Not the luckiest man alive

Did I pick the wrong timing?

I came to this coffee shop to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. ‒ Yeah, I know it sounds kinda bad, but it’s a last resort I use when I’m struggling with writer's block. ‒ Right now, it really comes in handy since my final project for lit class is due next week, and I’m way behind schedule. I pretend to be engrossed in my book, but in reality, I’m immersed in what others around me are saying while I mentally jot down notes to use later at home.

I’ve been here for about ten minutes, sipping on my coffee, and this novel I brought doesn’t really appeal to me for a third read. I’ll have to find another place once I finish my drink.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of loud laughter coming from two girls who entered the place. One of them went to the counter, while the other took a seat at a table by the window, just a few steps away from where I was. I could imagine the type of conversation they’d have, which was not particularly pleasant, but it was better than nothing. The girl on the table had long black hair, big brown eyes and delicate features. She appeared to be around my age, which suddenly caught my interest. I didn’t even try to conceal the fact that I was observing her closely, and I’m sure she noticed. I’ve been watching her for several seconds when she looked directly into my eyes. Her gaze wasn’t exactly welcoming, which made me feel incredibly embarrassed for being caught staring. My intention wasn’t to make her uncomfortable or intimidate her, so I quickly averted my gaze back to the book still open in my hands.

Now looking at the lifeless letters on the pages in front of me, I couldn’t help but wonder why I lingered longer than necessary. I must have come across as a complete simp. What if I happen to run into her again and she thinks I’m a creepy stalker? I wanted to apologize so I looked at her once more, this time with a gaze that screamed sorry. As I raised my eyes, I didn’t meet hers. She was deeply engrossed in something on her phone.

To my surprise, she cast a sidelong glance at me, tucking her phone away without breaking eye contact. Then, she got up from her seat and began striding towards me, while I stared at her with wide eyes, completely glued to the chair.

The few steps that separated us could easily be walked in three seconds, but for me, watching her approach felt like an hour. What is this about? Is she going to report me for being a stalker? Am I in trouble? I analyzed countless possibilities in my head, I saw myself in detention explaining why I was just looking at a girl. My thoughts were very stained with dark nuances. I was going to a dead end but I wasn't prepared for what would come next.

"Hey, sorry for approaching like this, but I think I've seen you at college. You study literature, right?" the girl said, smiling and catching me off guard. Is she actually smiling? Is my mind playing tricks on me, conjuring up random things like that?

"Yeah, that's right." I replied. Man, what a way to respond. I forgot my own language, and that's all I could say.

Alright, let's see. Nothing bad happened. So far this seems like a normal conversation, the kind I could use from time to time to not spend so much buried in my books and videogames. For starters this girl is making a conversation, she took the first step, I can’t let her down, right?

“I recognized you from your presentation last semester, I read your entire work. I've been hoping to run into you at some point to tell you how much I loved your novel, and it seems like today is finally the day.” Once again she kept smiling and talking nicely to me. That was so good!

I received little feedback on my latest novel, so I thought only my closest friends had read it. This is a surprise to me. A pleasant surprise. This day is starting to go great. I forgot how to breathe when she approached me, now I can go back to telling my lungs to move ‘cause I’m feeling a lack of oxygen around here.

“I'm really glad to hear that. I didn't know that more people had been able to read the novel. Thank you for letting me know, and if you have any additional comments, I would love to hear them.”

“Of course." It seems like she remembered something because she looked over at the counter and appeared a bit disappointed. The girl she came with wasn't there, and she wasn't inside the coffee shop either. I was about to ask her when she spoke first.

“If you’d like to, we can exchange our contact info and meet up to talk later.” She took out her phone and handed it to me. I did the same with mine. As I was typing my number, a message notification popped up: I saw you talking to a guy and didn't want to interrupt. Let me know how it goes. Good luck.

I blushed and quickly dismissed the notification, then looked up and was relieved to see that the girl hadn't noticed anything. I saved my number and as I entered my name, I realized I hadn't asked for hers.

“By the way, what’s your name?” I was starting to get a bit nervous. I needed to manage the situation. I knew something that she didn’t,  so I could seize the opportunity and have a deeper conversation with her.

She was on the verge of responding, but our conversation was abruptly interrupted by the screeching of tires. We both instinctively turned our heads to look out the window, only to realize it was already too late. The sight was horrifying as a truck crushed into the shop, shattering glass and causing destruction in its wake. I found myself flying through the air, and the next thing I knew, I had collided with a solid object that stole away my ability to move. It all happened in the blink of an eye, leaving me unable to react in time. I could see the girl, and I knew she had experienced the same fate. I desperately tried to speak, but no words escaped my lips.

Everything began to darken. In the background, I could hear screams and the sound of a siren, and then abruptly, everything went quiet.

[Achievement Unlocked: Welcome to this world]

What? What the hell? Where did that voice come from? Am I dreaming? Was the impact so strong that I'm now lying in a hospital bed, drugged up and experiencing hallucinations? How else could I explain what I just heard? I must be delirious.

I attempted to open my eyes, but it's still pitch black. I have no clue where I am. Slowly, I'm adapting to the faint light in the room. This doesn't resemble a hospital room. It looks more like a barn. I'm utterly confused by all of this.

I noticed someone nearby was sobbing, a woman who looked at me with sadness in her eyes. She approached me, attempting to give me a hug, but I quickly raised my arms to halt her. To my surprise, those tiny limbs I saw belonged to a baby. I moved my arms again, still in disbelief, to confirm what my eyes were telling me. They were indeed my own arms—I had somehow become a baby! In that moment, everything began to fall into place. Was I dead, and had I been reborn inside a video game? The achievement message I received is the only clue I have.

The woman, who seemed to be my mother, gently lifted me into her arms and carried me towards the entrance of what appeared to be another barn. Placing me in a basket, she knocked on the barn door before giving me one last glance and disappearing into the darkness.