‘You look petrified,’ he says.
‘Just hoping I don’t wake up as her tomorrow.’
He laughs and crosses his fingers. ‘Alternatively you could wake up as nun Bethany, in a convent somewhere having taken a vow of silence and celibacy.’
I shudder. ‘I really hope not.’
‘Me too,’ he says, and his eyes meet mine for just a moment.
Is he thinking about silent Bethany or celibate Bethany?
He insists on walking me home, ever the gentleman. ‘You can’t possibly walk home alone, especially not in a strange country.’
‘It isn’t a strange country.’
‘You don’t know this universe, Ms Raven; how are you going to protect yourself from the zombies?’
‘Zombies?’
‘Literal zombies.’ He’s serious, sombre. He picks up an umbrella from the coat stand by the door, brandishing it like a weapon. ‘You need my protection, my good lady,’ he says, stabbing an imaginary foe.
I let him walk me. The umbrella still held like a sword, ready to strike down a dangerous assailant at any moment.
He has me in stitches as he darts around a corner, a cry from his lips like he’s an extra fromBraveheart. I can’t help myself; this goofy side of him is utterly adorable.
‘Behind you!’ I shout, getting into the spirit of things.
He leaps around and then he runs towards me, sweeping me into his arms. ‘I must get the maiden to safety,’ he trills in my ear. My arms are round his neck, holding on for dear life.
He puts me down gently, his hands still on my waist. I can feel the warmth of him through my dress.
He bites his lower lip, eyes staring into mine with so much intensity I think I might melt into a puddle on the floor.
‘I …’ he whispers.
Bethany Raven is on a mission and she will not get waylaid.
But instead my arm is round his neck, pulling him down towards me.
His lips are soft as they meet mine and he lets out a small groan from somewhere deep within. My stomach fizzes and I pull him even closer. Our bodies yield together, his thumb caressing the curve of my collarbone and sending a jolt of electricity right through me.
The world around us stands still as if holding its breath. We exist outside of space and time, just two people brought together for a fleeting moment of pure bliss. I don’t belong here, this isn’t even my universe, but right now there is nowhere else I could possibly be but in the arms of a man who tastes faintly of custard creams.
Chapter Twenty
I wake up with the thought of Tyler’s lips on mine, of his hands in my hair and his body pressed against me.
And then I realize. I went to bed in a rather luxurious pair of silk sleep shorts and a vest in the softest cotton I have ever felt. But now my pyjamas have ridden up around my knees, bunching uncomfortably and reminding me why I generally wear shorts or leggings to bed.
I’ve skipped again.
My phone is one of those flippy ones that open up to reveal a full-size screen. I kind of like it, there’s a satisfying snap when you close it and it reminds me of my old Motorola Razr, the first ever phone I had and one that made me feel oh so sophisticated. But there is no facial recognition, just an instruction to enter a PIN.Fuck.I have no idea what this Bethany would use as a PIN. Unless … I tap the numbers carefully, mentally crossing my fingers that this Bethany is also a total nerd who would still use the same four digits as our school locker – 9691. The year of the moon landing backwards. It works and I breathe a sigh of relief. Navigating another universe without this Bethany’s phone would be a nightmare.
There’s a coffee machine in the kitchen that looks like you would need a PhD in astrophysics to operate. Unfortunately for me, mine was in theoretical physics. Sorry, in my head that was funnier. But then the weirdest thing happens: my arm is reaching for a cup and slipping it onto the pad at the bottom of the machine and it whirs to life. I stare at it. How did my body know to do that when my brain had no clue?
There’s a small electric piano in the living room and I pause next to it. Is muscle memory really a thing? I always assumed it was just that your brain works so fast you don’t realize it’s thinking and sending instructions to your arms and legs. I mean, you don’t need to actively thinkI’ll take a step now, your foot just moves. I slide onto the stool and crack my knuckles, placing my fingers gently on the keys. And I wait for them to start playing.
Nothing happens.
