Archive of Our Own

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

Josh groaned and reached out a hand, slamming a palm against his phone on the nightstand and almost sending it sliding off and falling to the floor.

He sighed when the jarring noise stopped.

It was Sunday.

Why was his alarm on during a Sunday?

He didn’t have work today, especially not after a grueling shift at the bakery where he worked. Today was his day off and he was going to enjoy it, dammit. But for some reason his alarm was on and he had been woken up at an ungodly hour. Maybe he had just forgotten though, which was unlike him.

So with thoughts of blissful sleep in his head, Josh drifted back into slumberland…

…only to be awoken what seemed like a few seconds later by his phone ringing incessantly.

He groaned, reaching for it. He peeked at it with one eye, the other still determinedly closed, and saw Stell’s name on the screen. Stell was off today too, just like Josh, so why the hell was he up so early?

“Whatsit?” he snapped nonsensically over the phone. God, he was sleepy.

“Uh, good morning to you too, Sleeping Beauty,” Stell’s voice came through the line. “You didn’t tell me you were going to be absent today.”

“What?” Josh mumbled, rubbing his face.

“Are you sick? You didn’t sound sick when you went home last night.” There was a pause and then a gasp. “Wait a sec! Did you go out and drink? Without me? Before our day off tomorrow? I thought we were planning to go to Willow tonight? ”

Josh winced, the sound of Stell’s sharp voice like a nail piercing through his skull.

“Stell, what the hell are you talking about?” he asked, glaring at the ceiling of his tiny apartment and imagining it was his friend’s face.

“You’re late, Miss Dawn is looking for you, and I cannot bake a bajillion cookies, cupcakes, cakes, and desserts all by myself.”

Josh blinked. “Miss Dawn?”

“…yes? Our boss? Owner of Delightful Dawn? Where we work? Tall woman with long hair, intense eyes, with biceps that can mangle our bodies the way she kneads dough?”

Miss Dawn?

“…what is wrong with you?”

“Stell, it’s Sunday. It’s our day off.”

“No it’s not. It’s Saturday.”

Josh sat up. “What?”

“Did you drink last night? For real?”

“No, I didn’t… it’s…” Josh blinked. He didn’t feel hungover. He pulled his phone from his ear and checked the time and date on the screen.

It was Friday.

“What the fu—”

“Josh, seriously, get into gear, get up, and get over here. I’ll tell Miss Dawn you had an emergency, but you need to be here within the hour or else.”

Stell hung up, leaving Josh staring at nothing in a daze.

What the hell?

But everything was… it was exactly what Josh had remembered happening yesterday , which was Saturday . 

Which was also apparently today .

He found the same clothes he had worn still hanging from his closet—his favorite black and red band shirt and dark jeans—and then bumped into his neighbors from the other apartment, siblings who attended university who were rushing because they were late for classes. He took the same jeep to work and passed by the accident that happened over at Marlim Street with the van and the SUV that had crashed into each other and were holding up traffic.

Then Josh walked into Delightful Dawn thirty-six minutes after Stell woke him up and experienced the strongest feeling of déjà vu.

Delightful Dawn was the bakery where Josh and Stell worked. Josh was a self-taught baker, had done it as a hobby all his life, which had proven useful since he had found himself enjoying it far more than pursuing his dreams of a business degree. Stell, in contrast, had taken culinary arts in college and was working at the bakery for the experience and to save up money.

Because Josh was late, the bakery was already busy and in the midst of preparations. The line outside the door had already wrapped around the block and there was only ten minutes before they opened the doors to let them in.

Josh clocked in and ducked into the backroom where he saw their boss, Dawn.

“Josh, you’re late,” she said, as she easily hefted a bag of flour over her shoulder. “But Stell said you had an emergency.”

“Uh… yes…” Josh said, confused.

“I hope that’s settled now, so get to work,” she said, also grabbing a tray packed with sticks of butter before bringing them over to her work station.

Josh nodded and got ready. Stell walked in from the stockroom and beamed upon seeing him. He squeezed his arm. 

“I know you’re tired, but get your game face on,” Stell said. “We’ll knock this out of the park and then enjoy our day off tomorrow.” He handed Josh his apron with a smile and got to work.

Stell had said that exact same thing yesterday , Josh thought, as he watched the man’s retreating back. But there was nothing else he could do, so he followed.

Josh was used to meeting the rush of the morning crowd. He was more of a baker rather than someone designated at the counter, but Dawn had trained them to handle every aspect of the bakery, even a bit of accounting. So while Josh was usually more focused on decorating cakes, taste-testing macaroons, dipping doughnuts, and making swirls on cupcakes, there were times he had to wander out to the main floor to lend a hand.

Yesterday , they had been so busy that the crowd had been more of a blur of faces and sounds, but there were some noteworthy customers that had broken through the haze, and Josh had to resist reacting to each one he recognized—the single dad who took his twin girls to buy cupcakes, the elderly gentleman who bought a box of donuts for himself and his wife, the excited girl with the gap-toothed smile who bought every single cookie flavor they had.

Josh heard their cashier, Milla, talking to a customer as he passed her on his way to add more brownies in the display rack.

“Here’s your change, sir,” she said. “Sir? Excuse me?”

Josh looked up, gaze catching on a man looking his way. He turned back to Milla. 

