The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Read Online Free PDF Page B

He’s never invented anything before that he described as “important.” It makes me wonder if he really does have something special planned for this evening. Maybe he isn’t going to ask me to marry him, but at least maybe he really does want us to move in together. That would be great.
    I consider dressing up, going so far as to pull out my dark green Versace dress that I know is Adam’s favorite, but I ultimately opt for my usual jeans and a sweater. He’ll be dressed casually, so I’ll feel silly all dressed up. Plus it’s painfully obvious that Adam couldn’t really care less what I wear. He is less concerned with fashion than anyone I’ve ever met.
    I brave the subway and make it uptown in about half an hour. It’s quiet on his street, and I can hear the clip-clop of my sandals echoing against the pavement. Adam lives in a largely residential area, but just a few blocks away, there are tons of restaurants, including a dim sum place that’s to die for. One thing I don’t see today are any rabbits. Not even one. Thank God.
    When Adam opens the door to his house, he’s smiling and his face has a glow that’s very familiar. I squint at him, “Have you been drinking?”
    Adam smiles wider and shows me his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. “Just a bit. It’s a really exciting day. Really exciting.”
    I slip inside and close the door behind me. “Is that so?”
    “Life changing,” he says, his brown eyes wide behind his spectacles.
    “Is that so?” I ask again, my heart pounding slightly. Life changing? What does that mean?
    Adam nods. “Definitely.”
    He wheels himself down the hallway and into the living room and I follow him, my heart still thumping in my chest. I really have no idea what he’s going to show me, but I’m starting to get the feeling it’s nothing romantic. I mean, if it were, he’d have me in his lap right now. I wouldn’t be racing after him, trying to keep up because he’s so damn excited.
    When we get into the living room, Adam points proudly to something in the middle of the room. “Here it is.”
    My jaw falls open. I know exactly what that is.
    “You stole my step,” I say angrily.
    Adam stares at me blankly. “What?”
    “My step!” I say. I cannot believe this, honestly. “You took it! I’ve been looking for it for months!”
    Adam looks down at the step that I bought about a year ago for my step aerobics. When I started spending more time here, I brought the step over, thinking I could do my exercise DVD. I didn’t even have a chance to do the video once, because when I returned to his house a few days later, the step had vanished. It’s not exactly small—about two feet in length—so I genuinely couldn’t understand how it had disappeared. I even asked Adam about it, and he had no clue what I was talking about.
    Now it all makes sense. Adam took it. For reasons that are beyond me.
    “I didn’t know it was yours,” he says, sounding a little baffled.
    “Where did you get it?” I ask.
    He shifts in his wheelchair. “I found it. In my living room.”
    “And you didn’t think it was odd that this big step suddenly appeared in your living room one day?”
    “I guess not.” Adam shrugs sheepishly. The crazy thing is, I believe him. I don’t think he meant to steal my step and drive me insane searching for it. He just saw it, figured it was something he needed, and took it. Remind me not to leave my wallet lying around.
    “I’m sorry, Claudia,” Adam says to me. “I didn’t know it was yours. I can buy you a new one.”
    “I already bought a new one,” I say. “And believe me, I will never ever bring it here.”
    “You can if you want,” he says.
    “No way,” I say. “Obviously, my steps aren’t safe around you. Whatever you made with my first step, I’m sure a second step would make it twice as good.”
    “I’m really sorry.” Adam’s cheeks are pink now. “How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”
    I wave my hand. Adam is