I'll Stop the World (77)

Rose raised an eyebrow as she turned onto Wilson Bridge. “Smells?”

Justin shrugged, fidgeting a bit in his seat. “You know, like how some people have certain smells—you can’t necessarily describe them, but as soon as you smell their scent, you know exactly who it is? Like Mrs. Hanley. Or like you, even.”

“I smell?”

“It’s a good smell. Like something sweet but also . . .” He trailed off, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Nope, I just said that I can’t describe it and I’m sticking to that. Just trust me, it’s a good smell.”

Rose wished more than anything that she could bend her head down and check to see if she smelled just then, and if it actually was a good smell or if he was just being polite, but there was no way to do that inconspicuously.

But if she was being honest, she knew exactly what he was talking about. Noah had a warm, slightly spicy scent to him, subtle but always present. She’d recognize it anywhere.

Justin’s scent was cooler, crisper. Different, but still pleasant. She fought a sudden strong urge to lean toward him and inhale deeply, but even though he was the one who had brought up smells in the first place, that seemed a little too strange.

“I never really thought about it before, how people smell,” Justin mused. He tilted his head sideways, considering. “Honestly, this whole time smells different.”

“How can time smell different?”

“It just does. I can’t explain it. Different chemicals in the air, I guess. Also, you guys smoke a lot.”

“I don’t smoke!”

“I didn’t mean you personally.”

“So, wait, people don’t smoke in the future?”

“No, they do, but you can’t smoke in public anymore. Although some places will still let you vape.”

“Vape?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. It’s dumb.”

They sat in silence for a minute, Rose kneading her hands on the steering wheel, her mind brimming with questions. This was the most he’d talked about the future since they’d met, and as much as she didn’t want to overwhelm him, she was hungry for more answers. She cleared her throat. “What else is different? You don’t have to tell me any of the big stuff, like who’s president or anything—”

Justin snorted. “Depends on who you ask.”

“Huh?”

“Trust me, you really don’t want to know.”

Well, now she kind of did want to know, but she’d said she wasn’t asking, so she didn’t push the subject. “Tell me something little. Something that won’t matter if I know it in advance.”

He ran a hand through his hair, staring out the window. “Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.”

“What? What happened to Pluto?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. Just got . . . demoted or something.”

“Demoted to what?”

Another shrug. “No idea.”

“Wow.” She caught herself looking up at the sky, like she might be able to spot Pluto in the distance.

“Friendship is different, in the future,” he said softly, pulling her attention away from the clouds.

Rose wrinkled her brows, confused. “How can friendship be different?”

“It’s hard to explain. It’s like . . . in the future, we’re all constantly in touch with each other through our phones and social media and stuff”—he’d explained to her that first night, when he kept asking to use her phone, what smartphones were, which, no matter how hard she tried to wrap her brain around them, still sounded like something out of science fiction—“but no one is ever really fully . . . there. Present. In the moment. We’re all always multitasking, and no one ever really gives anyone else their full attention. Not like people do here.”

Rose laughed humorlessly, thinking of Lisa, Noah—even her dad and Diane. “People don’t really do that here either.”

“Sure they do.” He looked at her, his blue eyes piercing. “You do. You’ve given me your full attention since the minute I got here.” He held her gaze a second longer, then looked away, flushing slightly as he ran a hand through his hair.

Her mouth went dry, heat trickling down the back of her neck. She cleared her throat a few times, unable to dislodge the lump that had suddenly appeared. “I just wish I was actually helping,” she said softly.

He sighed, dropping his head back against the headrest. “At least you’re trying,” he said, glancing at her sideways. “That’s more than I can say for most of the people in my life. If I even have a life anymore.”

“Not that it’s doing any good. The fire is this weekend, and we’re no closer to answers than we were on Saturday.”

“Yeah.” Justin pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and groaned. “Maybe it’s time we just admit it’s hopeless and give up.”

Rose shook her head, even though she knew he couldn’t see her with his hands still over his eyes. “Don’t say that.” She was quiet for a minute, debating with herself, then decided it couldn’t hurt to tell him. “You remember the night we met?”

Justin nodded. “Wow, that was only a few days ago, wasn’t it? Feels like longer.”