“Uh, thanks,” the guy said, fumbling with his change and grabbing his coffee and box before leaving.

As the day continued, Josh started to believe that maybe… maybe it had just been a weird dream or something, a weird Saturday that he had made up… had predicted in his head. There were weirder things in the world, right?

The day wound down just the same as he had, er, dreamt—after prepping a few things for Monday, most of them were out the door by six o’clock, leaving the ones in charge of cleanup. Thankfully, Josh wasn’t on duty that night.

Josh stood at the counter, looking up at the digital clock and the calendar on the nearby wall which was screaming: Saturday . If his dream was right, he knew how this night was going to end.

Stell came bounding out of the staffroom, having changed into tight jeans and a slightly loose and shimmery dark blue top that showed off his collarbones.

“Josh, let’s go. You’ve been so out of it today, but I know what will perk you right up! It’s—”

“...a night at the Willow,” Josh finished, knowing how this went.

“That’s right!” Stell said, tossing an arm around Josh’s shoulders and leading him out the door. “After a tough week, all you need is some dancing, drinks, and—”

“Please don’t say dick,” Josh groaned, memories of Stell’s teasing grin in his head.

“I don’t have to, because you already did.” Stell laughed. “Come on.”

Willow was one of their favorite clubs, welcoming and fun, with good drinks, a good ambience, and with a reputation just on the right side of shameless to attract a good crowd. Stell and Josh weren’t celibate in any way shape or form, especially since they were both undiscriminating of gender, so when in the mood, they managed to pull someone pretty enough to dance with, make out with or go to bed with for the night. But even if they weren’t interested, it was still a good place to unwind and dance, especially after a long day of work.

So off they went to Willow and events transpired exactly as Josh’s dream.

The place didn’t look any different, the DJ up on the stage was the same guy, Stell got more than a few admiring glances as they pushed through the crowd looking for a free table, while Josh received his own share as well. Josh was too dazed to avoid the accidental elbow to the side from a rather enthusiastic dancer, even though he had expected it to happen, and Stell found the exact same table they had once used. He then offered to get the first round of drinks and then the party really started to get going.

Despite Stell’s insistence, Josh remained at their table. A few people gave him looks, while some seemed interested in coming over, only to get turned off by Josh’s unwelcoming vibe. 

Usually Josh was in the thick of things, certainly no blushing wallflower when it came to pulling men or women, but that day, he just felt a bit too mentally drained to make the effort. It also felt surreal to see things happen—again? For the first time? Something?

They’d been there for half an hour, Stell flitting about the place and generally having a better time than Josh, only to come back to their table at one point, looking flushed and excited. And just as Josh remembered, he started gushing about the man by the bar that he had been flirting with.

“He’s really handsome, long dark hair, sharp eyes,” Stell was whispering. “He’s just my type.”

“What’s his name?” Josh asked just like a good friend should, even though he knew.

“Paulo,” Stell said, giggling. “I’m gonna go hang out with him. Will you be all right?”

Josh nodded. They had a rule not to get drunk if they wanted to pull for the night, plus Stell was a big boy who knew how to throw a punch. Josh wasn’t worried.

“Go on. Have fun. Then call me tomorrow and tell me all about it. I’ll just grab a few drinks and then go.”

Stell smacked a sticky kiss on his cheek, winked cheekily, then disappeared into the crowd.

Josh sighed. This was what had happened in his dream. Stell had gone off to meet a guy, and Josh drank enough to get plastered, but not enough that he couldn’t go home. And right now, he wasn’t sure he wanted to do the same thing. Maybe his dream had been a warning not to drink.

So after some more light drinks and fending off a few interested parties, Josh decided to just go home. There was a pizza place two blocks away, so he decided to go there instead and grab some takeout.

By nine-thirty-three, he was back in his apartment, boxes of pizza and chicken wings in tow, and got settled in for a movie night. He got a smiley face message from Stell at ten-o-three, which meant anything between him being back home without his catch of the evening or currently being fucked ten ways til Sunday. By eleven-fifteen, Josh was in bed and ready to get some sleep.

At least tomorrow he had a day off, for real.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

Josh woke up when his phone alarm went off. 

What the hell?

Had he forgotten to turn his alarm off after yesterday’s weird happening?

He groaned and turned over in his bed, reaching for his phone to turn it off. At least that weird day was over. He could fully relax today, do some errands, hang out with Stell if he wasn’t hungover, maybe watch a movie at the…

But it wasn’t over.

Josh’s eyes widened when he saw the date displayed on his phone screen.

It was Saturday.

“What the fuck?” he jolted upright, gaping at his phone. He checked the internet, checked all of his social media accounts, looked at dates and time and events.

It was… it was Saturday… again .

“What the hell is happening,” Josh muttered.

Despite the unease, he had no choice but to move. He couldn’t just stay in bed all day.

And what if… what if something different had happened.

As Josh got ready for another Saturday, he racked his brains thinking of what might be happening and was hyper aware of everything around him. 

The siblings in the other apartment were still in a hurry since they were late for university. There was still an accident over at Marlim Street. The line outside Delightful Dawn still wrapped all the way down the block. Dawn said the same thing, Stell said and did the same things, everybody else was acting the exact same way.

It was impossible that this was all just a huge and elaborate prank.

