"Hey! Vivi! Aren't you and #### meant to be together?" a clear, lively voice echoed.
Viviana opened her eyes and found herself in a strange, yet familiar place. It was morning. The sun was shining too bright to feel real. Above her, a beautiful cherry blossom tree swayed gently, petals falling around her.
"Vivi, you have a petal in your hair," a tall guy said softly, brushing the petal from her hair. But she couldn't see his face. It was too blurry.
"Ayiieee!! Hey, Vivi, invite me to your wedding, okay?" another voice said cheerfully. This one came from someone with a blurry face, holding an old camera.
'Where am I? Why does this place feel so familiar?' she thought to herself.
"Shut up! Can't you see I'm... I... uh..." the tall guy stuttered, clearly flustered and blushing, even though she couldn't see his face properly.
"#### and I are just friends, okay?! Just friends!" another voice spoke up. It was her, Viviana, only younger. 'Wait... hold on... I kind of remember this,' her inner thoughts whispered.
Her younger self had a pout on her face, clearly annoyed. The tall guy chuckled.
"Hey! What's so funny?!" younger Viviana snapped.
"It's nothing... it's just... you're so cute, Vivi~," the tall guy replied, his blurry face lit up as he smiled brightly.
"Oi! Are you guys official now? Not the 'just friends' type?" the one with the camera teased with a playful smirk.
The tall guy gently caressed younger Viviana's cheek as he leaned closer.
"####...?" said younger Viviana in a trembling voice.
'Hey... I remember this scene. I think... he's going to...' said the older Viviana's inner thoughts.
The tall guy smiled warmly, so warm it could melt a thousand hearts.
"Oh my gosh, Vivi! I knew you both liked each other!" said the person holding the camera, sounding excited. "Is that why you brought me here? Just to watch this beautiful drama?" they added with a giggle.
Younger Viviana blushed hard, her cheeks bright red as his warm hand continued to gently touch her face.
"####... what are you doing? Wh-what are…" she stammered, clearly flustered.
'I remember… this is where it all started.' the older Viviana thought.
The breeze blew softly, carrying the cherry blossom petals through the air. The flowers danced around them. The sky was clear. The sunlight beamed down on the two of them, like a spotlight. As if the heavens had prepared this perfect moment just for them.
The one holding the camera stood frozen, speechless.
The scene was too beautiful. Too perfect.
Since younger Viviana was too flustered and couldn't control her feelings, she accidentally pushed him too hard, and he fell back onto the grassy ground.
The one holding the camera laughed loudly. "Oh no, are you okay, ####?"
Younger Viviana panicked and quickly tried to help him up. "I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?!"
The tall guy just chuckled, grabbed her wrist, and gently pulled her down with him, making her fall beside him. He laughed softly.
"You're so beautiful, Viviana…" he said as he gently brushed her cheek.
Younger Viviana started fanning herself, blushing like crazy. "Haha…" she let out a nervous chuckle. "Nice joke, ####. But that won't work on me. Your pranks are enough. You mean the cherry blossom tree and the petals, right?" She chuckled again, still trying to hide her flustered self.
'No, no, no, Vivi! You're not supposed to say that! He'll… ugh… he'll fall for you more!' Older Viviana let out a frustrated groan in her mind.
The one holding the camera gasped, clearly feeling secondhand embarrassment.
"Viviana… I really mean it. You're beautiful… you're gorgeous… you're so pretty…" said the tall guy with the blurry face, softly but seriously.
He leaned closer, his breath warm against her skin.
"Viviana… will you be my lover?" he whispered in a deep, husky tone near her neck.
His hot breath tickled her neck and ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Hic!" she let out an accidental hiccup.
The tall guy smiled gently.
"So… do you have any answers yet, Viviana?" he asked, slowly leaning away from her face.
Younger Viviana hiccupped again
"Hic!"
completely red and flustered, her whole body stiff from embarrassment.
'Vivi… ugh… you're embarrassing me here. I bet that #### jerk is laughing right now.'
Older Viviana's inner thoughts screamed in frustration.
And indeed, #### was.
They were laughing so hard, nearly rolling on the grass from how hilariously awkward Viviana's hiccup fits were.
The tall guy, still smiling warmly, looked into her eyes with soft, pleading puppy eyes.
"Please…?" he whispered gently, voice dipped in a sweetness that melted her mind, her heart, her entire soul.
Younger Viviana, caught completely off guard, instinctively nodded.
'NOOOO!!! VIVI! DON'T NOD!! GAH! How do I possess my younger self?! Someone call a time traveler!'
Older Viviana's inner thoughts were in full-blown crisis mode.
The tall guy beamed, absolutely glowing with joy.
Without hesitation, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap.
Then...softly, tenderly, he kissed her.
It was her first kiss.
No… their first kiss.
Right there, under the cherry blossoms, with petals swirling around them and the sunlight wrapping the moment like a ribbon.
'NOOOOOOOOOO!!!'
Older Viviana's inner voice echoed like a dramatic scream into a void.
The wind brushed softly through her hair, cool and comforting. The flowers swayed gently with it, as if dancing in celebration. Petals fluttered down around them like confetti from the heavens. His lips were soft… and warm… so warm that younger Viviana felt her entire body melt into the moment.
