Chapter 22
twenty-two
Percy
Beep. Beep. Beep.
My hand snakes out from under my sheets to slam my phone, cutting off the alarm. I groan and scrub a hand over my tired eyes. It takes less time today for reality to sink in, and a quick check of the date confirms what I already know.
Here we go again.
I force myself to rise and get ready. No sense lying around feeling sorry for myself. I’d done plenty of that last night in-between brainstorming increasingly stupid ideas about how to resolve our time loop crisis.
All in all, I hadn’t come up with a whole lot.
I’d made a list of spots around the island we could check out, such as the state park and the fort.
I’d considered other same-day tests we might be able to convince the hospital to run on us, as well as strategies we could try out on the tourists and shopkeepers to search for more subtle signs of strange occurrences.
But none of it seems any more promising than what we’ve already done.
I have a creeping suspicion that breaking free of the time loop will require more than amateur sleuthing…
but damned if I have any clue what that might be.
I finish my morning routine and tug on the same outfit I’d worn yesterday. Another perk of being trapped in a time loop—no need to do laundry. Heading out into the hall, I find my eyes immediately drawn to Chris’ door. It’s shut, offering no clue on whether he’s in there or not.
I try to parse my jumbled emotions and am pleasantly surprised to realize I’m still drained…
yet also oddly hopeful. Spilling my guts to Chris had sucked as much as I’d expected, but it had also been kind of cathartic.
Anything beat dancing around each other like we had been so far. At least now, it’s all out in the open.
However, as I beeline down the stairs and toward the bakery—narrowly avoiding Susie this time—my nerves make an impromptu return. What if Chris is still moody and standoffish today? What if he decides to ignore me entirely?
Not having any idea what to expect leaves me on edge as I step into the cafe and start toward the counter, grimacing at the all-too-familiar sight of Owen glowering behind it. I’m only halfway there, however, when a familiar voice calls out, “Hey, Perce! Over here!”
I turn, shocked to see Chris seated at my usual table, waving me over. I slowly approach, and he offers me a tentative smile as I slide into the seat across from him.
“I, uh, wasn’t sure what to get you, so I went with your usual,” he says, gesturing to a second cup and a paper bag sitting in front of me. “Chai latte and lemon poppyseed muffin, right?”
I blink at him because, apparently, being around him renders me incapable of forming words.
His smile fades, and he picks at his own pastry, tearing off little crumbs.
“Your old usual, I mean. I have no idea what your current usual is. Or if you even have a usual.” He deflates, puffing out a frustrated breath.
“Sorry. This was a bad idea, wasn’t it? I wanted to surprise you after how we left things last night, and I thought—”
I shake my head, finally finding my tongue. “No!” I clear my throat and repeat with less force, “No. It was, uh, a nice gesture. And for the record, it’s still my usual.”
Chris’ smile reappears, and the sight does something pleasant to my chest. Something I know I need to rein in right now before it gets me into trouble.
“So,” I say hastily, cradling my chai latte so I have something to do with my hands. “Where’s Quinn? Is she meeting us here?”
Chris hesitates. “Actually, I didn’t tell her about the time loop today. Thought I might give her a break, keep it just the two of us.” He chews on his bottom lip, eyeing me from beneath his long bangs. “If that’s okay?”
Just the two of us? My confession yesterday must have done even more for our rapport than I’d dared hope.
“Yeah. That works for me,” I say. Entirely too well if I’m being honest. “We can always pull her in if we need her. She seems like a go-with-the-flow sort of person.”
Chris snorts. “You’ve got that right.”
A more comfortable silence than usual descends.
I sip at my latte even though it’s hot enough to scald my tongue and nibble on my muffin.
Chris sips his own drink—a cappuccino, if I had to guess—and demolishes his breakfast as if it had personally offended him.
Seeing him act as uncertain as I am gives me the courage to break the silence.
“I guess we should start by comparing notes on yesterday. Anything interesting happen while you retraced your steps?”
“Not really. Same as that first day.” He flicks his eyes to me, then away. “More or less. Nothing struck Quinn or me as out of place.”
“Yeah, me neither. If something happened to the two of us that original Saturday, I’ve got no idea what it could be.”
“Same. I mean, we were barely even together.”
