The 95th Floor

by N R Brooks

  When I felt I could exercise no more, I took a hot shower in the gym facilities and got dressed and headed into Manhattan. When I arrived, I parked my car in my reserved spot and immediately headed into the building where she lived. It was still rather early, and I was almost hesitant to knock on her door, but eventually relented and knocked lightly.

  After a few moments, I heard the locks slide and the bolt click and the door opened. I immediately felt bad as I saw I had woken her from her sleep. Even with sleepy eyes and no makeup, I felt like I was staring at the personification of perfection.

  “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. It’s just…I…” I said feeling ashamed.

  She just smiled at me and gave a tired sounding giggle. “I was waiting for you.”

  “R-really? You look like you were sleeping. How…”

  “Just get in here, silly.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside her tiny apartment.

  She shut the door and just twisted the bolt lock, not worrying about the other locks. She pulled me over to her bed where she laid back down and pulled me down to lay with her. We laid there for a moment, and I wasn’t sure if she had fallen back asleep or not. I just enjoyed being there, lying down, feeling her body pressed up against mine.

  “I’m sorry. I just had a horrible dream this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I dreamt that you had died in a horrible accident and…I just had to make sure you were okay.” I confessed as we lied on her bed.

  “I was dreaming about you too. I was hoping you would come and lay down with me.”

  “Well, here I am. I missed you.” I said in her ear.

  “I love you too…” She said with nearly a whisper.

  The last word trailed off as I could hear her breathing deeply back to sleep. I knew she was out. I just laid there with her and kept her warm and comfortable.

  She told me she loved me. Did she truly mean it or was she just talking in her near sleep? I didn’t want to bring it up later. I would just wait for her to say it when she is fully conscious and aware of her surroundings. For now, I was more than happy just being next to her. She must be comfortable with me now since she made me lay with her. I sat and let her words churn in my head over and over. I wasn’t sure if she meant it, but whether she did or not, I felt like the luckiest man alive at that moment.

  I pressed my face against her hair to take in her scent, and before I knew it, I was sound asleep, pressed against the one thing that meant the most to me.

  I opened my eyes after a few hours to see that I was once again sleeping alone, but in an actual bed for once. I must have only been asleep for about two hours, but I felt as if I had gotten a full night’s rest. I sat up and saw Keiko sitting in a chair still in her pajamas drinking a mug of coffee, just looking at me. She took a sip from the steaming mug and looked at me, smiling. She giggled and crinkled her nose when I realized she was looking at me while I slept.

  “Good morning. You know, you are cute when you sleep.” She said to me when I finally registered where I was.

  “I’m sure I look much cuter when you are sleeping with me.”

  “Oh really now? Well, I will admit, you are mighty comfortable.” She got up and walked over to me in the bed.

  “I’m sorry again for waking you earlier.” I still felt bad for coming over as early as I did.

  “Stop apologizing. I told you I was waiting for you.”

  “You did. I didn’t know if you were just talking in your sleep or not.”

  “I was awake. I just had a feeling you would come knocking, and my body was prepared for it. I was kind of hoping you would anyways.” She ran her finger up and down the length of my arm as she spoke to me.

  “I am glad. I really did sleep like shit last night. I kept worrying about you and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I just had to make sure you were okay.” I told her as I looked directly in her eyes. “But, thanks to you, the last two hours of sleep next to you more than made up for it. I feel great now.”

  She giggled again and got up to get cleaned up. “You always know the right things to say.”

  “Well, in my defense, I only say it because I mean it.”

  “That makes me happy.” She walked into the small bathroom and turned on the water for a shower. “What is on the agenda today?”

  “I am taking you out, so you get to pick what we do and where we go.”

  She poked her head out from behind the door “Oh no, mister. You aren’t from around here, so you pick where you want to go. I know all the places around town.”

  “It is my treat. I asked you out, so it is your job to pick where you want to go. That’s that.” I said in a teasing tone with a hint of finality.

  “Oh, fine, you win this time.” She wrinkled her nose at me. “We will finish this after my shower.”

  She closed the bathroom door and once again I was all alone. I walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a mug. I noticed on the counter the book that she was reading at the pizzeria the other night when the douchebag was trying to hit on her. It was the same book I had purchased in my time period. I flipped open the front cover to see the very same sticker that I would peel off at a later date. I suddenly felt a bite of regret for doing it.

  I read the short message written by her grandmother and I was immediately hit with the visual memory of the web article I read back in my original time. I closed the book and walked away. It was all just too depressing. I am here with her now; I don’t want anything ever to happen to her. I will make sure of it.

  I sat down and drank the mug of coffee and looked through her book collection again. Without her gorgeous face to distract me, I was able to focus on all of the rows of titles. So many great books, many I have read, and some I have not. I pulled one of the books that I did not own. It was a book about ancient civilizations and recent archaeological findings in Turkey and other areas of the Middle East. As I was thumbing through the pages and looking at some of the pictures, the bathroom door opened and Keiko stepped out with her hair wrapped in a towel and another one hugging tightly around her chest and down to the upper part of her thighs.

