The Boy in my dreams

Chapter 9 : You Can’t Escape Fate

“You could have died.”

Liam’s voice was sharp, filled with anger—and something deeper.

Fear.

I pushed myself up slightly, my body still shaking.

“You… you saved me,” I whispered.

“Barely,” he snapped.

I flinched.

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing like he was trying to calm himself down.

“This is exactly what I was talking about,” he continued. “It’s already starting.”

“What is?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“The pattern.”

A chill ran through me.

“This always happens,” he said. “You get close to me… and then something tries to take you away.”

My heart pounded.

“That wasn’t an accident, was it?” I asked.

He didn’t answer.

And that silence?

Was answer enough.

Before I could say anything else, another voice cut in.

“Took you long enough.”

We both turned.

Chloe stood a few steps away, arms crossed like she had been watching the whole thing.

“Were you just going to let her get hit?” Liam shot at her.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Relax. I was going to step in.”

“Sure you were.”

I looked between them, overwhelmed. “Can someone PLEASE explain what is happening?!”

Chloe sighed.

“Short version?” she said. “You’re stuck in a loop.”

My stomach dropped.

“A what?”

“A loop,” she repeated. “Same story. Different timeline. Same ending.”

I shook my head. “No. No, that’s not possible.”

“Tell that to the car that almost killed you,” she said bluntly.

Silence fell.

Then she added quietly:

“This is just the beginning.”

That night, I didn’t sleep.

I couldn’t.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again—the headlights, the speed, the moment I thought everything would end.

But eventually…

The dream came anyway.

This time, it wasn’t soft.

It wasn’t gentle.

It was real.

Too real.

I was standing in the middle of a road.

Rain pouring down.

My heart racing.

And Liam…

He was in front of me.

Desperate.

“Don’t do this,” he said, his voice breaking.

“I have to,” I heard myself say.

But it wasn’t me.

Not really.

It was… another version of me.

A memory.

“If you stay with me,” I continued, tears mixing with the rain, “it only gets worse.”

“I don’t care!” he shouted. “I’ll find a way—”

“You always say that!” I cried. “And I always die!”

My breath caught.

The words echoed in my mind.

I always die.

Liam stepped closer, shaking his head.

“Not this time.”

“You said that last time.”

Silence.

Pain.

Love.

All tangled together.

“I love you,” he said.

The words hit like a storm.

And then—

Light.

A car.

Speeding.

Too fast.

Too close.

Everything went black.

I woke up screaming.

Tears streamed down my face, my chest heaving.

It wasn’t just a dream.

It was a memory.

And this time…

I remembered how it felt to die.

The next day, I didn’t hesitate.

I found Liam before classes even started.

He looked tired.

Like he hadn’t slept either.

“Talk to me,” I said immediately.

His eyes searched mine. “You remembered, didn’t you?”

I nodded.

His expression darkened.

“I saw it,” I whispered. “The road. The rain. You… me…”

My voice shook.

“I died.”

Silence.

Then he looked away.

“I tried to stop it,” he said quietly.

“Did you?” I asked.

His jaw tightened.

“Every time.”

That hurt more than I expected.

I stepped closer.

“Then why does it keep happening?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he said something else.

“Do you remember what you said to me?”

I hesitated.

Then nodded slowly.

“If you stay with me… it only gets worse.”

His eyes met mine again.

“That’s still true.”

My heart clenched.

“Then maybe we change it,” I said.

“You can’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he insisted. “I’ve lived it.”

I shook my head.

“Then live it differently,” I said softly.

He went quiet.

I took another step closer.

“I don’t care what happened before,” I continued. “I don’t care how many times this has repeated.”

My heart pounded harder.

“I choose you anyway.”

His breath caught.

And for a moment…

Everything stood still.