The Only

Time Junkie

The new car scent smelled fantastic. It reminded her of a time back in Seattle when her dad brought home a company car a few weeks after moving from Oregon. Rather than using a borrowed vehicle, Max was given a brand-new car for her birthday. The silver four-door sedan rated high in driver and passenger safety, which was a high priority for the Caulfields.

For most of her life, Max's parents sheltered her. She was their only child, and they considered her safety their highest priority. By giving her a car, it showed not only they trusted their daughter, but they were willing to let go some as she grew up and slipped into adulthood.

She pulled up to the Victrola street front and parked near the restaurant entrance. Only three other cars were parked near the orange and teal building, which made Max slightly nervous. The coffee house trendily had square and rectangle glass windows in the front, so Max had clear visibility. There were two girls sipping their beverages around a round two-person table near the midway point between the entrance and the restrooms in the back. Two employees were behind the bar, one cleaning dishes and the other wiping the countertops with a rag.

A guy named Tom sent Max a text before the two timelines merged. In a way, the message helped encourage her. It was the sign she needed to go through with the photo jump. He knew how to locate her, too, which might have been the scariest part. Finding someone else who understood the power was equally exciting and frightening.

Max sat and waited in the parking lot, intentionally arriving early. She decided she would wait in the car until the mystery guy pulled up. The sedan had a CD slot, but she secretly wished for a tape deck. She'd been listening to an indie mix of newer and older artists.

While loading a new CD, she felt her phone vibrate. It was a text from Chloe. The indie music enthusiast was excited to hear from her girlfriend; it had been hours since they last spoke. It still felt weird thinking about her as her 'girlfriend', she had always just been 'Chloe'. Now that they were exclusive and admitted having romantic feelings for each other, she assumed she would have to accept the label.

Chloe asked her to send a quick selfie so she could show Rachel. After reminding Chloe of her meeting with Tom, Max realized she hadn't captured a shot of the new car yet. Positioning herself in front, near the hood, she smiled and took the photo with her new car in the background. "That'll do," she thought. "I hope Rachel likes me."

"Do you take pictures of yourself often?" a strange voice asked from behind, startling the photographer causing her phone to nearly tumble to the ground. She quickly turned to face the man.

"Tom?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

"Yes, and you're Max. It's lovely to meet you." He stretched his trembling arm forward holding his hand out for an appropriate greeting. After shaking, the man continued, "Let's get some coffee and chat. I know you have questions." He reminded her a little of Warren, though more proper, a few years older, and spoke with a southern drawl. He had to be in his mid to late twenties and wore a casual mix of a grey hoodie, blue jeans, black dress shoes, and a two-prong belt.

Once inside, they ordered their beverages, Tom paying for both, and sat down at the two-chaired high top nearest the doors. Max resisted eye contact until they were settled in and sitting. She sent Chloe a couple of texts then placed the phone and her bag on the table in front of her.

She noticed a familiar-looking, blonde girl with short-cropped hair and a red streak in her bangs sitting at a booth across from them. The teen was staring in their direction from behind a coffee mug she held up to her mouth. Max felt a tiny tickle on the back of her neck but shook it off, realizing she needed to get straight to the point of this meeting so she could obtain the answers she sought.