I'm on the platform, hopping nervously from one foot to the other. It looks stupid, but I don't care. Isla is probably laughing at me from a distance, or she's kissing Bram, that's also possible. I don't see them, because my eyes are fixed on a spot in the distance where not a train is yet in sight. Spring break has just begun and as promised, Sorley can arrive at any moment. He'll stay for a week and then go on to Ireland, where his grandma will also arrive with all the belongings that move with them to their new home. No matter how much I want to go with them, I have to stay here and make sure my grades stay as high as they are for the last remaining months.

We are both entered at a college in Cork. The first year is already paid for, thanks to my parents, who miraculously, wanted to make a donation for my future. After they recovered from the shock. I think my mother is just so relieved that she can finally sell and leave the place where she's been so unhappy.

This vacation we'll spend with my dad, who will come to pick us up in the morning, that's why Bram is driving today.

Is that something yellow in the distance? My neck creaks when I try to stretch it beyond what is humanly possible. Yes, that's the train. It's here.

"It's coming!" I yell over my shoulder, at which Isla begins to sing a familiar song at her loudest. Oh well, it could have been worse.

With a wide smile I wait impatiently until the train inches closer and eventually comes to a halt incredibly slow, right in front of me. Everybody wants to grab a seat in the crowded train, however, first the train needs to empty. People, move aside!

I'm not so tall, but I even I can see he's not in front of the door. Should I walk passed the coupés? Or keep standing here? Jostling around me, makes my hair stand on edge, until I hear Isla screaming behind me. I turn around and see her pointing to my right. Biting my lip, I let my eyes wander over the heads of the crowd until I see a tuft of black hair. My eyebrows rise and I'm about to jump, but then I see it's not him. I look back at Isla and lift my shoulders. However Isla is still pointing enthusiastically in the same direction and so I look again.

Beyond the boy with the black hair, that's not him, beyond the man with the big, black bag, beyond – there. He sees I've found him and raises his hand, while he paves a way between the now boarding passengers. We should have picked a less occupied moment, that way I could have run to him and flown into his arms, just like in the movies.

My irritation evaporates quickly and as swiftly as possible, I worm myself between the thinning crowd. At two meters distance, with no one standing in our way any more, he drops the bag from his shoulder and then I'm in his arms.

Even though I've talked to him about every day, even though I've felt his arms around me every time we saw each other inside a book and even though I've just seen him yesterday, I've missed him terribly.

"Oh, there's nothing like the real world", I sigh, right before his lips find mine.

---

We're home alone when Bram and Isla drop us off at my place. I ignore Isla's wiggling eyebrows and pull Sorley inside. The guest bedroom is prepared for one night. Tomorrow, my dad picks us up after lunch.

"Are you hungry? Or do you want to sleep first? How did time work again, flying here?"

Sorley smiles and puts an arm around my waist while he lowers his bag on the bed. "I'd like something to drink, but for the rest I'm good. I've slept along the way, so I can manage for now."

I pick up two glasses with juice from the kitchen and Sorley follows me into the living room, where we take a seat on the couch. Close together. He has something in his hand. It's wrapped, but it's in the shape of a book. Curious I look from the package to his eyes and laughing he hands it over.

When I open it, my grin turns into a frown.

The booklet looks exactly the same. The same blue, linen cover, the same faded, silver letters on the back.

"How ..." My eyes shoot upwards for a second, where my own version of 'Paper walker' is. On the bottom of my night stand. Hidden safely. At least ...

"Did you take that, last time you were here?" I can't remember me showing it to you.

"Does it look like it? I only had your description to go with, so I hoped it would look like it."

"Look like it? It's identical, how did you do that?"

He merely shrugs. "Timey wimey."

"What?"

"Never mind", he laughs. "I've been thinking about how we can get this at the right moment at the right place and I think for that we need something from a different book."

"The right moment? I'm not quite following."

Sorley takes the booklet from my hands and thumbs trough it. "I was doubting whether to put anything in it, for you, but you never mentioned that, so I didn't do it. You were right, that first time you mentioned the book. That I wrote it, I mean. How that worked, I still don't know, but I figured we still have to finish the loop, so I began to write this. I printed it inside a book around the time of 'Brotherhood', that's why it looks so aged. It was quite an effort, but I did it, as you can see. One thing however, I don't understand yet and that is the code the library gave to it, so you could lend it in the first place."

I get up and run to my room. There I dig up my version of the booklet and take it back down with me. With both booklets in front of us, we sit beside each other a moment later.

"Incredible, they are truly identical." The only difference are the stickers on the back and on the inside. I pry the edges a little, but it's firmly stuck to the inside of the cover.

"Can we ask for a sticker at the library?"

"No, I don't think think they do that themselves. And we also can't fabricate something, because it has to be in their system."

"How do you think they did that?"

"I don't know, oh, maybe there is a paper walker in the library." For a moment I look at him with my overly curious expression and then I stick out my tongue.

