Chapter Four

There was a game she used to play as a child. Each petal on the wildflower was opposite of the one before it: he loves me, he loves me not. Amelia felt that way about the buttons on her dress: I will do this, I will not. And yet she never stopped. She allowed the dress to fall to the floor beside the bed. She bent down to remove her boots.

He loves me, he loves me not. I will do this, I will not.

She untied first one braid and then the other, brushing her fingers through her freed hair, letting it fall around her.

He loves me, he loves me not. I will do this, I will not.

Another deep breath before she dropped her petticoat and stepped out of it. She gripped the blankets on the edge of the bed.

He loves me, he loves me not. I will do this, I will not.

She lifted the blankets, catching a brief glance of his naked backside, and she slid into bed next to Cooper. Suddenly timid, she quickly rolled over, facing away from him. Just like those flower petals, she both wanted this and did not. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might come out of her chest. She could hardly breathe, waiting to see what would happen next.

He loves me, he loves me not. I will do this, I will not.

At first, nothing happened. She started to relax. Maybe he really was asleep. The precision required to make such a tiny part for his machine must have been exhausting. She shut her eyes, only to pop them open again when he rolled over. She felt him shift closer to her, the heat from his body burning through her chemise. His long fingers brushed at and through her hair. Those long fingers she had so admired. Amelia shivered under the electricity of his touch.

Cooper pulled her hair away from her shoulder, and his fingertips barely skimmed over the virgin skin he uncovered. She felt goosebumps form along the trails they made. Then his warm breath was on her ear, and the sensation was greater than she ever imagined something like that could be. She felt the strange pulsing coming from down low once more.

"Oh, Amelia. I can't take something else of such great worth from you tonight." Then he relaxed behind her and lowered his hand so that it encircled her waist.

Amelia whispered, "But I love you."

There was no reply.

It was the bright sun that woke her, streaming in the window. She sat up with a start. Immediately, she knew. The bed was empty, the neat stack of clothes were absent.

Cooper was gone.

She got up and dressed quickly, determined to race outside before he left. About to open the latch on the door, she saw it. Everything stilled. All sense of urgency lost, she walked slowly over to the table, to the open book in front of Cooper's spot. Shakespeare's folio, Romeo and Juliet. It had been underlined, the pencil still resting in the crevice of the book.

It was the lark, the herald of the morn.
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops:
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

She knew then. Cooper was not just gone, he had left her forever. He had gotten up early, careful not to wake her, and left without saying goodbye. Amelia understood. He could not stay but he could not bear to say goodbye, either. This was his way of telling her.

'Stupid Amelia!' she chastised herself. If she had not spent all of her life with her head in the clouds, if she had not believed everything she read, this would not have happened to her. She thought that if she offered him everything - her mind, her love, her body - he would take it all and stay. But his silence last night had spoke volumes. She had been living in fantasy of his love. She longed for a star-crossed lover, a piteous misadventure, and that is exactly what she got.

Angry now, at herself, at the world, at the unfairness of it all, Amelia stomped to the barn, completing her morning chores. The air was so much colder than yesterday, the wind had a biting edge to it, the first flakes of winter would start falling soon. She would not go and look. She could not bring herself to climb that hill, her heart heavy, only to see what she already knew would be there: nothing but an empty plain. The horses seemed to sense her mood, and they whinnied and shifted restlessly in their stalls as she milked the cow.

Amelia went to Brownie and smoothed the short hair of his neck, trying to calm him. "Shhh, it's okay." Then her voice broke, "Who's a good horsey?"

Leaning against Brownie's muzzle, she longed for the tears she could feel burning at her chest, her throat, the back of her eyes to fall. They never came. She needed to sob, her soul ached for that release, but her body seemed unwilling. Straightening her shoulders, she walked towards the hill. Perhaps she needed to see the empty plain after all, so she could see the reality of her foolishness. Then the tears would come, and she could cry there before leaving it all behind her. Just as Cooper had left her behind.

