i'd rather lose (my mind)

Episode 5.3

Winter had been looking forward to this moment for weeks. Ever since Giselle had shown her a picture of her girlfriend on her phone, Winter had been eagerly anticipating the day when she would finally get to meet her.

Now, here they were, sitting across from each other in a cozy restaurant on a crisp summer morning.

As soon as Giselle's girlfriend walked in, Winter's heart skipped a beat. The woman looked so familiar, like someone she had met before.

And then it hit her – she looked exactly like her research groupmate from one of her real estate management courses. Winter couldn't believe it. What were the odds of that?

Winter looked closer, she realized that there was something different about the woman sitting across from her. It was as if she had been slightly altered, like a character in a dream that had been reshaped in some small but significant way. And yet, there was no mistaking it – this was the same person.

"Hi babe," the woman said, leaning over to give Giselle a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, I'm—" Giselle began to introduce her.

"Ningning," Winter interrupted, her mind racing.

"You know her?"

Winter looked at Giselle before glancing back to the familiar face, "You were my group mate in our business and real estate taxation class."

Ningning incredulously laughed, "I'm a network & cyber security major."

Winter was taken aback. Had she made a mistake? Was this really not the same person? But there was something about the way she moved, the way she laughed, that was so familiar.

Giselle had a moment of clarity, "Are you saying you have a vivid memory of Ningning being with you in your dreams? Like there's a personalized description of her that you could remember?"

Winter nodded, unsure of what to say.

"In your memory, who is she?"

"As I said, she was my group mate. She mostly handles and proofreads our presentations. As far as I can recall, she was also a student-athlete, I'm not sure though if her sports are badminton or table tennis."

Ningning looked at Winter, her eyes wide with confusion. She had never been an overachiever and she certainly didn't play a sport during her college life.

Instead, the woman solely focused on maintaining her grades while she studies for her major and sometimes sneaks up bar-hopping into her busy schedule.

As they sat there, sipping their coffee and chatting, Winter couldn't help but feel like she was caught in some strange, surreal dream.

"I think I read a book similar to your case," Ningning opened up. She's still contemplating whether to feed the stranger's bizarre imagination but looking at the desperation in Winter's eyes, she chose to voice out her thoughts.

"Are you familiar with the concept of the multiverse?"

"The multiverse," Winter repeated, almost to herself. It was a concept she had heard of before, of course, but one she had never truly understood. Until now, that is.

Ningning continued, "Multiverse suggests that there are infinite parallel universes, each with its own unique circumstances, events, and versions of ourselves."

Winter felt a strange sense of familiarity wash over her. It was as though the words were tugging at something deep within her, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. But still, she listened intently, desperate for any explanation that could help her make sense of the situation she found herself in.