Ryo looked at his watch. It was 4 o’clock. Rowen had been gone nearly 24 hours. He looked around. Cye was sitting nearby on the ground. They’d been talking about nothing. Kento was a few feet away, his arm laid across his eyes, blocking out the sun. Ryo and Cye thought he was sleep because he hadn’t moved in nearly an hour. Sage was in his jeep with his seat leaned back. His eyes, too, were closed.

"Do you think we should leave now?" Cye asked.

"We’ll give Rowen 24 hours. That’s another 2 hours away. We’ll leave then."

"You guys can go on and leave," Kento said without removing his arm. "I’m staying until Rowen gets back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexandra stayed in her room during the next month. Every night, she cried herself to sleep. The maid brought her food to her. Alexandra was torn. She didn’t want to turn Rowen out. He had nowhere else to go. Her heart hurt every time she thought about him. He never came to ask for her forgiveness. Even if he did, would she give it? He was marrying Marlyssa the next day.

Alexa shuddered. She didn’t want to think about it. She went to her door and called for Nigel. When he appeared, she asked him to ready the carriage. She was tired of being home and wanted to go into town. She went downstairs after she changed and got ready to go out. She slipped past the library without looking in. If Rowen was home, that’s where he would be.

Nigel was sitting in the carriage waiting for her. He drove in silence. Usually, he never took it upon himself to ask personal information from her. He felt this time was an exception since neither she nor Mr. Hashiba was in good spirits.

"Madam, may I ask if everything is alright between you and Mr. Hashiba?"

"Why do you ask?" was the reply.

"You haven’t left your room in a month and Mr. Hashiba stays closed up in the library."

"Does he go see Ms. Barnes?"

"No. She’s been by a few times and those visits are brief."

"Mr. Hashiba is wedding Ms. Barnes."

Nigel looked at her. "What?? I had no idea. He certainly doesn’t seem very happy to be getting married. How can he be as the husband of Ms. Marlyssa Barnes?"

"Mr. Hashiba is a man of honor. As much as it pains him or me, he has a duty to fulfill."

"What did he do to deserve such a duty?"

"Nigel, it’s not like you to ask so many questions." She really didn’t mind Nigel asking questions. He was her friend more than he was her servant. However, she didn’t want to talk about Rowen and Marlyssa.

"I’m sorry, madam. I just hoped…"

"What, Nigel?"

"Well, I was hoping that he would marry you. I’ve seen you two together. I’ve never seen you that happy when you were married to Mr. Brandon."

Alexandra fought back tears. "I thought so, too. I guess things just don’t always go the way we want, huh?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rowen heard Alexandra leave. It was the first time since Marlyssa’s cursed visit he’d heard anything from her other than her muffled crying…and her yelling for Nigel about 30 minutes ago. He felt terrible. His wedding to Marlyssa was tomorrow.

She’d been by several times to see him, but her words fell on a deaf ear. Rowen had no intention of marrying her. An idea hit him. He ran upstairs and changed into the clothes he had on when he first arrived to the past. He went back downstairs. He went to the kitchen and got enough food to last him for at least a week, a couple of candles and some matches. Thankfully, neither the cook nor the maid was around to ask any questions. Leaving the house, he got on his horse and rode to the cave. He didn’t know when that portal would open, but he would wait until it did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She went into Leslie’s shop. She didn’t see Leslie when she entered. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Movement outside caught her eye. Marlyssa was laughing and talking to Olivia. They bustled into the shop. Alexandra didn’t feel like dealing with Marlyssa right now. She hid behind some bolts of dark fabric. With Marlyssa’s wedding tomorrow, she knew Marlyssa wouldn’t even give that side of the store a glance.

"Marlyssa, you are so lucky," Olivia was saying. "Everyone just assumed that one day, he would have married Alexandra. Cousins do marry sometimes. I really don’t think they are close in relation. None of their features even remotely resemble each other. It’s so obvious that there’s more feelings there than what they’re willing to show."

"Yeah, well, it’s not like she hasn’t been married before. That much good fortune shouldn’t happen to one person while everyone else is sitting out."

