Unscheduled Departure by T.M. Franklin Read Free Book Online Page B

shirt."
    "My shirt? What shirt?"
    "The one you were wearing the other morning. The one you spilled coffee on."
    He stood there for a moment, gaping, before his gaze cleared and anger replaced the surprise. "You're still going on about that?"
    I took a step toward him. "Finn, no. Please listen—"
    "To what?" he snapped, stalking to the pile of dirty laundry and stuffing it back into the hamper. "You're going through my dirty laundry, Rowan. You don't think that's a little—"
    "Little what? Insane?" I snapped.
    "I didn't say that!"
    "You didn't have to!"
    We glared at each other and Lindsay chose that moment to step forward. "Ro—"
    "It's okay," I said, swallowing my nerves. "Could you give us a minute?"
    She glanced nervously at Finn. "You sure?"
    "Yeah."
    "Okay. I'm, uh, going to . . . " She jerked a thumb toward the door. "Call me later?"
    I nodded.
    She murmured a quiet apology as she passed Finn, but he either didn't hear it, or chose to ignore it. When the front door shut quietly behind her, Finn let out a heavy breath.
    "What's going on with you?" he asked, anger dissipating as he sat down on the bed. He lifted a hand, as if to reach out to me, but let it fall back into his lap. "Talk to me."
    And in that moment, I knew I had only one option. I had to tell Finn the truth. Because he was Finn. Whether or not he was my Finn was irrelevant, because even if he was from some other reality— I still couldn't believe the thought— he had his own Rowan. His own me. We were together, and we loved each other— trusted each other— and I had to honor that, no matter what.
    I sat down beside him and turned sideways so I could meet his gaze. "I'm going to tell you something that sounds insane," I said. "But I need you to trust me and I need you to keep an open mind."
    His eyes darted back and forth, searching my own, then he picked up my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed my finger.
    "Tell me," he said.
    All in all, it went better than I thought it would. He wasn't convinced— I mean, who would be, besides maybe Lindsay— but he didn't call me crazy, and he didn't try to debunk my theory. He just listened, asked a few questions, frowned when I told him about the other Finn saying he loved me, and held my hand the whole time. Then he sat, staring at the pile of dirty laundry in the middle of the floor, until I was about out of my mind.
    "Well?" I asked, when I couldn't stand it anymore.
    "I don't know what you want me to say."
    "You can say you believe me."
    "It's not about believing you, Ro," he said quietly. "It's just a lot to take in. That you don't think I'm . . . me."
    "You're you. You're just not—" I got to my feet, an idea starting to form. "Think about it," I said. "Doesn't anything seem strange to you, different since we got back from the airport? Am I different?"
    He looked up at me, tension at the corners of his eyes as he studied me. I latched on to that doubt— that curiosity.
    "It might be something little, insignificant," I said, falling to my knees before him. "Maybe my hair's a little off, or my voice is weird?"
    Finn licked his lips. "You . . . you called me Finnester."
    "Yeah? I always do that." My little annoying nick-names for Finn were kind of a tradition. "Don't I?"
    "Yeah, yeah, you do," he said, rubbing his hands over his face. "But you'd called me that particular name before— at the house just that morning— you never re-use your names, at least not so close together."
    "What?" I sat back on my heels, trying to remember. "Are you sure?" I did try to mix it up, and come up with different variations— just to drive Finn crazy, or make him laugh.
    "And your fingernails," he murmured, bringing my hand to his face. "They were pink. Did you take off the polish?" He looked up at me, a growing shock showing in his expression. I knew how he felt.
    "No," I whispered. "I haven't worn nail polish in weeks. Months."
    Finn stiffened. "No, this is insane. Alternate realities? Other versions of