July 2085: in between days, part 1

Natty and Hilary are 20. 

Soundtrack, "In Between Days" by The Cure

Thursday, July 27, 2085: 2:30 pm

Having Hilary back made Natty feel fifteen again for a minute, and she thought that was everything she'd wanted, for things to be back the way they used to be. It was just like old times, the way the two of them would sun themselves on her parents beach when her dad would drag Charlie and Isaiah to an air show because he had no sons of his own. Natty could almost pretend they were back there again. Almost. If she pretended really hard.

It was Hilary's idea that Natty probably shouldn't call Charlie while she was here. "You need to experience being your own person for just once."

"I am my own person," Natty said.

"Not really," Hilary told her. "You're Charlie's girlfriend. But who are you? Who are you without him? Don't you want to find out?"

Natty had told herself that exact thing five weeks ago, and now it sounded like a load of bullshit. Like she was going to magically turn into some new and exciting person with a magic haircut and instant personality change? Was it supposed to unveil something profound about her life? All she'd discovered was that she didn't really like her hair short. She couldn't wait for it to grow back again.

Natty had expected all of this to feel different. She expected something to happen here. That maybe some cogs would click into place and she would reach enlightenment, or at least she'd have a little bit of fun. Instead she felt nothing, except anxious that too much nostalgia was making her lose grip on her whole life. This was not her life.

a quickie authorial interjection

A small but maybe significant revision. As I was working on the book version of Natty and Charlie's story, something changed that I can't really take back. So you'll probably notice something a little different in the coming chapter (if you haven't noticed it already) that might seem like a surprise. But since I wrote it, it's something I can't really separate from Charlie and Natty anymore in my head, and as I'm working on these pieces of their story, I can't imagine their history being any other way.

It's kind of awkward to work into this version of the story now since we're so far along, so you'll just have to imagine it was true all along, but that Natty didn't tell you. Because they really didn't tell anyone, as Hilary is finding out. So when Hilary hears the story here, you will too.

It was something they were sort of talking around in this piece, while never really saying it exactly. So I hope you'll all find it fits the idea you had of them well enough.

Also, just because I'm counting down times and dates, it doesn't mean something "bad" is going to happen.

Bad is a relative term, of course. ;)

The times and dates are a functional thing, so you'll know where and when you are in the story, since the next few pieces take place all in the same space of a few days, but from several points of view.

July 2085: the answers

Charlie Roseland is 20, Ingrid Thompson is 22.

The first post card: no words, just a sun-shiny Florida beach, his name and address in her handwriting. In the message box was a kiss in pale pink lipstick.

He held it to his nose and inhaled, waxy like makeup, like girl, like Natty. He tried to guess which dress she wore when she had this lipstick on, as if he had any idea which lipstick went with which dress, so he just imagined her in his favorites. Then he wondered how many guys she kissed with that lipstick.

No, he told himself. Stop. This has to mean something good. She sent me a kiss.

---

Charlie's summer internship went as internships tend to go: he was a glorified errand boy. He was told what buttons to push and in what order.

July 2085: everybody loves Ezra

Ezra Dunning is 26.


Everybody loves Ezra, which is a phenomenon he finds quite honestly baffling, since for the first quarter-century of his life, he was nothing but a tall geek with unruly red hair, immature and sometimes lazy, decidedly not charming, and he hadn’t had an actual girlfriend since high school. And then he moved to Sunrise Shores and met Lola, who was beautiful, sweet, and sexy. This is not Lola though. This is her roommate Joelle, and Joelle loves Ezra too.