Page 31 of Time Loops & Meet Cutes
Once we’ve finished eating, he steps away to throw out my cup, then returns to the wall. I’m leaning with my shoulder against the brick, and he mirrors my pose.
“This was a really good day,” he says.
“Yeah, it was.” My favorite iteration of June 20 so far.
He doesn’t saybecause of you, and I don’t either.
But I can feel it, unspoken in the air.
“I’m glad my jet touched down in Toronto today,” I say.
Cam chuckles before his expression turns serious. He lifts one hand to cup my cheek, slowly moving it higher until his fingers slide into my hair. There’s lots of opportunity for me to pull away, if that’s what I want.
But I don’t.
When I wrap my arm around his waist, he sets his mouth to mine.
The kiss is a little awkward at first, and I’m probably the one to blame for that. It’s been so long since I kissed someone—not counting that brief attempt with Avery—and we both angle our heads the same way and bump noses. But I persevere—and then it’s exactly right. His arm is secure around my back, which is good, because I feel off-balance.
Again, I blame it on the fact that I haven’t properly kissed anyone in years, but even if I had… I think it’s him, and the wonder of this day. He tastes faintly of sweet red bean, and joy, and magic.
“Noelle,” he murmurs.
Before I can string any words together, he returns to kissing me. My hands toy with the bottom of his shirt, eventually slipping underneath so I can touch his warm skin. God, he feels amazing. I kiss him like there might not be a tomorrow, like this is the only night we have.
“How did you end up at the brewery today?” he whispers.
“I don’t know. I was wandering… and I just did. Even though I’m not much of a beer person. Except for that…” My brain can’t recall the style of beer that I liked. It starts with anh, but that’s as far as I get.
It doesn’t matter, though, because his lips are on mine again, as if he can’t get enough. With Cam, I’m not just some person who fades into the background, who keeps her head down and does her work. I don’t know exactly how he sees me, but I like it. I like—
My phone buzzes insistently in my purse.
“Ignore that.” I grab a fistful of his shirt and pull him closer. I’m not used to feeling so greedy, but—
It keeps buzzing.
“Look,” he says, “as much as I’d like to stay here with you, it’s almost ten o’clock, and I’ve got a busy day tomorrow. I should head home, but if you can keep your jet in the city a little longer, I can spend all of Sunday with you. If you’re interested, that is.”
I try to ignore my disappointment. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”
Which is the truth. I just don’t know if Sunday is a thing that can happen to me. The existence of something as mundane as a Sunday in June? It seems like a miracle now.
But maybe the kissing will break me out of the loop, and I hope it’s this version of June 20 that he remembers. I don’t want to be a stranger to him.
Sure, kissing Avery didn’t work, but that could be because she’s not my true love. After all, in fairy tales, it’s always true love’s kiss that causes a transformation. I can’t believe I’m thinking those words to myself, but there it is.
As we walk to the subway, I circle my hand around Cam’s upper arm, like I did earlier. This time, it’s not so I don’t losehim in the crowd; it’s just so I can maintain our connection a little longer.
Before we head to opposite platforms, he plants a kiss on my cheek.
“See you soon,” he says, and I don’t know how to respond, but he’s walking away already, hands in his pockets.
While waiting for my train, I check my phone to see who interrupted my kiss, but since I’ve never had a text at this time on June 20 before, I have a pretty good idea of who it is. My suspicions are soon confirmed.
AVERY: I broke up with Joe again. But this time, I phrased it differently, and I guess it set him off.
AVERY: OMG I can’t believe I was with him for so long. Do you know what he told me? He said I’d come crawling back because I’d soon realize that I can’t do any better.
