Whispers of Deja Vu

Episode 4

"No...this can't be happening." Nicole said frantically, slowly kneeling in the vehicle. She couldn't breathe properly, and her knees were shaking. Keiffer caught her.

"Nicole...are you okay? What's wrong?" Keiffer asked, concerned.

"Everything is repeating...No..no. I can't handle this!" Nicole cried, overwhelmed by her emotions.

"Nicole! What's happening to you? What do you remember? You need to tell us... please!" Samantha begged, gripping Nicole's shoulders tightly.

Nicole's breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling in quick, uneven gasps. She struggled to get the words out, her throat tightening with panic.

"The motorcycle... it— it's going to crash into another car!" she choked out. "We—we dodged it, but... but Alex! Alex—he's going to—" Her voice broke as she clutched Samantha's arms. "Don't you guys remember?!"

Samantha's hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide in horror.

Keiffer and Samantha froze, the weight of Nicole's words sinking in like ice.

Samantha covered her mouth in shock. Keiffer and Samantha were both stunned by Nicole's words.

"s**t!" Keiffer said, panicking.

"What's happening? Why is she crying?!" They all turned when they heard Alex's voice. Just like before, he was trying to speed up to catch up with them, following them closely.

"We need to stop him." Nicole quickly said, standing up and holding onto the bar to face Alex.

"STOP! STAY THERE!" Nicole shouted at Alex.

Alex furrowed his brow, hearing her but not understanding. Instead of stopping, he sped up, worried about his girlfriend. He didn't understand why she suddenly started crying.

"Why are you crying? What happened? What did you guys do?" he asked, confused.

"BRO! You need to stop! You can't follow us! You need to listen!" Keiffer pleaded, trying to stop Alex from speeding up his scooter.

They were startled by the sound of two consecutive gunshots. Everyone grew more anxious, especially Nicole. With each passing moment, her chest felt heavier, her breathing became more difficult, and her pulse quickened.

"Can't he hear us?" Samantha asked, noticing that Alex seemed to speed up even more. "What should we do?" she asked, panicking.

"I don't know."

One month ago...

Nicole had just finished organizing the files her supervisor assigned. She was working from home since their company was quite far. They only went onsite twice a week, which suited Nicole perfectly.

It had been almost half an hour since her boyfriend Alex's last message, where he said he was on his way and almost there, but he still hadn't arrived. Unable to wait any longer, she called him. The phone rang several times before Alex answered.

"Yes, madam?"

"You said you were almost here?" Nicole replied, a mix of worry and annoyance in her voice.

"As I said." Alex answered, then hung up, which only made Nicole more irritated.

"How dare you!"

But she was startled when her bedroom door suddenly opened, and there stood Alex, sighing deeply. She was about to scold him, but seeing how exhausted he looked, she held her tongue and got up to greet him.

"I just had to go somewhere," Alex explained.

"Oh, where did you go this time?" Nicole asked teasingly.

"You'll know later... but first can I get my kiss?" Alex said, moving closer to Nicole as if to hug her, but she blocked him with her hand on his chest, stopping him from coming closer.

"Nope, you stink!" Nicole said, though she was only joking. No matter how smoky or muddy Alex got, she would always welcome him with open arms. Alex grinned.

"You're so dramatic," he said before pulling Nicole's arm away and kissing her on the lips, hugging her tightly. He placed her hands on his shoulders. Nicole didn't resist and returned Alex's kiss.

But their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Cole, has Alex arrived?" They heard Nicole's mother ask. They quickly pulled apart and composed themselves before Alex opened the door.

"Yes, ma'am," Alex said.

"Good thing you're here. Nicole's dad isn't home, and I need help fixing the leaking sink," she requested.

"Sure, do we have the tools here?" Alex asked while taking off his bag, which Nicole took from him. Alex gave her a wink before heading to the kitchen with Nicole's mother.

Once the door was closed, Nicole decided to tidy up her room. She placed Alex's bag on the table, but as she did, she heard something hard inside it, she thought she had broken something. Nervous, she opened the bag and rummaged through it.

She froze when she found a wedding ring box and a blue letter.

