"No, no, don't joke around, Jay!" Jinn, who had just found his voice, stammered in protest.

 

"I'm not joking. I just recently had the chance to think about it properly. If I hadn't read what you wrote, I wouldn't have understood how I felt."

 

"You can't just assume things. I don't feel like you... like... yeah, that's it. I don't feel anything! Not at all. I think you're just imagining things because you've been misled by what I wrote." Jinn quickly put up his guard to protect his feelings. At least, if it turned out that Jerome was just imagining things, he wouldn't be so hurt, just disappointed.

 

"I'm not imagining things, you have to believe me. This is my feeling. How can you know better than me?" Jerome argued.

 

If he hadn't dreamed of the future, he might have been confused. But after seeing the future, the young man thought there was nothing more to think about. Because there's no way he could ever like Jinn when they're older, like suddenly liking him and suddenly dating him because of closeness. Absolutely no way. There's only one reason why things went that far, and that is...

 

He's liked Jinn from the very beginning, since then, or maybe even before he understood the meaning of the word "like."

 

"I just... I just can't believe it. Because it's... too stupid," Jinn raised his hand to his face, unable to bear it any longer. His tall, muscular body slumped back against the sofa.

 

"How stupid!" Jerome raised an eyebrow, looking at the person who seemed utterly disgusted, completely bewildered.

 

"Think about it. I like you, and you like me, but neither of us told the other. We just kept teasing each other like clueless people. And we dragged so many other people into it when we could have just talked it out. That's why I say it's stupid."

 

"Yeah, that was really stupid," Jerome finally understood. The two young men looked at each other, unable to accept their own foolishness, before bursting into laughter.

 

"Haha, but what can I do? I just found out. I don't want you to go with anyone else. I don't want you to leave me behind. But on the other hand, I want to claim everyone you might like, so that no one is left you don't like. It might sound like I'm making a big fuss, and I don't realise it now. But it's different now. Knowing that the person you like is me, and it's been me all along, makes me happy. I feel joyful and think, 'This is what's right. You and I standing side by side. This image is exactly what I want.'"

 

Jinn stared blankly at the person smiling broadly in front of him. His feelings were a chaotic mess, too confusing to put into words. He never imagined things would turn out this way, never thought or imagined this day. But everything Jerome said, everything he showed in his eyes, was something he couldn't ignore.

 

"So what? What about you and me?" the person sitting on the sofa asked softly, sounding uncertain.

 

"We're a couple," Jerome replied loudly and clearly. What else are we waiting for?

 

"Huh! Cough, cough, cough! Wait, isn't that a bit too soon?!" Jinn choked on his saliva upon hearing the other person's illogical answer.

 

"What the hell is 'too soon'? You've liked me for how many years? Do we have to wait for two decades? Who's going to wait until then? I'll be old!" He didn't know why the phrase "a little too soon" made Jerome so irritated. Maybe it was because the future was taking too long for him to be happy. And that's probably why; otherwise, why would he let him see the records if he didn't want them to change?

 

"You... you're so serious that I'm starting to doubt it." Jinn was the one beginning to wonder whether it was him who liked him enough to want to be in a relationship, or if it was him who liked him enough to want to be in a relationship more.

 

Didn't you say you just realised it? You're coming on so strong, I'm starting to get scared!

 

"So, what are you going to do if you don't want to? Are you going to do what you did with those guys? Talk first, have sex, and if it's right, then be in a relationship? And have you ever..."

 

"Oh, I... I don't know! What am I supposed to do?!" Jinn panicked like never before. Suddenly, his wish was about to come true after more than ten years of sadness and despair. He was completely confused.

 

"I don't know any more than you, but I think we should date first so we can have full control over each other, get to know each other in a way we never thought we'd get to know. Do you understand? I'm confused too, but I think if we let it go on, we'll just keep going in circles of uncertainty, and it might not end well." 

 

Even though he didn't quite understand himself, something in Jerome's heart told him not to wait, not to hesitate, not to let it go, not to buy time. He kept repeating this until he thought this was the best approach, because clarity was another important step.

 

"Really? Okay, if you say so," the room's owner said, then fell silent, as if unsure what to say next.

 

“Okay then. Let's just say that now you and I—no, we—are officially a couple,” Jerome said, then fell silent. The two young men, one sitting on the floor and the other on the sofa, were both flustered and didn't feel like themselves. The word “we” was something Jinn and Jerome had never used to refer to themselves before. This was the first time.

 

Two pairs of eyes glanced to the left, then to the right, but refused to make eye contact. Their faces, once pale, had turned deep red, all the way to their ears, revealing every emotion they felt.

 

"Wait a minute, you still haven't told me how you found my notebook. Or rather, how did you know I had this better notebook?" Jinn asked, voicing his suspicions from the start. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly, giving off an undeniable sense of danger.

 

“This story? Hmm, I guess it’s going to be a long story, and I hope you believe me because it’s true.” Jerome offered his arm to Jinn to help him get up from the floor before sitting down beside him. “My brand new boyfriend is on the sofa.”

 

"Tell me first, then I'll decide."

 

“Okay, it all started with a dream of mine…” 

 

Jerome decided to tell the other person about his special ability, revealing everything true except for the parts that weren't yet resolved, or in other words, the things he hadn't dreamt about. He thought this last part must be very important, perhaps even more important than his and Jinn's current relationship.

 

He was afraid the other person would have a breakdown and drastically alter the future. He wanted to wait, to be truly sure, certain that the other person's future had changed, before telling them. Jerome wanted to be certain that this could be resolved, because he didn't want Jinn to be afraid or overthink things before it happened.

