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Gabriella opened her eyes to find herself in a… somewhat familiar room. This was the guest bedroom in Madison's house, but something felt different. As she sat up and let the thick duvet slide away, she rubbed the thick crust of sleep from her eyes.
The walls were tastefully cluttered with framed photos and medals. A large bookcase in a corner was packed with all her favorite books, to the point that the middle of the shelves sagged. At the opposite side of the room, a majestic desk stood under stacks of paper. A large easel stood next to the desk. A half-finished canvas was bracketed into the light wood frame. Gabriella could make out the curve of Madison's jaw and her vaulting cheekbones in the rough pencil scratches. She didn't remember leaving this much at Madison's place—her stomach rumbled.
The smell of pancakes and bacon wafted into her nose from the hallway. Gabriella pushed herself out of bed. Her bare feet slide into rubber sliders that were left at the side of the bed. That was new, too; it gave her pause for a second… but only for a second. She was hungry.
The hallway was a light blue and there were large photo prints stationed along the walls in between the doors. Gabriella had to stop and stare. She saw photos of herself in a suit and Madison in a white dress, standing in a French vineyard with their hands linked. Another photo showed the podium at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics; Gabriella and Madison stood at second place with their hands raised and smiles bright.
Wait. 2026? Gabriella tilted her head. She needed to find her phone. Retracing her steps, she ran back to the guest bedroom and found her phone on the bedside table—next to a thick silver band.
At this point, Gabriella was mildly alarmed. While she loved rings and jewelry, this one looked like a wedding ring. Who the hell did she marry? Just as she was about to pinch herself, the phone in her hand lit up to reveal her lockscreen background was still her favorite photo from the 2022 Olympics. She smiled at the hug from Madison, forever immortalized.
The date was Saturday, 21 August. The time was half-past ten. Gabriella frowned. Wasn't yesterday the eighteenth? Oh well. Maybe her brain was misremembering things. The more curious thing was her sleeping in when she usually woke up at half-past five—but it was the middle of summer.
Her sleepy brain shrugged it off. Gabriella stuck the phone in her front pocket of her cotton joggers, then paused at the ring. She picked it up and tried it on; it fit her ring finger perfectly. The fit was too uncanny. She ripped it off and glared at the inside of the band. A simple date was etched in the cold metal: 2023-08-21. This date meant nothing to her—wait, today was the twenty-first. Gabriella unlocked her phone and opened her calendar, then almost dropped her phone.
21 August, 2027. Somehow, she was four years into the future. Before she could have a breakdown about this time-travel, her stomach rumbled again. All right, so she would solve this issue after breakfast. With a sigh, she stuffed the ring into her other pocket and made her way to the kitchen.
When she rounded the corner, Gabriella's heart dropped into her gut. Madison stood in front of the stove, her hips swaying to a quiet tune from her phone. Her platinum-blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, which exposed the smooth column of her neck. Gabriella was lovestruck. Despite apparently being four years ahead of yesterday, Madison was still the prettiest woman she knew. Time had been kind to her and only added to her beauty.
Madison turned, a plate laden with pancakes in her hands. She caught sight of Gabriella in the doorway and shot her a blinding smile. "Good morning, babe. How'd you sleep?"
Gabriella inched forward. "I slept okay. How about you and Adri?"
Madison tilted her head as she set the pancakes down on the counter. "Adri?"
"Adrián? Diaz?" Gabriella felt a frown form on her brow. Surely Madison would know her husband? At this point, they were married…
Madison came up to her and laid her hands on Gabriella's shoulders. "Why would he be here?"
Perhaps he had left for the day. Well, Gabriella wouldn't complain about having the house and Madison to herself. Surely that's what the other woman meant. She had glimpsed a thin band on Madison's ring finger—
Madison rocked forward and pressed her lips to the middle of Gabriella's forehead. The warm, gentle comfort trapped her tongue in her mouth.
"What are you doing?" she finally stuttered out when Madison pulled back.
"Checking if you have a temperature. Are you okay?"
Was she losing her mind? Gabriella shook off her adoration and ignored the warmth in her chest that bloomed at the other woman's simple touch. "Yes, I'm fine." Her stomach took this moment to make its emptiness known. "Well, I'm hungry, I guess."
Madison laughed as she picked up the pancakes again. "Come on. I've got just the thing."
Gabriella followed her to the dining table, where a full continental breakfast was waiting. The dining room looked almost the same… the art that hung on the walls looked very un-Madison. Maybe her taste had changed. On second thought, they looked similar to the art she had in her French apartment.