Her pulse quickened, and her breathing became rapid. She wasn't sure whether to touch and open them or leave them alone. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and her emotions were all over the place. Unable to stay calm, she slowly took out the letter and couldn't help but read it.

"Meow my love, belated Happy 7th anniversary to us. I'm so grateful to have you. I honestly don't know how I got lucky enough to have the most sassy girlfriend in the world. Just kidding. I'll tell you everything in tonight. We're moving back to San Rafael next month, and since everyone will be there, I want to return with a fiancée. You know I'm proud, so I won't miss asking you, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

Nicole's chest tightened as she finished reading the letter. She felt like crying from the intense emotions. She wasn't sure if opening the letter was the right thing to do. She didn't understand her feelings; she was nervous and overwhelmed with excitement. She felt ready yet unprepared. She wanted it, but she also felt like running away. She was so confused.

Trying to calm down, she put the letter back in the bag and went to her table, put on her headset, and searched for sad songs on Spotify. They had been taught that listening to sad songs could help calm nerves by countering the fast heartbeat and agitation. She played "Sayo" by Silent Sanctuary and various songs by December Avenue.

It helped her calm down a bit, though she still felt uneasy. Her heart raced again when she heard the door open and Alex entered. He took off her headset.

"I'll take a shower. We'll talk later," he said, kissing her on the cheek. Once he left, she exhaled deeply.

She regretted opening the letter. Now she couldn't calm down or think straight. She wished she hadn't seen it, to avoid feeling this way. She wanted to escape, maybe go to 7-Eleven and not come back for a while.

They both had stable jobs and were accepted by their parents. They had been together for almost seven years. She didn't understand why she felt so anxious and nervous.

For almost ten minutes, she alternated between sitting and lying on her bed, feeling restless and panicked. She decided to get up, go to the kitchen for some cold water, and take a deep breath before returning to her room.

She found Alex lying on her bed, scrolling through his phone. She quickly averted her gaze and went straight to her computer table.

"Do you still have work to do?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Nicole answered curtly, even though she had nothing urgent. She just wanted to avoid the conversation.

"Okay, but stop by 10:00. We need to talk," Alex said. She heard him sigh, making her bite her lip.

She busied herself with trivial tasks, dragging out the time. She did tasks that could have waited until tomorrow, immersing herself in her computer to distract herself. Forty minutes later, Alex turned off her computer, startling her.

"Hey!" Nicole exclaimed.

"It's 10 already. I told you we need to talk," Alex said, holding her hand. She couldn't resist as he led her to the bed and sat her down. Her heart pounded, but she tried not to show it. She wanted to go back to the computer table, looking for an excuse but finding none.

Then unfortunately for alex, she spotted a T-shirt at the end of the bed and his briefs on the floor.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to leave your clothes everywhere?" Nicole said, grabbing Alex's scattered clothes. Alex turned and scratched his head, knowing his girlfriend was strict about tidiness.

"Sorry, I thought I put them in my bag," Alex explained.

But Nicole saw an opportunity to avoid the conversation, so she scolded him further.

"No, I don't want you to sleep here. Go sleep in the living room," Nicole said, crossing her arms.

"What? Babe, come on," Alex said, surprised.

"I'm serious. Didn't you sleep there before? What's the difference now?" Nicole insisted. Alex rubbed his neck, feeling a headache coming on from her insistence.

"Sorry, I really just forgot. And besides, it's been seven years since I slept there. Aunt might wonder why," Alex explained, pleading with his girlfriend.

"No, I don't think Mom will mind. Get your pillow and blanket and go sleep on the couch," Nicole said firmly. Alex had no choice but to follow her orders, feeling dismayed.

And so, Nicole managed to avoid the conversation that, but the next day, her mother scolded her. Her boyfriend was upset, but she made it up to him the following day.



She wasn't sure if she made the right decision, but weeks later, she felt regret. She realized she wasn't really afraid of Alex proposing. She was just overwhelmed that day. She regretted her actions every day and waited for the chance when Alex would propose again. Now she realized she was ready to marry Alex anytime because she loved him deeply.