Lila navigated through the crowd, her mind preoccupied with the day's chaos at work. She barely noticed the disheveled figure heading her way until they collided, sending papers flying and coffee splattering onto the sidewalk.
Alex, a man with unkempt hair and a frantic look in his eyes, bent down to help gather her things. "Lila, it’s you! Finally, I've found you," he exclaimed, his voice filled with relief and urgency.
"Do I know you?" Lila asked, puzzled by his familiarity and the strange intensity in his gaze.
Alex stood, clutching a worn-out journal. "You don’t know me yet, but in another timeline, we’ve shared a life together. We’re married, and our love is crucial to the future," he insisted, his voice trembling with emotion.
Lila stared at him, bewildered. "This has to be some kind of mistake or a prank," she replied, shaking her head.
"I wish it were that simple," Alex said, opening the journal to pages filled with sketches and notes. "But I need your help to prevent a disaster that only we can stop together."
Lila sat across from Alex, sipping her coffee, her mind racing with the possibility of his outlandish claims. "Prove it," she challenged, her skepticism evident.
"I knew you’d say that," Alex replied with a small smile, sliding a photograph across the table. It showed them together, older, in a place she’d never been, yet her eyes recognized the happiness captured there.
Lila felt a flicker of doubt melt away. "If what you’re saying is true, then what do we do next?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Alex leaned forward, his voice low and urgent. "There’s an event—an anomaly that disrupts time itself. We have to stop it before it happens," he explained, pointing to a date circled in the journal.
Lila nodded, the weight of his words settling over her. "How do we even begin to stop something like that?" she asked, her resolve strengthening.
"Together, we can find the answer. Trust me, Lila. We've done it before," Alex reassured, his determination unwavering.
Lila felt a sense of purpose ignite within her as she walked beside Alex. "I never imagined my life would take such a turn," she mused, glancing at him.
"Sometimes, the unexpected leads us to where we truly belong," Alex replied, his hand brushing against hers, a touch that felt both familiar and new.
As they ventured into the night, their hearts carried the weight of the future, yet also the lightness of hope and the shared journey to come.