“You’re a few minutes late, Josh,” Dawn called out. “It’s the last day of the week. Get a move on!”

Josh nodded, still too dazed to respond, and moved on automatic. The benefit of his job was that he was so used to it he could do it in his sleep, so he kept most of his attention on his surroundings.

After restocking the brownies on display, he remained behind the counter for a few minutes longer than usual, looking around the bakery. The customers were the same, a bunch of regulars, some newcomers, and people of all ages. Even some of their orders felt the same, an echo of what he heard a few times now, even that tall customer who fiddled with his change awkwardly as Josh was restocking the cases.

At the end of the day, Josh once again joined Stell on a night out at Willow, but unlike before, this time he tried to have fun, dance, and enjoy the night. He didn’t drink or flirt around though, trying to see if there was anything unusual. But there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was still the same old drunk and handsy people, the same drinks, the same music, and Stell still going off with that guy that he had met.

Josh went home that night and got into bed. He closed all the lights, checked his phone—Saturday—and tried to sleep early.

He hoped tomorrow was Sunday.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

Josh checked his phone, even though he had a sinking feeling he knew what he was going to see.

It was Saturday.

Josh cursed and stood up, already in a sour mode.

During this next go around, Josh decided to change things up as much as possible. He wore a different shirt and jeans, knocked loudly on the neighbors’ door to wake up the students so that they weren’t late, though he didn’t stay around to be seen, and then walked the few blocks to the bakery.

As the day wore on, he changed his responses, trying to see how the others would react. They replied and acted differently depending on what Josh said or did, but there was nothing noteworthy about their reactions that gave Josh a clue if they knew what was happening.

When it was time to go to Willow that evening, he decided to change something major this time and declined Stell’s invitation to go out.

“What? But you promised we would go!” Stell pouted.

“I know I did, and I’m sorry, but I really don’t feel up to it,” Josh said weakly. Maybe the secret to Sunday was not going to Willow.

“But it’s no fun without you,” Stell whined.

“I’m really sorry,” Josh said. But if this was going to stop this loop, then he was willing to risk Stell’s displeasure.

Stell poked Josh on the chest. “Fine, but you owe me.” He turned and waved over his shoulder, jogging to catch up to some of their other coworkers. “I’m going to see if some of the others will want to come with me.”

“Will you be okay?” Josh called out.

Stell nodded. He waved a hand. “I’ll call you later.”

With nothing else to do, Josh went home. He walked all the way, stopping to buy dinner at a fast food joint on the way, and then spent the rest of the evening in his apartment, watching movies and trying not to check the time or think too much.

He fell asleep slumped over his laptop.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

Josh was in bed, laptop back on the table and the date on his phone screaming Saturday at him.

He only had one thought in his head that day.

He wanted to get blackout drunk.

If Saturday was going to keep repeating itself, he was going to take advantage of it and drink himself to death without worrying about a hangover tomorrow.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BE—

Josh slapped his palm on the phone to stop the alarm. 

He was in bed, in his pajamas, and with no hangover.

He took a deep breath and swiped a thumb across the screen of his phone.

It was Saturday.

Josh remained in bed, mind whirling at what was happening. A smidge of fear and unease was skittering down his spine, but he shook it off and tried to go back to sleep. He was awoken by his phone ringing half an hour later, but he turned it off, and pushed it underneath his pillow.

The rest of the day was spent in and out of bed. Josh remained mostly under the covers, only getting up to go to the bathroom or make himself a late lunch. He then kept his head on his pillow, drifting in and out of sleep, and letting time pass him by.

He was jolted awake some time later when he felt his bed sink and a warm presence at his side. His eyes fluttered open and he saw Stell hovering over him.

“Josh? Hey, it’s me.”

Josh groaned. He shifted on his back and rubbed his eyes.

“Stell?”

He felt Stell’s warm hand on his cheek.

“You didn’t show up to work and turned off your phone. What happened to you?”

His friend’s worried tone had Josh waking up. He looked up at the other male.

“What time is it?”

“Half-past seven,” Stell said. “I came here straight from the bakery. I was worried. I would have gotten here even earlier, but since you didn’t come to work, we were one man down and cleaning up took a while.”

The guilt woke Josh up even more. He sat up, making an embarrassed face when Stell helped him up gently, no doubt under the assumption that Josh was sick.

“Wasn’t… wasn’t feeling right,” Josh just said, not sure what else to say.

Stell patted his shoulder. “You do look a bit peaky, but on the way here, I bought some stuff to make soup. I wasn’t sure how you were, but I think it’ll help you feel a bit better.”

“Thank you,” Josh said, guilt and embarrassment churning inside him. Stell had an emergency key to his place for just such happenings since Josh didn’t have a roommate, unlike Stell who had a roommate who worked from home.

“Thanks, Stell. I’ll make some later.”

Stell snorted. “Don’t be stupid. I’ll make it for you.”

Josh shook his head. “No, you don’t have to—”

“What are friends for, you idiot,” Stell said, chuckling. He reached out to grab Josh’s laptop from the other table. “Stay here and find a movie for us. I’ll make us dinner and we’ll have a sleepover. We have the day off tomorrow anyway.”

He smiled and left, humming as he did.

Josh felt a mix of emotions, warmth at such a kind and precious friend, guilt at the truth, and unease at bewilderment at what was happening to him. For now though, he decided to go with the flow and let his friend take care of him. He really needed it right now.

