“Every day is exactly the same; every day is exactly the same. There is no love here, and there is no-” I silenced my alarm with a quick jab at the volume key; this day was going to suck. Sunlight streamed in through the tiny gap between the curtain and the wall, letting in just enough light to shine into my eyes. Fuck I hate the sun, one day I swear I’ll stop it from rising. I rolled out of bed, causing my feet to touch the cold, hard floor. I stumbled sullenly into the bathroom and lazily swung at the shower nozzle, but nothing happened. Determinedly I firmly grasped the nozzle and twisted it into the “On” position, still nothing.

“Hey Chris, what’s wrong with the water?” I yelled, hoping that my girlfriend, Christina, was still in our little apartment and somehow heard me. “It’s not working; the landlord said he was sending someone to fix it,” came the reply in an annoyed-sounding tone, “Now hurry up or I’m going to be late for school!” I had lived in this apartment in North Carolina for three years and my girlfriend still hadn’t learned to drive; so it was my “pleasure” to take her back and forth to her classes before I went to work, today sans shower. I slumped over the bathroom sink and stared into the mirror. My hair was all over the place, I grew it out because I liked how it looked, but after waking up I looked like someone had given Einstein a jolt. My green eyes were surrounded by little red cracks, like lava was about to start seeping out of the landscape of my eyes. And of course, there were zits, zits, zits everywhere; I never remembered having quite this many before I moved here.

Gaining some composure I squeezed some toothpaste out onto my brush and started scraping it around in my mouth. After a few seconds of good scrubbing, I reached my hands under the faucet and….. no water, how could I forget that there wasn’t any water? “Come on, move your ass!” Christina yelled from downstairs, she had been getting less and less patient lately. So I pulled on some boxers, rinsed the toothpaste out of my mouth with mouthwash, and began my journey down the spiral staircase to the front door, Rise Against t-shirt just below my eyes and my left leg in a pair of blue jeans. “I can’t believe this, what the fuck takes you so long? I’m gonna be late!”

Christina is my girlfriend, she has been since I was 18; that’s a long story though, and I really don’t like telling it. But for what it’s worth, I doubt I would have done things any other way, even if I could have. She was average height, about 5’10” with C-cup boobs and a chubby frame; her ass was nice and round, it used to be really firm and tight, but, time changes all things. Despite this, I never really found her unattractive, even when she insistently pierced her left ear in ten different places so it was not only asymmetrical, but more metal than flesh. She dyed her hair black to hide her brown “normal” roots, and her stone-gray eyes were accentuated by a pair of thin-framed glasses. None of this, however, distracted me from the fact that she was a total bitch in the morning.

“What are you staring at? We need to leave now!” Somehow I knew this was my fault, but why I couldn’t tell you. So I grabbed my keys and venom-hoodie along with a can of coke and strode out the door. “Where are your shoes?” Christina asked, following me out and getting in the passenger seat. “You said I didn’t have time, so I’ll drive barefoot, we only live fifteen minutes away.” This conversation wouldn’t end well for me, they never do. “You can’t drive without shoes, it’s illegal! Oh my god, your eyes are fucking crimson, are you high?” “I got high last night, I’m completely sober, trust me. You know I wouldn’t drive if I was even the least bit up there, just buckle up and let’s go.” I tried to keep the exasperation out of my voice, but clearly I failed. “We’re not going anywhere until you get some shoes on. And hurry up, my class starts in twenty-five minutes!” I should have been nicer, maybe humored her a little; instead I stomped on the gas pedal and swung a tight arc around the corner.

Quick as I could I flicked the little switch and my MP3 player came to life, immediately blasting Dope’s “Nothing for Me Here” as I tore down the little residential street. Any comments made by Christina were drowned out by the anguished vocals of the music; that was exactly how I liked it. The car ride only took thirteen minutes, and I didn’t get pulled over for not wearing shoes (go figure), but Christina was still scowling when I dropped her off on the curb outside her school. “Have fun!” I called, not expecting to be heard over my stereo, now blasting “Down with the Sickness” at the throng of college-goers. I drove home peacefully to await the plumber who would hopefully fix the water in our apartment so I could get a quick shower in before I went to work.