"I’m not saying this to be mean, but I haven’t once seen you with him other than at the ball back in November. I remember when Mr. Brandon was courting Alexandra. They were always seen together."

"He doesn’t like being in public."

"And why the rush to get married so soon? You’ve only been engaged a month, unless you’re pregnant and you want to cover it."

Marlyssa smiled and turned back to the bolt of white lace she picked up. She didn’t answer.

"Are you pregnant?"

"I told him I was."

"But you’re not."

Marlyssa shook her head.

"This isn’t right, Marlyssa. What do you think he is going to say when he learns that you lied to him?

"Are you forgetting who you’re talking about? He is only the best-looking man to come around these parts since Pierce married Alexandra. That’s the second man that she’s had pining over her. I’m sorry, Olivia, but she’s not taking this one. If I have to wait any longer, no one will want to marry me because I’ll be too old."

Olivia didn’t respond. Marlyssa was right. She was twenty-nine years old. Olivia herself was twenty-seven. The men liked their women young, like Alexandra. She was twenty-four, already married and widowed with another man, supposedly her cousin, interested in her. In a couple of years, Marlyssa and Olivia will have a hard time finding husbands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A mix of shock, anger, and hope surged through Alexandra. Marlyssa wasn’t pregnant. She had to tell Rowen before he made the biggest mistake of his life. She waited for Marlyssa and Olivia to leave before bolting out the door. She stuck her head in the general store next door. With a sense of urgency, she commanded Nigel to come on; they needed to get home. Nigel abandoned his items that he was going to purchase. She was already in the carriage waiting.

Nigel asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Just fine. I’ve got to talk to Rowen. Hurry up."

Why couldn’t she see through it? She knew Marlyssa was cunning and manipulative enough to fabricate such a trap. Rowen didn’t deny sleeping with her. Actually, he admitted it and that was all Marlyssa needed. She wished Rowen had said something to Marlyssa about them, but would that have really helped? She doubted it.

Nigel pulled the carriage in front of the house. Without waiting for Nigel to help her, Alexandra jumped down and ran in the house. She checked the library. No Rowen. She searched the entire downstairs, calling his name. There was no answer. The maid and cook admitted that they hadn’t seen him since dinner the night before. She ran upstairs. She founds his discarded clothes on the bed. She went back downstairs.

"His horse is missing from the stables," Nigel reported. He had just come back inside from unhitching the horses.

Where was he? Alexandra hoped he would return. She waited all day and night. Rowen never came back.

The next morning, Alexandra stuck her head in Rowen’s room. His clothes were still on the bed. It hadn’t been slept in. She was trying hard to not worry about him, but it wasn’t working.

He could be getting ready for his wedding, she tried to convince herself.

The wedding was supposed to start at 4:30. Alexandra spent the whole day either worrying about Rowen or debating whether or not she should go to the wedding. Almost at the last minute, she decided to go. She didn’t know why. She had Nigel drive her to the lake where Marlyssa wanted to get married. Four thirty came and went. Rowen was a no show. Five o’clock came. Five-thirty still showed no sign of Rowen. Everyone was getting restless. Marlyssa was stressing.

"I can’t believe this!! It’s my wedding day!"

Alexandra tried not to laugh at her.

"That’s what she gets," Nigel said so only Alexa could hear.

"Nigel, I think I know where he is."

"Where?"

"Just come on."

They left the irritated crowd. Alexandra directed Nigel to the cave that Rowen had frequented. When they got there, they saw his horse drinking from the nearby stream. Alexandra called his name. The only reply was the song of a bird. Rowen didn’t answer.

She called his name again. Still, no answer. She hoped he hadn’t left...at least, not yet. She was on the verge of tears. Alexandra climbed down from the carriage.

"Madam, where are you going?"

"I need to check, Nigel. I want to make sure he’s all right. If I don’t come back, you have my permission to sell everything. Divide the money between the maid, cook, and yourself."

"But, Alexandra…"

She smiled. That was the first time he’d ever called her by her name.

"I’ll be all right, Nigel. Thanks for everything."