“How was the bakery?” Josh asked later once they were in his bed with dinner and a movie in the background.

“Still standing,” Stell joked, but sensing Josh’s concern, he added softly, “It was a bit of a mess at first, since you didn’t come to work and it was a busy morning, but we pulled through. You’re gonna have to make it up to me and Miss Dawn, and everybody else on shift today.”

“I will,” Josh promised.

“A lot of the customers asked for you,” Stell commented.

“They did?” Josh asked, surprised. He was rarely at the front, so that was unusual, though he knew a few of their regulars and there were wide windows that allowed customers a view of the kitchens.

Stell nodded and recounted some of their regulars. Josh was a bit pleased to hear that some people noticed he was gone.

“There was also some guy who asked about you, tall and tan, dark hair, and broad shoulders in a black hoodie.” Stell added.

Josh hummed. It didn’t sound familiar.

They watched a few more movies and talked until late

Stell stayed the night and Josh fell asleep beside his best friend, hoping desperately for Sunday.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

The next day, there was no Stell beside Josh on the bed and the phone in his hand had Saturday on the screen.

Despite the worry in his belly, he got up and got to work. He might be cursed to live the same day again and again for reasons who knew why, but he hadn’t ever been the type of person who just lied in bed and waited. Plus, he felt guilty thinking of Stell and his coworkers being swamped at work.

Josh still decided to change a few things that day. If he was destined to repeat his Saturdays, he could at least change some of the small things. He got ready earlier than before, wore a thin and comfortable sweater and baggy jeans, knocked at the apartment next door to wake up the students, and then headed to work. Now that Josh really thought about it, the day was slightly overcast, making it a good day to walk. He took a deep and calming breath.

As he passed the line that was starting to form outside of Delightful Dawn, Josh greeted the people gathered there. Some of them waved and replied in kind.

“You look chipper today,” Stell said, smiling brightly at Josh’s good mood.

Josh just shrugged, but smiled. After what happened ‘yesterday,’ he felt a deep appreciation for Stell’s loyalty, kindness, and steadfast friendship.

They got to work and Josh’s resolve to make the best of that day seemed to make everything a little brighter. He tried being more active around the shop, helping out more around the kitchen. As he approached the display case with a tray of brownies, he thought about which customers looked familiar after seeing them many times and even guessed their orders in his head, testing his memory as they ordered and paid.

“You’re here.”

Josh looked up from the rack. There was a tall guy on the other side of the counter, with tan skin, dark hair, brown eyes, and a black hoodie.

“You’re really here.”

Josh blinked. “Uh… yes… sir?”

“That was the biggest difference yesterday,” the man said, talking to himself. “The baker wasn’t here.”

He then started murmuring something and Josh vaguely heard the words ‘not here’ and ‘yesterday,’ but the bakery was a bit too loud to really hear it.

“Here’s your change, sir,” Milla said. “Sir? Excuse me?”

The man snapped to attention and Josh watched him leave. The sight of those shoulders moving away from him had Josh remembering Stell’s story.

It was the guy who had been looking for him…. yesterday, or something like that.

“Wait! Wait a sec!” Josh called out, but he was too late and the guy had already slipped out the door. “Milla, can you cover for me for a sec? I’ll be back in five minutes.”

Milla was confused, but nodded, and Josh ran out, looking back and forth the busy street. He saw the man’s back amidst the crowd and darted towards it, grabbing his arm from behind and almost making him drop his coffee and dessert box.

“Hey! What are—” the man stopped short when he saw Josh.

“You were looking for me yesterday, right?” Josh asked. “Yesterday, as in Saturday.”

The guy’s eyes looked shifty. “It’s, uh, today’s Saturday, sir. I don’t know what you’re—”

“Yesterday is Saturday and tomorrow is probably going to be another Saturday,” Josh said. “And I’m pretty sure you’ve been reliving it like I have been.”

The other man’s eyes widened, seeming to come alive. He grabbed Josh’s arm.

“So you… you’re in the loop too?”

Josh nodded. “How many Saturdays have you had by now?”

“Seven,” the man replied, just like Josh. “What’s been keeping you stuck?”

Josh was confused. “What do you mean?”

“There’s usually a trigger. That’s what the movies usually say, some sort of event that’s keeping us in this time loop,” the man explained.

Josh felt overwhelmed. “I… I don’t know what—”

Someone’s phone suddenly rang, making them both jump. The other man pulled out his phone from his messenger bag, frowning down at it.

“I still have work and have a bunch of other stuff I need to try out, but maybe we can meet up later?”

Josh nodded. “Yes, please. My name’s Josh.”

“I know.” At Josh’s confusion, the other man turned bashful. “Ah, Stell, the other baker, mentioned your name yesterday, on Saturday… er, well, you get what I mean.” He smiled and held out a hand. “I’m Ken. What time do you get off work?”

“Around six,” Josh replied, shaking his hand.

Ken nodded. “I’ll drop by later, then we can talk.”

Josh watched as the man walked off in a rush. He felt a mix of emotions in his chest—relief and nerves and anticipation and impatience all at once.

When Josh returned to Delightful Dawn, Milla wasn’t the only one waiting for him. Stell and Dawn were there too.

“Er…” Josh paused at the counter, looking at their faces. Milla looked apologetic, while the other two looked gleeful.