  I immediately closed the book and set it in my lap. One glance at her in just those towels was enough to make my crotch begin to move. I felt like a young boy in middle school who gets called to the front of the room just as he is pitching a tent in his pants.

  “Well, that was fast,” I said, feeling awkward.

  “It shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes to shower, you know.” She said, teasing me.

  “True. I have to shower at the gym I frequent in the mornings. So I take mine pretty quickly.”

  She noticed the book I was looking at. “Oh, that is a great book! Have you read that one?”

  I looked down at the book but didn’t dare pick it up or move it. “Ah no. I was just flipping through it because it was one I haven’t read yet.”

  She walked over to me and picked the book up, exposing a pointed lump in my jeans. “Here, let me show you thi—” Then she noticed it. “Whoa boy, what is going on down there?” She looked at me with a big grin.

  “Heh, yeah. Sorry, I can’t help it. You in the towels and all…” My face felt like it was cooking from the inside.

  She apparently found this quite hilarious.

  “Hahaha! Wow. I am speechless. And somewhat embarrassed.”

  “No! Don’t be. Trust me, it is a huge compliment. Let me just adjust here…” I fixed my jeans so my excitement was less noticeable.

  “Oh man. That is hilarious. Never had anyone say that to me. Never really been in a situation like this, to be honest. I’m going to just grab some clothes and get dressed. Hahaha.” She laughed her way to the bathroom and closed the door. I was slightly disappointed as my hard-on would have to tend to itself. Maybe next time.

  I put the book back on the shelf and just sat on the chair with my mug of coffee, just thinking about the last couple of minutes. I felt somewhat ashamed now of myself. It wasn’t like I intenti
onally exposed what was on my mind. If women only knew how involuntary the male organ can be.

  After I was satisfied that I had regained control over my own penis, I grabbed the book again that I had been looking at earlier and began flipping through it again. I scoured the various sections and found one that sounded interesting and began to read while I waited for Keiko to finish getting dressed.

  I became completely engrossed in the book I was reading and lost track of time. I had no idea how long I had been reading or how long Keiko had been getting ready but my attention to the book was finally broken when I heard the bathroom door open, and I saw Keiko step out. She was fully dressed in jeans and a small black v-neck t-shirt but had her hair straightened and brushed, and she had put on just the minimal amount of makeup. I was entranced with her. She was perfect just how she looked after waking up. Now there was no word to describe her.

  “Damn…” Was all I could say.

  “Oh come on now, I’m not even dressed up.” She said looking embarrassed.

  “Seriously. I have to ask this. Are you…really human? No person could look as good as you.” I wasn’t trying to sound corny, but I couldn’t really think of anything else to say. It took everything I had to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.

  “You are too much. But thank you anyways. And yes, I am human.” She rolled her eyes playfully at this. “Anyways, so what are we doing today?”

  “I told you, it is up to you. Whatever you want, my dear. The day is yours.” I gave a bow as I said the cheesy line.

  “Well, I don’t care what we do, as long as I can spend the day with you.” She knew how to hit right at the heart.

  “I feel the exact same way. We can go and get root canals together, and I would be perfectly happy as long as you are there with me.” I actually meant this.

  “Wow. Okay, you got me with that one. Well, why don’t we just see where the day takes us? Let’s just mosey around and see what happens?”

  “That sounds great to me. At least it is a plan.”

  I went into the bathroom to use some mouthwash as I wanted the freshest breath possible for the beginning of our outing. I had yet to feel the touch of her soft lips upon mine, so if today was the day, I at least wanted fresh breath. After feeling like I was finally ready, I opened the door and motioned for her to lead the way.

  “After you, m’lady.”

  “Why, thank you, good sir.” She said, playing along.

  We grabbed our coats, left her apartment and started walking the streets of Manhattan with no destination in mind, just enjoying each other’s company.

  Chapter 12

  We strolled aimlessly through the streets of lower Manhattan. We didn’t know where we were going—we didn’t care. We just walked together, hand in hand, conversing back and forth to each other about whatever came to mind. She would occasionally ask me what I wanted to see in the city. And every time I would reply with “I am already looking at her.” She would brush it off as a cheesy pickup line, but I think deep down she knew I wasn’t joking and was completely serious.

  We walked all the way down West Broadway until we were at the twin towers where she worked. We sat outside and listened to the overhead music playing and just talked and talked. When we started to get too cold from sitting, we got up and wandered through the underground mall.

  I had no bank account, so I kept all of my earnings as cash. By this point, I had so much cash on me that it would no longer all fit in my wallet, even after exchanging it for larger bills. With no obligations, my money just kept piling up. Now I finally had something to spend it on. I made Keiko lead the way and told her she could have whatever she wanted. Like me though, she felt bad having me spending money on things she wanted. I insisted that it was perfectly okay, but she only let me purchase a few items of clothing for her.

