Page 26 of The Book of Lost Hours

W HEN E RNEST awoke, Lisavet was no longer beside him.

It was still dark in the room. He wondered what had woken him until his pants flew through the air and hit him in the face.

He let out a grunt of surprise and sat up, legs still tangled up in the sheet.

Lisavet was standing in front of him, one foot on the blanket.

She was fully dressed, coat and all. She had the book of memories clutched tightly over her chest, a look of betrayal in her eyes.

She stepped forward and thrust the book in his face. “Here,” she said forcefully.

Ernest blinked. “Wh—”

“Take it,” Lisavet said, dropping it on his lap. “It’s what you want, isn’t it? That’s what your boss sent you here to get?”

Ernest’s heart sank. “How…”

“I saw it in your memories,” she said.

“You what?”

“I think you should leave,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “Just take the book and go.”

“No, Lisavet, I can explain…”

Before he could finish, she turned away from him and stormed out onto the balcony. The sheet passed right through him in her absence. He scrambled to put his pants on, ignoring the fact that he had no idea where his sweater was, and ran after her. Leaving the book on the floor.

“Lisavet…” he said, stepping out onto the balcony.

“What?” she snapped, turning to glare at him.

Ernest opened his mouth to speak but suddenly realized how utterly indefensible his actions were. The bruises on her face had deepened overnight and the sight of them made his stomach churn with fresh guilt.

“It doesn’t matter. You have your book now. There’s no reason for you to toy with me anymore. Just go away.”

“No,” Ernest said forcefully.

She spun back around. “No?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Fine, then I’ll go.”

“No.” Ernest stood in her way, bracing his arms against the door.

“Move,” she snapped.

“No. Not until you listen to me. You’re right, okay? Initially, when I started following you, it was because Jack told me to. You were interfering with things. He thought you were dangerous.”

Lisavet scoffed at him. “Oh yes, really dangerous. A girl who saves memories from being destroyed by men with guns and a false sense of authority. If you want to talk about which one of us is really dangerous, why don’t we look at the one blindly following orders handed down by his superiors without stopping to think for himself? ”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Ernest said emphatically. “I know that now.”

“Oh, do you? Then tell me, was it your boss’s idea to make a fool out of me?”

He stepped toward her and caught her in his arms despite her efforts to dodge him.

“Lisavet, listen to me. Please…”

“No!” she shouted, straining away from him. “I trusted you. You were the first person I’d spoken to in years. I believed you cared about me.”

“I do care about you. None of that… the dancing or our time together or last night… none of that was a lie.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“ I love you , Lisavet,” Ernest said desperately, gripping tighter to her arms.

“You… what?” Lisavet asked, falling silent.

“I love you. I’ve been fighting with myself for months over it all.

Agonizing over it. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.

I told you yesterday, I regret ever meeting you because all I’ve done is get you hurt.

People are targeting you now, including my boss.

Because I told him about you. Because I was stupid enough to think nothing bad would come of it.

I never meant to hurt you, you have to know that. ”

“I heard you talking to him. You were going to take the book.”

“Yes. I was. But only because otherwise Jack was going to force me to drag you out of the time space so he could question you in person.”

Lisavet drew back as much as she could. Ernest knew he should let go of her arms but couldn’t force himself to do it, fearful she would vanish from his life and never return if he did.

“You would do that to me?” she asked, her voice small. “The time space is my home, Ernest. The only home I have left.”

“No,” Ernest said, knowing at once that he meant it. “I couldn’t. Maybe once I could justify it as following orders. But not anymore. I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“And the book?”

“I don’t want it,” he said instantly. “Hide it. I’ll make up some excuse. I’ll tell Jack I lost track of you. I’ll resign. Whatever I have to do, as long as I don’t lose you.”

Even as he said it, Ernest could point out the many, many flaws in this plan.

But right then, he didn’t care. He was so sure of himself, so strong in his convictions to protect her, that he almost believed he could pull it off.

Lisavet stared at him for a long time. The eyes that had become his moon, his sun, his entire world, were full of mistrust. He couldn’t bear it.

He retrieved the book from the room, pressing it forcefully into her hands.

“Take it. And hide it. We’ll figure everything else out from there, just trust me.”

Lisavet hesitated, her fingers curling around the cover of the book.

“Please,” he said, his voice scarcely a whisper. “I can’t lose you.”

At last she took the book from him. She nodded.

“Can I see you tomorrow? Please?” he asked, knowing that he needed to ask. That she may not want to see him ever again.

She took a moment to answer, the seven most agonizing seconds of Ernest’s life.

“Tomorrow,” she said.

Ernest exhaled with relief. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her into his arms again and kissed her hard.

The depth of their embrace allowed him to relax as they said goodbye.

He watched her go, feeling the weight of everything settle over him, and then he returned to his apartment where he had been when he first wound the watch.

It was daylight, early morning, and the sunlight stung his eyes.

He had been gone for twelve hours. The night still clung to every inch of his body.

The calendar on his wall read April 4, 1949.

Monday. He had a meeting with Jack that day.

Another meeting where he was going to have to lie.

He thought about Lisavet’s bruised face.

The Russian who had attacked her. The solution to his problems was right there, he realized.

Staring him in the face. He showered in a daze and cooked himself breakfast. He dressed in a suit and tie and left for work in time to make it to the nine o’clock meeting with Jack where he would detail the Russian attack.

Where he would inform him that Lisavet Levy was dead.