A small voice at the back of her mind attempted to tell her something, but she tamped it down. The food looked mouthwateringly good. "What's the occasion?" she joked as she sat down. Madison liked to practice her cooking skills and made her test the food. Whenever she asked this question, her friend would return a witty quip.
Not today, though. Madison raised an eyebrow with a quizzical chuckle. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Gabriella could only blink blankly. As far as she was aware, there was no holiday on the twenty-first of August. "Remind me?"
"This might jog your memory…" Madison leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. When she pulled back, she patted Gabriella on the cheek. "Happy anniversary, babe!"
All the bits of information she'd collected since waking up crashed over her head. The pictures in the hallway, the lack of Adrián, the different house decor, the ring in her pocket, the kiss—Gabriella felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice down the back of her shirt. She was married. Married to Madison. "What?" she heard herself ask in a strangled voice. "Since when?"
A small spark of concern lit in Madison's eyes. "Did you hit your head, Gabs? We've been married four years, you silly goose."
2023… Gabriella pushed her chair back. She felt a panic attack coming on. "Excuse me," she managed to get out as she ran back to the guest bedroom. She slammed the door behind her, then slid down to the floor against it. Was this even the guest bedroom anymore? Based on all the furniture, it looked like this was her room. "I'm dreaming. This isn't real," Gabriella muttered to herself.
The phone in her pocket buzzed. She pulled it out to see she was getting a call from an unknown number. Well. Today couldn't get any stranger. She answered and coughed out a weak, "Hello?"
An unknown voice said only two words. "Wake up."
Gabriella woke in a cold sweat.
It was dark in the bedroom. The walls were bare. No bookshelf. No easel. The bedspread was thin and green. She looked down at her shaking hands. She had just dreamed about her best friend. Guilt and disgust crushed her chest.
What year was it? She dove for her phone on the bedside table, her heart in her throat. Saturday, 19 August 2023, 02:13. Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief. There was no ring on the table—she had to check the hallway.
Of course, her body was not game. As she tried to get out of bed, one of her knees buckled and she wound up on the floor. The cold wood panels was like a slap to the face. Well, at least she was awake for sure. Gabriella pushed herself up slowly to a seated position.
The door to the bedroom burst open. Madison rushed in. "Gabi?!"
"I'm okay," grunted Gabriella. The pain from her knee made her hiss.
"What happened?" Madison's hand settled on the middle of her back, over the large sweat stain wicked onto her shirt.
"I was going to get some water."
"Do you want me to get it for you?"
"No!" Gabriella sucked in a breath. "Sorry. No, I want to get it myself. Could you help me up?"
Madison was more than happy to oblige. "Gabs, you're shaking."
Gabriella sighed. What could she say to explain her state? Where would she even start? "Had a bad dream," she settled on. It wasn't a lie, but also not the whole truth. What Madison didn't know, wouldn't hurt her.
Madison didn't press, thank goodness. Instead, she just escorted Gabriella down the hall to the kitchen. As the passed the large framed photos in the hallway, she was relieved to find photos of Adrián amongst the shots of Zachary, herself, and all their other friends. The largest black-and-white photo still had Madison in a white wedding dress, but Adrián was the one who stood next to her in the black suit. She never thought she would be glad to see Madison's wedding photos, but extenuating circumstances…
Gabriella felt more steady on her legs by the time they reached the tiles of the kitchen. "You can go back to sleep," she mumbled out as she grabbed a glass from a cupboard. "Sorry for waking you."
Madison shook her head. "You didn't wake me. I woke up suddenly with a weird feeling that I should check on you. And then I heard a thud." She still looked concerned. "I'll hang out with you a little longer, if you don't mind."
Gabriella just nodded as she poured filtered water into her glass halfway. She could still smell pancakes when she looked at the dining table. Shaking the thought away, she made the slow trek back to her—the guest bedroom, Madison close behind. Instead of returning to the bed, she took a seat in front of the desk and stared out the window.
The older woman took the seat next to her, but instead of joining her gaze out the window, she stared twin holes into Gabriella's side profile. "You seem a little shaken up."
An understatement. Gabriella wasn't sure she could go back to sleep tonight. "Just a bit." She finally brought the glass to her lips. After a brief silence, she turned to Madison. "It'll pass. Thanks, Madi." She didn't specify what exactly she was thanking the other woman for. Now was not the time to go into that.
Madison stood. "I'll see you tomorrow." She bent down and dropped a kiss on the top of Gabriella's head, then left as quickly as she had come.
Gabriella leaned back in her chair and stared down at her empty hands again. It was going to be a long night.
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