Lockdown, p.1
Lockdown, page 1
Lockdown
A time travel romance
By: Olivia Walker
Copyright © 2022 Olivia Walker
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
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Description
Brandon did everything right - He went back to the past and successfully stopped the experiment that led to the creation of the virus. Or did he?
Brandon wakes up in a new pre-pandemic timeline. Finding himself in bed once again beside the beautiful Bella, he decides to do things differently this time.
Now with a new girlfriend and his best friend back from the dead, he quickly and happily returns to the day-to-day normal he had missed for so long. As the weeks tick on, Brandon has almost forgotten about the deadly plague and his time-traveling adventures to stop it.
But a frantic call from his father strikes a bolt of fear through him.
There’s a mysterious virus circulating in Europe, and Brandon’s parents want all the Demarco children back at the estate for safety precautions.
His past timeline was repeating itself.
While struggling to understand what went wrong, Brandon throws himself back into vaccine research, desperate to discover the cure he never could before.
Will Brandon be able to create a working vaccine in time, or will the virus get its grip around humanity once again?
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
About This Author
Chapter One
When Brandon opened his eyes, he was on his bed, and a woman was lying next to him. The whole scene looked familiar to him. He rubbed his eyes multiple times to check that he wasn't dreaming. Bella was lying next to him, and he had woken up before his alarm. He smiled as he took in the significance of the situation. The time machine had taken him back in time to before the pandemic. He dared to hope that meant he had succeeded in stopping the pandemic. Brandon jumped off the bed with joy, waking Bella with a start. She was shocked by Brandon’s sudden movement.
"What the fuck?" She said, shocked by his unexplained outburst.
"I'm sorry, I…." Brandon tried to apologize. He immediately decided not to mention his travel back in time to anyone. They wouldn't understand, and it would make him look crazy.
"Are you ok?" Bella asked, still recovering. Brandon had to think of something fast.
"Well, uh, I thought you left already…so when I saw that you were still beside me, I was just really happy," Brandon tried to sound convincing. He had been awful to her in the past, but now he had a chance to make things right. If she fell for it, he would treat her better, and she wouldn't abandon his sister's show. Maybe they could actually start a relationship. He really did like her.
Bella smiled. She fell for it. She relaxed into his arms and pulled his face closer to hers. She started kissing him, and Brandon twisted his hands into the bedspread to keep himself from getting distracted. He had to leave for the lab in 30 minutes. He didn't want to send her off the way he had done the last time. Ryan and Priscilla had called him a prick. Also, he was interested in finding out what type of girl Bella was and if his feelings were genuine.
Brandon pulled away from the kiss and gave her the softest look he could muster.
"Do you like laboratories?" He suddenly asked. Bella was taken aback by the question and burst into laughter.
"Why?" She asked when she calmed down.
"I've got a meeting in twenty minutes, and I don't want this to end," Brandon said and immediately bent his face to kiss her neck. He feared the expression that would form on her beautiful face after she heard him say that. Bella chuckled.
"Aww. Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’ll call my driver now,” Bella said, standing up from the bed. Brandon was still worried. Was she upset and just trying to be civil about it?
"Are you mad?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Of course not. I'll call you," she said and picked up the last of her clothing before disappearing into the bathroom. Brandon heaved out a loud sigh.
"Morning coffee, please," Brandon called to the AI. He walked into his closet and glanced at his numerous identical trousers. He was indeed a boring man. During Isabella's time, he had found it refreshing seeing the men wear clothes made of rough cotton material. He wondered how his colleagues would react if he pulled up to the laboratory with something like that. He laughed at the thought.
"I'll get going, Brandon," Bella called out from the bedroom.
"Call me?" Brandon said, walking back in to see her off.
"Of course," she said as she left. Brandon jumped in victory. He had successfully sent her off without ruining things for himself and Priscilla.
"Yes!" He shouted and ran to the bathroom as soon as he heard the coffee machine's beep. He was running late.
*
"Did Bella show up?" Brandon asked Priscilla over the phone.
"Of course she did, why? Did something happen?" Priscilla asked.
"Ah, no. I'm just missing her," Brandon teased.
"What the fuck? On my phone?" Priscilla feigned annoyance. Brandon laughed.
"Are you on your way here?!" Priscilla suddenly screeched.
"Ew, my ears hurt. Why? You don't want me to hit on all the babes," Brandon asked.
"Oh thee, confused male human. Today is the show, duh," Priscilla said.