Sorley shakes his head. "If that's true, I'm immeasurably grateful to that person."

"Immeasurably", I repeat after him, stumbling over the English word. Then I ask: "When do you want to put it there? I mean, in which time?"

His brow wrinkles. "I'm not sure, yet. We can pick a random time and hope everything will work out. Or ..."

He pauses and I wait. My thumbs rub over the embossing.

"Or we don't take any risks and place the book at the exact same place, right before you'll find it there."

My eyes widen in disbelief. "No risks, he calls it. What if I see us?"

"You haven't seen us the first time, so that means it went well."

"But what if we change everything, this time? What if we do something wrong and I don't find the booklet and this will never happen?"

He takes my hands and holds them tight, while he says: "I've thought about it for a long time and I think it's just like in that film about the dude that comes back from the past through a crack in time. In the end she goes back to him because her ex or something, had already seen her in the past. Aye, I know, very confusing. But it means you can't change the past, that everything happens as it should. I believe that too. I think we have to put this book", he holds up the new one", in that spot at that time, because that is the time and place you found it."

Looking away, he mumbles: "Hmm, maybe I didn't even have to write this new one, we only had to put back the old one." His gaze refocusses and this time he grins. "Anyhow, I believe it will work out. And because we're sitting here on the couch, I don't doubt it will work. Then all we have left to do is find a way to get there."

I can't really argue with his logic. Even though I totally don't get any of it and have never seen the film he was talking about. However, if he has faith in it, I'll have faith in him. And I don't actually want to loose my booklet. Not because I ever want to read from it, but for the sentimental value. It was the reason we met. I think I'll frame it.

Something occurs to me and I purse my lips. "Do you know that the sticker on the spine is incorrect." I point at the picture with the Greek column and the letters 'GAB' underneath. "Your name doesn't begin with gab and by the way ..." I open the new book and look at the colophon. "Yeah, see, you didn't sign your name anywhere."

"No, because that's what you said, that the author was unknown."

"Yeah, but where did they get the GAB from?"

Suddenly my eyes fly open again. I remember. I jump up and run upstairs for a second time. There, I pick up Isla's book about the jewellery. It's a library book, but she said I didn't have to bring it back because it was written off. Yes, see, a red stamp on the inside.

I take the book with me and begin to pry off the sticker.

"What are you doing?"

"Look!" Delighted I point at the sticker. It's exactly the same. Incredible. "We don't have to return this one, so no fines, but we already know this works, because it's the same sticker."

The sticker on the spine comes loose with some effort and I tape it on the new blue booklet. Also the sticker that allows the book to be scanned gets transferred. Maybe this is the reason the jewellery book gets written off. Because they'll have one too many. I won't wreck my brains over that.

"So, done." Both books are now completely identical. "Than all we have to do is come up with a way to go back in time."

Together we review our options. The time machine from H.G. Wells is a bit too large to bring back from a book and a bit too inconvenient to use in the library. Hermione's time turner only works with hours, that's way too short.

We discuss a few more we find on the internet and eventually end up with a book about a boy that can travel through time with help of some sort of watch. That's what we need. I check the opening hours of the library and race there and back again on my bike just before it closes.

While I prepare our dinner, Sorley picks up the device. We're about ready at the same time.

"Do you know how it works?"

He straps the watch around his wrist and I can't take my eyes off of it. A number of ideas shoot through my head about places we could visit and things we could see. Still I know I will never suggest it and Sorley will never go for it. Our adventures play out in the safe worlds that exist between the pages in books. Where nothing can happen and from whence we return into the real world, without having changed anything.

"Aye, he explained it to me. We move through time in the same spot we begin, so we have to be in the library, I think."

That makes sense. Tomorrow morning it is. That is the only possibility we have, because I'm not doing it alone.

---

After dinner we watch a film on the couch and Sorley falls asleep halfway. He awakens with a start when my mother comes home and relocates with a sleepy smile to the guest room. I'm not really tired yet and sit for a while with the two blue booklets in my lap. Since Sorley gave me the note I haven't been back in the attic room. Somehow I'm afraid that, when I enter the book now, I'll meet a different Sorley. Like an alternative timeline. That will be too confusing and also a bit creepy. I don't think my heart can handle it. Sorley thinks he'll just no longer be there, but I'd rather not take the risk. And I like that he made a second one, because now I can sometimes look at it. Like a precious memory. I could also make one of those memory boxes, where I can safely keep the booklet.

I text a little back and forth with Isla, check my suitcase one more time, clean up a few things and turn in for the night. We have a busy day tomorrow.

---

The sound of my door handle wakes me up, early in the morning. I blink to sharpen my vision and see Sorley peek around the corner.

"Oh, sorry, I woke you up."

"No," I stretch as he walks in softly, "that's okay. Did you sleep well?"

He nods and sits next to me on the bed. It's so different from a normal start of the day, that I get all giddy. This, I want to get used to, seeing Sorley in the morning. His hair looks funny. I get up and try to flatten an unruly tuft.

