An Untimely Romance: A Time Travel Romance by J Wells, L Wells

She closed her eyes,
pretending to be asleep.
    “Are you awake?” It was
Ruben’s voice.
    She turned towards him
as he made his way through the darkness, sat on the bed and climbed under the
covers to join her. They lay staring into space, the silence becoming quite the
norm, but she couldn’t bear it any longer, and an overriding jealousy together
with a deepening lust overcame her. She pulled Ruben’s body towards her and
kissed him passionately on the lips, running her nails roughly up his back and
across his shoulder blades. His response was instant. Removing his T-shirt, he
covered her body with his, a perfect silhouette outlined by the stars.
    “I want you, Ruben, I
want you now,” she cried.
    She could feel his
hands as they ventured underneath her top, caressing the warm skin of her
stomach before wandering down her sides and gently slipping off her pyjama
bottoms. 
    “Oh, Beth...” he moaned.
    Heather’s body
stiffened and she pushed him away.
    “I’m sorry,” he
apologised. “But it’s your fault, you know, all this talk of Beth earlier.” He
stopped, giving Heather a chance to reply. When she didn’t, he continued.
“Can’t you see it’s you I want? Believe me.”
    He placed his arms
around her to comfort her and show her he was sincere, but Heather’s body was
still tense and, quivering, she forced back the tears. Having no idea what to
say, she felt like she could hardly breathe.
    “Just leave me ... leave
me alone,” she cried, pulling away.
    But Ruben’s grip
tightened, leaving red indentations on her skin as he shook her angrily.
    “Bloody hell! Grow up,
girl. It’s not like I’ve cheated on you or anything. Put things in
perspective,” he snapped, holding her inches from his face.
    She shook herself free
and threw herself into the pillow, where she lay sobbing, hurt and angry. For
quite a while they lay side by side, not touching, gazing at the mass of stars
through the skylight. Heather traced the constellations in her mind; a rare
kind of beauty her eyes couldn’t help but follow. Then a touch, his fingers
linking with hers, and all the bad feelings melted away. There was really
nowhere else either of them wanted to be, and nothing more needed to be said.
    For Heather sleep
didn’t come easily that night. She couldn’t turn over or get comfortable due to
Ruben’s arm weighing down heavily on her chest. She must have lain awake most
of the night, until she saw the iridescent glow of the sun rising. Distracted,
she heard voices and laughter. Frank must have left his inner monologue
behind , she thought. Perhaps the interruption lulled her to sleep.
    ~•••~
    Woken by her phone, she felt strange, and
anything but happy. Perhaps she just needed time on her own, a place to think
without interruption. She moved Ruben’s arm very slowly, and with a deep
open-mouthed sigh and throaty snore, he rolled over. Heather managed to slip
from the bed, leaving him still very much asleep. The wooden floorboards
creaked slightly as she made her way to the en suite. It was more like a steam
room as she opened the door, and she saw Beth lying lost in a bath full of
foaming bubbles.
    “Sorry,” an embarrassed
Heather said, turning to walk out.
    “Don’t be daft, come
in.”
    Heather couldn’t help
but wonder if the unlocked door hadn’t been meant for Ruben.
    “You’re okay. Shout me
when you’ve finished,” Heather insisted, excusing herself.
    “There’s something you
should know,” Beth said, standing and wrapping herself in a cotton towel.
“Ruben text me last night, told me everything... Well, at least we have no
secrets now.”
    Heather lowered the
toilet seat and sat down, waiting to hear what Beth had to say for herself. But
her questions couldn’t wait.
    “Why did you agree to
come, Beth? You lived together for God’s sake! Is it just an excuse to spend
time with Ruben? You want him back, don’t you? Yeah, course you do.” Heather’s
eyes narrowed and she felt them