suddenly heavy with sadness and confusion.
How could I tell him? One does not simply tell their boyfriend about the horrendous trials in their life—especially when they couldn't speak to begin with! Such a notion made me feel powerless—as if I couldn't do anything to make Older-me understand my problem. Why did life have to stab me in the back while already keeping a firm hand over my mouth?
With few options, I kissed him on the cheek before dashing away.
"Classic!" That one word escaping from his mouth, Older-me started chasing my escaping self. I assumed it would have been easy to run away—due to my ever-present transparency—but he caught up to me in no time. His gloved hand grabbed mine—stopping me all the while. "What's going on?" he asked without hesitation.
In response to such a question, I let my hand slip through his. My pupils shrinking and my spine shivering, I stared up at my transparent palm—witnessing my lover's tear-infested face as I stared through it.
"No—please!" he begged. Sobbing, Older-me practically tackled me—squeezing my transparent body as it continued fading away. "Please," he began whilst sniffling, "Don't leave me. Don't go!" The tears heavy within his eyes, he took one last look down at me.
Seizing my opportunity, I implanted one final kiss on Older-me's lips. I didn't know if he could feel me at all, but I didn't care; I could feel him just fine in what I believed was our most magical—and possibly our last—moment together.
Once that one shining moment came to pass, I pulled myself away from my older self. Staring into his eyes, I mouthed the words, "I love you": the closest I had ever come to speaking.
Then—as if on cue—I felt my solidity totally becoming a thing of the past. As if to tear the fabric of our hearts, I vanished before my lover's eyes.