"Oh! There's a show? I totally forgot," Brandon teased. Priscilla laughed on the other end.
"Come with Ryan, okay?" She said.
"Huh? What am I bringing him to?" Brandon asked, but Priscilla hung up. He laughed. His sister had become used to his teasing, and it no longer affected her. He saw Ryan's car pull into the driveway as he stepped out of the building. He signaled to his bodyguard to leave with the car while he walked over to Ryan's.
"Um, excuse me, is this car owned by an actual gentleman?" Brandon asked, looking into the car from the passenger side. Ryan chuckled as Brandon got into the car and put his shades on.
"Where do you wish to go, sire?" Ryan played along.
"There's a pretty girl named Priscilla who's been begging me to grace her show with my presence. I can't seem to shake her off, so I have to attend," Brandon rattled.
"You sound like you know the event is going to be boring," Ryan said. Brandon clapped in agreement.
"Ah! You're fast! True Demarco blood!" Brandon said. The two of them laughed out loud.
"Don't pay attention to the ladies when you get there. All eyes must be on your sister only. Got it?" Ryan said, side-eyeing Brandon. Brandon caught the meaning of the remark and almost choked from laughter.
"What?" Ryan asked, confused.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Brandon said, trying to hold his laughter. For a moment, he forgot that Ryan was yet to reveal his feelings to Priscilla. Instead of leaving it up to them, he decided to speed up their confessions this time. However, he was going to take it slow. The last thing he needed was anybody thinking he was acting strangely.
*
Ryan and Brandon waved to Priscilla from where they sat. Of all the models that walked the catwalk that evening, Bella really stood out. Under his breath, Brandon thanked God that he had not ruined his potential relationship with her this time around. In the past, the new girl Ryan got to work for his sister wasn’t even as good as Bella.
When the event ended, Ryan slipped away from Brandon's sight for a moment. Brandon tried to find him but did not see him or his sister. He was confused. He was not expecting the past to play out exactly how it had done, but he still didn’t expect so much change in everyone. Were Ryan and Priscilla already seeing each other?
"You'll break your neck if you keep going like that," Bella appeared beside him. Brandon flashed a bright smile.
"You were the fairest of them all, my lady," Brandon said, joking around.
"My?" Bella asked. Brandon did not notice that he had used the word my to refer to her. He did not give it much thought either since it was all a joke. However, the fact that Bella had picked out that one word meant he could press further.
"Is my lady free this evening?" Brandon asked, ignoring her question. She nodded her head.
"Shall we leave then?" Brandon asked, taking her hand.
As they walked out of the hall, Brandon saw Ryan emerging from a door behind the photo area. He tried to look into the doorway to see if Priscilla was inside, but Bella was already pulling him out. He met Ryan's eyes and gave him a death stare. Ryan didn’t seem to get the message but laughed at how Bella pulled Brandon along.
*
Brandon bit her nipple lightly as her nails dug into his skin. This was not the first time he had had sex with the same woman for the second time, but this felt different. It felt familiar and yet sweet. The other night they had both been drunk, so they had felt everything under the influence. However, all their senses were alert now. Brandon liked the way she moaned, biting down on her lower lip. It was like she was worried she would be too loud. He wanted her to be loud.
Suddenly, he turned her on all fours and slammed i
They fell to their sides as soon as they had both been satisfied. Brandon drew her close and caressed her hair. He liked this. He decided to ask the question.
"What do you think about me?" Brandon asked, taking notice of how her muscles suddenly stiffened and relaxed.
"This has all been so fast that I haven’t really had time to think. But if you're asking about how good you are, then you're good. Very good," Bella said.
"You're right. Bella, will you go out with me?" Brandon finally asked.
"Wow. I thought you'd never ask," Bella said, sitting up.
"Why?" Brandon asked, curious.
"You don't look like the relationship type," Bella said, and he smiled. Brandon was not surprised she thought of him that way. He never gave relationships much thought either. However, something within him had changed since he returned from time travel. He had felt love in such a short time. He wanted to find it here. He had been running away from it for so long, but now he realized how beautiful it was.
"You're right. I haven’t been the relationship type, but I will try it with you. If you want to?" Brandon turned the question on her.
"I don't know. Yes? You seem nice," Bella said, playing with her hair. Brandon moved closer to her.
"I am nice," he said and leaned in to kiss her.
