Home / Falling for the Future You / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Falling for the Future You: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

The dorm lights were off for the night, and the room had been dark for hours.I hid under my blanket, my phone screen painfully bright.Dozens of unread messages filled the chat, but I didn’t scroll through them.I just stared at the two messages from a few hours earlier:[What year is it where you are?][2031. Why?]I read those four digits over and over.Ivy Wells turned over in the next bed. "Renee, are you still awake?"I locked my phone. "I’m about to go to sleep."She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Actually… I saw you at the café today.""But you’re doing an internship, and you haven’t stayed in the dorm for weeks. I figured it probably wasn’t you, so I didn’t go over to check."She paused. "Did you see me, too? I was with a guy."I clutched the edge of my blanket and forced out a quiet "Yeah."She lay back down and stared at the ceiling."You probably don’t know him. His name’s Liam Hayes. He’s my boyfriend."For a moment, I forgot to breathe."I never introduced

Chapter 2

After that day, he kept sending me messages.I never replied.His messages continued late into the night and through the next day. His desperation gradually gave way to hesitant, cautious questions.[Is it… because of Ivy?]I stared at that line.He didn’t know the man I saw wasn’t him.After a whole night, he settled on the likeliest explanation and cautiously asked.[I don’t know if you know her, or if you heard something from someone…][After all, I went to the college right next to yours.][Ivy and I were close in college because of our families.][We rarely kept in touch after graduation, and I haven’t seen her since she moved abroad.][I admit I never clearly turned her down back then, and I never told you about her after we got together… But it wasn’t because I still had feelings for her… I just didn’t know how to bring it up.][I’m sorry.]I kept my eyes lowered. The words "I’m sorry" lingered on the screen for a long time.I put down my phone.Ivy and Liam sat across from me.

Chapter 3

Liam from the future seemed to know that even though I wasn’t replying, I still read every message.His pleas for me not to disappear gradually turned into a one-sided conversation.[It’s going to rain where you are today.][Remember to bring an umbrella.]I silently answered, "Okay."The morning sky was clear blue, without a single cloud.I still tucked a folding umbrella into my bag.On my way out of the dorm, I took another from the hook behind the door.This was a habit I had kept up for almost six months.It started the first time he said, "I’m coming to your city on business."His message popped up that day, saying work would bring him to my city the following month and he might stay for two days.I didn’t ask if he would come see me. I didn’t dare.But after that, I always chose a seat in the back row near the classroom door and ordered two extra dishes at the cafeteria.Whenever the forecast called for rain, I brought an extra umbrella and kept it beside me.What if he really d

Chapter 4

I stared at the words.The way she addressed me was wrong. So was the tone.[? What’s wrong? Didn’t you just leave?]There was a pause before another message came through, as though she was trying to confirm something.[This is so strange. This is clearly your account, but somehow it doesn’t seem like it.]I froze, then left the chat to check.The profile picture and bio were different. Only the name I saved her under remained: Ivy.Something clicked.[Are you the Ivy from 2031?]She went quiet for a moment, as though she needed time to process that.[What do you mean… Aren’t you the Renee Carter from 2031?]I didn’t know how to answer, but she seemed to work it out.[This is insane, but it finally makes sense. Liam said you’re a college senior. So, you’re the Renee from 2026?]She followed that with a long message.A few days earlier, Liam contacted Ivy out of the blue. He wanted Ivy to help convincing someone that things between her and Liam had ended a long time ago.[I thought it w

Chapter 5

Liam couldn’t remember when the dreams began.At first, they came in scattered fragments.All he knew was that he was sending messages.During breaks at work or sleepless nights, he always picked up his phone, typing and sending long messages.Then he waited.He didn’t know what he was waiting for.But the feeling was familiar, as though he had gone through it countless times.Gradually, the dreams grew more coherent.He dreamed of holding a potted ivy on a balcony, trying several angles before finally taking a photo he liked.After he sent it, relief washed over him, as though he had finished something important.In the dream, he thought, “This one looks good. She’ll probably like it.”He always woke feeling dazed, and the feeling lingered.He never owned an ivy plant. Even the balcony was unfamiliar.Yet he clearly remembered the rough rim of the pot against his hands and the smell of damp soil.He didn’t recognize the man he was in those dreams.That version of him was so tender. He

Chapter 6

When I returned to our room, Ivy sat at her desk.The lights were off. Her phone lit her face, but I couldn’t make out her expression. Then I heard a faint sniffle.I approached, and she hastily wiped her face at the sound of my footsteps.She turned and forced a smile."Hey, you’re back."Her smile looked painfully strained."I was just watching a show. It really makes you cry."The laptop in front of her was closed, its screen dark.She probably realized how unconvincing that sounded as soon as she said it. She lowered her head again.I stepped closer, stood in front of her, and gently stroked her hair."What’s wrong?"She stayed still, that same smile on her lips. Then she blinked, and the tears fell."I’ve decided to stop liking him."I knew who she meant, but my hand still paused."Why?"I had wondered before whether their relationship would end the same way it had in the other timeline. I just never expected it to happen so soon."Did he break up with you?"Ivy shook her head."N

Chapter 7

Liam stopped me after class.I had just stepped out of the classroom building when he approached from the side and blocked my path.His eyes looked tired, as though he barely slept for days.But they lit up when he saw me."Ren," he said. "I finally found you."I froze.For a moment, I thought it was him.Him from 2031, who crossed all those years to find me.But only for a moment.This man’s hair was shorter, his jawline less defined. Even the way he said "Ren" was tentative, without that familiar certainty.It wasn’t him."…Let’s talk," I said.We found somewhere quiet.We sat on a bench beside the artificial lake. The evening breeze swept through the treetops and chilled our shoulders.He sat at one end, and I sat at the other, with room for another person between us.He kept looking at me.His gaze was gentle, but he seemed reluctant to look away, as though he’d waited a long time for this."Please call me Renee," I said.He faltered as though the words burned him. His lips moved.

Chapter 8

I gave a faint smile."You don’t see the future me as the same person I am now either. That’s why you came looking for me instead of being with the Renee in 2031."Liam from 2031, if you really can hear me…"Our promise still stands, doesn’t it? We said we’d meet on the first anniversary of the day we met online."Tomorrow afternoon at three. The same café. I’ll wait for you."I arrived at the café at two forty the next afternoon.I took the same seat by the window as last time.The street outside the window looked much the same. A line stretched the shop opposite. Business was good.At two fifty, two coffees arrived.A hot latte sat in front of me.The other was an iced Americano. I tore open a packet of sugar, poured it in, and pushed the glass across the table.I remembered the voice messages we sent the night before we were supposed to meet."It’s been years since you graduated. You’ll probably think this place has changed a lot. I’ll show you around.""Don’t get lost, okay? I’ll w

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