Page 53 - In Five Years

I’ve been preoccupied, possessed, since I saw him on the sidewalk. For the
first time, I consider the reality that this man is Bella’s boyfriend. Not the guy
from the premonition—but the one sitting across from her now. For one thing, he
seems good and solid. Funny and accommodating. It’s usually like pulling teeth

to get one of her boyfriend’s to make eye contact.
If he were anyone else, I might be thrilled for her. But he isn’t.

“Where do you live?” I ask Aaron.
I see flashes of the apartment. Those big, open walls. The bed that overlooked
the city skyline.
“Midtown,” he says.

“Midtown?”
He shrugs. “It’s close to my office.”

“Excuse me,” I say.
I get up from the table and wind my way to the bathroom, which exits off a
little hallway.

“What’s going on?” It’s David on my heels. “That was weird. Are you okay?”
I shake my head. “I don’t feel well.”
“What happened?”

I look at him. His face is studying me with concern and . . . something else.
Surprise? It’s close cousins with annoyance. But this is unusual behavior for me,
and so I’m not sure.

“Yeah, it just hit me. Can we go?”
He glances back into the restaurant, as if his gaze will reach the table where
Bella and Aaron sit, no doubt just as baffled.

“Are you going to throw up?”
“Maybe.”
This does it. He springs into action, placing a hand on my lower back. “I’ll let

them know. Meet me outside; I’ll call a car.”
I nod. I head outside. The temperature has dropped markedly since we
arrived. I should have brought a jacket.

David comes out with my bag, and Bella.
“You hate him,” she says. She crosses her arms in front of her chest.
“What? No. I don’t feel well.”