Choice 1

As I sat in the dimly-lit café on the outskirts of Kingston, I watched the relentless rain blur the bustling streets outside. Each droplet seemed to echo the currents of nostalgia flowing through my mind. Scarlet, a small Jamaican woman with raven-black hair cascading in curls down her back, sat across from me, a cup of chamomile steaming gently between us.

The café was a quirky little place that often drew the more adventurous crowd. Tonight, however, it felt more like a sanctuary. Scarlet began recounting the bizarre evening that ultimately spurred our meeting. She had been celebrating her thirty-first birthday when a mysterious flyer had found its way into her hands, promising a second chance at youth. For those brave enough to accept the offer, they could return to being 18, but with two personal changes.

“What would you choose?” Scarlet had asked me, her eyes glimmering under the café’s warm light. “Would you go back?”

Her question lingered in the air, ricocheting in my thoughts. If I were given the chance, I realized, I would probably choose to embrace my youthful exuberance. I had been and still could be passionate and reckless, but time had tempered me.

With a mischievous grin, Scarlet leaned closer. “Imagine—my body, your wisdom,” she laughed, a melodic sound that chased the rain from my heart. “What do you think I would change?”

I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Scarlet attempting to amplify her physical appeal. While she was the epitome of youthful seduction with a perfect figure, her playful spirit was what truly drew people in. She wore her small stature like a crown, each confident step magnifying her presence rather than diminishing it.

As the rain drummed on the roof, she continued, “If I had to pick, maybe I would add a little more, umm, confidence to my old self and a sense of adventure. I played it too safe back then, you know?”

It was in friendship's cocoon that the conversation fluttered from the idea of youth to self-reflection. Scarlet spoke of her past relationships, the boys who’d chased her—each one oblivious to her inner desires and fears.

“The thing is,” she admitted, “even though I have this… reputation,” she gestured to herself playfully, “I’ve always been so scared to push boundaries. I thought I had to fit into a mold, and that mold was ‘the good girl.’ But going back? Knowing what I know now… I could be like a lion instead of a timid lamb.”

I could relate. I thought about my own journey. At eighteen, I felt lost, straddling the worlds of childhood dreams and adult responsibilities. Would I banish insecurities, perhaps choose to be bolder? Maybe shed some of my nagging doubts in favor of freedom and spontaneity?

The café door swung open with a flourish, casting a brief spray of rain onto the wooden floor. In strolled a man with an air of confidence that turned heads. He was small, ethnic, perhaps Filipino, with an easy smile and a commanding presence. My breath caught in my throat as he approached our table, greeting Scarlet as if he had known her all his life.

“Dante,” he introduced himself, extending his hand to her. She shook it, enthralled, and I observed their chemistry unfold with a kind of quiet fascination.

Dante was charming in the way only well-versed individuals can be. They exchanged playful banter, while my role shifted to that of an observer. Scarlet’s laughter took on a lighter tone. The weight of her past melted like chocolate in the sun. He leaned across the table, speaking to her with an intensity that made me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

The conversation deepened, and I marveled at how quick connections can form, how swiftly lives can intertwine. As the rain drizzled on, Dante painted vivid pictures of futures longed for and dreams unchased. I marveled at the sheer joy that spirited through Scarlet as she absorbed his tales, each colorful detail capturing her attention further.

At one point, he leaned back and asked, “If you could change anything about your past, would you?”

Scarlet looked from me to him, then answered, “Absolutely. I’d add a douse of desire. Not just for fun, but for the adventure of it—like jumping into life instead of tiptoeing around the edges.”

Dante smiled, sensing the embers of her unfulfilled passion, a flicker that drew them closer. They both opened up about fantasies and lost opportunities, their souls unfolding like origami, revealing secrets of their hearts.

Just as I thought they’d vanish into the ether of an intimate connection, Dante suddenly stood, his eyes ablaze. “Let’s make a pact. We’ll find an adventure that will challenge our past selves to be bolder.”

“Count me in!” Scarlet chirped, her enthusiasm contagious.

I wondered what that adventure would look like—a night filled with wild abandon, clubbing in the neon underbelly of Kingston, or—perhaps a moment’s detour into a sea of anonymity at a swingers’ club, where one could shed restraint and embrace daring.

As the rain began to ease, I realized I viewed them through a lens of bittersweet nostalgia. Scarlet’s transformation was underway, piece by piece, her heart in a dance of confidence and desire, while I remained an observer, merely watching.

In that instant, I recognized that returning to my youth with wisdom wouldn’t necessarily equate to being ‘better’—sometimes, it was about embracing the depths of wildness and living with the scars of our pasts.

As the café lights dimmed to close, Dante and Scarlet exchanged promising glances, and I felt a hint of envy. Perhaps if I had the chance, I’d transform into an adventurer as she had—so bold and unrestrained.

As they left the café, hearts full of dreams, I remained seated, wondering how my own choices, from returning to being 18, might echo through the years yet to come. Would I dare to dream? Would I cradle those desires? Or like Scarlet, would I explore the world with unrestrained vigor? The rain, now a mere whisper, had washed away only the surface. The heart of it—a deeper longing for adventure—remained, shimmering like a forgotten treasure in the recesses of my mind.

Choice 1: Travel to have a weekend long sex bender.

Choice 2: you show why you are the alpha.

Choice 3: seek extra partners