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“Awesome! I’ll see you later. Love you!”

“Love you too,” I say before hanging up the phone.

It’s late morning and I know I should get up but I find myself continuing to stare. After over fifty years of the same thing, today is especially jarring. Things are changing, I can feel it, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Maybe it’s cliche to say I’m stuck in my ways, but I’m so used to waking up, not remembering my dreams, and then going on with my day. Now I’m stuck contemplating my day. Will it go exactly like the dream? Will I be able to change how things go now that I’ve seen the future? Were these just options for how my day will go or are they set in stone?

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself, rubbing tiredly at my eyes. I don’t normally curse but today it feels rather justified.

With my head feeling like it’s full of cotton, I finally drag myself out of bed. I’m glad it’s a Sunday, otherwise I’d need to be at work already. I take my shower, get dressed, style my hair, brush my teeth, and then sit down at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

As I take a sip, another wave of deja vu hits me straight in the chest. Right. I dreamed about having a cup of coffee first thing this morning.

The dream feels far off and fuzzy but at the same time, as things repeat themselves now that I’m awake, they feel fresh yet familiar at the same time. It’s so strange. It’s going to take me a bit to get used to this.

It’s frustrating to suddenly be plunged into something so new out of nowhere. At the same time, I can’t help but feel like this is an opportunity to shake things up. To try something new.

Maybe I’ve been stuck in a rut for a while.

This isn’t something I wanted or asked for, but maybe in the end, it’s something I need in my life. Maybe this is the thing that’ll finally change things up and bring a little bit of excitement to my life.

Either way, it’s something, at the very least, I need to learn to live with. The sooner I come to terms with that, the better.

I drift through my morning by having a cup of coffee, cleaning the house, and having a small lunch. I meander through everything, randomly getting struck with the feeling that I’ve done this before. Eventually, it’s time to head to the ice cream shop that Hazel wants to check out.

It’s almost a relief when I leave my house. The air is crisp again, the sun is out, and some of the tension I’ve been holding onto since waking up this morning slowly fades away.

I remember in my dream, I drove down Pine Street to get to the ice cream shop. Wanting to test a theory, I pull my car down a different street, taking the back way through town. The only problem is apparently, there’s road construction going on. They detour me back over to Pine Street.

Huh.

I’m not really sure how to feel about this.

By the time I park on the street in front of the ice cream shop, I’m feeling confused, frustrated, and slightly in wonder. Will it always be like this or will it fade now that I’m not around Nix and Kassian? I know their abilities enhanced mine, so maybe now that I’m not around them, my power will fade back to what it was before.

I walk into the ice cream shop, looking around. It’s cold inside and I’m glad I put a sweater on before leaving the house. There’s an entire display with different types of scoopable ice cream. They also offer soft serve with a variety of toppings to add on top. Everything looks really yummy.

I check my phone. There’s no texts from Hazel and she told me to meet her at this time. That’s so strange. It’s not like her to run late without giving me a heads up. Maybe the detour messed up her timing.

Putting my phone away, I step closer to the door, wanting to stay out of the way for anyone who’s ready to place their order. The door opens with a ding and I instinctively turn, my arms ready to catch the person who’s about to trip.

Because I knew it was coming, I take in the whole scene, bracing myself. I knew Nix was going to come flying in through the door. I knew I was going to be there to catch him. What I didn’t see in my dream was the reason he’s gone flying; Kassian tripped him right into my arms.

Nix lets out a startled noise as he hits my chest. I take a step back, needing to brace myself. His body is all tense lines and toned muscles. His arms are so jacked, his chest hard. Against my permission, something flutters in the pit of my stomach at having him in my arms. It’s the same sensation I got yesterday after I caught Kassian.

Despite the sensation being the same, these two couldn’t be more different. They’re the same height but their builds are opposite. Kassian is lithe and slim while Nix is thick and strong. One of them is pretty, the other is handsome in a more masculine way.

I clear my throat, hoping my face doesn’t show all the racing thoughts inside my head. I help Nix straighten and get his feet under himself before taking a step back and shoving my hands in my pockets.

“Hello,” I say with a little nod. “Fancy meeting the two of you here.”

Nix takes a step back, shoving his elbow into Kassian’s side. “Yeah,” he says with a glare, crossing his arms over his chest. “What a weird coincidence. However could this randomly happen. Right, Kassian?”

Kassian covers his face with his hands, his cheeks turning bright red. “Nix. Stop it.”

Hazel would never accuse me of being someone who could read people. Normally, I’m pretty oblivious to most things, but even I can see that something’s happened with these two. Yesterday, they were ‘bros’ and today, there seems to be some sort of rift between them.

Right, I’m getting too old for shit like this. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I send a quick text to Hazel, asking her where she is. A moment later, it vibrates in my hand.

“Unbelievable,” I breathe out.