Chapter 45: Fate’s Unseen Strings, Part Three

Friday, September 9th, 2005

Katie sat in the back seat of her mother’s vehicle, her mind still spinning from the electric moment she had just shared with Josh. The declaration had slipped from her lips before she could even think about it: I’m going to marry that man. And she meant every word.

Judith and Hannah exchanged wary glances, their expressions a mix of shock and unease. Judith’s brow furrowed slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line as she tried to make sense of what she had just seen. Hannah, on the other hand, blinked rapidly, her mouth slightly open as if searching for the right words but coming up empty. They both had the same thought—this wasn’t just a fleeting crush or youthful infatuation. What they had just witnessed felt deeper, almost otherworldly. Judith, her voice measured but tinged with concern, finally broke the silence. “Baby, I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was ... intense. But you have to understand, you’re still young, and he’s older. We just met him tonight, and I won’t lie—both your sister and I felt like we could trust him. But the fact remains, he’s four years older than you. He’s an adult, and you’re still just fifteen. That’s not something we can ignore.”

Katie sat up straighter, her usual teenage demeanor fading as something stronger took its place—an unshakable certainty that seemed far beyond her years. “Mom, I know how it looks. I know what the law says, and I know what you’re thinking. But it doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t change what I know in my heart. I will date him. And I will marry him. I’d bet my life on that.”

The conviction in her voice sent a chill down Judith’s spine. Hannah, trying to defuse the tension, interjected gently. “Katie, Mom’s just trying to be realistic. You feel like this now, but you can’t predict the future. Just because you had an instant connection doesn’t mean things will work out the way you expect. You guys could start dating and realize you’re not as compatible as you think. Mom doesn’t want you to get hurt if it doesn’t work out.”

Katie inhaled deeply, steadying herself. “Hannah, I hear you. I do. But I know this is different. I know this is forever.”

Judith and Hannah exchanged another glance. The certainty in Katie’s voice unnerved them—it wasn’t the words themselves, but the way she said them. There was no hesitation, no youthful uncertainty. She spoke with conviction, as if she were simply stating a fact rather than making a declaration about the future. It was unsettling, like catching a glimpse of a stranger wearing Katie’s face. It was as if they were talking to a fellow adult.

As they pulled into the Pizza King parking lot, Judith sighed and turned toward Katie, her voice softer this time. “Honey, I just don’t want you to rush into something and get hurt. We just met Josh. Please, take this slow.”

Katie held her mother’s gaze, unwavering. “I understand, Mom. It’s not like I’m going to throw myself at him tonight,” she said with a smirk. “But whether it takes months or years, I will marry that man. I saw it in his eyes.”

Hannah, seizing the moment, added, “Mom, you saw it. I was flirting with him, and he had zero interest in me. But the second he looked at Katie, it was like something clicked into place. I can’t explain it, but you saw it too. You felt it.”

Judith exhaled, rubbing her temples. “I won’t deny that something was there. But I need time to process this. And your father and I will have to talk.”

Sensing her mother’s hesitation, Katie offered a compromise. “If it makes you feel better, we can keep everything supervised. We can have our dates at the house. You’ll never have to wonder what we’re doing.”

Judith hesitated, then shook her head. “Let’s just get through dinner. We’ll see where things go from here.”

With that, they stepped out of the vehicle and made their way inside. The restaurant was already filling up with people from the game, but Josh had managed to secure a booth. He was waiting for them with a small smile.

“I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I got a mix,” Josh explained. “Figured you can’t go wrong with breadsticks.”

As the server set them down, Katie’s breath caught. Josh had ordered two full-bake orders, a three-quarter bake with extra cheese, and his usual half-bake with no dill butter. Without missing a beat, he slid the two full-bakes toward Judith and Hannah, then placed the three-quarter bake in front of Katie.

Judith and Hannah didn’t notice the significance, but Katie did. She had always preferred her breadsticks exactly like this—three-quarter baked, the perfect balance of crisp and softness, with extra cheese. It was one of those small things Josh had always done for her in their past life, an unspoken act of love.

Her heart pounded, a mix of shock and overwhelming emotion flooding through her. It wasn’t just a coincidence or a lucky guess—this was intentional. A rush of warmth spread through her chest, colliding with the lingering grief she had carried since waking up in this timeline. Did this mean what she thought it did? The possibility sent a chill down her spine. What if Josh was like her? What if he had been sent back too? The idea seemed impossible, yet the way he had looked at her, the way he instinctively knew what she liked—it was too precise to be chance. Either way, it was proof that the Josh she knew, the man she had loved, was in there. And for the first time since her return, she felt like she wasn’t alone.

Josh looked around the table and asked if everyone was okay with his breadstick selection. Hannah and Judith agreed. Josh looked over at Katie, and when she met his gaze, in that instant, with the smile on his face and the way he looked into her eyes, she knew.

Josh pulled into the Pizza King parking lot, wanting to beat the post-game rush. He quickly headed inside and secured a booth for the group. Not wanting them to wait too long for something to snack on, he picked up the phone at the end of the booth and placed an order with the server. Without even thinking, he requested two orders of full-baked breadsticks with cheese, a three-quarter baked order with an additional cup of cheese, and a half-baked order with no dill butter. It was instinctive, automatic.

Had he paused to think, he might have realized the issue—he shouldn’t know that Katie preferred hers three-quarter baked with an extra cup of cheese.

A few minutes later, the door swung open, and the ladies entered. They spotted him immediately and made their way over to the booth. As they slid into their seats, the server arrived with the breadsticks. Judith took the seat next to Katie, while Josh stood to allow Hannah to take the seat beside him. A part of him wished Katie was sitting next to him, but he knew better than to push his luck. He had already taken too many risks.

“I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I got a mix,” Josh said casually, gesturing to the breadsticks as the server set them down. “Figured you can’t go wrong with breadsticks.”

He slid the two full-baked orders toward Judith and Hannah, then, without hesitation, placed the three-quarter baked with extra cheese in front of Katie. Keeping the half-baked order for himself, he glanced around the table.

“Everyone okay with my choices?” he asked.

Judith and Hannah nodded, agreeing with the selection. Josh turned his gaze to Katie and smiled. Their eyes met, and Katie hesitated for a moment before glancing down at the breadsticks. When she looked back up at him, something flickered in her expression—recognition, curiosity, maybe even certainty. That was when realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

Panic crept in. Shit. I just screwed up. How would I know her exact preference unless I was some kind of obsessed stalker? The fear gripped him as he tried to calculate a way out of this situation, but when he looked back into Katie’s eyes, what he saw wasn’t suspicion. It wasn’t confusion. It was love. Katie smiled at him.

Her smile was one he had seen thousands of times before—but not in this lifetime. The sight of it sent a rush of emotions through him, a bittersweet ache settling in his chest. It was the same smile that had once been his anchor, the silent reassurance that he was loved beyond measure. Now, seeing it again after so many years, after all the regret and pain, it filled him with an almost unbearable longing. Was this fate giving him another chance, or was it a cruel reminder of everything he had lost? It had been years since he had last seen it, and now, here it was again, shining at him across the table.

As they started eating the breadsticks, Josh shifted gears. “What does everyone want to drink?” he asked. Once everyone told him what they wanted, he asked if they knew what they wanted to eat. The ladies settled on a 14-inch mixed sauce Hawaiian pizza with extra cheese. Deciding to indulge, Josh ordered a 12-inch Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza with jalapeño peppers. He pointed to the phone next to Hannah, who relayed their table number to the kitchen and placed the order.