Page 50 of Twice
“Did you ever do this with another woman? Sit and play for them? Like this?”
“No.”
“Good. I want this to always be our thing.”
She let go of my hand.
“What about you?” I countered. “Did you ever sit next to a guy who played a song for you?”
She thought for a moment. “Once. In college. With Mike. But he just banged on his electric guitar.”
I looked down.
“Hey. Alfie?” Gianna said, turning my chin with her finger. “I was just waiting for you, OK?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, even in Africa, I sensed that you were somehow going to be in my life. When I saw you again at the zoo in Miami, I knew I was right.”
“Then how come it took us so long to get together? Incollege, you went out with other guys. You got mad at me a bunch of times.”
“I told you,” she said. “I was waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to grow up.”
I didn’t want to smile. But sometimes she made so much sense, I couldn’t help it.
“Don’t be hurt,” she said, squeezing my arm. “Destiny is patient.”
“You mean this was always going to happen?”
“Yup.” She smiled. “If you went back in time it would all still happen again.”
I think I visibly gulped. And then, feeling so close to her, I blurted it out: “I can do that.”
“Do what?”
“Go back in time.”
She grinned mischievously. “Oh, yeah?”
“I’m serious. I have a gift. I can do things twice. I’ve done it most of my life. If I don’t like something the first time, I can travel back and try it again.”
“I see.” She narrowed her gaze, feigning seriousness. “And can you take me with you, professor?”
“What?”
“Can we go back in your time machine together, say, to Africa? And Lallu? Right now?”
I made a face. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“Ah.”
“But what if it did?” I said. “What if youcouldgo back and redo something? What would it be?”
She looked away. She breathed out softly.
