I sat on the step next to him, my heart starting to calm down. The sun was setting, but there was still plenty of light in the sky. “How long have you been waiting?”
“About thirty minutes. You told me you worked until eight today, so I canceled a meeting I had this evening.”
“I also told you I had a lot of work tonight. You shouldn’t have canceled a meeting.” Disappointment weighed down my words. I felt bad that he had gone to so much trouble and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it with him—especially because he had ignored what I said. “I have a lot of research to do. I need to be upstairs studying right now.”
“My aide got your favorite Chinese takeout from the restaurant you took me to in Chinatown.” He leaned into me, and he smelled amazing. “I thought we could go to the Waterfront Park and watch the boats. It would be a great way to unwind and relax after a long week.”
I closed my eyes, thinking about how good it sounded.
He opened the picnic basket, and the aroma was enough to make my stomach growl. When was the last time I had eatentoday? I had grabbed an apple from the snack cart and had a yogurt and granola parfait at one point. But that was about it.
“We don’t have to stay long,” he promised. “We can walk down there, eat, and then come back. An hour tops. You can sacrifice an hour for some good food and great company, can’t you?”
Sighing, I shrugged. “What’s an hour? Sure.”
“Great.” He stood and offered me his hand. I grabbed it and ended up standing just inches from him. “Your hair’s a little crazy.” He smiled. “But I like it.”
Itwasa little crazy. I gathered it up and secured it into a ponytail again.
“I meant it,” he said, his voice lowering. “I like it down.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment and then slowly took it down again.
He smiled and touched one of the curls. “You’re so beautiful, it hurts sometimes.”
“Hurts?”
His breath was warm on my face. “Because I can’t have you—at least, not yet.”
“You promised,” I said quietly, though I was having a hard time remembering why I told him we had to wait.
Seth took a step back and lifted his hands in surrender.
We left the house and walked toward the waterfront. Guilt plagued me about the work I was putting off, but I had made my decision, and I was determined to enjoy my time with Seth.
“Why do you work so hard?” he asked as we walked. “Are you trying to prove something to someone? Did you really have to start medical school at the age of seventeen? Or finish it by twenty-one?”
A lot of people had asked me that question over the years, and I had given them lots of different answers. But tonight I paused. WhywasI working so hard?
The truth hit me hard. I wanted to complete something importantto me before it was taken away. I wanted to be done with medical school if I chose to leave 2001 behind.
But was it worth the sacrifices I had made? If I didn’t choose 2001, then I’d never see Seth again—and was it worth sacrificing my time with him?
“You know,” I said, “I’m not sure why I work so hard.”
It wasn’t a great answer, but it was an honest one—at least, the best one I could give.
A rim of light hovered just over the western horizon as we sat in the park, facing the Potomac River. It was so much cleaner in 2001 than in 1861, used more for pleasure than necessity.
Seth had brought a blanket, which he spread out on the soft grass. I wondered which of his aides had provided it, since Seth was almost as busy as I was. He also made a lot of sacrifices to be with me.
We sat there, eating our Chinese takeout, and for a few minutes, Iwasable to forget about everything else. About my work, my research paper, whether or not I should go to Pearl Harbor, what life I would ultimately choose, and my fears about not waking up in 1861 tomorrow.
Boats floated by on the river. A large dinner cruise went past, followed by a tour boat and several personal watercrafts. People were walking and jogging along the paths, sitting on blankets, or enjoying the last moments of the day playing catch with their dogs. But what everyone had in common was that they were enjoying life.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I told Seth. “It’s easy to get caught up in my responsibilities and forget to have some fun.”
We put away the leftovers, and Seth set the picnic basket aside. He took my hand and tugged me down to lie on theblanket and look up at the sky. The first of the stars were starting to twinkle.
