When the Rain Stopped Falling (Published under Pop Fiction)

27: The Truth and Reality

"Okay what the hell," I managed to blurt out after Nikolas gave me the biggest bomb so far to all the bombs he set off to me. This is it. This is the last straw.

"I'm going to explain,"

"Oh yeah, you should! And you better make that explanation the best you could ever put up because if it's not, I'm gonna rip you apart!" Surprised by my vulgarity, Nikolas was pale white. Cold sweat streamed his face.

"Alright, alright. I'll explain everything to you. But right now, we should go out first." I looked around and noticed that some people were looking at us maybe overhearing what I have said. I primed myself up. Then we both walked out of the store.

"Are you mad?" Nikolas asked like he was a kid asking his parent.

"Of course, I am. Do you think you could play with my feelings like that just because you could time travel?"

"Please, Elois, volume down. People might know,"

"That you're a time traveler?" I intentionally raised my voice "Do you think anyone would believe that?"

"But you believed,"

"Because of you, because I'm stupid,"

"That's true,"

"What?"

"Uh, I mean, it's quite true that it's my fault,"

"Yeah you're right about that," We were walking so fast until we reached an old park that no one really visited. A garden in the middle of the city is quite rare and obsolete, I thought. But this would be the perfect place. "Okay explain everything to me,"

"The short one or the long one?"

"The long one,"

"Okay. You have to listen to me carefully. This is quite tricky. If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt me," I nodded as a signal. Although I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to hear all of this. "Do you remember the first we've met?" He asked.

"At the waiting shed? It was raining and you suddenly came to me with an umbrella in hand and..."

"No, that's not supposed to happen. Right there in that moment, history was changed."

"What?"

"The real first time we've met is at the Best Burger Diner In Town. Jasper introduced me to you,"

"So you mean,"

"Yes, the one you remember as our first meeting was fabricated."

"Why? Why would you do such a thing?"

"Okay, this is where it would really get confusing. The Nikolas you've met at that day was a little different from me, Nikolas right now."

"Huh?" That's the only word I could say to this.

"That Nikolas you met. Let's call him Nikolas A. Nikolas A went back to the past to change the future so that you would be his wife. Nikolas A has no wife at all. He was pretending, lying to you. You know me, us, Nikolas has an ability to learn just by observing right? Nikolas A was good enough to copy how Jasper talks and behaves to make you fall for him."

Jasper? So that's why Jasper and Nikolas from the future sounded the same. Because Nikolas was just copying him? Nothing but a lie. My blood boiled. How could he do that? I braved myself to go further listening to the words he was saying.

"The carnation flower? It's fabricated, isn't it?

"Yes by Nikolas A,"

"Nikolas A? So who are you?" I asked maintaining a calm facade.