The “Time Slip” Club

“Come on! Stop learning for today and come with me!”. I knew that when Tom set his mind to something, especially when it came to weekend fun, hardly anything would stop him.

“You know I have an important exam next week. If I go to the ‘time flip’ with you”, “Time Slip, it’s called Time Slip”, Tom interrupted me. “And I’m glad you agreed, it’s going to be bombastic!”. I gave up.

In the evening, Tom picked me up with his girlfriend, Lara. I’m an introvert and don’t particularly like going to parties or clubs. This is probably also why I’ve been single longer since my relationship with Sunny broke up over a year ago.

We got into Lara’s car and drove off. The city passed us by with its colourful lights and countless people on the street who were not at home for some reason. The club was outside the city and was the talk of the town, not just on the campus.

It seemed to be something special, and entry was by invitation only. How Tom managed to get such an invitation was a mystery to me. Well, it could be because of his rich dad. He certainly wasn’t short of connections.

The lights and the restless hustle and bustle of people were fading fast. Soon, the lights disappeared; with them, other people reminded me of the insects on the lantern on a summer night.

After a while, I recognised rays of light illuminating the clouds, and a dull vibration from the music pressed uncomfortably into my stomach. We had arrived.

The club’s building was more inconspicuous than I had imagined. For being so exclusive, it was even shabby from the outside. Above the entrance, the neon sign “Time Slip” shone in a kitschy 80s style.

However, the club’s exterior was deceptive, as was its modern and expensive interior. A supposedly well-known DJ played the music, and visitors danced the night away on the dance floor.

Tom showed us to the bar and told us that one of the lounge tables had been reserved for us as a surprise. That must have cost a lot of connections or even money, I thought to myself.

While Tom stocked up on alcohol for us, I turned around to the dance floor. And there I saw her. I know it sounds cheesy, but that evening, I saw the perfect-looking woman for me. It wasn’t her undeniably good looks or flawless figure. For me, these were trivialities. But her eyes, which formed little wrinkles on the outer rim when she laughed, drew me in with the power of a star.

Lara followed my gaze and smiled at me. “Have you found someone?” she asked mischievously. “Do you want to invite her to our table?”. “I don’t think I’d ever dare,” I replied without taking my eyes off my star.

“What are you studying, if you don’t mind me asking?” Eve asked me. “Oh, nothing exciting,” I said and felt the blush rise to my face. “And what unexciting things are you studying then?” Eve kept smiling. Those eyes! “Physics. I’m studying physics,” I tried to sound casual, but I knew I was too nervous.

“Oh!” she raised one eyebrow. Then we’re both studying something unexciting,” she smiled. I looked at her, completely dumbfounded and, to my horror, with my mouth hanging open. But she laughed again. Those eyes!

“What subject are you studying?” I finally managed to get out, “Mine is Astrophysics and Cosmology. “Quantum mechanics,” her eyes with their little wrinkles fixed on me. I’m in love, I thought to myself.

We lay snuggled together in her bed. The closeness, the warmth — it all seemed so unfamiliar to me, but I knew how much I longed for this feeling. “I’m happy that you talked to me,” she whispered and pressed herself even closer to me. A fireworks display of happiness hormones seemed to overwhelm me. “Me too!” I whispered and kissed her.

“Can you rub my back, please?” Eve asked me. The sun beat mercilessly, and the sea breeze did little to cool me down. We were lying under a parasol on the beach, and Eve turned her back to me. ‘Of course, darling,’ I said, spreading the sun cream on my palm.

When I’d finished, she turned around, and we lay back down on the warm sand. We looked into each other’s eyes for a while without saying anything. The wrinkles formed again in her eyes as she smiled. “I love you,” I said and felt my heart pounding wildly with excitement and the affection I carried inside me.

Eve cried out in pain. Seeing her like that broke my heart, but it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I squeezed her hand even tighter. She looked at me, and despite the pain of giving birth, she smiled at me. Then she cried out again.

“I’m so bloody tired!” Eve shouted at me. “Children, household, work! It’s too much sometimes!”. “I know, my star. I’m very sorry about all this. I’ll try to spend less time travelling for work.” Eve’s tension visibly disappeared, and she took a deep breath. “Good, thank you,” her eyes smiled at me again. I love her.

The one hospital bed stood in the cold, white, sterile room, and only the machines hummed and beeped as we looked into each other’s eyes. We no longer had to talk and understood each other without words. “My star, don’t leave me,” I thought. “I will always shine for you,” thought Eve, and a tear formed in the crease of her eye, breaking into a journey down her cheek.

“Do you want to invite her to our table?” I heard Lara’s voice say. I looked at her in amazement and stood there speechless. A whole life passed me by. With all the joys, annoyances, difficulties, happiness and death. “Are you all right? You’re so pale,” Lara asked me worriedly. I straightened up. “No,” I said firmly, “no”.

Looking at the woman with the most beautiful eyes, I took firm steps towards her because I knew my life would be a starless and dark galaxy if I didn’t.