Baldwin's Mansion
The evening air carried a crisp chill as Savannah finished adjusting the sleeves of her white cardigan, smoothing it over her beige formal pants. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before grabbing her phone from the vanity table. With a swipe, she dialed Blaze's number, and before the first ring even fully echoed, he picked up.
"Ana." Blaze's deep voice came through warmly.
A smile spread across Savannah's face. "How's your meeting going?" she asked, twirling a strand of hair between her finger.
"Smooth, I guess," he replied, his tone a bit distracted. "How are you doing, Ana?"
"Good enough," she said. "I'm heading out to buy some paints. I ran out."
Blaze sighed, his protective side showing right away. "Tell me what you need, and I'll have someone get them for you."
Savannah rolled her eyes playfully, knowing exactly what he'd say. "No, I want to get them myself. Please."
A low chuckle rumbled through the phone. "I knew you'd say that," he murmured, a smirk evident in his voice.
She grinned. "You know everything, huh?"
"Everything that concerns you, yes."
Warmth spread through her chest st his word. He always knew how to make her feel cherished, protected—loved.
"You don't mind if I take Elijah with me, right?" she asked, finally getting to the reason she had called.
Blaze barely hesitated. "Sure, take whoever you want, Ana," he said easily.
His easy agreement made her smile. "Okay, I'm heading out now."
"Drive safe," Blaze said, his voice softening.
"I love you." Savannah whispered.
"I love you." He paused before adding, "And here—"
She chuckled, knowing what was coming, and kissed her phone screen at the same time he did from his end. It had become their little tradition, something so simple yet intimate between them.
With that, she hung up and took a deep breath, feeling lighthearted. She grabbed her purse and stepped out of her room, walking down the hallway toward the grand entrance. As she pushed open the heavy doors and stepped outside, the evening sky was painted in hues of deep blue and burnt orange, the last traces of sunlight slipping behind the horizon.
In the front yard, Elijah was already there by the sleek black car, standing tall with his usual calm look.
Savannah smirked as she approached him. "Looks like you're on time," she said.
Elijah nodded. "Of course."
He opened the passenger door for her without saying anything else. Savannah got in, and once Elijah was in the driver's seat, he started the engine and smoothly drove out of the mansion's driveway, heading toward the city lights in the distance.
For a while, they were quiet, enjoying a comfortable silence as the car cruised down the road. The city was just starting to light up with twinkling lights and the sound of people moving around.
Savannah looked out the window and softly exhaled. This moment felt nice—simple and peaceful, just another ordinary evening.
But deep down, she had this nagging feeling that things were about to change.
Supply Store
Savannah and Elijah walked into the art supply shop, and the bell above the door gave a soft jingle as they entered. The place smelled like fresh paper, acrylics, and a bit of wood varnish—something that always calmed Savannah. The shelves were packed with every paint color you could think of, sketchbooks lined the walls, and there were lots of brushes neatly set up in jars. For any artist, it was like paradise, and Savannah was excited to get everything she needed.
They looked around for almost an hour before Savannah finally had all the supplies she wanted. She held her basket full of oil paints, sketchpads, and different brushes. Elijah, being super patient, walked beside her as they headed to the checkout counter.
While the cashier started scanning her stuff, Savannah quickly went over her list in her head. Then her eyes went wide. "Oh no, I forgot a painting brush I needed!" she said, feeling pretty annoyed with herself.
Elijah chuckled. "Stay here, I'll go get it for you."
Savannah nodded, grateful for his help, and watched him as he disappeared into the aisles. Meanwhile, her turn came at the counter, and she started placing her items one by one. The scanner beeped as the cashier rang everything up, until suddenly, they stopped and squinted at the screen.
"Ma'am, I'm so sorry this paint here is expired," the cashier said, lifting up a tube of deep blue paint.
Savannah frowned. "That's odd. I checked all of them before putting them in my basket." She reached out. "Can I take a look?"
The cashier handed it over, and Savannah carefully the label. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the date: July, 2027. She blinked. That didn't make sense.
"I think there's a mistake from you." Savannah said, looking up. "This says July, 2027. We're in June, 2027. Still month left."
The cashier gave her a confused look. "Ma'am, today's June 18th, 2028. This paint expired last year."
Savannah felt the ground shift beneath her feet. She let out a soft, breathy laugh. "What? No. This can't be right. We're in 2027."
The people behind her in line started whispering amongst themselves, sensing the oddness of the situation. The cashier, now looking more concerned than confused, reached for their phone and turned the screen toward Savannah.
"Look, ma'am, today's date. June 18th, 2028."
Savannah's stomach churned as she stared at the screen. The numbers glowed back at her like they were mocking her. Her heart began to race. No, this had to be some kind of mistake—a glitch, a joke, anything but the truth.
Author's Note :
Find out more in the next chapter;)
Thankyou everyone for reading<3
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Have a good day/night <3<3