Leading To You

9. Dinner Table Revelations

I sat on my bed, phone in hand, my heart still racing from the encounter with Ethan earlier that day. I tapped on Emma’s contact. I was dying to share it with her. After a few rings, Emma's face appeared on the screen, her familiar grin lighting up the display.

"Hey, Mae! What's up?" Emma greeted.

"Em, you won't believe what happened today," I blurted out, unable to contain my excitement.

Emma grinned at the other end and leaned in closer to the camera, her curiosity piqued. "Okay, spill it. What's got you all worked up?"

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to convey the sheer strangeness of the situation, while trying to tone down the excitement of the situation. "I met him, Em. The guy from my dreams.”

"Wait, you mean the boy?" Emma asked, her tone a mixture of disbelief and amazement.

"Ethan. I saw him in real life, Em. I actually met him." I replied, my voice trembling with excitement.

Emma's eyes widened. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head vigorously. "I'm dead serious. I was at the café and there he was, sitting at a couple of tables from me. He was talking with Dr. Callahan."

Her eyes widened with surprise. "No way! That's... that's incredible, Mae. I wish I had been with you. Tell me everything."

I leaned back against my pillows, recounting the entire encounter with Ethan at the cafe. How after Dr. Callahan had left, we awkwardly started the conversation, the nervous glances, how we would be meeting on the weekend.

As I spoke, Emma's expressions shifted from surprise to fascination. "Wow, Mae, this is like something out of a movie or a book. Fate bringing you two together. It's like a romantic story."

I chuckled. "It's just so surreal. And he's not what I expected at all. He's an artist, Em, and there's something about him... It's like we've known each other for a long time. And guess what? He’s been having visions of me as well."

Emma's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Is there a spark? A romantic connection, perhaps?"

I blushed at the thought. "I don't know, Em. It's too early to say, but there's definitely something there, something I can't explain."

Emma's voice took on a teasing note. "Sounds like you're smitten, Mae. Did you get his number?"

My heart sank as I realized I'd forgotten to ask for it. "I... I didn't, Em. I got so caught up in the moment and the strange coincidence of our meeting that it completely slipped my mind."

Emma, who had been listening intently, laughed. "You were so wrapped up in the moment that you forgot the most crucial part, Mae?" she teased.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "I know, right? It's just that everything felt so… unplanned, so surreal. It didn't even cross my mind to ask for his number."

"Girl, you've got to see him again and rectify that," Emma suggested.

There was a moment of silence at the other end of the call. Then, Emma sighed sympathetically. "Mae, don't worry. Anyways, you guys are meeting up on the weekend, right? Just get his number then."

She leaned in closer to the camera, her tone becoming more serious. "Mae, just be careful, okay? I mean, this whole Future Fragments thing is mysterious, and we don't know what it means yet."

I nodded, appreciating her concern. "I will, Em. Dr. Callahan is involved too, so it's not like I'm going into this blindly. We're going to figure this out together. We know there are others like us who've been experiencing Future Fragments. Who knows, maybe we're all connected in some way."

Emma smiled, her support evident in her eyes. "That's the spirit. Just remember to keep me updated on everything. I want to hear all the juicy details."

I laughed, feeling grateful to have her in my life, who could turn even the most surreal experiences into something to share and celebrate. "I promise, Em. You'll be the first to know."

Emma nodded, her enthusiasm undiminished. “And I can't wait to meet this Ethan guy."

I chuckled. "Yeah, you'll like him, Em. He's... different, in a good way."

We talked for some more time before hanging up. I got busy trying to finish up school work for the next day but I found it really hard to concentrate as my mind kept going back to the cafe and how talking to him had made me feel.

—--

"Pass the salt, please," my dad requested as we sat around the dining table, a warm and comforting aroma of dinner filling the air.

I handed him the salt shaker, my heart pounding with anticipation. There was something I needed to share, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Mom, Dad, there's something I have to tell you," I began, my voice quivering slightly.

My mom looked at me with concern, while my dad paused mid-sprinkle of salt. And Hayden, just flicked his gaze at me for a split second before going back to eating. For him, food comes first. Everything else is secondary.

"What's going on, Mae? You look like you've got something big on your mind."

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "Remember those dreams I've been having? The ones with that boy? The Future Fragments?"

Both of my parents nodded, curiosity etched on their faces.

I continued, "Today, something incredible happened. I was at the cafe, and there he was. In real life. We met."

My family exchanged surprised glances. My dad, always the voice of reason, asked, "Are you sure, Mae bear? It wasn't just someone who looks like the person from your dreams?"

I shook my head. "No, Dad, I'm sure. It was him. His name is Ethan. He recognized me too, said he'd been having the same dreams about me."

My mom's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Mae, What was it like? Did you talk to him?"

I nodded vigorously, unable to suppress my excitement. "Yes!, and he's an artist. And he goes to Elmwood High. It's like... it's like we already knew each other."

I launched into a detailed account of our meeting, my heart still racing from the memory. The way our paths had crossed, our conversation, the connection we'd felt—it all spilled out, painting a vivid picture of the extraordinary encounter.

"Maybe it's all an experiment, like in those sci-fi movies. Are you sure you're not part of some secret government program, Maeve?" Hayden chimed in a hint of a teasing smile on his lips.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Oh, absolutely, Hayden. I'm secretly a government agent working on dreams and destiny in my spare time."

“You wish.” He said and my parents chuckled while I just rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm going to meet him again," I shared, after a pause. "Dr.Callahan…. The scientist who's been studying these visions…. he says there are more people like us, with shared visions of the future. We even found some anecdotes online, though most of them were fake."

My parents exchanged a glance, and my dad said, "Mae bear, just be careful. This all sounds a bit...unusual. Meeting someone from your dreams isn't an everyday occurrence.”

My mom nodded, her smile brimming with love and pride. "We believe in you, sweetheart. This could be something extraordinary, and we will stand by you. But please be careful. Just make sure you're not getting into something too strange. It's not healthy to be obsessed with these dreams."

I nodded, understanding their concerns. "I'll be careful, Mom. I can't help but feel like this is the start of something big, something extraordinary."