Our Tomorrow, Intertwined (Erotic Romance, Sci-Fi Fantasy) -ENGLISH

Chapter Sixteen: Photograph

HYACINTH wanted to burst in laughter when Max’s baffled face surveyed the amusement park. The place is loud with chatter and screams from the various stalls within the perimeter. There’s a haunted house nearby the entrance, bumper cars, a carousel, and the beast they called the roller coaster. The place is evidently packed with excitement and thrill as the people exited the place with fun-filled memories. The place itself looked like an exploded fast-food restaurant with its bright colors to attract attention.

Hyacinth wished she brought Erin and Maine with them but she knew very well that the main purpose of this so-called ‘date’ is for them to get to know each other.

“I didn’t think you’d bring me here.”

“I told you, I want you to enjoy life with me. This is life, Mr. Bismarck. This is fun, well, according to internet reviews.” She pulled his hand and guided him to buy an all-day pass for every ride, booth, and food stall. It is quite pricey but she’s planning to skip some meals for the entire year to compensate for that.

Hyacinth squealed in delight as the attendant gave them the tickets.

Max was reluctant to ride the roller coaster so Hyacinth had to drag him to it. When they’re finally seated on the train, Max complained with a wry smile that betrayed his disgust regarding the place. “I never went to an amusement park before. I hope I don’t throw up.”

“It’s my first time, too. Don’t worry.”

Hyacinth blushed when Max grinned at her statement, obviously reminiscing their intimate night back in Greene County.

“Oh, shush. Erase it!” She cried in exaggerated disgust.

Max laughed at her and focused on wearing his seat belt.

The attendant lowered the metal bars to secure them in their seat. After a while, the train moved and the kids behind them started to scream.

Her heart pounded. She held the metal railing with a smile as the train descended.

After a few screams and cries from Hyacinth’s throat, the ride ended. Max and Hyacinth exited the train with wide grins on their faces as they heard some of the passengers vomit behind them.

They pretty much rode every adrenaline-inducing ride in the park: the pendulum, the rotor, dark ride, to name a few. Hyacinth was amazed by how Max came to really enjoy the place.

They finally had their fill and sat on a bench nearby a food stall that sold various foods across the photo booth room. They both devoured their respective corndogs on a stick.

“Look at this, Haya.” Max showed her the photo they got from the roller coaster ride with a huge grin on his face. “The kid behind us vomited on his seat.”

She squinted her eyes to look at the boy in the picture, then she burst out in laughter. “God, that’s embarrassing for him! We have his photo!”

Max let out a throaty chuckle. “I know, I know.” He stared at her. “May I keep this one?”

Hyacinth smiled. “Of course. You’ll probably want to look back on this day in the near future and say to yourself, ‘Hey, a kid dared to photobomb with his bile mid-air. The woman beside me is Erin’s mom and she looked like she’s gonna be admitted to an asylum with her wild expression in this photo’.” Hyacinth even imitated Max’s serious, businessman-like voice.

Max cracked up and it caught the attention of some passersby. “Your face is a little bit funny in the photo.”

Hyacinth giggled at him, then looked down at the photo in his hand.

“There’s a photo booth nearby. Do you want to...?”

Max pulled her hand to the photobooth instead of answering her question.

They sat inside the booth and pressed the necessary buttons to start the countdown timer.

They both smiled at the first take of the photo booth machine. They made funny faces on the second ‘click’ of the machine. The third one, Max placed his arm around her shoulder. Click.

Hyacinth looked at Max, bewildered at the sudden closeness. Before she could react, his lips lowered to hers, followed by the sound of the camera capturing the last photo.

She dropped her corn dog on the floor to wrap her arms around his neck. His lips were so soft and sweet. So lush and plump, like a warm mochi against hers. Hyacinth moaned when his skillful tongue darted inside her mouth tasting every corner, tracing every curve as if he was planning on writing a descriptive sentence about her.

Her body ignited with flame, her veins now pumping inflammable substance. Her skin seemed to suck in every fire until she burst into flames. She protested when he pulled away from her and met her gaze with his eyes evidently drunk with the same feelings that overwhelmed her a few seconds ago. She could feel his intense desire to devour her but he showed great restraint to his urges.

Hyacinth’s cheeks warmed with an extreme desire that seemed to shoot directly to her core. At that moment, Hyacinth wanted to drag Max somewhere private and strip her clothes for him, hoping that it would finally release the chaotic inferno that was caged in the fiber of her being. Her channel throbbed and ached for him. Even her nipples knew that he was nearby as they swelled against her bra.

The kisses they shared lasted for no longer than ten seconds. It was brief yet it lingered in their minds like a fire leaving its ashes within them.

“Can you feel it, Haya? Tell me you feel it, too.”

Hyacinth nodded, nuzzling his nose with her lips. “I think it was caused by extreme happiness.”

Max chuckled. “Hyacinth, it’s not mere happiness. The one we both felt earlier is electrifyingly intense. It’s desire, yes, but there’s something more.”

Hyacinth let out a dreamy sigh. “It was a connection, Max. Trust, maybe? I don’t know. The only thing I know is that it felt... so deep. It was so deep that if I surrendered for a few more seconds, I might not be able to resurface.”

They both closed their eyes and let their foreheads touch, rubbing their noses against each other and sighing.