She turned and ran to the cave. She heard Nigel call her name again, but she didn’t respond. Her future was in that cave. Going to the mouth of the cave, she peered in. She saw a tiny light from what she thought was a candle. She advanced towards it. Rowen was sitting on a rock, looking at her. He was holding the candle.

"Alexandra," he said.

She smiled, glad he was still there. "You caused quite a stir by not showing up for your own wedding. You left a very unhappy bride."

"I couldn’t do it. I know it seems like I’m running from my responsibilities but…"

Alexandra cut him off. "She wasn’t pregnant." Rowen stood up and looked at her. She continued. "Yesterday, I overheard her talking to someone else. She only told you that to trick you into marrying her."

Rowen heaved a sigh of relief. "I’m so sorry, Lex."

"I know. It’s all right."

He bent to kiss her. As soon as his lips touched hers, a glowing blue light at the bottom of a nearby pool of water illuminated the cave. He looked at his watch. It was six o’clock. He’d been stranded in the past for exactly one year. The portal was on a one-year cycle.

"The portal is open." He looked at Alexandra.

"You can go home?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

It was time to say goodbye. Time to say goodbye to 1753 and, sadly, Alexandra, too. Tears spilled down her face. He reached out and gently wiped them away. She tried to keep from sobbing as he kissed her. He stepped away from her; fighting his own tears and cherishing a final look at her. "I love you very much, Alexandra."

He turned and stepped beside the pool of water. He closed his eyes, prepping himself for his trip home. That’s if home was where this thing was taking him. Suddenly, everything happened at once.

There was a flash of blue light. At the exact same moment, Alexandra cried out, "Rowen, wait!" She threw her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut.

Rowen opened his eyes. The light had faded and was glowing softly at the bottom of the pool. Rowen looked down at Alexandra. She was hanging on to him for dear life, afraid he would disappear if she let go. He gently raised her chin.

"The ride’s over, sweetheart."

She opened her eyes and looked around the cave. It didn’t look any different.

"Are we in…your time?" she asked.

"I’m not certain, but let’s move away from this pool before it whisks us away to someplace unpleasant. I don’t particularly care to see cavemen again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The four guys were about to leave. Sage looked in the rearview mirror, checking to see if the outside air molested his hair. He did a double take.

"Did your reflection scare you?" Kento asked, jokingly.

Sage ignored it and climbed out of the jeep.

Cye asked, "Sage, what’s up?"

Sage didn’t answer. His attention was focused on the cave. "I thought I saw that blue light coming from the cave."

The other three got out. Everyone watched the cave. Nothing happened.

"Ah, you were probably seeing things," Kento commented.

The four started to get in the jeep when they heard, "Hey, guys!! I’m back!"

They look to find Rowen running towards them.

"You made it!!" Ryo said. They all hugged him.

"I didn’t think you guys would be here. I thought I’d have to go look for you."

Sage shook his head. "Nope, we’ve been here the whole time."

"What? You guys waited here a whole year for me?"

Kento looked at the other three. "Dude, you’ve only been gone 24 hours."

Rowen looked at their clothes. Sure enough, they were all wearing the same thing before he left.

"That’s wild, man. I’ve got so much to tell you guys."

"Why don’t you start with the lady?" Sage asked, referring to Alexandra. He spotted her first. They all looked at Alexandra. She suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Mrs. Brandon!!" Kento exclaimed. He respectfully kissed the back of her hand. "I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you again."

"The unexpected always happens," she answered with a smile.

Rowen introduced her to the other three guys, and then they all left the cave. Six of them were stuffed in Sage’s jeep. If they knew beforehand that there was going to be an extra passenger, they would have brought two cars.

That night, Alexandra crawled out of the bed. Rowen was sleeping like a baby. She pulled one of his shirts on and stood by the window. Here she was, in the year 2002. Everything was so different. Rowen was going to have to be patient with her. The light of the full moon softly caressed his naked form. She gazed at him lovingly. The only thing she really missed about 1753 was the simplicity of it. She belonged with Rowen. She wouldn’t trade their love for all the time in the world.