“Who was that?” Stell asked in a bit of a sing-song manner.

“Milla said you ran after a customer,” Dawn said, smirking.

“A tall, tan, and really cute customer,” Stell added.

“I–I thought I knew him! That’s all it was!” Josh said, blushing furiously and pushing past them to go back to the kitchen. He ignored the two cackling behind him.

The day passed by in a daze as Josh worked, baked, endured Stell and Dawn’s teasing, and waited impatiently for Ken and six o’clock to arrive.

“Oh my god. Josh, are you waiting for your date?” Stell gushed.

Josh groaned. “I’m not. It’s just someone I think I know.” 

Stell chuckled. “All right, I’ll stop.” He wrapped an arm around Josh’s shoulders. “But I guess you’re passing on Willow for tonight, right?”

Josh nodded. “I just wanted to ask him something, that’s all. It’s not a date.”

Stell hummed, not looking like he believed Josh. “Okay, then. But be careful, okay? I have my phone with me, so just call if you need backup.”

“Thanks,” Josh said and waved as Stell walked out the door.

Someone else was in charge of closing out the shop, so Josh loitered out front, waiting for Ken. It took fifteen minutes for the man to appear, running down the block with his messenger bag banging against his hip with each step. He looked a little winded as he stopped in front of Josh.

“Sorry I took a while… Work…” Ken panted.

Josh nodded. “It’s all right.”

Ken took a deep breath, wiping away his sweaty brow with the sleeve of his hoodie. He looked tired.

“Dinner?” Josh asked. “I think it’ll be better if we have somewhere to sit and something to eat.”

They went to Josh’s favorite pizza place. It was still a little early before the dinner rush came in, so they managed to snag a booth in a quiet corner. By silent agreement, they caught their breaths and ordered first before settling down.

Josh glanced at the other man across from him. In hindsight, Stell and Dawn were right. Ken was pretty cute. He had brown eyes and beautiful brown skin, a tall nose, full lips, broad shoulders, and big hands. He had a black stud in one ear, a silver necklace, and his hair was a floppy but attractive mess atop his head.

Ken sighed and sent Josh a commiserating smile.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m so sick of looking for Sunday.”

“Looking for Sunday, that’s a poetic way of saying it,” Josh said. Now that Ken said it out loud, it seemed to really hit home for Josh that something really weird was happening to him, to both of them.

“How has it been for you?” Ken asked. 

“Pretty normal, I think,” Josh said, brow furrowing. “I’m a baker at Delightful Dawn, but you obviously know that. I work Monday until Saturday and tomorrow, Sunday, is my day off. I didn’t really do anything else unusual today. How about you?”

“I work as a programmer at DemiTech,” Ken said. “I drop by Delightful Dawn when I have the time, sit at my desk to work, and then go home.”

Josh frowned. “That’s pretty…”

“Boring?” Ken asked, chuckling. “It is.”

They paused as the waitress brought their orders over.

“You said something earlier this morning, something about ‘stuck’ and ‘trigger’ and ‘time loop?’” Josh asked after swallowing down a bite of his chicken.

Ken sipped his rootbeer float and nodded. “I watch anime and sci fi movies and read a lot of comic books. I also looked up time loops when I was trying to figure stuff out. I could code my work in less than two hours after a few times doing these loops, so I have a lot of free time.”

Josh agreed. While some things seemed to reset, muscle memory seemed to kick in.”

Ken pursed his lip. “Anyway, in the movies and comics, something—maybe a person or a thing or an event—usually causes this rift in time, and the purpose of the time loop is the universe’s attempt at correcting what had happened. Usually, the outliers, like the two of us, can remember the loop so we can figure out what happened or what caused it.”

“So we're stuck repeating this day again and again until we find what we did wrong that will break us out of this cycle?” Josh asked.

“Maybe? That’s what it says in the stories anyway,” Ken said.

“Have you ever tried waiting up? Like until past midnight?” Josh asked. “I’m usually in bed just before.”

Ken shook his head. “No matter how hard I try to stay awake, I get sleepy and fall asleep just as the clock hits eleven fifty-nine.”

Josh frowned. “I guess the universe is also making sure we don’t get to Sunday.”

They lapsed into silence, digging into their meals.

“Do you know anyone else who’s experiencing this like we are?” Josh asked after a few minutes mulling things over.

Ken shrugged. “As far as I know, we're the only ones. I guess there could be someone else out there somewhere in the country or the world even, but so far I haven’t met anyone else. I’m surprised you figured me out.”

“I heard you murmuring about it. I thought it was weird, but it sorta made sense,” Josh admitted.

“Oh, that’s embarrassing.” Ken chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Lucky you did, really,” Josh said. “I’m happy to know there’s someone going through it like I do, someone I can talk about it with. I haven’t been dealing with it well some days.” He made a face, thinking of when he had gotten drunk out of his mind.

“Me too,” Ken snorted. “I didn’t go to work one time and one of our systems crashed, wiping out a whole year’s worth of work. Everyone was hysterical.” He shuddered, looking pained at the thought.

“That happened because you didn’t go to work once?” Josh asked, thinking about his own experience with being absent to work.

“I don’t know, but I’m nervous to try it out again.” Ken shrugged. “You really can’t remember anything else unusual about your day?”

