The cool night air bit at Nick's skin as he and Patrick stood on the quiet street corner. The weight of Patrick's words hung in the air between them, like an invisible thread binding them together in confusion and curiosity.
"I don't understand," Nick said, trying to make sense of what Patrick was saying. "You're saying that… we were supposed to meet each other's dates? How does that even make sense?"
Patrick glanced down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Nick, his face serious. "I don't know, man. It's just this feeling I've been getting all night. When I met Sylvia… it wasn't what I expected. It was like I was meant to be with someone else, but I couldn't place who."
Nick's mind was racing. The pieces of the puzzle he hadn't been able to fit together were starting to make a little more sense. The strange feeling, the sense of déjà vu when he was with Sylviane… and now Patrick's confession.
"What do you think it means?" Nick asked, his voice barely a whisper. He couldn't shake the thought that something bigger was at play here, something more than just a coincidence.
Patrick rubbed the back of his neck, looking as confused as Nick felt. "I don't know, man. But I think it's more than just a mix-up. It's like… fate or something, pulling us in the wrong direction. But I don't understand why."
Nick took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. "Maybe it's just a fluke. Maybe we're just overthinking it."
But deep down, he didn't believe it. There was something unsettling about the entire situation, something that gnawed at him.
"You don't feel it too?" Patrick asked, sensing Nick's hesitation. "This weird pull? Like… like we're supposed to be with the other person?"
Nick paused, his heart beating a little faster. "I thought it was just me. But yeah… I feel it. It's like… when I'm with Sylviane, it's like there's something there, something I can't explain. But at the same time, it doesn't feel completely right either."
Patrick nodded, his eyes flickering with understanding. "Exactly. It's like we're supposed to be with them… but at the same time, we're not."
Nick felt a chill crawl down his spine. The night felt colder now, more oppressive, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
"Maybe we should talk to them," Nick said, his voice steady despite the unease swirling in his stomach. "Maybe they feel the same way."
Patrick's face darkened, as if the thought had occurred to him as well. "What if they don't? What if we're the only ones who feel this weird pull?"
Nick's gaze drifted back to the street, his thoughts tangled in the confusion. What if we're the only ones who know something isn't right?
"I don't know," Nick admitted, his voice almost lost in the night. "But I think we need to find out."
[Meanwhile, at the café with Sylviane and Sylvia]
Sylviane sat at the table, staring into her coffee cup as she swirled it absentmindedly. Her thoughts were miles away, her mind clouded by the conversation she had just had with Nick. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
When she had first met Nick, there had been a spark, a strange pull that she couldn't explain. But now, with everything that had happened today, it felt like that spark was more than just chemistry—it felt like fate, like they were meant to meet.
But then there was Patrick, and everything she thought she knew about her meeting with Nick had begun to unravel. What if she was meant to be with him instead?
Her phone buzzed, snapping her from her thoughts. It was a message from Sylvia: "Can we talk?"
Sylviane glanced at the message, her heart pounding slightly. She typed back quickly: "Sure. Meet me at the park in 20 minutes?"
She stared at the phone for a moment longer, her mind working furiously. Why does everything feel so complicated right now?
[At the Park]
Nick and Patrick arrived at the park a little while later, their conversation still swirling in their heads. The park was quiet, the only sounds being the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant hum of city life.
As they walked down the path, they spotted Sylviane and Sylvia sitting on a bench, their expressions as uncertain as Nick and Patrick's.
Nick's heart raced. The moment he saw Sylviane, everything inside him seemed to settle. The pull, the feeling of connection, it was all still there. But now, with Patrick's words hanging over him, it was starting to feel more like a trap than fate.
Sylviane looked up as they approached, her eyes meeting Nick's. "You guys came," she said, her voice quiet but tinged with something that resembled hope—or maybe fear.
Patrick stood a little apart from Nick, his gaze shifting from Sylvia to Sylviane, as if unsure how to approach the situation.
Nick took a step forward, his heart beating faster. "We need to talk," he said, the words heavy with the weight of everything that had happened tonight.
Sylviane nodded, and Sylvia stood up beside her, glancing between the two groups.
"I think we all feel something," Nick said slowly, his voice uncertain. "Something… strange, like we're meant to be with each other. But… it doesn't feel right either."
Sylviane's eyes widened, her face a mixture of confusion and understanding. "I thought I was the only one feeling that."
"Me too," Sylvia added, her voice quiet but clear. "It's like I'm with the wrong person, but at the same time, I'm… I'm not sure."
Nick looked at Patrick, and Patrick looked back, both of them realizing something at the same time.
"This isn't just us," Patrick said, his voice almost a whisper. "We're all feeling it. But… why?"
The air between them felt thick now, as if the universe itself was pressing down on them. The strange connection, the feeling that they were meant to be with the wrong person, was undeniable. But the question remained: Why?