I didn’t know when I had fallen asleep, or how long I’d been out for, but what I awoke to was an angry pounding on the front door. Why the fuck do people in this state pound down the door like they’re the fucking FBI? It was just the plumber, apparently I had slept through his first few knocks and he had “Places to be y’know?”. So I let him in and followed him up to the bathroom, after that I kinda spaced out, I had no idea what magic he worked, but the water started working again. I hunted down my wallet and asked him what the tab was, but he informed me that my landlord had covered it. I gave him $10 as a tip, I always feel awkward when people tell me that something has already been paid for.

So I took my shower as quickly as I could, not having enough time to pleasure myself like I usually do under the soothing hot water. In no time at all I was back in my t-shirt and jeans combo, pulling on my steel-toe boots and rummaging around for my venom-hoodie. Luckily I had a job behind the deli counter of my local grocery store, less than a mile away; I could have taken my car there, but instead I decided to walk there, that was how I got most of my exercise. The work day flew by uneventfully, there isn’t much demand for deli meats in this state, which was probably why I was the only person who worked in this store. I got about four customers that day, and at least seven people came over to ask for help finding specific items on the shelves.

Before very long I was back in my apartment, pulling off my boots and throwing my hoodie onto a chair in the corner of the room. Christina had gotten a ride home from school, her friends were nice enough about that; she was watching SVU on my PS3, which was sadly where most of its use came from. “Hey dork, how was school?” Of course I knew what was going to happen, but I did it anyways. Christina blurted, “My economics teacher is such a bitch! She keeps complaining about how I don’t take notes in her class, but all her tests are closed-book. So I go in to class today for my exam, and she says that this test can be open-book. She just does it because she knows I don’t have any notes. But she won’t let anybody share their notes with me. Seriously, what the fuck?” I probably should have been nicer, but I’d heard this story the last time she had an economics test, so my reply was, “You know what you should do? Continue to not take notes in her class, but after copy your friend’s notes, so next time she lets you have an open notebook test, you whip out your notes and go ‘gotcha bitch!'” The look I get for this is less than thankful, she scowled at me for a minute then turned away completely. “If you’re not going to be helpful then why do you even ask how my day was?” I didn’t have an answer for that, instead I dragged my feet over to my DVD case and took out a small zip-lock bag. I closed the bathroom door behind me and turned on the fan.

“You’re such a fucking stoner!” I heard screamed from the sofa, but I didn’t really care, I was too busy lighting my first pull of the night. This was how I wound down from work, life, and especially my girlfriend. It wasn’t the healthiest of habits, either physically or psychologically, but I enjoyed feeling disconnected from the world, like for a few minutes, I wasn’t myself. Of course I was still myself, but when I was high it really didn’t bother me as much. So I pulled and pulled and exhaled all my problems in a puff of white smoke, curling and twisting its way into the bathroom fan.

Confidently I strode out of the bathroom, stumbling over to the DVD case and depositing my much-beloved baggie. “You’re such a moron when you’re high, I’m going to bed.” I lazily spun my head to watch her leave, “I love you.” I called after her, a habit I’d developed whenever she left for bed. “I love you too,” was her reply from the top of the stairs. I dropped onto the sofa and really thought for a moment about if I actually loved Christina or not; she wasn’t always a total bitch, we actually used to have a great time before we moved in together. For a while I wondered if all couples were like this, coming together passionately and creating this spark of a relationship, then slowly drifting apart until the lack of oxygen snuffs out the flame of their love. Then I thought about food, and decided to raid the fridge for pudding, grape juice, and ham. No, I don’t know why I ate these things, they just tasted good.

