Juno was caught up in the memories from three years ago. She had moved away shortly after everything that happened, and she had avoided coming back home for a visit. She would always pay to fly her parents out to visit her instead. Now that she had lost her job and she didn't have any savings, she had been forced to move back home.

It hurt to be home. The pain was still as fresh today as it was three years ago. She never got over it. She kept feeling guilty for what had happened. If only she had answered her phone that day when he called. She had been naked and just turned on the water when her phone started ringing. She figured she could call back whoever was calling after the shower. When she grabbed her phone 30 minutes later and saw that it was Roman, she immediately called back. He didn't pick up. He would never pick up again.

"I miss you, Roman," she mumbled.

A few tears escaped her dark matt green eyes. She wiped them away with her hands despite no one being there to see her cry. She sat in her old room all alone. She had cried so many tears in the past over him. She didn't want to cry again now that she was back home.

She looked in the mirror in front of her. She pulled the elastic out of her espresso brown hair and ruffled it with her fingers. She stopped and sighed at her own mirror image. She didn't look happy. She hadn't been happy for three years now.

"Keep pretending," she whispered.

No one knew the truth about how much pain and guilt she still carried around everyday. Everyone assumed she got over what happened three years ago, but that never happened. She couldn't move past it.

Her phone started ringing. She grabbed it and looked at the called ID. She almost dropped it when she saw Roman's name flash across the screen. That was impossible. That number went out of order but she never deleted it from her phone. Someone else had to have gotten that number now, and for some strange reason they were calling her. Nervously she hit the green button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked.
"Juno," a male voice said lowly.
"Who's this?" She asked.
"It's Roman," he answered.

She let out a gasp and put her hand over her mouth. Whoever was on the other end wanted her to react. This was a joke. A cruel, sick, twisted joke.

"Who the fuck are you?" She hissed.
"It's me," he said.
"Why are you doing this to me?" She asked.
"Juno, I need help. I don't know where I am. My head hurts. I think someone hit me or I fell and hit my head on something. There's blood around me, and I can feel a wound on the back of my head," he said.

Tears ran down her cheeks. Everything he was describing was exactly what had happened. They had all been at a party one night. She went home before he did. He never made it home. He was found dead two days later.

Someone had knocked him over the back of his head and split him open. The blow hadn't killed him. He had suffered alone until the killer came back to finish the job. There was no sign of Roman ever fighting back. They all assumed he couldn't. That the blow to his head had knocked him out and left him helpless. The only thing that went against that theory was the call he had made to Juno at some point during that afternoon. The missed call.

"I don't know who you are but Roman's dead. He died three years ago. This is not funny. If you call back, I'll call the police," she said.
"Juno!" He begged. "Don't hang up on me. I'm scared. Why won't you believe it's me?"
"Fine, you wanna play this joke, asshole, let's play. What color underwear are you wearing? I saw him lean over at the party and it showed just enough, and I still remember the color to this day," she said.
"They're green," he said.
"Green?" She whispered.
"Lime green. And there's pictures of lemons and oranges on them as well. They're fucking ugly but my grandmother gave them to me for my birthday because she thought they were funny," he said.
"Oh god!" She sobbed. "Roman? How is this possible? You died three years ago."

He coughed on the other end. She heard him move around as if he was trying to sit up.

"I'm not dead," he said.
"Yes, you are," she said.
"You saw me last night. You left the party early. You didn't say goodbye. When I noticed you were gone, I tried going outside to see if I could still catch you. I wanted to walk you home but you were already gone," he said.
"That was three years ago. Yesterday was three years ago of that party. You died the next day. Today is the anniversary of your death. They didn't find you until next day. Someone beat you to death, and it's all my fault. You called me and I didn't pick up the phone. I could have saved you, Roman," she said.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't stop them.

"Is this why you're calling? To tell me it's my fault?" She asked.
"I wanna tell you the truth," he sighed. "I'm in love with you, Juno. I don't know what the fuck is happening right now, but I need you to know."

She started sobbing into the phone. That was the call she had missed three years ago. Him telling her he was in love with her before dying.

"I'm in love with you too," she said.
"I just needed you to know," he said. "Fuck, it hurts. I'm dizzy."
"Stay awake," she said.
"I still don't understand why you think I'm dead," he said.
"This makes no sense but I think you're calling from the past. At this hour three years ago you called me but I was in the shower. When I called you back, you were dead," she said.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. She knew he was turning that information around in his head. She knew how crazy it had to sound if he was really calling from the past. She just told him that he was dead, but on his end in the past he was very much alive. At least for a few more minutes.