 

This intense feeling of wanting to protect him is so clear it cannot be ignored. He will change Jinn’s future himself; he won't let it become as bad as anticipated. I promise.

 

Jinn looked at Jerome as if he were crazy, glancing left and right, wondering to himself if it was really right to be with someone like this. Or maybe he should try letting go one more time; this time it might work.

 

"Can you please put on a better face, Jinn!" Jerome glared fiercely at the person beside him.

 

"I tried, but it just didn't work. Give me a moment."

 

"I'm serious, man. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it really happened. I've proven it."

 

"What proof do you have? Tell me." It wasn't that Jinn didn't want to believe it, but he just found it hard to believe. Seeing the future? A future where they are dating?

 

"I know what kind of coffee you drink because I dream about it, even before I've ever seen you brew it. You like strawberry ice cream, something you've never eaten in front of me, but I still know. I know you like watching Doraemon when you're stuck for ideas. You love the time machine more than any other gadget. You like writing in your journal whenever you feel frustrated. You like looking at the sky, but you prefer the evening to the morning because you're too lazy to wake up. You like a quiet room during sex; you don't like music or creating atmosphere. You prefer hearing the moans and the sounds of bodies colliding. Want more? There's more I know." Jerome let out a sarcastic laugh, while the listener's mouth dropped open and eyes widened as if they had just heard a terrifying horror story.

 

"Damn it," Jinn could only utter that one word before falling silent. Everything Jerome had said was true. It was a crush he'd never told anyone, some things even his mother didn't know. But he knew. The one who said he dreamt about the future and saw overlapping images that led to the car accident—that was him.

 

Damn! Is that really true?

 

"I really saw it. I saw what happened when we were in our thirties. At first, I didn't know I was your boyfriend because I couldn't see myself in that role. But gradually, it turned out that I was the one looking through my own eyes into the future. That's why I believe it."

 

"So, when you invited me for ice cream, you were trying to prove something, weren't you?" Jinn finally understood the root cause of Jerome's strange behaviour for the past three weeks.

 

“Yeah, your mouth was choosing chocolate, but your eyes were longingly gazing at strawberries. That’s when I started believing you. Later, many more things happened that made me believe you wholeheartedly, including this notebook. In the future, you said you wrote diaries about me during high school and university, but couldn’t find them. When I woke up, I looked for them and actually found them. See? I wasn’t lying. Everything is true.” Jerome placed his right hand on Jinn’s head and ruffled his hair.

 

"The strange touching I did was because I'll do that in the future. When I dream about it, it's like I'm used to it; my body just does it on its own. I didn't mean to."

 

Jinn looked at Jerome's face with a softened expression, but didn't pull away from the hand resting on his head. It felt good; the other person wasn't teasing or playing tricks on him, but rather doing it out of genuine affection.

 

"Is that why we look older? Because in my dreams I saw us both looking ten years older than we are now, and that's why it stuck with me?" When you put all the misunderstandings together, it makes sense in an unbelievably way.

 

"Yeah, you feel it too? But I still don't think of myself as being in my thirties. It's just that some thoughts have become clearer. I think it's a good thing, a really good thing, because if I didn't see the future, I wouldn't know how far things would have progressed between us. I wouldn't have been able to think like this so quickly. I'd be confused, and it would just drag on."

 

“Probably. So now, can you tell me, in the future you see me—uh, us between us, me and you, who’s on top? Don’t lie, Jay, or everything you’ve told me will be meaningless.” Jinn pointed a finger at the person he knew was lying—the one sitting beside him with a smirk, eyes sparkling.

 

"I swear to God, if I'm lying, may my snake be as small as my pinky finger."

 

Jinn swallowed nervously, having a faint feeling that if he dared to swear such an oath, his fears might come true.

 

"Stop!" He slammed on the brakes, but it seemed too late...

 

"It's me. I'm on top. I'm the one doing the penetrating," Jerome said, a cold, bloodthirsty smile spreading across his face.

 

"No way! This can't be! Ahhhhh!" Jinn screamed, his voice laced with the loud laughter of someone who had been tricked.

 

It's someone else's imagination, but you can't say it's a lie because it's true. Even though Jerome hasn't actually had a full-blown dream about them having sex, he's seen everything else. There's 100% no mistake about this.

 

"Haha, oh, oh, it's alright. No rush. Take your time to compose yourself," Jerome threw himself into the arms of the terrified person, causing them both to fall to the ground.

 

"You must be lying to me, Jay! There's no way I could be your wife, you idiot! You're lying, aren't you?!" Jinn yanked Jerome's hair until it was all messy and sticking up, before realising the other man was hugging him.

 

“No, I didn’t lie. And do I look like someone who’s going to be your wife? The notebook even says I can’t bring myself to dominate you, but I can,” Jerome said, using the position of being on top of him to prop himself up slightly so their faces were level.

 

"This is unbearable. 'Damn it, you bastard!'" Jinn didn't know why he thought the other person wasn't lying, but admitting that he'd accepted it for someone else felt too embarrassing.

 

"I told you there's no need to rush. It'll probably be faster than thirty anyway. Just use your hands and mouth for now," Jerome meant everything he said.

 

"Man, how can you be this gentle?" Jinn felt that this version of Jerome made his heart beat twice as fast as usual. Or was this it?

 

"Honestly, I don't know either. All I know is that I desperately want to kiss you right now." The sweet eyes, now fixed on the lips of the person beneath him, were so intense that the one being gazed at could feel it.

 

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" The person lying beneath grabbed Jerome's cheeks and pulled him down until their soft lips finally met.

 

It was at this moment that Jinn could be truly certain and believe that the whole thing was not a dream.

 

Something I never thought would happen to me in my life has happened, right now, this very second, in a way no one could have predicted.