Time’s Misplaced Love Novel – When my husband arrived to pick me up from the hospital, my best friend, Kylie Hancock, was sitting in the passenger seat. Her smile was bright, as always, but there was a hint of possessiveness in the air. She had no intention of giving up her seat, despite my presence in the back. “Long time no see, Mrs. Carlson,” Kylie said, her voice light but with a knowing tone. “I’ve been in the passenger seat for so long, I think it’s fair to ask if I can sit here just a bit longer, especially since I’ve just returned to the country.” Kendrick Carlson, sitting in the driver’s seat, didn’t respond directly. Instead, he changed the topic. “How did the inspection results go?” I clenched the gestation report in my hand, gripping it tightly before opening the backseat door and slowly slipping inside. “Just indigestion,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
I had assumed Kylie wouldn’t be at today’s class reunion, given that she’d been abroad for three years and was doing so well. If I had known she would be there, I might have reconsidered attending. “Jude, how come you’re still so delicate? I didn’t think even indigestion could land you in the hospital,” Kylie remarked lightly. “Such a waste of medical resources.” She still used my old nickname, as if we were still as close as we once were. Her words stung more than I cared to admit. She tapped the shiny decoration on the dashboard and added, “And Kendrick, your car is so expensive, I wonder what people are saying. Are you really a man?” Kendrick simply chuckled and didn’t even take his eyes off the road. “She liked it,” he said casually. Kylie scoffed, her tone dismissive. “Tsk, pretending to be the boss with all that money.
Without me, who would have helped you get where you are?” The corner of Kendrick’s lips curved up into a smile, one I hadn’t seen in a long time. But it only made my mood feel colder, like the chill of an icy wind. The air conditioning blasted in the car, and I pulled a thin blanket around myself, trying to block out the discomfort. “Are you cold?” Kendrick asked, glancing at me through the rearview mirror, his concern obvious. He reached for the temperature control. But Kylie suddenly grabbed his hand, her grip firm. “Ah! But I’m so hot.
If you’re cold, why don’t you open the window and let the hot air in? It’s almost over anyway, so let’s just bear with it,” she said, her voice light and teasing. Her hand remained in his as he nodded, seemingly agreeing. They both settled back into the car, and for a moment, the warmth between them felt suffocating. Kendrick’s words broke the silence, though. “You two were always so different. One of you is always too cold, the other too hot. How did you manage to live together back then?” he mused aloud. Kylie didn’t respond.
She just fiddled with her phone, her eyes avoiding mine. The silence between us felt like guilt hanging in the air. I smiled faintly. “Did you forget? She used to go out with you every day back then, never staying in the dormitory.” The silence deepened, and I could almost hear the weight of memories that none of us wanted to revisit. Kendrick didn’t respond, and Kylie stayed quiet as well, looking down at her phone. The space between us seemed to stretch farther with each passing moment.
I had known Kylie since we were children. Her father passed away when we were young, and her mother worked as a maid in our household. We had shared everything—our bed, our clothes, our secrets, and late-night talks about the boys in our class. It wasn’t until much later that I realized we had both fallen in love with Kendrick. At first, I invited Kylie along on our dates, thinking it would be fun. But over time, I started to notice that whenever the three of us hung out, I was the one sent to buy drinks or run errands. They started hanging out more often without me. They’d go on motorcycle trips, go to internet cafes, or