She relaxed unconsciously, her arms falling to his shoulders as the tall guy gently pulled her closer, deepening the intimacy.
The one holding the camera stood frozen, wide-eyed and stunned.
"…Wow," they whispered breathlessly.
Unable to resist, they quickly snapped a photo, the shutter click silent compared to the thundering heartbeat in the air.
The picture… it was majestic. Breathtaking. A perfect memory captured in a single frame.
The tall guy finally pulled away from the kiss, both of them breathless, lips slightly parted, cheeks flushed. The sun's warmth couldn't compare to the heat they shared.
Younger Viviana blinked, slowly realizing her position, sitting on his lap, arms loosely wrapped around him, eyes locked.
"W-Wha—!"
With a squeak, she jolted up straight, face burning red. She quickly turned around and covered her face with her hands, unable to face him.
The tall guy laughed, softly, playfully. "You're so cute when you're flustered," he said between chuckles.
The one with the camera? Laughing so hard they almost dropped the device. "This is the best day ever! Vivi, your hiccups were priceless!"
'Trust me, younger self… you'll regret having this memory.'
Older Viviana's inner voice sighed like a tired narrator in a tragic comedy.
'Why did you have to be so dramatic? Why did you let him kiss you like that? Why did you… ugh… why did you enjoy it so much?'
Then all of a sudden, everything changed.
The warm sunlight was gone, replaced by a heavy gray sky. The vibrant cherry blossoms were gone, replaced by the cold drizzle of a sorrowful rain. The sound of laughter faded, and all that remained was the sharp, piercing silence between two broken hearts.
They stood under a single umbrella in front of their favorite restaurant,their place. The spot where they used to laugh, share meals, sneak glances when no one was looking. But now, that once-cozy place stood behind them like a distant dream, blurred by the downpour.
Viviana's younger self clutched the umbrella tightly, her knuckles white. Her lips trembled, her eyes wide and glassy.
"You… why… ####? Why did you do this to me? No… I mean… to us…?"
Her voice cracked, thick with emotion. Shaking. Hurt. Betrayed. Tears mingled with the rain on her cheeks, indistinguishable, but far more painful.
The tall guy stood in front of her, soaked at the edges, his face half-shadowed beneath the umbrella. His eyes, once full of warmth, were now cold, unreadable.
"Why… ####? Tell me… why did you… murder ####?"
Her voice trembled, hurt and confused.
He didn't flinch this time. He looked her straight in the eyes.
"He deserved it," he said flatly. "That's why I killed him. It's for the sake of the mission too."
Viviana's eyes widened in shock. "What…?"
Without another word, he turned his back on her and walked away, leaving her alone in the rain. No explanation. No apology. Just silence.
Viviana stood frozen, her chest tight. Her throat burned as she tried to hold it in.
She clenched her fists, bit her lip, and turned the other way, refusing to let the tears fall.
Neither of them looked back.
And yet, both were breaking.
He was the one who walked away.
He was the one who broke them.
Then the scene changed again. This time, she was reading a book in her mansion's personal library, trying to forget that memory or what she had said.
"It changed again… I think I remember this…"
said older Viviana's inner thoughts.
Younger Viviana had dark circles and thick bags under her eyes, but she kept reading the novel.
Suddenly, someone barged in and slammed the door open.
"Miss! Miss!"
Younger Viviana turned to the person, clearly irritated for disturbing her peaceful reading moment.
"This better be important."
"No, it's an emergency, Miss Viviana Carsten! It's about ####!"
Her eye twitched in irritation and annoyance.
"What does he have to do with me? We're completely over. He's a murderer."
She turned away and continued reading the book.
"No… Vivi. You're going to regret saying that,"
said older Viviana's inner thoughts.
"He died in a car accident! He was hit by a truck!" said the man, panting. He was holding something, a white handkerchief soaked in blood, wrapped around something small.
Younger Viviana's eyes widened. The book slipped from her hands as she rushed toward him.
"What do you mean…? You're joking, right?"
She clutched his shoulder tightly, hoping, begging, that he was lying.
"You're joking… right?" she repeated with a forced laugh and trembling smile, her eyes desperate.
The man held out the bloodied handkerchief.
"#### was holding this tightly in his hand when we found him. That's all I wanted to tell you, Miss."
He gently handed it over to her.
She unwrapped it with shaking hands.
The man bowed and quietly left the room.
"Vivi… that's how I got the locket. He cherished it so much… I did the same, Vivi,"
said older Viviana's inner thoughts.
There it was, a simple silver locket. Inside was a small photo of them, captured during their first kiss under the Sakura tree.
Viviana clutched the locket to her chest and cried miserably.
Viviana woke up… with tears in her eyes.
"Oh… it was just a dream," she mumbled, turning her head slowly.
Back to reality. Back to the quiet room that held no warmth, no laughter, just silence.
"But it happened…" she whispered, voice breaking.
"I shouldn't have said it."
She choked, pressing her hand against her mouth, trying her best not to cry again. But the tears still fell, soft, silent, and filled with regret.
To be continued....