Josh suddenly remembered Stell. “Ah, well, after work that first Saturday—the original one, I mean—Stell and I went to Willow, the club—”

“I know the place,” Ken said. “You think that’s your trigger? You didn’t go tonight.”

Josh shook his head. “I went there a few times, but I also didn’t go some days, so I don’t think that’s it.”

“Maybe you’re supposed to meet someone there?” Ken rubbed his chin, thinking deeply.

“There’s a hundred people there, Ken. I can’t meet every single one of them,” Josh pointed out. “I didn’t even come close to going out with anyone that first Saturday. And I’m not really in the habit of sleeping with anyone just for kicks.” He looked at Ken. “How about you? What have you been doing?”

“Uh, well…” Ken looked embarrassed, which piqued Josh’s curiosity. “A friend set me up on a date. The first time I went—that first Saturday, I mean—it didn’t turn out okay. Frankly, it was just embarrassing.”

Ken’s face was red, and Josh found the look a bit endearing.

“I tried going a few times during the loop, but it felt even more awkward each time,” Ken continued. “I tried to change things a bit, but we still didn’t hit it off. And even if the other person thinks it’s the first time, I just feel awful going on the same first date over and over and feel like there’s something wrong even if the other guy is okay.”

Josh’s ears pinged a little at the word ‘guy,’ but he stomped down the feeling.

“That makes sense,” Josh said, sighing. “I guess we’re stuck then.”

“I guess.” Ken ran his hands through his dark hair.

Josh pushed his chicken around his plate. Not sure what else to do. It was a huge relief to know someone going through what he was, but it seemed they were stuck in this loop until they figured stuff out.

“What do we do now?” Josh asked.

Ken looked just as lost. “Maybe nothing? I don’t know.”

“Do you want to try things out a few more times?” Josh asked. That seemed to be their only choice right now. “Maybe we’ll see something that changes.”

Ken nodded his agreement, looking relieved to have a plan, or at least the bare bones of one. 

“Hey, Josh, can I drop by the bakery tomorrow?” he asked. “Or whatever day we’re getting tomorrow. I’ll still go in the morning, but even after work?”

Josh almost replied with ‘you should go, that’s what the loop wants,’ but he didn’t. There was something to be said about still being able to make their own choices even as they were stuck with almost everybody else remaining the same.

“Sure, I’ll be worried if you don’t.” Josh smiled at him.

Ken smiled back, and he really was rather handsome. It made Josh feel a bit flustered. He sent Ken a parting wave as they went their separate ways.

Josh felt light as he headed on home. It was a relief to know he wasn’t alone.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

Another Saturday came, but this time Josh was almost looking forward to it.

He was at the front like usual that morning, restocking the desserts in the display racks, and smiled at Ken when the man paid for his order, unable to resist the urge to wave at him as he was leaving. Ken smiled widely and returned the gesture. It felt nice having a friend, especially someone who shared in Josh’s secret.

The rest of the day passed by quickly, and even Stell noticed Josh’s upbeat mood.

“You’re pretty smiley today,” Stell said. “Are you excited about going to Willow later?”

That had Josh’s smile disappearing. “About that…”

He had to make up a creative excuse for it, but in the end, Josh found himself meeting Ken again, and this time they decided to try the Mexican restaurant they both hadn’t been to before.

“Did anything different today?” Ken asked.

Josh recounted his day, talking about how he tried multiple responses on different people to see how they’d react, while Ken mentioned purposefully making a drastic mistake at work.

In the end, their conversation revolved to movies about time travel or time loops, which then moved on to what movie genre they liked and how they both loved and hated horror movies, and Josh was surprised at how much he and Ken had in common.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

“I’ve been wanting to try this new Japanese restaurant for months now. Anyway, did anything different happen today?”

“I went to work late just to see what happened, tore open a bag of flour, and then dropped a batch of muffins. Dawn was really mad.”

“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t come out to the counter this morning. I bet you felt guilty about wasting food.”

“I did. I don’t think I want to try that again. How about you?”

“I finished my work early and asked if I could go home. I took a nap in my friend Justin’s car before coming here.”

“You mean I made a mess today and you spent it sleeping?!”

“Yeah, I did. Now, wait a sec, they’re playing One Ok Rock on the speakers.”

“You like rock music?”

“Yep, and rap and hip-hop.”

“Me too! Hey, do you listen to…”

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

“I’m not so sure about this hummus.”

“Don’t be a baby and try it. Middle Eastern food tastes great. Anyway, did you do anything different today?”

“I called in sick to work pretty early so that the bakery could make adjustments and then slept at home.”

“Now you’re just copying me. I tried taking a different route to DemiTech today, and also volunteered for an extra shift next week. They’ve got this big ongoing project and need more hands.”

“You agreed to do overtime even if we’re still looking for Sunday?”

“That’s the point. Everyone was so shocked I volunteered. It was funny. And I don’t even have to do it.”

“You’re an evil man. Now, come here and help me figure out what to order.”

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

“What’s up? We don’t usually talk in the mornings.”

“I might not make it tonight. I’m gonna try and go to Willow and see if anything changes.”

“Oh… okay… then.”

“Yeah, uhm, I just suddenly thought about giving it a try and maybe meet someone there.”

“I guess… I guess I can try going on that date again. Maybe something new will happen.”

