Chapter 48: The Garden
The fountain bubbled softly. Flowers swayed without wind. The sky held a permanent sunset — orange and purple bleeding into each other like watercolors left too long in the rain.
Aletheia look alike sat on the swing beneath the sky-touching tree. Her white dress pooled around her. Her bare feet brushed through grass that glowed from within.
She was looking at the white flower.
Still there. Still alive. Still waiting.
"He's stronger than you think."
Kaye emerged from between the flowers. Dark hair fell over her shoulders. Her white dress moved like water. Her feet left no marks on the grass.
She stopped beside the swing.
"He's been through so much," Kaye said.
"He has."
"And yet he keeps going."
"He always does."
Kaye watched the white flower. "He loves me."
"Yes."
"He loves me, and he's still trying to find me."
"He is."
Kaye was quiet for a moment. "He's also breaking."
She didn't deny it. "He's been breaking for a long time."
"But he won't stop."
"No. He won't."
Kaye turned to look at her. "You've been watching him."
"Someone has to."
"You've been protecting him."
"I've been guiding him. There's a difference."
Kaye's lips curved. "Is there?"
She met her gaze. "He needs to find his own way. I can only show him where to look."
"And what happens when he finds it?"
The garden was silent. The fountain seemed to hold its breath.
"Then he'll have to make a choice," she said.
Kaye nodded slowly. She looked back at the flower.
"He's going to come back," she said.
"Yes."
"To the garden. To me."
"Yes."
"And when he does — he'll have questions."
"He will."
Kaye turned to leave. Then she stopped. Looked back. One last time.
"Be careful, Thea."
The name hung in the air. Soft. Warm. Warning.
Thea didn't respond.
Kaye walked back into the flowers.
The garden was still. The fountain bubbled. The flowers swayed. The white flower kept glowing.
Waiting.
---
EL'S APARTMENT – MORNING
Sunlight crept through the cheap curtains.
El opened his eyes. The ceiling. His bedroom. Oreo curled on his chest.
Saturday morning.
His phone buzzed.
DEMI: YOU UP? I BROUGHT BREAKFAST. AND COFFEE. AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT.
DEMI: ALSO I HAD A DREAM THAT YOU WERE CRYING ON MY SHOULDER. IT WAS WEIRD. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROCESS IT.
DEMI: ANYWAY I'M AT YOUR DOOR. OPEN UP.
A knock followed.
El got up. Walked to the door. Opened it.
Demi stood there. Two coffee cups in one hand. A bag of takeout in the other. Grinning.
"You look like crap."
"Good morning to you too."
Demi pushed past him and walked into the apartment. He set the coffee and food on the kitchen counter.
"Eat," he said. "Drink. Then talk."
El sat down. Took a coffee cup. Wrapped his hands around it.
Demi sat across from him. Watched him eat.
"So," Demi said. "Last night. The playground. The ritual. The voice."
El nodded.
"You said someone spoke. 'You set aside me again.'"
El nodded again.
"I didn't hear it."
"I know."
"But you did."
"Yes."
Demi leaned back. Stretched his arms.
"Okay. Walk me through it. From the beginning. The cracker. The light. Everything."
El took a breath.
"I held the cracker. It was glowing — hotter than before. I screamed Aletheia's words. The ones from the coffee shop. 'Don't let the coffee kill you before Monday. There's a world outside of paper-pushing. Scream loud enough to be heard over the espresso machine.'"
Demi's eyebrows went up. "You screamed that?"
"Loud."
"And then?"
"The cracker exploded. Light — everywhere. I couldn't see anything. Then she appeared."
"Kaye."
"Yes. She reached for me. I reached for her. Our fingers almost touched."
"Almost?"
"Almost."
Demi was quiet for a moment. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard. And also the most frustrating. Almost doesn't count, El."
"I know."
"So you didn't touch her?"
"No."
"Then what happened?"
"I woke up. Monday. The office. You were shaking me awake."
Demi blinked. "Monday? We're in Saturday."
"I know. I time-traveled. Again."
Demi stared at him. Then he laughed. Not a small laugh. A real one.
"That's insane, El. That's actually insane."
"I know."
"And you're just... telling me this? Over breakfast?"
"You asked."
Demi shook his head. Still laughing. "Fair point."
He grabbed his coffee. Took a long sip.
