“What?”
Paulette2 replied, “When you found Bryan here, in the restaurant, and all he did was look up and smile… that bothered you, didn’t it?”
“Well… yeah,” Paulette admitted. “I was hoping for a lot more than a smile.”
“And you kind of got it… well, OK, I got a lot more, but I think I understand your perspective. I might even be able to let you share the feeling.”
“Huh? How?!”
Paulette2 said, “Well, think about it. You’re me if I had gone back, or I’m you if you had stayed in Subreality. You came to a fork in the road and Subreality made it so you didn’t have to decide which way to go.”
With a chuckle, Paulette2 interjected, “I came to a fork in the road and took it, you mean.”
“Exactly,” Paulette 2 said with a laugh. “But I can fill you in. The question is, do you trust me? Do you really believe that we are basically the same person?”
“Well, I want to, because your explanation makes sense, but…”
“If I really was someone else, would I be offering to fill you in, or would I be bragging about getting what should have gone to you? Or even trying to steal Bryan from you outright?”
Paulette sighed. “OK, I guess you’re right?” Then, more confidently, “All right, what’s the plan?”
“Well, in a place like Subreality there’s probably lots of ways to make it happen, but the only one that comes to my mind is… this.” And with that, Paulette2 draped her arms around Paulette and gently kissed her. Their tongues danced around each other briefly and then Paulette was overwhelmed with sensation. She opened her eyes and for a moment, thought she saw Bryan there, rather than Paulette2…
* * *
Fog. Vague awareness that something is supposed to happen somewhere soon…
“Earth to Paulette,” a familiar voice intoned. “Come in Paulette.” The fog slowly began to clear, leaving Paulette looking up into her own smiling face.
“Hey,” Paulette2 said. “If I hadn’t gone through the exact same thing I’d be kinda worried.”
“Wooow,” Paulette said with a giggle. “How long was I out?”
“Remember where you are,” Paulette2 gently reminded her. “Time is very elastic here, at least compared with Out There.”
“Well, however long you’ve been here, you’ve been busy.” Paulette stood up, taking in her surroundings and reorienting herself. “Getting familiar with this place first of all, then setting up a restaurant…”
“Well, I’ve done a lot of exploring,” Paulette2 started, “but I’m not as familiar with this place as you might think. Remember, even without Writers being as active as they used to, there’s plenty there that changes every day. All of Subreality outside this restaurant could have completely changed just since you came in. Plus–”
Paulette cut her off. “Why don’t you just say ‘Thank you’ and accept the credit?” she asked, with a smile.
With a sigh, Paulette2 replied, “Yeah, you’re right, I have done a lot in a short time. Now, let’s you and me get back to the others before they think we forgot about them.”