Again, But Better

11. Come Together
I can’t eat breakfast. I’m too worked up thinking about Pilot
and Amy; my stomach is in knots. 
Will he do it?
I get down on
the floor and flow through some yoga before leaving for class.
Babe asks if she can join me. I welcome the distraction and
quietly walk her through it. She giggles as we struggle through
poses in our jeans. Sahra snorts when she wakes up to find us
both in downward dog. As I heave my backpack onto my
shoulder to take off, Babe asks if I want to get lunch together. I
stop at the post office on the way to class and send off my
letter to a clueless past Melvin.
At noon, I meet Babe outside of Byron’s. We grab a booth,
and Babe proceeds to pitch Paris for Chad’s birthday. I do my
best to drag Chad, but past Babe won’t be swayed by Shane-
she-just-recently-met-who-has-never-even-met-Chad. I find
myself studying her face, marking the differences between her
and the Babe I talk to weekly in 2017. Future Babe’s hair is
different; she has voluminous curls instead of the polished
upturned ends she has now. And future Babe has switched to a
slightly darker red shade of lipstick.
She comes to a close with her double-date question as the
waiter arrives to take our orders. It’s not my spirit guide. I’ve
had my eyes peeled since I walked in, but there’s no sign of
her.
“So, what’s going on with you and Pilot? Are you up for
this? Will you come?” She shoots the questions one after the
other, without giving me a second to respond.

---

I vacuum in a breath. “Okay, so let’s just keep this between
us, right?”
“Of course.”
“Pilot’s supposedly breaking up with Amy today,” I tell her
quietly.
“
What?
” Her hands fly up.
“I know.”
“What— Are you two going to be a thing?”
“I don’t want to jinx anything,” I say hesitantly.
“So, you’ll come this weekend!” she says abruptly, her
eyes lighting up.
I nod, a smile breaking across my face. “I’m so excited to
go again!”
“You’ve been to Paris before?”
“Uh, no, I mean, like, go again … to a place … with you
and the gang. Pilot. Again.”
Later, Babe and I sit in the kitchen together. I’m working on
another new blog post. I’m surprised to find a comment from
Leo on the Rome post. On my blog. Using his lame old screen
name.