MAX went to his office after taking Hyacinth home. He needed to get his laptop by himself since George is quite tired of driving all the way from Bronson State, where the famous amusement park is, to Sutton City. He went straight to his home after the task.

Erin, with her light brown hair and features of a Bismarck, opened the front door for him.

“I missed you, Dad. Where’s Mom? I thought you were with her?”

Max handed his laptop bag to Erin. “Your Mom is tired from the short trip from Bronson to Sutton so I took her to her home. She said she’ll visit here tomorrow.”

Erin jumped and planted a kiss on her father’s cheek. “Thanks, Daddy. You’re the best.”

Max patted Erin’s hair and the hair color of her daughter reminded him of Hyacinth. Even if Erin looked like him, there’s no doubt that his kid’s enthusiasm is from Hyacinth. Even the twinkle in Erin’s eyes reminded him of Hyacinth.

He went upstairs to his room with a wide grin on his face. He fished something from his pocket and smiled as soon as he saw the picture of him and Erin kissing.

He’ll upload the photo to his cloud storage, that’s for sure. For now, he’ll keep the photo somewhere discreet. He can’t have anyone see the picture and tease him about it. No. That picture is only for his eyes to see. For his mind to remember...and for his heart to adore.

Erin shortly followed him into his room and placed his laptop bag on his bedside table. She smiled at him. “Dad, you’re blushing.”

Max hid the picture from Erin’s view. “Nothing, sweetheart. It must be from the summer heat. It’s almost March.”

“But it’s 20 degrees celsius in Sutton tonight.”

Max narrowed his eyes at Erin’s inquisitive look. “Why? Do you think your Mom and I did something more than go outside? We just went to the amusement park, that’s all.”

Erin frowned. “You like amusement parks now? Because you never went with me to Bronson when I had asked you to go with me to the park. That happened in the future, by the way.”

Max frowned. “I like the place. I might go there with you and Aunt Maine the next time.”

Erin gasped. “Oh, I see why you never went to Bronson again. I think the park reminded you too much of Mom.”

And then it hit him. Hyacinth will disappear in the future. She missed most of Erin’s childhood because she vanished.

Hyacinth will vanish in the future. Fuck!

Max his heart throbbed with a pang of pain inside his chest. The knowledge about Hyacinth’s disappearance in the near future nearly robbed him of breath.

“Dad? Are you okay?”

He grabbed the lip of his bedside table and gave Erin a reassuring smile. “I’m okay.”

Erin flashed a wry smile. “If you say so.”

When his daughter left his room, Max sat on the side of the bed.

“Hyacinth, it’s not mere happiness. The one we both felt earlier is electrifyingly intense. It’s desire, yes, but there’s something more.”

“It was a connection, Max. Trust, maybe? I don’t know. The only thing I know is that it felt... so deep. It was so deep that if I surrendered for a few more seconds, I might not be able to resurface.”

It’s impossible. He shook his head. No, it can’t be. They only met a few weeks ago, for Pete’s sake! He cannot feel that way about another human being he just met, can he?

Is this a product of entangled threads? Is this what Hyacinth warned him about?

Fuck!

And what about Hyacinth’s disappearance in the future? Erin mentioned that he never returned to the amusement park again after Hyacinth vanished. Does that mean that he now wields strong feelings for her?

Max pocketed the photo and grabbed Erin’s shoulder gently. “Honey, can you touch my thread and see what happened in the future? I want to know what happened to Hyacinth.”

Erin shook his head. “Dad, I can see threads. I can touch them but I can’t read them. The first time I touched a thread—your thread, I traveled in it.”

He froze. “Then, only your mom is capable of reading threads?”

Erin nodded. “She reads threads, I travel in them.”

“Does Hyacinth know of this?”

Erin’s eyes widened. “Dad, please. Don’t tell her. It is best if she assumed that my time-traveling ability is just a coincidence. She shouldn’t know the fact that I can’t read threads.”

Max inhaled a sharp breath out of frustration. “So, this is why you’re so reluctant to visit her in her workplace? You’ve been avoiding discussions about you?”

Erin nodded. “Dad, please. Don’t let Mom know about this. She’ll ask questions. Nobody told me anything about Mom’s sudden disappearance but I think it’s related to me.”

Max frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Erin’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “Oh, Dad. Mom disappeared with a gray thread but I didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

Max’s voice thundered in his room. “Erin! Tell me!”

“I was there when it happened. I saw myself as a teenager. Then, I saw Mom grabbing me and holding my thread and we both disappeared into thin air.”

Erin sobbed in her palms and Max sat on the corner of his bed. He can’t find the strength to speak, his mind chaotic with the information Erin relayed.

Did Hyacinth sacrifice her life for Erin? Then, why did they both disappear, then? Does that mean that Erin’s future now relies on what will Hyacinth do here in the present? His mind is confused. How can Erin’s future rely on the past?

This is his fault. He’s the one who insisted that Erin lived without carefully considering the consequences of his actions.

What if Hyacinth reads Erin’s thread? Can she look into the future and see how to save their daughter?

But Erin said that both of them disappeared when Hyacinth touched Erin’s thread. That means that there’s something mysterious about his daughter’s abilities and they need to find it out.

Picking up his phone from his pocket, he emailed Hyacinth to meet with him in his office during lunch break tomorrow.