A thought strikes me. “Actually, that’s a great point.
If something had happened that first day, it seems most likely that it would’ve occurred while we were in close proximity but not around anyone else since they weren’t affected.
Let’s see…” I hold up a hand, ticking items off on my fingers.
“Friendship’s Altar when you came to fetch me.
And…that night at dinner when we talked outside the bathrooms.” I frown.
Was that really how little we’d interacted?
“What about outside the fudge shop?” Chris asks.
I shake my head. “Quinn was there, too, remember? And she’s not affected.”
“True. But we’ve already been back to both those other spots, and I didn’t see anything interesting. Did you?”
I slump in my seat, quickly shifting my knee when it accidentally bumps Chris’. “Not really. I guess we could always revisit them, but…”
“But both seem like a long shot,” Chris agrees.
We fall silent. Before it can drag on long enough to get awkward, I add, “I’m not too keen on retracing our steps or wandering aimlessly around the island again today, but to be honest, that’s about all I could come up with last night. Please, tell me you’ve got a better idea.”
Chris raises his eyebrows. “All those brains and the only thing you can come up with is repeating what we already tried that didn’t work?”
“Hey! If you’ve got a better idea, just say so.”
“I’ve got several.”
“Oh, yeah?” I take another sip of my latte, finishing it off. “Tell me one.”
A wicked grin that does terrible things to my insides curves over his angular features as he shoves his chair back to stand. He holds a hand out to me. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
I stare at his hand for a long moment. Then, before I can second-guess myself, I grab it and let him haul me to my feet.
He drags me to the cafe’s exit, and we’re almost through the door when I notice Owen’s eyes fixed on our joined hands, an intense expression on his face I can’t parse.
I shrug out of Chris’ grip, cheeks burning self-consciously, and instantly feel the loss of connection.
Chris glances at me, and even though he doesn’t say a word, shame curls through me at my reaction.
Christ, it was just a hand grip. We weren’t even really holding hands.
Not that it matters if we were since no one here except maybe Owen cares, and, oh yeah, we’re in a damn time loop so they’ll forget about it anyway.
Still, all the logic and reason in the world doesn’t stop the instinctive anxiety that grips me at the thought of being judged and found wanting because of my sexuality.
Of my dad and the rest of my family turning away from me.
Of the disappointment I might have seen in my mom’s eyes had I told her I’d never live up to her dreams for my future.
“How do you want to handle Oshkoff?” Chris asks once we’re in the foyer. His voice sounds tighter than it had been, and he won’t quite meet my eyes. “We don’t have long before we’re supposed to be outside.”
I consider the question, trying to ignore the regret weighing on me for dampening the mood. “There’s an exit in the back that leads out into the garden. We can use that to slip around and avoid the main road until…well, until we can do whatever it is you’ve got in mind.”
Some of Chris’ former confidence returns as his golden eyes sparkle mischievously. “It’s a surprise. I think you could use a bit more spontaneity in your life, Percy Wentworth.”
“Right,” I say dryly. “Because you know how much I love surprises.”
Chris grins. “I dunno, Perce. You just suggested we lie to an authority figure and break the rules to sneak away. Maybe this is the start of your rebellious phase.”
My cheeks redden. “Well, since I doubt either of us can be as convincing as Quinn, avoiding Oshkoff seems like the quickest way to ensure success. Besides, like you pointed out last loop, it’s not like any of this matters, so it’s not like we’ll be letting anyone down. None of this is real.”
Something in Chris’ expression dims at that, but his smile remains fixed in place. “Sure, Perce. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.”
I lead him out into the gardens past the handful of perennials still bristling with blossoms. The Royal Lilac’s yard is open to the building next door, and we tramp through the grass.
Once we’re far enough away that Oshkoff shouldn’t spot us, we cut over to the main road.
From there, we follow Lake Shore Drive until it enters downtown and turns into Main Street.
Chris carves a path through the early morning crowd.
It’s only as we draw close that I realize he’s headed straight for the docks.
“The ferry? That’s your grand idea?”
“Yep. This time mumbo jumbo happened to us on Mackinac Island, so I figure maybe if we get away from the island, that’ll break the spell or curse or whatever.”
Huh. “That…actually makes a lot of sense.”