There was a loud banging somewhere nearby, probably Christina trying to make herself breakfast. “Mmmrrrr!” I growled, as eloquent a noise as I could make considering how early I thought it was. “Well I wouldn’t have woken you up if you’d just come to bed last night. Why don’t you come to bed anymore?” She was actually very good at asking questions I don’t know the answer to. The banging resumed and Christina started to whistle to herself, while stirring what smelled like Alfredo sauce. Finally giving up, I fell off the sofa and crawled up the spiral stairs, climbing up to the full-size bed and cocooning myself in the blanket.

Unfortunately this was not to be either, as Christina was soon in bed next to me, pulling the covers away and snuggling up to my slumbering form. “So I’ve been thinking, maybe you haven’t been coming to bed because we don’t have sex enough.” This got my attention, so I rolled over and replied “That could be it, let’s find out, shall we?” My answer came swiftly as Christina’s lips pressed firmly up against mine before parting and letting her tongue explore the inside of my mouth. Almost immediately she pulled back, “On second thought, your breath reeks, how about we just do it this way.”

With that she spun around, throwing her right leg over my head and then straddling my face, her round ass taking a prominent position in my line of sight. She clearly hadn’t shaved in a while, so her puffy lower lips were covered in a dense forest of thick, curly hairs. That wouldn’t deter me though, so I leaned forward and licked her outer lips, slowly dragging my tongue back and forth across them before pushing deeper and tonguing her opening. Christina was pulling down my boxers teasingly, taking her time to get them down to my ankles and pushing her soft breasts against my throbbing cock. My cock wasn’t very big, it was technically below average, but I always felt that I could do worse than having 5″ to work with. Her juices were tangy as I licked deeper and deeper into the folds of her pussy, pushing my tongue as far into her as I could and wiggling it around. She must have liked that because I felt her gasp as she was slowly rubbing my cock up and down. I traced the tip of my tongue in a circle around her clit, teasing along the edges without actually touching it, making Christina’s legs tense in anticipation. Christina herself was now busily licking the tip of my cock, flicking her tongue across the underside of it, then swirling it in a tight circle, she had quite a talent for blowjobs. This didn’t last long though, as Christina lifted herself off me and got down on all fours.

I didn’t hesitate to get behind her and line up my dick with the opening to her pussy, “Are you ready?” I asked, though I probably shouldn’t have. “Of course I am, that is why I’m bent over like this.” So I eased myself in slowly, entering a little, then pulling out and pushing back in just a little bit harder. “I really need to orgasm, can you please move faster?” Her wish was my command, I thrust forcefully into her wet pussy, shoving myself in to the hilt, then pulling out quickly and shoving right back in. I managed to time my thrusts at a decent pace, not too exhausting, but fast enough to make her gasps for air become short moans of pleasure. Her breasts swayed seductively under her and I just had to squeeze one. I leaned forward and grasped her boob firmly, rubbing the nipple between my fingers. They were so soft and fun, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching around with my other hand to grab her second boob, my hips thrusting forward and Christina impaling herself back onto my manhood. “Fuck that’s good, just don’t stop, please, I’m getting close!”

I wasn’t planning on stopping there, I let go of her breasts and slammed my cock in as far as it could go and held it there. This caused Christina to shudder and let out a loud moan. Slowly I took my cock out then I slammed it back in again, over and over, making her shudder a little harder each time. “I’m gonna come, I’m, I’m now! I’m coming now!” With that announcement I started ramming my cock into her rapidly, my hips making a loud slapping noise as they repeatedly collided with her butt cheeks.”Fuck!” She screamed as I kept hammering into her over and over, her walls squeezing my cock like a slippery vice. Now my orgasm was approaching, and I thrust furiously into her, each time my dick slid into her I came a little bit closer to exploding. “I’m gonna cum!” I announced, humping desperately in and out of her tight cunt. “Pull it out, cum on my ass.” Christina implored while strumming her clit rapidly. I pulled my cock out and started stroking it heavily, squeezing the tip as my fingers brushed past it. “Shit, I’m coming!” The first spurts of my cum flew out and hit her just below her shoulders, the rest falling shorter and shorter until the last few drops fell to the cheeks of her ass.

