Could It Be You? |✓

(11) They Meet Again

A/n: Hi everyone! With chapter 10, we've finally completed the brief introduction to the central characters, so let the discovery begin now! Woot, let's check back in with an important character!

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"Bali? How about Bali?"

"I think it's great," Ethan replies cheerily. Supporting her cell phone with a raised shoulder and tilted head, Emma grabs a brochure for this destination, adding it to her collection of 10 others - a commendable haul from the tour agency.

"Great!" she says, "Alice and Liam will join us too."

"Yup, can't wait!"

Emma smiles as she ends the phone call, and starts flipping through the booklets of world wonders. She has been actively planning a trip for post- New Year's, in hopes of giving Ethan a much-needed break, and spend quality time with her family. Alice, of course, is thrilled to have Ethan join them. With knowledge of his recent breakup, she's going to rev up her wing-woman chops again.

Roaming around, Emma immerses herself in the Christmas spirit. The year has almost ended, and Emma ponders if it has been a good run.

As she crosses the road, a figure that moved around the kerb catches her attention. Even though he has his back turned against her, Emma could recognise the build, and the iconic curls he sports. His strawberry blonde hair is visibly shorter - likely freshly cut - than what she remembers.

"Collin?" Emma calls out.

The man does not respond. Emma slow jogs towards him, making herself more audible this time.

"Collin!"

She watches as he turns around.

"Emma Ryans," he grins.

Emma approaches him, wondering if she should hug him because they aren't that familiar anyway, but her dilemma was unfounded. Collin reaches out to give her small embrace immediately.

"Wow, what a coincidence. Glad to see you here! How have you been?"

"Do you have time?" Emma asks hopefully. "I've so many things to ask you." He had left her many unanswered questions and she needed more explanations. So many more explanations.

"Of course you do." He laughs. "And of course I do."

Emma does not know where to start. Soon, she remembers that there is one important thing that she needs to make sure again, and she holds out her palm to him. "Show me your identification."

* * * *

Emma gasps, scratches the card, and rubs it. She makes sure that the card is not altered, or more specifically - the date is not altered. But what stops her was his name. Collin Alexander Clark. She does not recall knowing anyone with that last name.

"So you really are from the future?" Emma asks. She was near-drunk the other time, but very much sober now.

He takes a sip of coffee. "It's a little hard to believe, right? That's why I'm allowing you to ask questions." 

"Why are you here if you don't even belong in our time, who are you?"

He laughs. "Straight to the point! I like that!"

Emma leans forward and places an elbow on the table. She isn't sure what kind of conspiracy this is. It is still too hard to buy. It isn't everyday that you meet a person claiming to come from the future after all. Is that even possible? It shouldn't be.

He clears his throat. "I'm Collin, you know that already. I'm 23 and a college student in my final year. I'm here for my graduation project. Oh - I major in Technology and History."

"Technology and history? You can do that?" Emma asks, bemused. What kind of combination is that? The two courses are miles apart - one a science and the other a humanities. She wonders if it's compulsory in his time to take contrasting subjects.

"Sorry, I forgot to explain that, but you heard that right. Technology and History is a proper subject where I live. We mainly study the impact of technology on the discovery and mapping of history. More specifically, we study time-travel technology." he explains matter-of-factly. Making sure that she's following, he continues, "Men first succeeded in doing that twelve years from now. It's a physics thing, which I shall not attempt to explain because it's kinda complicated. Anyhow, they succeeded in sending a marble back by five minutes - kinda like how the Wright brothers managed to fly a plane for 59 seconds? Then over the next few years, they polished it. They sent an orange, then a container, then a mouse, then a human."

Emma looks at him suspiciously. Her curiosity is piqued, but it's all too much to take.

"Currently, we can travel back for one day, and by 25 years maximum."

Emma frowns. "So people can do that for fun? Like it's a vacation?"

She finds it absolutely jarring and shudders at the realisation that the strangers she meets each day may not have even existed yet. What if the lady standing next to her at the traffic light was actually a tourist from the future? What if the man she brushed past on the subway was not even born yet?

He looks surprised at that proposition, however, and quickly rushes to clarify. "Oh, no no no! The technology is highly restricted right now. Because the consequences would be unimaginable if we send any Tom, Dick or Harry back in time! It's used exclusively for research. For my course, we use it mainly to document past events, improve accuracy of historic accounts."

"Students in my grade are funded for a few trips to complete our final project. So that's why I'm here."

Oh is all Emma could manage.

"You want to know more about your future husband?" he says.

"Who is he?" she asks candidly. That would be the easiest way to get things over and done with. She'll just look for him and get him to marry her in Greece, honeymoon in Japan. No need for more shenanigans and guessing.

Collin's eyes widen, clearly reluctant to let the cat out of the bag. "Then there won't be any fun, will there."

"Then you shouldn't have said anything in the first place!" Emma snaps.

This stranger is using a piece of her life for his own amusement. While her own mind is in turmoil over this piece of information, he is enjoying the "fun". Fun, at someone else's expense. It infuriates her, and she is definitely showing it - she is throwing knives with her eyes, which thankfully gave him a check.

"Alright, chill. Let's give you a specific date then." he relents.

He takes another mouthful of coffee, and Emma's steely gaze softens, as she perks her ears to catch what he is about to say next. 

"You've met him, and even talked to him, on the most important day of  -"

He pauses as he studies Emma's expression. Definitely, the cogs in her head begin to turn away, completing the sentence in all ways possible. The most important day of her life? What was the most important day of my life? Perhaps the day she got called up for her job? The day she got accepted into college? Who did she meet then?

She looks at him intently, urging him to go on. Collin opens his mouth, as the words roll out.

"The most important day of your sister's life." 

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