"So. You time-traveled. You almost touched your dream girl. You came back. You cried on my shoulder. And now we're eating takeout at 8 AM on a Saturday."
"That's the summary."
Demi set his cup down. "You know what. I don't understand half of what's happening. But I believe you."
"Do you?"
"I mean — it sounds crazy. It sounds really crazy. But you're not crazy, El. You're boring and emotionally constipated, but you're not crazy." He paused. "So if you say you time-traveled, then you time-traveled."
El looked at him. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Thank me after we figure out how to actually touch her hand."
They sat in silence for a moment. The city hummed outside. Oreo jumped onto the table and sniffed the food. Demi didn't stop her.
"You know," Demi said, "for someone who's been through time loops and lost days and magical crackers, you're handling this pretty well."
"I'm not handling it well."
"You're eating. You're talking. You're not crying anymore. That's progress."
El almost smiled. Almost.
Their phones buzzed simultaneously.
Demi grabbed his. "It's the GC."
El looked at his screen.
YASSY O: Good morning, everyone. I'm coming back on Monday.
JANET FROM ACCOUNTING: Finally! We missed you!
MARK: Does this mean I can stop doing your reports?
YASSY O: No, Mark. It means I'll be checking your reports.
MARK: ...That's worse.
DEMI: WAIT WAIT WAIT. YOU'RE COMING BACK? FOR REAL? THIS IS NOT A DRILL?
YASSY O: It's not a drill, Demi.
DEMI: I NEED TO CLEAN MY DESK. I NEED TO HIDE THE EVIDENCE. I NEED TO—
YASSY O: Demi. I already know about the chips.
DEMI: WHAT CHIPS
YASSY O: The chips under your keyboard. The chips behind your monitor. The chips in your drawer that are probably from 2023.
DEMI: ...I feel attacked.
JANET FROM ACCOUNTING: You should.
HOPE: Welcome back, Yassy! I'm excited to meet you!
YASSY O: Thank you, Hope. I've heard good things about you.
HOPE: REALLY? FROM WHO?
YASSY O: El.
Everyone's phones went silent for a moment.
DEMI: EL. YOU TALK TO YASSY ABOUT HOPE?
EL: She asked.
DEMI: WHEN?
EL: When she was on leave. She texted me.
DEMI: YOU TEXT WITH OUR BOSS? THE SCARY ONE? THE ONE WHO FREEZES PEOPLE WITH HER EYES?
EL: She's not scary.
JANET FROM ACCOUNTING: She's terrifying.
MARK: She once made me redo a report three times.
YASSY O: Because it was wrong, Mark.
MARK: IT WAS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
YASSY O: It was not.
MARK: IT WAS.
YASSY O: Mark.
MARK: ...Fine. It was wrong.
DEMI: THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER. YASSY IS COMING BACK. EL IS TEXTING BOSSES. THE WORLD IS HEALING.
YASSY O: Don't exaggerate, Demi.
DEMI: I'M NOT EXAGGERATING. I'M CELEBRATING.
YASSY O: Celebrate quietly. It's 8 AM.
DEMI: FINE. I'LL CELEBRATE INTERNALLY.
JANET FROM ACCOUNTING: That's what she said.
MARK: JANET?!
JANET FROM ACCOUNTING: What? I have jokes too.
HOPE: I'M LEARNING SO MUCH ABOUT EVERYONE TODAY.
DEMI: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, HOPE.
El set his phone down.
Demi was still grinning at his screen.
"Yassy's coming back," Demi said. "Monday. That's good, right?"
"She's your boss, not mine."
"She's everyone's boss. She's like... the boss of bosses."
"She's just a manager."
"She's a manager who knows about the chips under my keyboard. That's not a manager. That's a spy."
El almost smiled. Almost.
"Eat your breakfast," he said.
Demi grabbed a container of takeout. Opened it. Started eating.
"You know," Demi said between bites, "if Yassy's coming back, we should probably clean the office."
"That's your job."
"It's everyone's job."
"It's your job. You're the one who left chips everywhere."
Demi pointed his fork at El. "You're supposed to be supportive."
"I'm being honest."
"Same thing."
El took a sip of his coffee.
They sat in silence. The city hummed outside. Oreo finished sniffing the food and curled up on the windowsill.
Monday. Yassy was coming back.
The week was starting again.
But this time, El wasn't alone.