Becoming Reacquainted

Laura needed a moment or two to recover from the shock of having been teleported for the first time in her life. It was actually a mode of transport she could get used to, but a little more warning next time might be good.

She quickly surveyed her surroundings and realised she was at a bowling alley, one that was only moderately busy on a Tuesday afternoon. She couldn't see anyone resembling Ryan initially, but wondered to herself what kind of career he had that he was spending his time bowling during the middle of a working day. She tried not to judge though - she had the day off work and maybe he did too.

She walked up and down the lanes for a while trying to find anyone who matched her memories of how Ryan looked - tall, athletic, dashingly handsome. There was nobody who fitted that description. Perhaps his physical appearance had changed beyond recognition, or could it be that her Fairy Godmother had made a mistake and sent her to the wrong venue? She was starting to think this was a fool's errand, and feeling self consciously overdressed for a bowling alley on a weekday afternoon, when someone caught her eye.

She had only been looking at the customers using the alleys and not the staff, but when she glanced over to the shoe exchange counter she was instantly taken back a decade to her time at high school. There he was, Ryan Madden, still just as gorgeous as he always had been. Perhaps even hotter now. But Laura couldn't help but feel a dash of disappointment. This was where he was at nearly thirty? Working the counter at a bowling alley, like a teenager supplementing their allowance? It seemed Ryan was a cautionary tale for actually working at school rather than being one of the cool kids who coasted through on popularity alone. For all of her husband's dullness and predictability, Laura was at least happy Kevin had a respectable career.

Nonetheless, the wish compelled Laura to go and talk to him so she could make him "want" her. Even if her own interest had now dropped significantly, she still figured it might be fun to see if she could get her high school crush to notice her in a way he never had before. Laura therefore made her way over to his counter.

"Hello madam! What size shoe do you require?" Ryan asked helpfully.

"Oh, that's actually not what I came over for" Laura answered "This is going to sound random, but I think we went to school together, so I wanted to say hello. Ryan Madden, right?"

"Holy shit, Laura?" his face suddenly lit up "Laura Parish? I'm amazed you remember me. But you look incredible. It's great to see you again"

Laura was in shock. Back in her high school days she would have been giddy with excitement that Ryan had known her name. She couldn't help but feel a little flattered even now.

"It's great to see you too. I've got to be honest, I didn't think you would remember me"

"No, our paths didn't cross that much did they?" Ryan admitted "But the thing is - God, why am I even telling you this - I actually had something of a crush on you back then. But you were one of the smart, studious kids and I was a total waster, so I didn't really know how to start a conversation with you, let alone ask you out"

Laura fell silent, stunned by this revelation. If she had known this ten years ago she would have freaked out.

"Look, we can't have much of a conversation over the counter. How about I take a break and buy you a coke?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to get you in trouble"

"I think I'll be okay" Ryan laughed. He motioned for a teenage girl to come and take over from him and escorted Laura to the refreshment area where he bought them both a soft drink, then led her to a table.

"So you work here now?" Laura asked as she looked around her "I guess that could be fun?"

"I don't work here exactly" Ryan chuckled a little awkwardly "I own it. But we have a few staff members down with sickness today, so it's kind of all hands on deck"

"You bought a bowling alley?" Laura's eyes widened with interest.

"I own a few local businesses" Ryan revealed "I worked the stock markets for a while after college, but that lifestyle wasn't really me. So I used the money I made to invest in my community instead. The returns aren't at the same level, obviously. But I'm much happier"

"That's really awesome" Laura smiled, genuinely impressed "It's great that there is someone local keeping these kinds of places going"

"That's kind of my philosophy, I just hope I'm up to the task" Ryan replied modestly "So how about you? Let me guess - successful career, married with kids?"

"I have a moderately successful career I guess. I don't own any businesses" Laura answered, before the magic kicked in and guided her next answer to be something that would keep her acquaintance romantically interested in her "But no, I'm single"

"Me too!" Ryan smiled, before pausing for a moment "Look, we're pretty overrun here today with the unexpected staffing shortages, so I can't talk with you for long. But I'd love for us to catch up properly. How about you let me take you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

Laura had to take a moment. This was starting to feel way more serious than she had intended it to be. She was going to have to lie to her husband to allow this to happen. But she couldn't deny the sense of excitement she was currently feeling - it was something she hadn't experienced in a long time. More importantly, Ryan hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend yet, so the wish was still in play and she was compelled by Priscilla's magic to follow it.

"Sure" Laura nodded.

"Great, I'll pick you up at eight?" Ryan suggested.

"No" Laura answered quickly, realising how disastrous that could be for her marriage "Just tell me where we're eating. I'll meet you there"