“Ah… right…”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

“How was Willow?”

“Boring, awful, didn’t really have fun. I met that Paulo guy that Stell’s been seeing. He was okay, sort of handsome and pretty at the same time, and a bit touchy with Stell. How was your date?”

“Awkward, embarrassing, made a mess of myself.”

“You’re not awkward with me though.”

“You’re different.”

“Come on. I know a good place where we can eat tonight.”

“By the way, I brought this. I remember you said you wanted to watch this movie. I can bring it again tomorrow in case you don’t finish it before midnight tonight.”

“How about… How about we get take out and then watch it at my apartment tonight?”

“Oh… that’s… that’s great! Yeah! And, uh, we can continue it tomorrow in case we don’t finish it.”

“Okay. That’ll be great.”

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* 

Josh immediately knew something was wrong one Saturday when Ken didn’t show up to the bakery for his morning coffee and pastry. He felt weird and antsy all morning, so on a spur of the moment decision, he decided to go and find Ken. They’d had a couple of Saturdays together already, but Ken had always been the one who went to Josh. This time it was his turn. 

Thankfully, Dawn seemed to sense how worried he was and allowed him to leave just as the morning rush ended. And without any better ideas, Josh decided to go to Ken’s workplace instead. Josh wasn’t sure how he was going to find him, but he had to try.

DemiTech’s office was located on the fifth floor of a tall office building just a few blocks away from Delightful Dawn. Josh knew the place, but he hadn’t ever been inside and when he stepped in, he felt nervous going up to the front desk.

“Uh, hi. Good morning. I’m looking for Ken Suson. He’s a programmer here.”

“What business do you have with him, sir?” the pretty secretary asked. 

“I’m a friend, and I’m sorry I can’t say more, but it’s a personal emergency, and this is the only way I know how to get in touch with him.”

The lady frowned, but she agreed to make some calls. Josh waited at the reception area, twiddling his thumbs as he waited.

Josh looked up when someone walked in from the hall. His gaze locked in on Josh, who stood up as the man came over.

“Hi, are you Josh?” When Josh nodded, the other guy sighed. “Hi, I’m Justin. I work with Ken.”

“Oh. He’s mentioned you a few times. It’s nice to meet you,” Josh said.

“Ken’s at home, but he sent me a text saying you might drop by,” Justin said, eyeing Josh. “He’s not feeling well, but he said I can give you his apartment address if you’re interested.”

Josh nodded immediately. “Yes, please. I’m really worried about him.”

With Justin’s help, Josh got Ken’s address and his phone number. Ken lived close by and his route took him past Delightful Dawn which was why he had time to drop by the bakery. When Josh knocked at Ken’s door, it opened quickly to reveal Ken in sweatpants and a thin shirt, barefoot, with bedhead, and something strained in the corner of his pretty eyes.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come,” Ken said, his voice hoarse.

Josh shook his head, feeling his chest unclench at the sight of the other man. “Don’t be. I’m just happy you’re all right.”

Ken had come over to Josh’s place a few times, so they’d seen each other in comfortable wear, but there was something about seeing Ken looking so vulnerable and unguarded in his own home.

Ken’s place was a studio apartment and his bed was a little low on the ground. Without another word, Ken crashed down on it and Josh did too after shrugging off his backpack and his jacket. He didn’t even feel surprised when Ken snuggled against his side.

“How are you?” Josh asked softly.

Ken sighed, so deep, it was like he deflated. “I feel tired. Sort of. It’s not really the body that’s tired, it’s more of…”

“In your head and something soul-deep,” Josh said, because he felt the same some days.

Ken didn’t seem pleased that Josh felt it too and he slumped even more against Josh’s side. Josh gave in to the urge and pulled Ken to him until the taller man could curl up in his lap.

“How did you become a baker?” Ken suddenly asked, glancing up at him. “I’m curious.”

Josh shrugged. “I’m self-taught. I enjoyed doing it growing up and it brought in some money when we really needed it, especially because my mom didn’t earn much even though she worked two jobs. It really helped me out because even though I didn’t finish college because we didn’t have money for it, I signed up for training and earned some baking certifications. It might be too late to go back to college, but sometimes I still dream about finishing school.”

“I think you’ll be great at it,” Ken said sincerely, looking up at Josh.

“How about you?” Josh asked. He put a hand in the man’s hair, stroking his scalp. Ken melted in his lap.

“That feels good,” he said. “Uh, well, it’s nothing interesting. I didn’t really know what course to get in college and a friend of my sister said programming is cool. I learned to like it in the end, and I make enough money to send back home, so I guess it’s worth it. My life is pretty boring though.”

“You’re the least boring person I know,” Josh said, and he smiled at the pleasure that crossed Ken’s face.

They sat there in silence, Josh stroking Ken’s hair and Ken letting himself be petted. Josh looked around, taking in Ken’s home, and his gaze landed on some of the DVDs, books, and manga on his shelves.

“Hey, Ken, I just thought of something,” Josh said. Ken murmured sleepily, but he looked up at him curiously. “You said there's a chance some people are also caught in the loop, right? What if we're not the ones who are meant to break the loop? What if it's not our fault and we're just caught in the current.”

Ken was silent, but his eyes took on a far away look as he pondered on it.