Coming over the rise, she almost tripped for second time that week. The machine was there, Cooper was there! The silver skin was still folded back, the beautiful circuit boards exposed. Cooper was bending inside, and she saw him slide the small part into place.

She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders and yelled into the wind, "Cooper!"

He looked up and his eyes met hers. He nodded slightly and then turned back to his repairs. But Amelia saw it despite the way he was turned: the manly ripple along his jaw. Already, she knew him well enough to know it was a look of determination. She walked down the hillside and stood close to him. With a heavy heart, Amelia stood before the newly repaired time machine. She regretted giving Cooper the part he needed. As Cooper prepared to depart, tears finally filled Amelia's eyes.

He turned at last, and he took her hand in his and said, "I can't stay, but I will never forget you." He brushed his fingers against her cheek and quickly stepped into the machine.

"Please don't go," she whispered. But it was too late. The engine hummed to life. She turned away, wiping her eyes. She couldn't bear to watch her one chance for true love disappear forever.

Then, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder spin her around. It was Cooper.

"What about the future?" asked Amelia.

He looked deeply into her eyes and whispered, "There is no future without you."

He pulled her in close. She began to tremble all over. She felt his warm breath on her lips.

"I thought you didn't belong here," she said, staring into his eyes.

"I don't. But I think you don't either."

His lips pressed to hers, and Amelia felt her eyes involuntarily close. Everything about this was just as warm as she thought it would be, his lips were even softer than his hands. She never felt anything like this, the way he held her, the way he touched her. Her body was blooming next to his, and she reached out for him, pulling him closer. When Amelia felt his tongue on her lips, she opened her mouth in surprise. He didn't stop tracing her lips with his tongue, and he didn't let her go. Amelia didn't understand this act, she had never heard of such a thing, but it felt pleasurable in the same way her bath two nights ago had been, the same way his fingers in her hair had been. Confusion gave way to instinct, and Amelia opened her mouth for him, wondering what he would do next. But he did not enter. Rather, she just felt his breath filling her, and she gently breathed it in. This was the future, this air, this power coming from his lungs to hers.

Too soon, he pulled away, but he left his hands on her shoulders.

"It will not be easy, I think. It is not peaceful like this time on the prairie. It is much louder," Cooper said. "On the other hand, there is indoor plumbing and video games and pasteurized milk and double the life expectancy and fifty states in the union. I'm sorry there is not more time, you must make up your mind now. I think there is only one leap possible with this crude repair."

"Is there summer all year long? And you?" Amelia asked.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Please come," he whispered. "I love you, too."

Amelia bit her lip, torn in a way she had not expected to be. This place may have been simple and run of the mill, but it was hers. However, this man in front of her was the promise of so much more, new possibilities she could not imagine. There was an ache in her soul, a craving, a need, and only he could satisfy it.

"How long do I have?" she asked.

Cooper's brow furrowed. "Not long. Certainly not more than ten minutes."

"Wait! Don't leave!" Amelia tore away from him and pumped her arms as she ran toward the cabin as fast as she could. Frantic, her eyes darted around the room. Her copy of Romeo and Juliet was still setting where she'd left it. She grabbed it, took a deep breath, and tore the front page out. Reaching for the pencil, she hastily scribbled a note to her family. It was not much, it would never be enough, but it was something. That she was safe, that she was happy, that she was gone. Clutching the book to her chest, she ran back over the hill.

He was there, barely. One foot was in the machine, and the other remained on the ground. The sound of the machine was even louder, and it seemed to be shimmering, the edges becoming hazy and indistinct. She put her hand out to his, longing to feel the electricity of his touch again.

Cooper smiled and never let go of her hand as she climbed into the machine beside him. The silver machine shuddered and vanished, leaving only the prairie grasses blowing in its wake.

THE END

The adventure continues in Amelia and the Magic Slate.

Thank you in advance for your reviews! I have so much enjoyed writing this for you. In the words of one reviewer, Coopmelia forever!