  Once she had enough of the mall, we headed back up the island. We came across a store that was a favorite for both of us. Barnes & Noble Bookstores. Alone, I could spend hours in here simply looking—of course in my original time, this was the only true bookstore left as all the others had gone out of business. With the both of us, we might have been there all day long had I not suggested we view some other parts of the city. Not before we walked out of there with a stack of new books for both of us.

  We decided to drop our purchases off at her apartment and then make our way up to Central Park. It looked like quite a distance on a map, but it really didn’t take long. We were so distracted by each other that time really didn’t exist. Before we knew it, we were amidst the throng of pedestrians in Times Square.

  As we were walking, Keiko stopped and began gazing at one of the overhead LCD screens displaying the news. I stopped and turned around to see what it was that stole her attention.

  “Oh wow. They found another one.” She said, staring at the large display that was surrounded by smaller ticker screens that curved around the corner of the building.

  “Another what?” I asked before also looking at the screen.

  “Another one of those…black things. They don’t know what they are.”

  “Black things?” I asked, confused.

  On the screen, a tiny black orb looking thing was shown inside of a sinkhole in Southern California. It was late morning over there still. It looked like something I heard mentioned shortly after New Years when I was still in Idaho, living in my little shack on the canyon wall.

  “That is like the fifth or sixth one they have found this year,” Keiko informed me.

  “Really? I remember hearing about one earlier in the year. I think it was in Nebraska or someplace. I haven’t heard about any others though.” That was mostly due to my lack of listening or watching the news.

  “They have been on the news every couple months. Just in the last few, they found three of them.”

  “The last couple months, huh?” I said as I was reflecting on recent events.

  “Yeah, nobody knows what they are. A few months ago they showed one up close, and it is the weirdest thing. They shined a light on it, and there is absolutely no reflection at all. And no matter what angle you look at it, they always look like they are flat. Like they are two dimensional or something. It is so odd.” She said sounding somewhat excited by it.

  I admit I too found it fascinating. Not just because of the strange nature of it, but the fact that I still have no recollection of hearing about these things from my own timeline.

  “That is crazy…” I said caught up in my reflection. I must have sounded disinterested, which really wasn’t the case because Keiko started walking again.

  “Let’s keep going. Central Park isn’t much further.”

  I loyally obeyed and trailed along right behind her until I caught up to walk at her side once more.

  When we finally arrived, I was simply awestruck at the enormity of the park. Huge doesn’t even begin to describe just how large this park was. It was literally the size of a small town. You could spend all day just walking the many trails and navigating the lakes and hidden areas the park has to offer. The only thing that was more amazing than the park itself was my companion at my side. We walked to the Bethesda Fountain off the body of water simply known as The Lake and sat down just taking in the view together. I figured now would be the best time to really get to know each other.

  “The view is beautiful,” I said, looking at Keiko rather than the lake.

  “I know, I never get tired of…wait, you aren’t even looking at the lake!” She said when she realized what I really meant.

  I laughed and nudged her lightly. “Took you long enough! But the fact remains.”

  “Jeez, save some of that charm for later!”

  “Oh trust me, I have more than enough for you.” I put my arm around her and pulled her closer.

  “So tell me about you while you were growing up. What were you like as a kid?” She asked after a few moments of silence.

  I took a deep breath as this would take a little bit of work to pull off without
slipping. “Well, you already know I came here from Idaho. I lived in a small town called Canyon. As you can guess, it sits on the edge of a pretty deep canyon.”

  “Really? That is awesome. Is it like the Grand Canyon?”

  “Not quite, it is deep but pretty narrow. It is like a huge crack in the ground. People like to parachute off the bridge there. Evel Knievel tried jumping the canyon back in the 70s, I don’t know if you read about that or saw it anywhere. It didn’t end well for him but the ramp he used is still there.”

  “Ohh! That sounds fun. I want to see it.” She said with wonder in her eyes.

  “I would love to take you some day. That is really the only interesting thing about the place though. It is pretty dull compared to what you have here. Literally, this place has everything.” I said expressing my own wonder with the city.

  “Everything except for a canyon you can parachute into.” She snapped back.

  “Well, true. Anyways, I was born and raised there. I lived there pretty much my entire life. This is really the first time I have ever left the state to tell you the truth.” I felt ashamed admitting this.

  “What were you like in school?” She quizzed me.

  “I…uh…well, I was always pretty quiet. I don’t really like being around crowds of people. I didn’t really get picked on or anything, I just preferred to keep to myself. I had a girlfriend in high school and—”

  “I don’t want to hear about other girls you were with. I just want to know about you.” She nuzzled up to me when she said that. Was that jealousy I was sensing?