A Different Time, A Different Person 2

What could have changed him so much?

"What are you thinking?" Eugine asked her suddenly.

"Huh? Uhm. Nothing." Mira was startled.

Silence again.

Mira felt rude that it seems Eugine was the only one putting an effort in making conversation.

"Should we play? Like 21 questions or something." She suggested.

Eugine just stared at her, he was actually so surprised that she would initiate a conversation that he wasn't able to answer immediately.

When Eugine failed to give an answer, Mira mistakenly took his silence as a no so she immediately backtracked. "Well, If you dont want to, Its fine."

"What? No. Not really." Eugine hurriedly said. "I mean I like that. Let's do that."

It was Mira's turn to stare at him. He wondered if it was too obvious that his voice sound a little excited.

Mira's face started to feel hot, realizing that 21 questions is usually done with the person you like. For once, She felt thankful that its dark and shook her head. No, that's not right. Even friends can play 21 questions. Right.

"Then, you ask first." Eugine urged her.

"Then.. What is your favorite movie and why?" Mira ended up asking one of the most generic question.

Probably finding her question too generic too, the corner of Eugine's lips curled up before he cleared his throat.

"Life of Pi." He said.

"Oh. I watched that too. Why is it your favorite movie?" Mira was aware that Eugine likes deep, philosophical movies but she still wanted to hear what makes him like that movie.

It took him a few moment before he answered. "In a situation where a territorial tiger and a desperate human had to share the same space, I liked that it showed how the human can think with ingenuity by his ability to expand the use of space in the boat. And the tiger which believed it can rule all space near him started to respect the human showed that even animals can learn. It makes you think deeply. That's why it's my favorite."

"Oh." What a smart answer.

"My turn. Same question." Eugine asked. He was trying not to show how eager he was. He got a feeling that he must make the most of this opportunity, feeling that it would be very difficult to get a chance like this again. On why that matters to him is something that even he cannot explain.

Mira suddenly felt pressured. She felt hesitant to say her favorite movie. Should she say something else? She bit her thumbnail while trying to rack her brain for the movies she have watched that wouldn't sound so shallow.

"Err.. Mine is The Day After Tomorrow." She finally said.

"Why?"

"Um.. Just because. I kept having goosebumps while I was watching that and I was thinking 'What if that really happens? Will I be able to survive?" Mira explained.

"Then, my turn." She thought of a question that she had always been curious of. "What's your dream job?"

"Me? I want to become an architect. It has always been my dream to build a place that will last for a long time."

"I see." Mira said.

Mira had a hunch that it was his dream, but she never got to confirm it until now. In the future that she knew, Eugine didn't get to achieve his dream. He became the CEO of their company. Mira didn't know exactly what happened because the Eugine of the future never talked about it.

"You don't have an interest in doing business?" Mira inquired.

Eugine glanced at her. "Its my turn now."

"Oh. Right." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"What's your favorite food?" He asked.

"Pudding." Mira suddenly felt hungry. "Cat or dog?"

"Dog." Eugine said without hesitation. "I have a dog at home."

Back and forth, they kept each asking each other questions. Sometimes they asked questions that are really simple and at times they'd ask deep questions. Some silly questions popped up too like:

"Do you believe in aliens?" Eugine asked Mira seriously.

Mira at first thought that she might be hearing things. It's only after Eugine repeated his question that she realized she didn't hear wrong.

Mira didn't know what to say so she only shook her head hesitantly.

Eugine actually looked disappointed. So Mira asked him. "Why? Do you believe they exist?"

"Not really. I just thought they were interesting." He said.

His face looked so serious and along with his question made the situation too funny to Mira. She ended up laughing before stopping herself. "Sorry."

"Why? Is that weird?" Eugine asked.

She shook her head. "No. I was just surprised that you would ask something like that."

Eugine grinned. "See, you didn't know me after all."

Mira's smile slowly disappeared. Mira forced herself to laugh and asked the next question.

Time passed while they were playing the game. Before they realized it, they are down to their last questions.

Mira bit her lips. She was hesitating whether to ask the question that she really wanted to ask. However, she changed her question to something else. She felt that her question might be too personal, and that she might not be ready to hear his answer.

"Who is the person that you admire the most?" She ended up asking.

She was anticipating his answer, wondering if it's his mother or his father.

"The person that I admire the most? Its my older brother." Eugine said while smiling slightly.

Huh?

"Your brother?" Mira asked.

Eugine nodded. "He was really amazing you know. As soon as he turned 18, he took over our business and made it grow rapidly. He was outstanding, even when we were young."

His brother... Mira was hearing about something she didn't know from the future that she knew. In the life that she led, Eugine's brother was not a part of it.

"Mira?"

Eugine noticed how she suddenly went quiet.

"Uh? What it is?"

"I asked if it was my turn now?"

"Yeah. You can ask your question now." Mira forced herself to smile.

Eugine nodded. "Then, what is the feeling that you hate the most?"

The question took Mira by surprise. The feeling that she hate the most? It took her a moment to answer.

"It's regret." She finally said.

"I really really hate the feeling of regret. Because it's such as useless feeling. But despite being a useless feeling, we despair because of it. Its irritating, it feels nauseous. Its painful."

That's right. Mira was more than familiar with regret. Just how many times did she crumple to the floor, feeling that cursed feeling. 'If she only didn't do that. If she only did this.' But no matter how many ifs you say, there was nothing else you can do except to move on and keep living.

Eugine was quiet after he heard her answer.

Mira forced a laugh to lighten the mood. She realized that she's been doing a lot of forced laugh while she was with Eugine.

"Hey, that question is too hard. Shouldn't you give me a bonus question as a compensation?"

"Should I?" Eugine was aware that his question was too personal. He stared at Mira's face before sighing, as if he was forcing himself. However, he was slightly smiling. "Fine then. Ask. Just one though."

Mira chuckled. She decided to ask what she really wanted to ask.

"If you... " Mira suddenly decided to change her wordings.

"What do you think can change a person? For example, if a warm and happy person suddenly becomes a cold person, what do you think can change them?"

Mira was staring at Eugine's face intently, watching for his reaction and waiting for his answer.

Eugine thought about it carefully before answering. "To change someone like that, wouldn't it take something extreme? Like a tragedy. Right. If a person experiences a tragedy, it would be more than logical for them to change."

"What do you think? Are you satisfied with my answer?"

Mira couldn't answer. She suddenly felt dizzy.

A tragedy...

It was as if a bolt of lightning hit her.