Theo sat cross-legged on the café couch, lazily stirring his latte with a tiny wooden stick. The cozy scent of roasted beans and cinnamon couldn’t mask the tension hanging between him and Noah, who sat across with arms folded, eyes distant.

  "So let me get this straight…" Theo began with a skeptical grin, “You think a dream and a disappearing grandma on the street are signs from the future?”

  Noah didn’t even flinch. “It wasn’t just a dream. She knew.”

  Theo let out a short laugh. “Dude. You’ve been under so much pressure, it’s messing with your head. You need sleep, not sci-fi.”

  But Noah’s fingers tightened around his cup. His voice dropped lower. “You didn’t see her eyes. She knew what I saw. She knew. And if there’s even a chance it’s real, I can’t ignore it.”

  Theo’s smile faded. He leaned in, studying Noah’s face. “Alright. So what do you want to do about it?”

  “I need to find out what went wrong. What triggered it. Maybe something I said, or didn’t say. Maybe Sarah. Maybe Matt.”

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Morning sunlight poured through the blinds like broken glass. Sarah adjusted the strap of her blouse, her back to the mirror, her mind to everything except guilt.

  Matt sat on the edge of the bed, slipping on his watch, his hair slightly tousled. “What do you even see in Adrian?” he asked, voice calm but clipped. “You could have anyone. Hell, you already have me.”

  Sarah let out a short, ironic laugh and turned, the emerald on her finger glinting under the light. “Adrian worships the ground I walk on. He makes me feel like I’m the centre of the universe.”

  Matt reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I can do that too.”

  She slowly withdrew her hand. “You’re not Adrian.”

  The silence between them expanded like a vacuum. Matt stood, jaw tight. He didn’t press further.

  Back at the office, Adrian sat alone in front of his computer, the glow reflecting off his unreadable expression. Behind the stillness, his mind was a hurricane. He stared blankly at the document on his screen, not seeing words — only echoes of possibility.

  He scribbled dates and connections in a notepad, tracking what had changed since he landed in this version of the past. Every choice, every action, every deviation.

  Then… a whisper.

  Soft, low, and unplaceable.

  “Sarah and Matt need to get married.”

  Adrian’s breath caught. He turned — no one was there.

  His eyes narrowed. Is it possible…?

  He scribbled more notes. His mind raced.

  If Sarah and Matt end up together… would it stop everything? Would it save me? Would it save Noah?

  He leaned back in his chair, eyes wide, calculating.

  The idea was insane.

  But then again… so was time travel.