My head fell back and all will to remain upright fled, leaving me to fall back onto the bed, my head just barely missing the wall and landing on the soft pillows. “Do you see the mess you’ve made? I’m taking a shower, care to join me?” Try as I might, I couldn’t lift myself to follow her as her hips swayed to the bathroom. “I can’t move, rain-check though.” Christina turned in the bathroom doorway and mockingly replied “Your loss,” then she rubbed her hands along her pussy and gave a light moan; leaving no illusions about what she was planning to do in the bath tub.

I lie back on the bed, my head nestled in the warm pillows that Christina had littered the bed with. For some reason sex was the biggest disappointment in my adult life, I always felt that it was supposed to be more than what it was, like there was supposed to be some emotional connection. As it was, sex was only fifteen to thirty minutes of frenzied humping followed by a powerful release of endorphins. This wasn’t all bad, I guessed, just not really how I’d always imagined it. My eyes closed and I started to drift off, but Christina wasn’t going to allow that, not on her time. “You’ve slept enough, it’s 3o’clock already, move your ass.” She said, while simultaneously pulling the covers off my naked form.

Sadly this was not an uncommon way to start my day, so I slowly made my way out of bed and pulled on my clothes. My head was pounding and I could hardly stand up, let alone take a shower, so instead I tied my long hair in a rubber band behind my head and stumbled down the spiral staircase to the kitchen. “Caffeine, need caffeine!” I groaned, pulling an Irish Blend Monster out of the fridge and chugging it down as fast as I could. The effect was almost immediate, the fog in my head started to clear and the room stopped spinning; this was another of my minor addictions that was probably not the best thing for me, but caffeine was what woke me up in the morning. Especially on mornings like this, and they had been occurring more and more often since I’d moved to North Carolina.

Deciding against socks, I pulled my black steel-toe boots on and hastily tied them in a loose knot, since I wasn’t planning on walking far. “I’m checking the mail, be back in 5 minutes.” I yelled up the staircase to Christina, who was probably listening to music. My apartment was a small brick building literally across the street from the post office, so checking the mail was a near-daily event for me. Step by step I carried myself arduously to the small building and checked my mail box. As usual there was a small yellow slip which meant that a package had arrived for one of us; most likely Chris since I hadn’t ordered anything recently.

“Hi,” I greeted the man behind the service counter, “Box 934 Please.” Because I came here so often I didn’t really have to say what box I was here for, and the haggard man behind the counter had the package almost instantly. “Here ya go,” the man replied cheerily “have a nice day.” “You too.” I replied, that was becoming a habit, I noted as I took the package and left. On my way back across the street I looked and the parcel itself, curiously finding that it was addressed to me instead of my girlfriend. What I found even weirder is that it said that it was from my Grandpa in Florida, whom I’d only met a handful of times in my life.

I flung open the screen door, catching its return with my foot while I unlocked and pushed open the front door. Casually tossing the package onto the sofa, I removed my belt and kicked off my boots, which thudded heavily on the fake-wood floors. Finally I fell back into the sofa and opened the small parcel, carefully trying not to disturb the paper that the small box was held in. Inside the box were a plain-looking brown mechanical watch and a letter written on printing paper. Why do people write notes on printing paper? I unfolded the note and read to myself:

Dear Jonathan,

I know that I haven’t really been there for you, but now I think I’ve found a way to make up for that. The enclosed watch is more than it seems, it can control time! No seriously, try it out if you don’t believe me, but be careful, once you change the past, you change every event after that as well. I hope that you’ll use this special gift to make up for my past wrongs and spend more time with me.

All my love,
Grandpa

I tried to hold back a chuckle, why did my grandpa think that I’d believe and insane story like that? Time travel was impossible and if he had invented it, why didn’t he just use it himself? Especially if he resented not seeing me enough when I was younger? The watch was nice though, so I set it to the current time that my cell phone told me and I clicked the small nub that started the watch. The second hand began to silently move forward, second by second; “Well, at least the watch works.” I thought to myself and shrugged. Little did I know that the watch would change my life forever.

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