[sad tentacle noises]

"Hey, uhm… are you okay?" Bowie finally asks, brushing some crumbs off their lap.

"What?" Startled, the woman looks at them, then nods unconvincingly. "Yeah. Totally. I'm fine. Great, even."

"Because you don't seem fine." The woman frowns, and before she can protest, Bowie starts babbling away. "And yes, I am aware that it's none of my business, and I'm just some random stranger who is currently disturbing your little freakout, and if the roles were reversed, I'd be pretty annoyed probably, so if you'd yell at me to fuck off I'd totally get that, but - supposedly, I'm a good listener, so you could tell me what your problem is, and maybe that'll help. Or not, I don't know," they shrug. The woman's frown gets deeper. "Oh, also, I have an almost-whole hazelnut muffin you can have, if that would cheer you up," Bowie adds, holding up the paper bag.

"Why don't you eat it yourself?" Yeah, maybe it's a little suspicious if a random weird stranger suddenly offers you food.

"I don't like hazelnut muffins."

"Then why did you buy it?"

"It was next on the list."

The woman still frowns, and Bowie holds out the bag to her. She hesitates for a moment, then finally grabs it.

"Thanks," she murmurs, digging out the muffin and nibbling on it. "Ugh, I love those things." It does seem to calm her down a little, which is good - at least the thing has some purpose now.

"What's your name?"

"Lilly."

"I'm Bowie." They pull their legs up to their chest and watch her inhale the muffin. "So, what's going on?"

Lilly swallows her last bite and grimaces. "This will sound really, really weird. Like, psychotic break-level weird."

"Okay," Bowie shrugs, unimpressed.

"Like, I'd totally understand if you'd just get up and walk away. Or make fun of me or something."

"I won't. Promise I won't judge."

Lilly sighs and tries to collect herself for a moment. "I think I'm in a time loop," she finally states quietly.

"Huh."

"Told you it sounds crazy."

"So, how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

Lilly gives them a look. "Well, because I wake up every morning, and it's the same day again."

"Yeah, that's fair." Bowie makes a face. "How long has this been going on? Like, how many times did you do today already?"

"I'm not sure… A week or so," Lilly replies, a little sheepishly. "Probably two."

Bowie stares at her for a long moment, processing her words. "How do you not know how many times you've repeated the same day?"

"Because I only just realized what's going on! Or like, I had some suspicions yesterday. Today? Yesterday. But now I'm really, really sure."

This time, it's on Bowie to frown deeply. "You didn't notice for two weeks that you've been repeating the same day over and over?"

"My life is very… homogeneous," Lilly says, a little exasperated. "The days kinda blend into each other. I get up, go to work, come home, watch some TV or something."

"And the same TV program every day didn't tip you off…?"

"I don't pay that much attention to it!"

"…or that the weekend seemingly never came?"

"Workdays constantly feel like that! The last weekend is always ages ago, and the next one never arrives!" She crosses her arms in front of her chest. "You said you wouldn't judge!"

"Sorry. Just surprised, I guess."

They're both quiet for a bit, sorting their thoughts.

"So wait, you believe me?" Lilly suddenly asks. "About the time loop?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Why?"

"Oh, because I'm in one, too. Sorry, should have mentioned that sooner, maybe," Bowie replies with a shrug.

"Seriously?" Lilly stares at them, mouth agape.

"Yeah, that's why I came over to you in the first place. Because usually, you stand in line for your coffee at this time, so that kinda tripped me."

Lilly blinks, still processing. "So for how long have you…?"

"Oh, for like two years now."

"Two years?!"

"Yeah!" Bowie beams.

"And you never found a way to make it stop?"

"Why would I? It's awesome!"

"Repeating the same random Wednesday for who knows how long? Enduring my boss's exceptionally shitty mood again and again? The same boring TV program? Just on and on?"

Bowie raises an eyebrow. "You don't have to go to work. It's not like there's consequences."

"…huh." That apparently hadn't occurred to Lilly yet. But it definitely is one of the main perks. "So what do you do all day?" she asks.

"Oh, right now, I'm chipping away at that twenty-part book series I've been meaning to read since forever. And I'm brushing up on my Spanish. In the afternoon, there's this drawing class I go to, although I'll need to find a more advanced one soon, it's getting a bit boring. Also, I'm working through the treats menus of the surrounding coffee shops. But sometimes I just chill in bed all day and watch movies if I'm feeling lazy. There's soooo many movies I've never seen! Or I take a long walk on the beach - the weather is perfect for that," they list excitedly.

"Wow." Lilly looks slightly impressed.

"Seriously, there's so much to do. The sky's the limit. Well, the day," Bowie shrugs. "Still. It's pretty cool. Like a super long vacation."

"Time loop vacation, huh?" Lilly murmurs. "Guess I'll start making a to-do list…"

---