*
On the fifth day of their relationship, Brandon was worn-out. He just got off work and was supposed to meet up with Bella for a dinner date that evening, but he wasn't feeling up to it. He didn't want to see her and hear her talk about random celebrity couples having relationship crises. He found it all exhausting. As he pulled onto his driveway, he saw Ryan waiting.
"That's unusual. How come you're here?" Brandon asked as soon as he got out of his car.
"Brandon, my man, you're alive," Ryan said, holding his chest, dramatically showing his relief.
"What do you mean? Why are you standing outside? You haven't lost the key, have you? Or did you forget my passcode?" Brandon asked, looking worried.
"No, my friend. You're asking the wrong questions. The main question is, 'what happened to you, Brandon?' tell me," Ryan asked. Brandon pretended to throw a punch at him as they went into the house, laughing.
"Seriously, man, what happened? It's like you went off the radar. I haven't known when you got off work for the past five days. Where have you been? What's up with you?" Ryan asked as soon as his butt hit the soft foam of the sofa.
"You won't believe me if I told you," Brandon said as he poured himself a drink. He handed another glass filled with the drink to Ryan.
"Try me," Ryan said, lifting the glass to his lips.
"I started a relationship with someone,” Brandon said. Ryan choked on his drink and started coughing. Brandon laughed.
"What the actual fuck, Brandon?" Ryan said.
"Told ya you won't believe me," Brandon said, entering his room. Ryan followed him.
"Tell me about it," Ryan said, throwing his shoes away and jumping on the bed.
"I don't know. I'm thinking of ending it," Brandon said.
"Wait, what? Why?" Ryan asked, surprised.
"I'm bored," Brandon said, sitting beside Ryan on the bed. Ryan burst out laughing. Brandon stared at him with disbelief.
Chapter Two
"Man! All she does is talk about celebrities, which is so boring. I can't get her to discuss anything else. I don't know about the latest fashion stuff, so I can't talk about that with her. Even if I did, I'm not sure she'd want to talk about work with me. But there's no content, Ryan. It's tiring. I'm tired," Brandon said, looking defeated.
"Hmm. What kind of conversations were you looking for with her?" Ryan asked. Brandon looked blank. Until now, he had been complaining about having nothing in common with Bella, but the truth is even he didn’t actually know what he wanted to talk with her about. He bit his lower lip as realization washed over his face. Ryan understood his silence.
"Who's this girl?" Ryan asked.
"Bella. A Russian model," Brandon said.
"And?"
"That's all,"
"Man…this is the beginning of your problems," Ryan said, shaking his head. "You don't even know who you're dating," Brandon continued.
"What more do I need to know?" Brandon asked, genuinely confused.
"Your similarities. Once you know your similarities, you can find meaningful conversations from those," Ryan advised.
"What do I know man? You can be very sensible at times, you know that?" Brandon said, the weariness from before beginning to leave him.
"I’ve got tea," Ryan said, lying on his side.
"Spill,"
"Do you remember that Setou girl I spanked continuously four years ago?" Ryan asked. Brandon nodded. After Ryan ended things with the Sudanese girl, he never really got close with any other woman.
"She's married now," Ryan said. Brandon gave no reaction.
"So?" Brandon could not believe that that was all the tea.
"So? Bro, this is Setou we're talking about here! Setou fucked everyone after me. I thought she was going to die of AIDS one day,"
"AIDs?" Brandon cut in. "Did you get the virus?"
"What the hell, Brandon? I'm just saying she threw caution to the wind after we ended our shit. She was too broken to care," Ryan said.
"Now, how's that an exciting piece of news?" Brandon asked, unsatisfied.
"She managed to get married with that history bro. That's the tea. I thought no one in their right senses would marry her," Ryan said.
"Maybe the man is not in his right senses," Brandon said.
"Maybe," Ryan said.
"But this is not a tea man. I was expecting something hot," Brandon said.
"Aw, fuck you bro," Ryan said, turning to the other side of the bed. Brandon laughed. He stared at Ryan for a while and suddenly hugged him. He remembered how he had felt when Ryan died in the past. His death had crushed him so badly that he jumped on the time machine without thinking of the possibility of failure. He was glad he could bring Ryan back. He was a brother, a friend, and the only person who understood him. Ryan turned to face him.
"Brandon, you're acting weird. What's gotten into you?" Ryan asked, making a disgusted face. Brandon felt embarrassed and buried his face in Ryan's chest.