"It won't stay flat." I give up. "What time is it?"

A glance at my clock shows me it's nearly six. Oh well, why not. The more time I get to spend with Sorley, the better.

"Are you hungry? I wanted to make breakfast, but I have actually no idea what you usually have. And I'm not as good a cook as my gran, so ..."

The bashful look on his face is so adorable, I'm melting. "I doubt we have all the ingredients for such a breakfast. My mother and I are more of easy sandwich persons with eh... what's the English translation of hagelslag? Chocolate sprinkles."

He eyes me as if I suggested Chinese and I quickly place a hand in front of my mouth to muffle my laugh. Waking my mother is absolutely not a good idea.

I nudge Sorley so he gets up and step out of bed. The butterflies in my stomach do a dance when I see his eyes roam my bare legs, but then I send him out of the room. With a pout he closes the door behind him, leaving me behind with goosebumps all over.

Downstairs I show him what I mean by a sandwich with hagelslag. I think he prefers his grandma's pancakes and scrambled egg and I don't blame him. Oh, will we have a breakfast like that every day in Ireland? Then I'd better find a fitness centre there.

Softly we discuss our plans for the coming school year. On his phone we look at pictures of the B&B and I fall in love straight away. I can hardly believe I get to live there.

We cuddle a little on the couch until my mum wakes up and then we decide to simply walk into town. Sorley hasn't used his crutch for a while, but if it gets too much, we can always take a taxi back.

We won't have to wait long until the library opens. By now, my heart beats like a runaway train and also Sorley's grip is a little tighter than usual. Will this really work? The booklet is safely tucked in my bag. I still have no clue as to how the booklet got in the library in the first place, but Sorley keeps piling it under that timey wimey of his, of which I also still don't know what it means. Something about a doctor. He'll have to explain that to me one day.

Filled with nerves and with a nasty pressure on my chest from holding my breath all the time, I take us passed the many bookcases to the section where I found the book. We don't want to take the risk that anyone else picks up the booklet, before my past self can, so we agreed to jump with our little time machine, to a mere fifteen minutes before that time. According to Sorley it will work out no matter what, because it went well before, however I can't seem to manage that level of confidence.

Add to that the fact that I'm not entirely sure at which time I was in the library that day.

"Are you ready?"

I'm startled, look up at him with wide eyes and focus my gaze at the special watch. We're in an alcove where no one can see us right now. If everything goes according to plan, we'll come back here at the exact same moment, that way we won't even be missed.

If everything goes according to plan.

My head keeps coming up with scenarios wherein everything goes terribly wrong. We get stuck there, or the timeline explodes because there'll be two of us, or we'll go back and someone sees us.

My ribs hurt, I pinch my lips tightly together and nod. My hand about squeezes his bones to dust, but he merely smiles and activates the watch. One of the hands begins to rotate counter clockwise. Very slowly at first and then more quickly, until there is only a grey smudge visible. Around us little changes, but that can be because of the alcove. The light flashes. Would that be the change between night and day? The rising and setting of the sun? That also quickens, until we are clouded in a white haze. I keep my eyes focused on the watch and am too afraid to move. It's less than a year back in time, shouldn't we have been there by now? What if the watch malfunctions and we end up getting stuck in the dark ages.

Is the rotation slowing down? The flashing around us begins again and slows it's pace. The hand becomes visible once more and after blinking a few times, I see the clock stopped at precisely the moment we entered. I feel dizzy and need a few seconds to reduce the trembling of my fingers.

"Hey, look at me?"

Shakily I look up. Sorley's eyes are a bit too wide as well, but he smiles and places a hand on my cheek. "We're here, go put the book in the right place, then we can go back."

I nod, but remain standing where I am. My feet are uncooperative and my hands won't let him go. He seems to understand, because he steps out of the alcove, looks around and pulls me with him to the right bookcase.

The feeling of déjà vu puts me even more off balance and with a lot of effort, due to the fact my hands won't stop shaking, I take the booklet from my bag. Where did I find it? Over here? No, a shelf lower. With the empty blue side facing forward, a little behind the book next to it.

The picture in my mind adds up to what I see and blowing out the air I held, I look up at Sorley. He smiles and I smile back.

Suddenly I hear a familiar laugh and I glance sideways. "Oh, shoot, there's Isla and ..." Is that me? Seeing yourself from a distance is freaky.

Before I can say anything, Sorley pulls me with him. Back to the alcove. I try to look over my shoulder, but my sight is blocked because of the wall. Yeah, we need to leave. This was a little too close. Sorley already entered the right data and grabs my hand.

"Are you ready?" he asks me again and this time I vehemently move my head up and down. Yes, back to our time, back home. Where we'll be safe.

Where our future is waiting for us. A future that I never dared to dream about. Filled with adventures and new, exciting discoveries.

Just like in a book. Only for real.

The end