Lost and Found

To my surprise, after opening the door, I saw no one outside. I looked around but didn’t even see a faint shadow of someone leaving in the distance. I walked up to the staircase but no one was there either. But I definitely heard a knock on the door. Perhaps, is someone pulling a prank on me?

Jack couldn’t have been since he is in the garden with the girl. Besides, after seeing my puzzled look, he would have jumped out from wherever he was hiding to laugh in my face. Except for me, there are only Jack’s father and the other employees in the house. But I don’t know any valid reason why they would do this.

After making sure there isn’t a single person except me walking around in the house, I went back to my room to finally start reading. Not that there was any use to it. I realized after a few pages that I cannot really concentrate on what I’m reading and at times I had to read each sentence twice to understand it.

When I got fed up with not getting anywhere as my mind keeps wandering off, I put the book down on the table and decided to take a shower and go to bed instead. And it actually felt great, since the warm water streaming down on my skin, especially on my neck and back felt so soothing, it had such a calming effect on me that I thought I’d rather just stay here. Well, that is, until it came to my mind that probably Jack hadn’t yet had a shower. And from there, my mind jumped from one thought to another, trying to imagine what it would be like to have a shower with him. To see water dribbling from his wet hair down his face, then all the way down his chest.

I turned off the water so quickly as if I had seen a ghost. It’s not a crime to fantasize about someone you actually like, especially if the person of your fantasy likes you. But to fantasize about someone who is out of your league is just pure madness.

I dried myself with the towel just as quickly, put on my pajamas, and returned to my room. I thought about trying to read again but discarded the idea. I looked at the book and thought that maybe I’ll get back to it tomorrow. After making this decision, I turned around to finally go to sleep when I froze. I turned back to the table to take a look at it again. I wasn’t seeing things.

My watch is really missing.

******

Only God knows how long I looked everywhere for it. Even though I’m certain that I didn’t put it anywhere else besides the desk, the wardrobe, checked the pockets of every clothes I could find. But the watch was in neither of these places. It’s not even small, so there’s no way I wouldn’t notice it if it has fallen on the floor. So, now what am I gonna do?

Thinking of my future prospects made my heart race and I started to feel a sharp pain in my chest when I realized I’m distraught. It seems I want to return to my time, my real home much more than I thought. Since the feeling of getting stuck here frightens me.

When I heard a knock on my door again, I almost fell off my bed where I previously sat down to. I decided not to move and wait for the person to go away. But when another two knocks were heard, I stood up and threw open the door. Jack was as surprised at my fierce reaction as I was seeing him.

“I was on my way to...” he said but I didn’t wait for him to finish, just grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into my room. “Wow, it’s quite flattering actually that you want me so much you don’t even tell me to come in just drag me in here instead,” he said grinning as I quickly closed the door behind him. “Perhaps, I should meet with girls more often if it provokes you to this extent,” he said still grinning, and put his hands in his pockets.

“It’s not like that,” I said angrily, trying not to think about the jealousy I felt even not so long ago. “It’s missing. The watch. It’s missing, I can’t find it and now I’m done for,” I blurted out in a hurry.

“So, now you have no other option but to stay, right?” he asked matter-of-factly.

“Yeah. But that’s insane. I know I’ve put it there,” I said and pointed at the desk. “But now it’s missing.”

“Would it be so bad if you had to stay here?” he said in a low voice.

“Are you insane? I would never be able to meet my parents, my friends again. Right now, I’m practically borrowing the identity of my younger self.”

“Here,” he said all of a sudden and took something out from one of his pockets and gave it to me with a gloomy face. It was the watch.

“So, it was you, who took it,” I said in relief, having no other explanation for its sudden disappearance. “You should’ve told me beforehand to not give me a heart attack. Or... You didn’t want me to leave, so you decided to do everything to prevent it?” I asked although, I cannot imagine he would do something this cruel. He looked me in the eye, then grabbed my shoulder and pushed me against the door. In my astonishment, I almost dropped the watch.

“If I were such a person, I wouldn’t have given it back to you after taking it away.” he told me seriously.

“So... Where did you find it?” I asked him after getting my courage up to speak.

“Mrs. Nichols gave it to me,” he said and let go of my shoulder. “She was the one who found it and told me to give it back to you because among other things, it makes you sad that you lost it.”

“I see... Thanks. And sorry for suspecting you,” I said embarrassed and cast down my eyes, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t say anything just kissed me. This time he was so gentle as never before which made me feel as if this is our goodbye kiss.

I tried not to think about it because I don’t want to cry in front of him. I slowly wrapped my arms around his shoulders, while still clutching that damned watch in my hand. I felt his arms tightening around me as if he didn’t want to let me go, but he was still so gentle as if I was his most prized possession.

It made my heart melt to the point I even played with the idea of going back right now while still hugging him and taking him with me to my time instead of me staying here with him.

I squeezed the watch in my hand and made up my mind.