To My Future Cheating Husband

XXI. Travel the World with Me

The barrier between us was cold.

Much too cold for comfort.

Then, the realization occurred.

My cell phone.

I scrolled through the contact list and dialed Eli's number.

I watched as he took out his phone from the back pocket and stared at it. Soon, he slides his thumb across the screen and answers it. "Hey, there pretty lady." He sounds different. "How can I help ya?"

"Look to your right."

Eli brows furrow, and he turns his head. Steadily, I lift an arm and wave. Eli stood up and made his way towards me. With each step, the rate of my increases. I could hear it inside my ear.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Eli halts in front of me. The glass barrier was still between us. Somehow, it felt like he was in another world, and I was forbidden to join him.

"I think I'm hallucinating because I see you."

I tapped against the glass, "I'm actually here. How did you get out there?"

"Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"I can walk through glass," he responds in a serious tone.

I couldn't help but chuckle, "Sure you can. Now, open the door."

Eli crosses a single-arm, "Thou wants to join this secret base? What do thou have to offer to the overlord?"

I rolled my eyes, "Alright. Bye."

"No. No. No. I was kidding." Eli walks beside me, "You don't need to offer anything."

I halt my steps and look at him, "Well, then when are you going to open the doors?"

Eli dash towards the entrance while I pace to him. He flung the door open, "My lady," he huffed out.

I chuckle and slip the phone back into my pocket, "Are you sure I can enter without offering anything to the overlord?"

He grins, "The overlord would love you within his territory."

"Let me guess. The overlord would be-"

He points two fingers at himself, "Me."

I shook my head and made my way outside. The hospital garden feels quite refreshing. Once I settled on the bench, the atmosphere shifted, and everything seemed brighter.

Eli settled beside me, "Nice, huh?"

"You're here often?"

Eli smiles faintly, "Yeah."

"Why?"

There's a long silence before Eli responds: "Well, my brother works here. Why else?"

I could hear the wind crash against the wet leaves, but I couldn't feel it. They must have built the garden in a way that blocks most of the wind. "Do you want to be a doctor?"

"Hm?"

"That's why you're hanging out at the hospital so often. You want to become a doctor like your brother."

He kicks his feet, "Become a doctor, huh. That would be nice."

I knock his head lightly, "That wee bit you call your brain gotta work hard if you want to save people's lives."

Eli laughs, "Well, if I had the choice. I would travel the world first."

"That's your dream?"

"Don't you want to see the world?"

I shook my head, "I've seen enough of the world."

"The sound of your voice tells me your experience wasn't a good one."

"It wasn't good or bad," I said. "Just something I prefer not to revisit."

He settled his chin on his palm, "Travel the world with me, and your opinion may change."

I grinned, "Who will cover the costs?"

He stood up, spread his arms, and spun. "The future doctor."

"First comes debt, doctor."

"Debt. Schebt. We'll just mooch off of our parents for the next ten years."

I laugh lightly at his idea.

Eli smiles, "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you want to be?"

I took a few blinks and my eyes cast forward, "What do I want to be?" I repeated his question. I never thought of what I wanted to be.

The world is so vast, but my options feel limited.

I don't know what I want to be.

Previously, my grades were considered mediocre, enough to pass. I never went to college; never consider it.

Now, I work hard for it. So hard to the point that my teachers thought I cheated or have an unknown twin. Mom snapped during the parent-teacher meeting, where the teacher stated that my sudden behavior change was unusual.

Of course, my parents defended me. They saw how late I stayed up to study for my exams. I'm struggling with high school, and the thought of college would only bring more stress. But I don't want to disappoint my parents.

Not again.

"What about a coach?" Eli question. I look at him. I must have been quiet for far too long. "I mean, you're really athletic, so why not try coaching?"

"Coaching?" I never thought of that before.

"Yeah. You could coach cheerleading. I mean, you're really good at it." Eli does have a point. I am good at cheerleading. "Or ballet."

"Ballet? How did you know I-" I snap my fingers, "Right. Memory loss."

Eli pushes against me with his shoulder, "What's wrong pretty lady? Why the frowny face?"

I lick my lips, "Honesty?"

"Nothing but honesty around here."

"Sometimes, I feel disappointed that I don't remember you."

I expect Eli to make some sort of joke, any kind - but he didn't. He would only stare at me. "Well, it is what it is, right?"

"You don't feel sad that I don't remember you?"

"Honestly?"

"Nothing but honesty around here." I didn't mean to crack a joke, but somehow, it fell out. Perhaps, it's because I'm finding any method to waste away the intense atmosphere between us.

"I hope you won't ever remember."