In Your Time

Chapter 7

By the time Braden and I got home, I was drained. Being briefly pulled back to the future really did a number on me. Elizabeth dropped us off at the house before going to run errands. The first thing I did was go to my room, change out of my school uniform, and check my bruises. My suspicions were correct. They looked worse than before and my ribs ached. Hopefully there would be some time before the next pull or I was going to break a rib at this rate. I hissed one a breath as I poked at my ribs.

"Shit, when did that happen?" I heard from my doorway. I looked over to see Braden standing there looking at my exposed torso. I quickly pulled my shirt back down.

"It's nothing," I lied. I knew I didn't have a valid excuse to explain where the bruises kept coming from. No one was beating me up, and I couldn't say that I got the bruises from time traveling. Braden walked into my room and lifted my shirt slightly to look at my back.

"How did it get worse?" He asked. I lowered my shirt and took a step away from him.

"You don't need to concern yourself with this," I snapped at him. I was frustrated. Braden managed to catch and see everything I was trying to hide. He stopped and watched my quietly. It was a moment before he sighed and grabbed my arm.

"Come with me," he said as he dragged me out.

"Why? Where are we going?" I asked as I tried to pull my wrist out of his hand. It was a futile attempt. He didn't say anything more as brought me to his room and sat me on his bed before he disappeared. When he finally came back, he was holding a few gel ice packs. He set one on the bed before laying my back on it and placing one on my stomach. I laid there quietly as he went to sit in a computer chair. I couldn't help but notice the guitar in the corner.

"Can I hear something?" I asked. He looked at me confused before noticing where my gaze was directed.

"As my one and only supporter, I guess it's only fair," he said as he picked it up and sat back in his chair. He strummed a few chords before doing a cover of a song from this year. His voice was crystal clear and beautiful like it was in the future too. I closed my eyes with a smile as I listened to the whole song. I couldn't help but to enjoy my own private concert from a soon-to-be international superstar. When he played the last chord, I moved the ice away and sat up.

"You have an incredible voice. I think it'll take you far," I smiled at him. He sighed before putting his guitar back.

"I don't know. I tried the talent show last year and didn't even place. I think I'll just study medicine like my dad. At least it's a stable and reliable job for my future," he said disheartened. I stood quickly.

"You can't! You were meant to be a singer. Do you know how many awards you win-" I stopped, catching myself. "How many awards you could win with a voice as good as yours?" I covered. He smiled lightly and sat me back down on his bed before he leveled with me.

"Singing is a pipe dream for me, but it makes me feel better seeing you get so worked up about it. Thanks," he smiled. I felt my face heat up and knew I was blushing. I averted my eyes to my lap.

"It's just... you're really good, so you shouldn't give up. It'll work out in your favor. I can promise you that," I said as I finally met his eyes. He touched the tip of my nose gently before he sat back down in his chair.

"You're a girl covered in mystery, you know that? You seem to know a lot, but nothing at all at the same time. How did you end up in Cali if your parents are in Australia anyway?" He asked.

"There was an accident. That's all I remember. I don't remember the how or why, but just that it was an accident of some kind," I answered vaguely.

"Well, we are engaged after all, so I should probably know something about you," he sighed. Most of the facts about me had to do with the future so I tried to keep it simple.

"My favorite color is blue. My favorite food is Chinese. I keep quiet when I can't process a situation or don't know what to say, but I'm not necessarily shy," I started.

"You seem kind of shy to me. At least, at school you do," Braden said. I couldn't very well tell him that I kept my mouth shut to keep from saying something I wasn't supposed to.

"I just... try to mind my words carefully," I said honestly.

"What are you scared of?" Braden asked curiously.

"Ruining everything," I admitted.

"You say that like there's a plan," he teased.

"My plan is to survive while I have to," I said truthfully. Braden digested my words before he stood.

"Want to watch a movie?" He asked. I nodded, grateful for the change in conversation. He clicked around on his laptop before a screen appeared on the wall in front of his bed. Looking up, there was some sort of projector attached to the ceiling. Braden moved me to the far side of his bed before propping me up on a pillow and replacing the ice packs on my back and ribs.

"If you don't ice it, it'll never get better," he explained. He sat next to me as the movie started. It was something I hadn't seen before, but it looked interesting. I didn't understand the culture norms of this year, but watching movies was a great idea to try and figure it out. I used the movies to study this time. We watched about six hours worth of movies before I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I fell asleep exhausted. I didn't even care that I was still in Braden's room.