Word Count: 2124

~Rosie

I hold Time's arm, leading him blindly.

Surprisingly, it didn't take much to convince Time to do this. For someone who is going through such a self-destructive period of his life, he is awfully receptive to my ideas. Even more so than the Time in the future, who is too proud to admit that he can be saved. Maybe he actually wants to change, and hasn't yet reached his darkest space.

"So why the blindfold?" Time questions, blindly failing his arms in front of him. It makes me smile, and not just at how foolish he looks. He's putting trust in me, when I could easily put him in a vulnerable position. Maybe it's because he's an immortal, and there's not much I could do to harm him.

"See if I told you, this would be pointless," I tell him, watching him stumble across the uneven ground we wander across.

Time reaches for the cloth blindfold, but I slap him away.

"I doubt you would like to hear what I have in mind," he murmurs, to which I can't help but roll my eyes to. If he is eluding to what he would rather be doing with a blindfold, I don't want to know about it. Especially if it's what I think it is.

"This is your first step into becoming the man you want to be," I tell him, holding his arm tightly, leading him along the gravel path.

It's beautiful out here. We walk at the foot of his estate atop the hill. Wherever we are in the immortal realm, I want to explore more when I get back to my era, but now, I'm making the most of a tree lined path I found out about. I somehow doubt Time has come down here, to separate himself from his duties as an immortal to take part in something much simpler in life.

Time's head tilts toward me. "So, the kind of man the future me isn't?"

"I never said that."

"You're very easy to read," He tells me, the corner of his mouth turning up. I nudge his side with my elbow. "Even with a blindfold on."

Maybe I am easy to read. Does Time from my era know me like this? He must be able to read how nervous I can get around him, or how I'm anxious that his true self will be revealed to me when I least expect it, and it will ruin everything. At least with this Time, I'm not concerned about his actions...even if in some kind of way, that makes no sense. All I know, is that in the few moments we have been around each other, my fear as melted away.

"I actually like the future you. But he's so possessed by his past actions, so maybe this can help solve that," I tell Time. What this has revealed to me so far is that Time is worth saving. At some point, before it all went down, he wanted someone to stop him from himself.

Pulling Time to a stop, I dig into the knot in the back of his blindfold until it falls away, revealing where I have taken him. He immediately shields his eyes, the golden light he blinks away the same colour as his eyes.

He glances at me. "What's this?"

"We're going for a walk. Or a hike," I tell him, rocking and forth on my feet. "I did some researching and found this right by your house."

Time looks around us, up at the canopy of trees that surround us, dappled light drifting across the planes of his face. It's fascinating to see him here, dumbfounded by the sight of this place. It's enough to suggest to me that he's never been here before, despite it being right by his home. My hope is it will make him realise that his problems won't seem as big if he doesn't put as much energy into them.

"And this is meant to improve my character how, exactly?" Time questions, looking down at me. I expected him to be mad that I'm wasting his time, as his tone suggests, however, his eyes gleam, almost as if he is excited for where I'm going to take this. Through this though, I see his apprehension to trust me.

"It helps with reflection. And I want to ask some questions that I know in a million years you wouldn't be willing to answer," I tell him.

I prompt Time to walk with me, and finally, he actually follows. He may seem reluctant, but he's giving me a chance to prove to him something he hasn't been able to prove to himself. That's why I'm here, I suppose.

I wonder if the moment he knew who he was, he came up with this plan.

"Well you've met the man of honesty himself," Time says, smirking at me. "I'll tell you all the dirty details. I can even tell you the size of my-"

"No, don't," I say immediately, holding my hands up in defense. I really don't need that image burnt into my mind forever. "First step to being a good person is not being invasive and a total creep. Try being nice, and polite."

Time laughs slightly, enjoying the taunting he is inflicting upon me. I'm not sure if it's his way of distracting me or not, but I can't let it get to me. The sooner I convince him that his life would be better off without all the murder and revenge, the sooner I'll be off to remedy this situation. If Time back in the other era isn't...Or Thought. This can't be just up to me.

"Well what do you want to know then?" Time asks.

"Time is apprehensive of his past, which most of it you haven't lived yet. But if I know your motivations now, then maybe I could better understand him," I say, watching him uneasily as we walk. The stream following us along with our walk, with the vivid wildflowers are in complete contrast to the man I walk beside.

Time closes his eyes for a moment, yet still walks alongside me with no issue, as he enjoys the warmth of the sun against his face. "If you think I kill people for fun, you're wrong. I usually just do it to get something, or out of revenge."

I flinch. "You kill people?"

