Page 32 of Not You Again
He checked his watch before closing his eyes and, seeing as they only had a few minutes left, decided to tell Carly something. “The eclipse was another ten seconds shorter,” he spoke in a whisper, so as not to wake her. “Don’t gloat about it too much, though.” She stirred at the last part, then tucked herself in closer to him. His fingertips instinctively squeezed her intight to his chest. He gazed down at her in his arms and took in a sharp breath as he realized helike-liked Carly. More than as friends, or whatever they were purporting to be. Eventually, his eyes closed, and the last image he saw was her pressed safely into him.
Then he found himself reset, as was always the case.
“Say hello to your girlfriend for me.” Shireen’s voice was tinged with a bitterness Adam was all too familiar with—she was jealous.
Shireen waited for Adam to respond, but he couldn’t. His thoughts were still tied to Carly and the feel of her pressed against him. Shireen turned and walked out the office door in a huff. Adam almost called out,She’s not my girlfriend, but what was the point? He didn’t have to comfort Shireen. She had Dean for that.
Adam rubbed a hand across his forehead and was suddenly aware of his wedding band. He wiggled it off and held it in his palm. He was truly very tired of having versions of the same conversations with Shireen. Wouldn’t it be nice to start a day in a mood that wasn’t despair?
For a brief moment, hehadstarted this loop with hope, and all from his night with Carly.
Carly. He wouldn’t be able to see her for the next two days. They’d actively avoid each other, per his mandate. His feelings for her had shifted, though, so he wasn’t even looking forward to the alone time. No, he was bummed out. He wanted to walk into the hall and crack a joke about how she’d fallen asleep before Rhys had so much as taken his shirt off. Maybe they didn’t need to start the isolation today.
Adam placed the wedding ring on his desk, dashed into the hall and headed for the funeral service room. But when he looked in, Carly was already gone. She must’ve snuck outbefore Shireen, as he hadn’t so much as heard the thud of her combat boots. He leaned against the door frame and let out a breath.
Okay. This was happening. He had to spend two loops without her, and then they’d see if the experiment paid off. A few loops ago, the idea of a break from Carly would be welcomed, but Adam didn’t feel relief. He felt a bit lost, really.
Adam’s shoulders sagged as he parked the car in front of his parents’ house and walked up the path to the front door. What was Carly getting up to without him?
The door opened before Adam had time to knock.
“Honey, he’s home!” Bill called out as he waved Adam inside. “I told you he’d be back.” Then to Adam, “Your mother thought we’d chased you off by telling you to get a life. She wanted to call the police, but I reminded her there are no police, and I didn’t want to spend the day scouring the town for you, no offense.”
“Some taken.” Adam made an effort to straighten his shoulders as he stepped through the door. His parents had already been worried about him, and he didn’t want to give them more reasons to ask questions.
When Sheila spied Adam, she immediately met him with a tight hug. “Where were you the last few loops?”
“With a friend,” he quickly said, only realizing his fatal error when his mom froze.
“A friend?” She looked at his dad. “Which friend?”
Ugh, she was going to make this a wholething. “You don’t know her.”
Adam pinched his eyes closed. Why’d he sayheron top offriend? When he opened his eyes, Sheila tried to hide theO shape her mouth had formed. His dad, on the other hand, tightened his lips and gave Adam aYou’ve really done it this time, kind of look.
“What’shername?” Sheila grabbed his elbow and guided him toward the kitchen.
Adam busied himself by opening the fridge and taking out the half-eaten coffee cake that was always waiting. Stress eating; he could do that just as much as anyone. “Carly,” he eventually said.
Sheila once again turned to Bill, who only offered a shrug. Sheila rolled her eyes and refocused on Adam. “She sounds nice.”
Adam squinted at her. “I haven’t told you anything about her. For all you know, she’s a terrible person. Why is shenice?”
“If she puts up with your bad attitude, she’s nice,” his dad joked.
“It must be genetic,” Adam joked back. He cut into the cake and heaved a slice onto a plate, then grabbed a fork from the drawer.
“Are you taking that to meet—what’s her name again?” Sheila asked.
There was hope in her eyes. The same hope he’d had the past few loops—the kind of expression that only came from being excited about change. Much of his life, he’d tried to earn a proud look from his parents. He just hadn’t expected to see one because he’d met someone new.
Adam reluctantly replied, “I’m not seeing her today.”
“Oh.” Sheila gave Bill a disappointed look, and Adam’s jaw tensed.
“I wanted to come here and check in with you two,” he fired off. He stuck his fork into the edge of the cake and through a mouthful said, “I’ll see her again soon. Maybe I can bring her here.”
Well, that was absolutely something he didn’t have to do. If he was going to keep on this people-pleasing train, why not just offer to marry her in the backyard if that would make them happy?
