The Fault In Time’s Design
630 Words
Ezra tapped his fingers against the wooden table, his brows furrowed in concentration. Across from him, Lillian watched his every movement, searching for any sign that he remembered—anything that proved their love had not simply been an illusion.
"You're staring," Ezra muttered, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he met her gaze.
Lillian swallowed, suddenly aware of how intently she had been watching him. "Sorry. You just... remind me of someone."
His smirk deepened. "Hopefully, someone charming and devastatingly handsome?"
Lillian laughed, the sound bittersweet. "Something like that."
As the conversation drifted into music, books, and fleeting memories, Lillian found herself sinking into the comfort of his presence. It was so easy to love him—so natural. But deep inside, she knew time itself was unraveling. She could feel it in the way the air felt heavier, the way streetlights flickered inconsistently, the way strangers' faces sometimes blurred at the edges as if they weren't meant to exist in this version of reality.
And then came the moment she had dreaded.
Cassius stepped into the café, his presence immediately altering the atmosphere. The air grew thick with tension as he approached their table, his golden eyes gleaming with something akin to amusement.
"Lillian," he greeted smoothly. "We need to talk."
Ezra glanced between them, sensing the shift. "Who is this?"
Before Lillian could respond, Cassius reached into his coat and placed an old, weathered pocket watch on the table. The ticking sound filled the silence like a heartbeat out of sync.
"The cracks are getting worse," Cassius said, ignoring Ezra entirely. "Time is resisting you."
Lillian's fingers clenched around her coffee mug. "I don't care. I won't let it take him away from me again."
Ezra's confusion deepened. "Lillian, what's going on?"
Cassius sighed, as if explaining this was a tedious task. "Imagine a book being read out of order, pages torn and rearranged. That's what you've done to time, Lillian. And now, reality is fighting back."
Ezra frowned. "What does that mean?"
Cassius finally looked at him. "It means you don't belong here. Not like this."
The words sent a chill down Lillian's spine. "Don't say that."
But she knew Cassius wasn't lying. She had forced this second chance, manipulated fate, and now time itself was fracturing around them. The love they had rebuilt was teetering on an edge, waiting to collapse under the weight of unnatural design.
Ezra ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. "Are you saying... I'm not real?"
Cassius tilted his head. "You were. But now? You're an echo of something that was meant to end."
Lillian's heart pounded. "No. I won't let you take him."
Cassius gave her a look of pity. "I don't have to. Time will."
At that moment, a cold gust of wind swept through the café. The people around them flickered, their movements distorting like a glitch in reality. Ezra clutched the table, his breath sharp and unsteady. "Lillian—"
And then he was gone.
Lillian gasped, her hands trembling as she reached for where he had been. The chair across from her was empty. The pocket watch on the table had stopped ticking.
Cassius stood, his expression unreadable. "You should have let him go."
Tears burned in Lillian's eyes. "No. No, no, no!"
Cassius exhaled, almost regretfully. "Time always wins, Lillian."
She clenched her fists. "Not if I can change it."
A flicker of something—admiration, perhaps—passed through Cassius' golden eyes. "Then I suppose we shall see, won't we?"
As he turned to leave, Lillian stared at the empty chair, her heart aching with the weight of her choices.
Time had erased Ezra. But she wasn't about to let it end like this.
Not yet.
- Writer
