Tomorrow

I blinked and rubbed my eyes; the room was dark, very little light coming through the gaps in the drawn curtains. I rolled over to the other side of the bed, and she was still sleeping — messy hair all over the place. I watched her breathe for a while before running my hand over her hair, rubbing the back of her head. Soon enough, her eyes started trying their best to open. I whispered, "You look pretty." She smiled and murmured sleepily, "You look pretty too." I pulled her into a kiss. My wrist vibrated.

I looked at my watch. "Oh shoot, it's nearly time for the train," I blurted. "I'd better get ready and pack up."

She asked, "Can't you stay for one more day?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I've got end-of-semester exams in a week," I replied.

"You're smart; you'll get through," she chuckled. I grinned too.

"But I have to."

"Come on, just one more day … maybe a few?"

"We agreed that this was a one-time thing. That I have to go tomorrow."

"Okay."

"What?"

"What 'what'?" she snapped.

"You seem sad."

"I'm not sad, I'm fine!"

"Are you sure? Because I've been told not to trust a woman if she says 'I'm fine'," I teased.

"But we were so good together last night. Even this morning," she smirked. She held my arm and gently laid her head on my shoulder. "I have never connected with someone the way I did with you, just in a few hours. I feel like I've known you for a long time … I feel like we had more time."

"Hmmn…"

"What 'Hmmn'?"

"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to leave my life there and stay here with you? We met last night."

She stood upright at once. "Fine. Go. Get ready."

"Come on, now you're really upset. You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Was it all just a facade?"

"YOU KNOW IT WASN'T! I would never do that. Do you think it's easy for me? Leaving after this?"

We both went silent for a while.

"If things were different, I would've stayed. It's your fault!"

"Ah— how is it my fault? Oh. Right. It's my fault that I fell for—"

"That you were kind to me."

She stared at me for a while.

"It's harder for me," I whispered.

She sprinted towards me, tears in her eyes. I caught her with one arm and patted her back. Soon, I pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her, tightening the hug.

I muttered, "Do you think that in some parallel universe, we could have been in one city?"

"Do you think in this lifetime we can be … ?"

I suddenly felt I could hear the whirring of the fan above me. We broke the hug; I wiped my nose with my sleeve, and she wiped her eyes. I got a notification on my phone. I picked it up to check — it was a calendar reminder:

'Train at 10:45!'

"I don't know."