You've Found Oliver (You've Reached Sam, #2)(61)

“I hate that we both have class tomorrow,” I say.

Ben sighs. “I know. I would skip if I hadn’t just failed a quiz.”

“You failed a quiz?”

“Yeah it’s not like me, huh? I haven’t been able to focus recently. I guess I fell behind more than I thought. Didn’t realize how quickly it would catch up to me,” he sighs. “Even worse, I forgot to turn in the fellowship application. Apparently, I mixed up the dates and missed the deadline yesterday.”

“Wait, the one you’ve been talking about?”

Ben nods.

“But you won that—”

It slips out before I can catch myself. I checked last week, but I wasn’t sure if I should tell him. How would I know he’d forget to turn it in?

Ben blinks at me. “What do you mean?”

I swallow my breath and say, “I looked it up recently. There was an article that said you won the fellowship.”

“And you were hiding that from me?”

I don’t know what to say. “No, I just wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not. I mean, you said you liked surprises when we last talked about it. I didn’t think this would happen.”

He thinks about it. “I guess I did say that.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

Ben sighs. “It’s alright. It’s my fault for falling behind.”

That’s not completely true. After all, he wouldn’t have forgotten if it wasn’t for me. “I feel like it’s my fault though. For spending so much time distracting you.”

Ben squeezes my hand again. “Don’t say that. I’m here because I want to be here. I promise. I wouldn’t change anything about these last few weeks.”

“I still feel bad about it.”

“It’s not the end of the world. I can always apply next year.”

The he kisses me on the cheek. I smile back at him, but I don’t stop thinking about his fellowship. I think of the image of him in the article I found. Ben has worked so hard toward his future. Am I getting in the way of that?

A bright streak of light shoots across the sky.

Ben and I turn our heads to look. A few seconds later, another streak appears. Followed by another one. And another one. The next thing I know, there are hundreds of them illuminating the night sky.

“This looks insane,” I say.

“I wonder what it’s from.”

“You mean, you don’t know?”

“The Geminids meteor shower happens around this time of year,” he says. “But I’ve never seen it like this before. It has to be something else.”

I suddenly remember something. At the club fair, the girl mentioned they were hosting a stargazing event for a rare meteor shower. “This must be Roy’s Comet,” I say.

“Roy’s Comet? How do you know about that?”

“Someone from the astronomy club mentioned it last week. They invited me to come see it before it disappears. It’s supposed to be gone for a while, right?”

“If I remember correctly, it’s orbital period is twenty-nine years.” The shower continues, casting blue lines across his face. “I think I remember reading about that…A chunk of it broke off, which would cause a larger meteor shower than expected. But that wouldn’t happen until May.”

“Right. Then this can’t be it.”

Ben stares at the sky again. “Wait a minute…” He pushes himself up a little. “That’s weird. That looks like the Leo constellation.”

“What’s weird about that?”

“It should only be visible in the spring,” he says, tilting his head a little. “And it shouldn’t be next to Cepheus…It’s like the skies have merged or something.”

I push myself up for a better look. There is something slightly off about the stars. I can’t put my finger on it though. “Are you saying you can see some constellations from the spring?”

“I don’t really know what I’m seeing.”

“So it could be Roy’s Comet, then?”

“It shouldn’t be, but honestly, nothing’s making sense anymore.”

We’re both silent for a long time. Maybe this has something to do with what’s happening between us. The reason our timelines are connected and why I can’t go back. Streaks of light continue to burst through the sky as we lie in the fields.





Chapter

Twenty-three



“What are you doing back here?” Sam’s voice echoes through the darkness.

I look around for him, but I can’t see anything through the wall of mist. Only my two hands, reaching out into the emptiness. There’s nothing to grasp—no shapes, no corners of a room, no sense of time. I wander around, hoping to catch his voice again. I can’t tell how long I’ve been searching or what direction this is. The moment I think I’ve found him, everything fades like sand through my fingers. All that’s left is a strange feeling in my chest. An understanding that no matter what direction I run, no matter how far, I’ll never catch up to him.

The feeling stays with me even long after I wake up.



* * *





It’s another cold December morning. My breath turns to clouds as I head to campus. It’s been a full week since waking up in this timeline. I’ve come to accept that I might be here for good. I’m still trying to figure out my schedule. It would be easier if my phone was working right. I can’t make any calls or open my apps without it glitching the entire screen. I’ll have to get a new one soon. At least I can still send and receive messages. There’s one from Ben.