Lost Atoms

Chapter 15

I drift in and out of sleep through the night with an acute awareness that there is a guy I hardly know asleep on my floor. Although he remains harmlessly unconscious, I'm comforted by the fact that I still have Ezra's knife in my pocket. Just in case.

My room is cast in the muted glow of dawn and the rain spitting against the window have stopped. As Asher stirs, I pretend to keep sleeping. Opening my eyelids the tiniest sliver, I watch to see what he'll do. He sits up and yawns before looking my way. Then he stands, his blanket falling from him, and he reaches for his clothes.

"I should have something that fits you," I say, blowing my cover. "You can put that in the laundry, and I'll find you something clean."

The hardwood floor beneath me is cool, so I bury my feet in a pair of slippers, and make my way to my closet. I sift through an array of clothes, settling on loaning him a striped Polo and a pair of sweatpants. He narrows his eyes at the brand-name logo but accepts the outfit.

"As for boxers, I don't think you'd want to wear a pair of mine."

"I don't care," Asher laughs. "You're my best friend."

The frankness and simplicity of the statement catch me off guard. I only know what it's like to be on my side of this weird connection. According to him, he has a whole history with me. He nonchalantly opens my underwear drawer and makes a selection.

"About Toronto..." I start. Asher looks toward me. "I want you to figure things out and all... But I don't know if Navan will go for it."

"Cool," he says plainly. "I'll just go myself then."

"Uh... how though? It's hours away."

"I'll figure it out." There's an edge in his voice.

"If what you say is true, and you don't know anyone in this timeline—"

He turns suddenly. "If?" He lowers his gaze, frowning. "You still don't believe me."

"I'm trying to," I say. "Honest."

"I know. I probably wouldn't believe me either."

"I'll talk to Navani," I concede, and hope returns to his eyes. "It's worth a try. Now let me show you how the shower works..."

While Asher is washing, I dial Navani's number. The pep in her morning voice makes it clear she's already been awake for some time.

"How was he overnight?" she inquires, a note of curiosity in her voice.

"Completely fine. It's weird."

"Weird?"

"How he's so consistent. Like, when I was showing him the shower, he said he didn't have them in the dome. That they used a pot of heated water and a sponge. He was amazed by the pressure from the showerhead. I actually do want to buy his story at times, you know."

"I'm telling you," Navani says. "I don't know why, but I believe him too. So, are we doing brunch?"

I briefly hesitate. "Uh, he wants to go to Toronto."

"Toronto? What, why?"

I launch into an explanation for Navani about the building in the video, its connection to the abbreviation on his shirt, and his glowing skin around the airplane chain.

"Could be a type of skin irritation," she suggests. "We get it sometimes with animals at the shelter if they're sensitive to a material in their collar."