The Watch – Part 132:

I watched as the sun dropped below the horizon. The temperature dropped substantially. I stood up and had a good look at the scenery around me. I really was standing in the middle of nowhere. I can just imagine someone finding these weird, out-of-place looking craters in the salt plains. Besides, they won’t be able link them to me anyway, so what’s the worry.

I shivered for the first time. I had better get back to Tom, Amy and Alex. I’ve got a lot of explaining to do where Tom’s concerned. He’s going to want to know everything. The shock of what happened is going to make Tom understand less at any one time as he needs time to let it all sink in.

Scrolling through the watch’s interface, deactivating the magic that was still coursing through my body and activating the necessary commands, inserting the right coordinates to let me get back home. I pressed the button, disintegrating my body and reassembling it outside my home.

Tom, Amy and Alex were all sitting on the curb, evidently waiting for my return. As soon as I appeared out of thin air, Tom stood up, wide-eyed, unable to contemplate what his eyes are telling him. Amy stood up, gingerly, nervously waiting for any bad moves on Tom’s behalf. I waited for him to react aggressively as well, especially because I never told him anything about my watch. That kind of secret was what I was going to ease into when telling him in the comfort of my home, but things took an unexpected turn for the worse, and now Tom has become unpredictable. Alex was the last to stand up. She stood beside Tom, equally as confused, but not anywhere near as hurt. Tom has been my best friend, my life-long friend; I can’t imagine what is going through his head right now.

He started forward. I tensed up, ready to take whatever action he thinks is relevant to express his emotions the best. Silently, he stopped just before me. If he was about to do anything, it would be now. Then, he lunged forward. I braced myself for the impact, but it was a lot softer than I was expecting. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me. I don’t understand.

‘Whatever just happened,’ he said softly, ‘I’m so glad that you’re OK.’

‘I thought you would be angry,’ I said.

‘Oh, I am,’ he said bluntly, ‘but that is outweighed by the relief that you’re still standing here and that maniac isn’t.’

‘Come on,’ I said, ‘we had better get inside.’

‘You have a lot of explaining to do.’

I’m not sure about Alex at the moment. I don’t know her as well as the other two. Is she good at keeping secrets? She didn’t react any differently to Tom thus far, but that can all change when the intensity when it all starts settling down and her true feelings start brewing to the surface. I don’t want to put Tom’s relationship with her in jeopardy, but I don’t want to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. But first, before I can focus on Alex’s intentions, I have to explain my story to Tom.

‘Right,’ he said, standing in the middle of the living room, not bothering to sit down, ‘tell me everything. What happened back there? Who was that person? Why was he so interested in you? And more importantly, how you were able to do any of the stuff that you did?’

I took a deep breath, letting the words form themselves in my head and began explaining from the very beginning. How I acquired the watch and what it can do. What I have already done with it, and what happened back outside. The one question that I am avoiding answering, even though Tom hasn’t asked it yet, is telling him that Amy already knows. Amy noticed that I deliberately missed out that part. I think she understood that it would hit Tom hard if I told him that piece of news. Tom stood and listened, not saying a word until I was done.

‘So it was you who I saw on the news saving that train the other day,’ he said after I had finished. He was, surprisingly, in awe.

‘Yes,’ I said simply.

‘I have to admit, that was pretty awesome of you.’ I can sense a ‘but’ coming. ‘But what I don’t understand, is why you never told me about any of this as soon as you got the watch. I mean, I’m your best friend, we share everything with each other. Why not this?’

‘I know it was uncharacteristic of me to keep something as big as this from you,’ I said, ‘I should have told you, but I just didn’t want you to get hurt or anything.’

‘Have you ever considered that I would be in less danger if I had known rather than didn’t.’ He does make a good point. ‘What if I walked into some danger? If I knew there was danger there, I would stay clear of it.’ I couldn’t come up with a suitable response. He does make a valid point. I bowed my head in shame.

‘And there’s another thing that I would like answered,’ he said. I looked up, waiting for him to continue.

‘How come Amy knew everything before I did?’ I looked at him surprised. ‘I noticed that Amy didn’t react the same way as the both of us,’ he explained. ‘There was something different, as if she knew what you were doing. I couldn’t explain it back then, but then I noticed that she looked at you as if you had missed out some vital information, and the only way she’s going to know that is if she already knows.’ I also left out the part about the time I saved his parents from being blown up in an explosion. I wasn’t sure why I left that part out, but the words just wouldn’t come.

‘And so you were going to wait until I was in the same situation as Amy?’ he said a little angry.

‘No,’ I said straight away, ‘I was going to tell you before Magician turned up. I felt bad that I was keeping everything from you so I made the decision to tell you.’ I didn’t want to mention that Amy convinced me as that would have opened a new can of worms.

‘But you didn’t before, and that’s what’s bugging me. For all I knew, you would have backed out. Not told me.’

‘No, I was going to tell you for definite,’ I said pleadingly.

‘There’s a small part of me that wants me to believe you,’ he said, ‘but I’m sorry… Look, I’m glad you’re OK and everything, but…’ he cut himself off before he could finish the sentence.

‘Is this over?’ I asked.

‘No,’ he said. ‘No, I’m not ending this friendship. But I think I need to take some time to think. I need time to accept it. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way I feel. After that, I can come back and ask a few more questions because, right now, I just can’t process anything else.’

‘You’re not going to tell anyone about this?’ I asked.

‘No,’ he said, ‘and that’s why I need time to think. I can’t tell anyone about this. Not even my parents, a shrink. I have to adjust alone, and that’s why I’m taking time out. Can you accept that?’

‘Yes,’ I said. I turned to Alex.

‘How are you?’

She shrugged, ‘I certainly wasn’t expecting today to go the way it did,’ she said honestly.

‘Are you going to tell anyone?’ I asked.

‘I’ll find out as time goes on,’ she said cryptically. I guess that’s the best answer I’m going to get, and deserve.

Tom stood up and walked towards the door. ‘I’ll contact you when I’m ready,’ he said. That was the last thing he said before leaving the house and walking off.

‘There has to be something that I can do,’ I said to Amy.

‘The only thing you can do is let him leave,’ she said.

‘I know, but there has to be something more.’

‘You can’t do anything.’

‘I had better be off, too,’ Alex said. ‘I’ve got to get back and do a few things around the house,’ and she too left. It was just the two of us, Amy and I, left standing in the living room.

Now what do I do?

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)