"What happened to you after I died?" He asked.
"I got a memory plate with your name put on that bench you loved. You know, where you always went to feed the ducks," she said.
"I like ducks," he said.
"I know," she laughed. "I got that made and then I moved away. I couldn't stand being here anymore when you weren't here. It was my fault that you died so I left. I took all that pain and guilt with me, and I left everyone behind in this town. I'm back now for the first time in three years. Not by choice. I lost my job at the casino, and I was forced to move back home. Just in time for the anniversary of your death, and now you're fucking calling me from beyond the grave to talk."
"From the past," he chuckled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I would get a hold of future you. I just wanted to hear your voice. Your number is the only one I remember right now. My head really hurts."

She looked at herself in the mirror. It suddenly dawned on her what a chance this was.

"You need to call for help," she said.
"I don't remember the number," he said.
"911," she said. "Call for help now, Roman!"
"I don't wanna hang up on you. Your voice is the only comfort I have right now," he said.

She dried her eyes of tears and bared her teeth at her mirror image.

"Get up," she said.
"What?" He asked.
"Get up, Roman!" She raised her voice. "You're not gonna lie there and wait to die like you did last time. Find something to fight back with."

She heard him move around. The sound of something metal sliding over a concrete floor grinded into her ears.

"There's a pipe here," he said.
"Good. Use it. Don't hesitate," she said.
"Shit, I hear someone," he said.
"Get up, Roman!" She yelled. "Whoever is coming through that door is there to kill you!"
"I'm scared," he whispered.
"Fight!" She screamed. "I'm not fucking losing you again!"
"Juno," his voice sounded unbelievably calm. "I love you. If I get out of here, three years from now on this date, I'll go to the park to feed the ducks. I'll sit on that bench all day and wait for you."

She heard the sound of a door opening. Roman's battle cry sounded and then the line died.

"Roman?" She asked. "Roman! Answer me, damn it!"

She stood up so fast that the chair tipped over. It felt like everything around her was spinning. She didn't know what to do. She spun around to try and figure out what was happening. She stopped when her eyes caught the clock on the wall.

"Three years from now on this date," she mumbled.

She ran to the door and tore it open. She ran through the house and out the front door, leaving everything open and unlocked behind her. She kept running as fast as she could towards the park. Tears kept running down her cheeks. When she saw the park, she started sprinting. She sprinted as fast as she could and then stopped when she saw a man sitting on the bench further ahead. He turned his head and smiled at her. It really was Roman. He got up and walked towards her.

"Roman?" She asked. "It really is you."
"I told you I would be here today," he said.

She fell into his arms and cried. She could hear he was crying too. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her. Tears were running down both of their cheeks and blended in with the kiss. They finally broke the kiss and started smiling through their tears.

"How is this possible?" She asked.
"I don't know," he answered. "All I know is that I've been the only one knowing this day would come for the last three years."
"Wait, my memories are changing," she said.

She looked confused at the new information getting stored in her brain. She still remembered what had really happened, but new memories also formed as if she had been living two lives side by side.

"I still moved away," she said. "I went to see you at the hospital, and you looked so fragile. You were asleep. They said you had a concussion after the blow to your head. Your friend told me... Oh god!"

She looked so sad in that moment when those memories formed in her head.

"I know," he sighed. "Corey told you to leave me alone. He told you it was all lies caused by my concussion because he wanted it to be lies. His cousin had a crush on me, and he figured that by sending you away, she would get the chance. She never did. I told Corey to go fuck himself. I waited three years for you."
"Oh my god," she looked at her phone still in her hand. "I blocked your number that day."
"I know. I tried calling and texting you many times but eventually I came to terms with you having blocked me since you never answered. I always knew I would get the chance today, so I waited three years for you," he smiled. "You're still as beautiful as I remember."

She started shaking as she found his number in her phone and unblocked it. It all made sense. Three years ago he had been able to call her because she hadn't blocked his number back then. In the original timeline she never blocked his number. That was how he had been able to reach her in the future. In this timeline she had suddenly been thrown into, she had blocked his number after he had made it out of there.

"How is all this possible?" She asked.
"I don't know," he answered. "I'd like to think our love is that strong that it broke through time barriers and gave us a second chance."

She reached a hand up to touch his bearded cheek. She still had a hard time believing it was real.

"I fought because you told me to," he said. "I just swung that pipe wildly until he was out. I got out of the house and knocked on a neighbor's door. That's all I remember until I woke up in the hospital. The neighbor called for help. The guy who attacked me was called Paul Heyman. He went to jail where he died a year later. He apparently pissed off someone who already had a life sentence, so the other inmate killed him."

He leaned down and kissed her again. She smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around him.

"Everything else is the same. I went to Vegas and worked at a casino. I lost my job and came back here," she said.
"Just in time for today," he said.
"You waited three years," she shook her head. "I can't believe it."
"You're worth the wait," he smiled. "I got everything ready at home for a date with you if you're up for it. I bought things I remember that you like."
"If I'm up for it?" She grinned. "Yeah, I'm up for it. Three fucking years, Roman. Wow! I still don't believe how the fuck you could call me from the past and change the future, but I'm sure as hell not wasting another second being apart from you."