Chapter 4

“Do you know where I can find this woman? She looks like… a friend of mine.” I offer, and she hesitates before offering me a winning smile.

“Oh, yeah! I should have figured you would know each other from the con circuit.” She murmurs, and I can only smother my confusion as she gestures to a small house that looks rather out of place in this large cityscape. “That’s her place. I only know because I saw her go in after we snapped the pic. Not stalking your friend, I swear.” She sputters, and I offer her what I hope is a kind smile.

“Thank you so much.” I say simply, rushing towards the house. I know I must look nothing short of foolish as I scramble across the street, but I know now that this simply cannot be a coincidence. As I reach the house, just barely evading a speeding vehicle, I slump against the door, pounding my fist against it. I wait, my heart pounding in my chest even as she opens the door. What seems to be recognition flickers across her face, but it quickly fades as she schools her expression into an apathetic one.

“Can I help you?” She says quietly, and I hesitate for a long moment before saying the only thing I can think of.

“Do you recognize me?” I say desperately, and her eyebrow gives a noticeable twitch before her expression returns to normal.

“I… can’t say I do. So, if you don’t mind…” She begins, but I am swift to interrupt her.

“Please. Please. I… I feel like I know you. You have to tell me if you recognize me.” I say, sounding perhaps more desperate than I ever have in my life. Her hand tenses, and her throat bobs as she seems to swallow her answer.

“...come inside. I’ll explain what I can.” She says, and I am almost certain my heart will pound out of my chest. As I follow her inside, I see her home is decorated with pieces across the timeline. She takes a seat at her dining room table, preparing herself a cup of coffee. I sit opposite her, waiting for her to explain herself. “You are the man I saved from the castle guards… gods, centuries ago.” She exhales, seeming almost defeated. I am certain I could be no more elated if I tried, and I reach out to grasp her hand. She flinches away, considering me through narrowed eyes. It is then I realize how odd this must seem. I have met her only a handful of times, but I am certain that the feeling brewing within me is unquestionable.

“Tell me your name.” I implore pleadingly. She hesitates, folding her hands atop the table.

“Just call me Jenny. I have had many names across the timeline. Immortals scarcely keep the same name for long.” She murmurs, averting her eyes. My heart swells, and I am more certain of my feelings than ever.

“I’m… Jameson.” I mumble, cheeks turning purple as she turns to consider me. She is as beautiful as ever, but I suppose an immortal being has all the time in the world to master any beauty secrets. My mind flickers to the moment we shared in the future, but I realize with a start that it has not happened for her. Not yet, anyway. I swallow thickly, uncertainty rising in my throat. There is much I want to say to her, but everything seems to fall so short. What I feel is unmistakable in my mind. I open my mouth to speak, but as if reading my mind, she holds up a hand to interrupt me.

“I’ve not seen many time travelers in my time. From your expression and… actions, I suppose you know me a bit more well than I know you.” She smiles, though the expression is visibly forced.

“How do you know I’m a time traveler? And not an immortal like you?” I implore, and she glances to my hand.

“The wound on your hand. Were you an immortal, it would have long healed.” She says simply. I feel as if she is somehow preparing me for some devastating blow, but certainly she cannot know what I intend.

“I… feel like this meeting was fated. As if it is destiny. I feel like you and I,” I begin, but she only laughs humorlessly.

“There is no you and I, Jameson. I’ve lived many a year, and have had many a lover. You are not the first to approach me in this manner, and I am certain you will not be the last. However, in my time shared with mortal beings, one thing remains the same. I am always the one who is forced to say goodbye.” She says drolly, resting her chin in her hand and idly stirring a spoon in her cup. I feel as if my heart is being ripped clear in two, but even I can see the logic of what she is saying. I am but a mortal, and even though I could offer her my world, my world is but a speck in her life. I open my mouth to speak, but she seems uninterested in what I have to say. Even as she is rejecting me, I am certain she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon.

“I think you should be going, now.” She says carefully, and I stare at her but for a moment longer before rising from my chair. The pain is unbearable, but I can’t force myself upon her. I won’t. Instead of offering any further argument, I turn my back to her. I inhale a shuddering breath, and hope that future travels will somehow seem less bleak. However, it seems as if nothing will ever be the same, knowing that she will exist in my time, yet… I can never have her. The knowledge rests heavily on my mind, but I slip out of her home and back to my time machine. It seems there is little left to do but go home and consider my future.