The same jazz song played in the dusty café. I counted water droplets on my coffee glass, waiting for the moment I knew too well. A silver spoon clinked rhythmically against the plate, matching my racing heartbeat.
"Sorry…" The voice startled me. Luna stood with messy blonde hair, her leather jacket half-open to reveal a tight turtleneck. "Traffic…"
I pushed a chair out with my elbow. "Two hours of makeup just to blame traffic?" I smirked, eyeing her blush that spread like an archipelago across her cheeks. "You're prettier without it."
"Sh-Shut up!" She threw her bag at me, but the twitch at her lips betrayed her. Just like in the library that time I'd praised her notes.
A waiter brought the same artisan coffee menu. Luna's cold fingers brushed my wrist. "My treat," she rasped. "Iced brown sugar latte and… americano."
My fork froze. "You? Black coffee?" Since when did she like bitter things?
Her fingers drummed the retro tablecloth. "The best coffee's bitter. I… faked liking sweet drinks to play 'Luna' the way this world wanted."
The jazz distorted. Air vibrated like heatwaves. Cracks spiderwebbed across the windows—the end was near.
"Since when?" My voice cracked. The glass trembled.
She gripped her spoon. "Every time you changed fate, my memories grew. I remember you crushed in alleys. Dragged by thugs. Even…" Tears splattered the tablecloth. "...when you hung yourself."
My body locked. Loop 666 flashed—the charger cable biting my neck, the world resetting. "Luna, I—"
"867 times!" She slammed the table, teacups rattling. "867 hells for us!" Her sob echoed as waiters stared at the cracking sky outside.
She grabbed my collar, her vanilla perfume mixing with salt. "Are we just puppets in this sick play?"
The sky shattered into fractal patterns. New. Terrifying.
"Answer me, C!" Her grip tightened. "Or your real name—that glitchy sound I hear when you die!"
My heart stopped. In Loop 545, I'd heard it too—▅▃▄▂. My true name? "I… just…"
Her strawberry lips crashed into mine. I grabbed her waist, fingers finding the scar from Loop 312's car crash.
"Listen." Her breath burned my ear. "Next loop… fight the Writer. Destroy this script." Her nail traced my hanging scar. "And if you meet the 'me' who's still clueless…"
A meteor struck the building across. Picasso's fake painting fell.
"...steal another kiss."
We laughed as the apocalypse roared. The sky kaleidoscoped. Luna's whisper lingered:
"Ca▄▂… I loved you in every timeline."
The blast erased everything. But before darkness, new code flooded my mind—▅▃▄▂▅▃▄▂▅▃▄▂.
Like 867 times before, I woke to my cheap alarm's scream.
---
Sunlight filtered through Luna's dusty curtains. I blinked away last night's dream—Luna falling in a dark alley, my hands bloody, skies shattering.
Her bedroom door creaked. Luna emerged, pillow creases on her cheek… and tear streaks.
"Morning." My voice rasped. "You… cried?"
She touched her face, confused. "A nightmare… but there is warmth at the end." Her breath hitched like the dream still clung to her.
My chest tightened. She's remembering.
"Luna, I—"
The floor quaked. A vase shattered. Luna stumbled against the wall.
"E-Earthquake?!"
It stopped abruptly—the world's warning.
I ruffled my hair. "Just nature's tantrum." I grabbed my bag. "Ready for the chem test? And… thanks for the couch."
She fake-scowled. "Leave. You stink."
I grinned. Some things never changed.
***
The school hallway felt lighter. No thugs lurked in the alleys today.
Class 2-C still smelled of chalk. Theo sat flanked by Luna and Ivansia… except Luna's chair was pushed back. Space she never allowed before.
I opened my worn novel: "Fate is a coward's script." My eyes kept darting to Luna—was she safe?
"Are you crazy?"
Luna loomed over my desk, hands on hips. "You've been glaring. Got a death wish?"
I shrugged. "You stared first."
She flushed. "You've been… different. Yesterday…" Her voice softened. "...you acted different."
The air thickened. Ivansia adjusted her glasses. Theo gaped.
"Luna, we—"
"Tell me the truth. Now." She slammed my desk. "About the dreams—"
Ding-dong.
The distorted bell rang. Luna jumped. Outside, the sky flashed orange.
"Forget it!" She stormed off, but not before whispering: "We'll talk later."
Her gaze burned into my back—curious. Hopeful.
---
Cherry blossoms drifted onto the rooftop. Luna leaned on the rusty rail, her white uniform fluttering like trapped wings.
"Dramatic spot," I joked, ignoring the metallic stench.
She twirled her blue hair ribbon. "No interruptions here. The dreams… they're clearer now."
"Still believe in dreams?"
She closed in, golden flecks in her eyes blazing. "Not dreams—memories. The knife at my throat. Your footsteps. Your chili-spray stink."
My hands shook. Storm clouds gathered. "Luna—"
"And the café!" She gripped my sleeve. "What did you mean by 'red string'?!"
The world trembled. Gravel levitated. I grabbed her shoulders. "Souls bound across lifetimes. No distance or time breaks it."
Her breath hitched. "Like… Loops?"
Goosebumps rose. Black shadows crept up the school walls. "Maybe."
She plucked an invisible hair from my head. "I hate fate…" Her whisper trembled. "...but this string… feels real."
Wind whipped her hair into my faceless void. A church bell rang offbeat.
"Luna, we need to—"
"You're weird." She stepped back, ears red. "First a stalker, now a poet?!"
I laughed. "If I'm a stalker, why'd you pack me a blanket?"
"Floor's too good for you!" She stomped downstairs, but her distance from Theo in class spoke louder.
***
Lunch on the roof became our ritual. Luna nibbled my lopsided onigiri. "Tastes awful." She finished it anyway.
"You've changed," I said as she scribbled chem notes. She used to wait for Theo in the cafeteria.
Sunlight haloed her hair. "So have you. From ghost to…" She poked my cheek. "...stray cat."
I choked on fries. Below, Theo's laugh echoed… but Luna didn't glance down.
Peach-colored shadows danced between us. For once, I dared hope:
Maybe this red string can cut destiny's chains.