"Look, I'm saying that I don't do it out of some sadistic nature. But I will admit, when you're immortal, life doesn't really hold that much meaning," he admits, as if I'm supposed to feel better from that.

"Would you kill me right now? If I asked you to?" I question.

I'm not sure why I compelled me to ask him that. Maybe it's the underlying fear that I repress that he might react badly to me, and the next minute I'm a distant memory of his. I appear outwardly confident, and the reasonable side of my brain is telling me he would never hurt his mate, but I can't shake the feeling...you can never trust an immortal.

"If you have some kind of death wish, I'm going to have to say no," he says with a grin that is completely making fun of me. "You really think I want to kill my mate?"

"I don't want to die. And I was just making sure," I tell him.

Suddenly something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. It's a slight split line of trees, with a beaten path coming through it off the main one. If my research is correct, this is going to lead us exactly where I planned.

Pulling Time off the path, I duck down under tree limbs and sharp brush, until we emerge on the other side, exactly where I thought we are.

"Woah. What is this place?" Time marvels.

Looking around us, I see a large watering hole, which stretches out along another line of trees, which is much thicker than what we just came through. Light reflects off the surface of the deep blue water, which is a velvety blue colour with hints of emerald green. It looks inviting under this midday sun, which beats down on us in an unrelenting fashion.

"A swimming hole, by the looks of it," I tell him, the inviting glint of the water just beckoning us to come in. Never would I usually put myself in this vulnerable situation, but once Time swims, he will know what freedom truly feels like. "Come on. It's a warm day, and I think we both need a cool down."

Shedding my shirt off, ensuring my tank top is still securely plastered to my body, I kick off my shoes and walk down to the shoreline, thankfully I decided on my shorts over my leggings.

Time looks visibly apprehensive. "I don't think-"

Without waiting for his protest, I grab his wrist, and pull him into the water. He stumbles over his feet, falling head first beneath the surface until he's completely submerged. I land next to him, managing to keep my head above water. The coldness hits me right in the lungs, having me gasping for breath. It might be skin numbing, but it's a refreshing burst of energy, dousing me with excitement.

Time emerges right beside me, shaking water from his hair all over me, making me giggle. I push him away by his shoulders, causing him to glide away gently before returning in one smooth action.

"It's so nice in here," I comment. "See, the simple things can be fun to."

"I don't know when the last time I went swimming was. Feels like forever ago," Time says, approaching me with shaky by still strong movements. I don't think there's anything he could do and not be strong. Under the water, I can see his muscular build through his soaked short which clings to his abdomen and arms.

"When was the last time you painted?" I ask.

It might be a touchy subject. Time wipes beaded water off his face as he thinks. It's so fascinating seeing him in this situation with me, dark hair usually so perfectly mussed now plastered against his forehead in thick clumps.

"I couldn't tell you," he admits. He swims closer, to the point where we are both so close I can feel his sharp breathing warm my cold skin. "Maybe I'll paint this beautiful face."

I tilt my head to the side, "Are you genuinely flattering me, or is another manipulation?"

"This is real," he says softly, reaching out to cup my cheek. I'm not sure how he can captivate me so easily, considering he's not the Time I was falling in love with just last week. He's the side of him that I was so afraid of in the beginning, yet here is able to spin any tale to draw me in to the point I can't imagine swimming away from him right now.

He leans forward, which for a moment, I know exactly how to react. However, aligning with my better judgement, I jerk away slightly.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I remind him.

"Will you forever reject my kisses?" he asks. He doesn't look offended, just interested. I doubt many girls have had the guts to reject a kiss from Time. Actually, I doubt any girl would want to reject a kiss from him.

I glance away, the gold of his eyes only highlighted from the reflection of the water, making me uneasy. "No. But it feels wrong...I can't explain it."

Time leans forward, holding my arm gently as he kisses my cheek, making me flinch slightly. Finally, he pulls away, before swimming back to the shoreline. I watch him, wondering what game he's playing. He gives me room to think I'm in control of him, and I get first move, and then he makes me feel foolish for something as simple as rejecting a kiss.

"I understand," Time tells me, his eyes beckoning to join him on land.

I stay in the water for a lingering moment. How in the world am I going to convince Time he can be saved?

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Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, you can head over to Radish and read Time ahead of Wattpad!

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Side note, sorry about the lack of updates, everything will be resuming as normal. I'm in the middle of law school exams, and have been writing here and there when I have time. Thanks!

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I've released Thought's own story on Radish, which is available now! I want to see by the end, which of the brothers your prefer

Instagram: Sophie_Midika

~Midika 💜🐼