“I haven't thought of that,” he eventually said. “I guess it makes sense. We’ve tried out a lot of things and our lives are too ordinary anyway, a baker and a programmer—”

Josh nudged him gently. “There's something powerful even in the ordinary. Isn’t that the sort of poetic and life changing lesson that’s always shown in movies and all that?”

Ken giggled. “That’s true and I guess…” he calmed down, picking at a loose thread on Josh’s pants knee. “I guess we both know better than anyone that even something like an ordinary day can be fun.”

He looked at Josh. “So I guess we just make the best of it?”

It sounded right, but it was also wrong.

Life was meant to be lived and experienced, both the good things and the bad. They were lucky enough to live endless days knowing what was going to happen and having the power to change the little things, but there should be more to it, to this. If something in the universe offered you this chance, why not take it with both hands? So they could make the best of these Saturdays… or they could just make it the best , period.

“You know what, Ken, let’s go and do something,” Josh blurted out.

Ken looked confused. He moved, pushing himself up on one hand. 

“Do what?” he asked.

Josh felt like he was vibrating out of his skin, excitement coursing through him as he really saw the opportunity they were presented with.

“Let’s do whatever we want. Our money doesn’t run out since it comes back everyday. We can go somewhere, buy what we want, do what we want, try out something new like we’ve been doing with all these restaurants. We can go to Willow and get drunk, try out one of the fancy hotel restaurants, or even drive to the beach.”

Ken looked surprised, but it melted into an incredulous, if confused, smile. “The beach? Josh, that’s a few hours away.”

“If we fall asleep anywhere, somewhere, in a weird motel, in the grass, under the stars, it doesn’t matter,” Josh said, reaching for his hand. “We’ll be together and we’ll be right back home once midnight strikes.”

“That’s crazy,” Ken said, letting out a laugh. “What if we spend all our money now, and whoever it is breaks the chain, and we make up tomorrow stuck in the middle of nowhere without any money? That’s pretty scary and risky.”

“Doesn't matter if it's the same day, tomorrow, or far into the future, because isn't every single day we live in just as scary and risky?” Josh asked.

And wasn’t that a good point.

Josh saw excitement starting to bloom on Ken’s face, a sense of thrill and adventure building between them. Ken grabbed his phone and checked the time.

“I can borrow Justin’s car and then we can go take a drive,” he said. 

Josh nodded. “It’s still lunchtime. I know a beach resort just two and a half hours away.” He stood up, grabbing his backpack. “I’ll go buy snacks and drinks and get my stuff.”

Ken shook his head. “No. It’ll take time. There’s a convenience store downstairs and you can just borrow some of my clothes.” He ran for his closet, tossing out shirts and hoodies and jeans on the bed.

Josh laughed, loud and excited for the first time in, well, quite a long time, and got up to help him.

They arrived at the beach in time for check out, taking turns spending money just for the hell of it. They chose a spacious private villa by the beach, changed into swimming trunks and then charged out into the sun and the sand. They swam and made sandcastles, collected seashells and played beach volleyball with a group of friends that were hanging out. They ate a lot and tried those fancy cocktails with tiny umbrellas, and chased after one another until they collapsed into a laughing, sweaty heap.

They held hands and watched the sunset, drifting along with the waves until they felt cold and went back in. And that night, they made a bonfire and snuggled together under a blanket, snacking on smores, watching the stars, and sharing secrets and touches and laughter.

It felt like something inevitable when Ken cupped Josh’s cheek and leaned in to kiss him, or when Ken asked him if they could spend the night together and Josh agreed, nervous but excited and warm.

“I haven’t… it's been awhile,” Josh admitted, as he shuffled up the bed and welcomed Ken in his arms. He leaned up to kiss him, smiling when Ken hummed happily.

“Really? But you’re the cutest guy I’ve ever seen,” Ken said, chuckling when he thumbed the blush on Josh’s cheek. “I thought you’d be with someone, or you’d find someone at Willow. I was worried when you went, that you’d find someone.”

Josh shook his head, letting out a sigh when Ken settled between his thighs. “I was worried when you went on that date, wondering if that would be the Saturday you two hit it off.”

Ken scoffed. “Impossible, not when I was already thinking of you.”

Josh pulled Ken down and kissed him.

And later, sated and happy, Josh looked at his phone, watching the minutes move closer to midnight. He felt Ken’s arm tighten around his waist, felt him press close to his back, their warm skins brushing. Josh turned to him so they were face to face. Ken rubbed his back with his big hands.

“See you tomorrow?” Josh asked, counting the seconds in his head.

Ken leaned forward, kissing Josh slow and sweet, until he was a bit breathless and flushed all over.

Ken smiled. “See you tomorrow, no matter what day comes to us.”

They fell asleep as the clock struck twelve.

At this point, Josh had forgotten how many loops there’d been, but this time he was awake even before his alarm went off. He had woken up a little earlier than expected and had decided to curl up against the window and watch the sun rise. It was a big difference from the past few Saturdays where Josh had woken up late.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BE—

He hummed as he turned off his alarm. He had five minutes before he had to get up and start his usual morning routine, forty minutes before he had to be at Delightful Dawn, and an hour and thirty minutes before Ken would come by the bakery for his usual order of coffee and doughnut. Or maybe it’ll be a croissant today, or a brownie, or maybe none at all. He might be wearing that hoodie Josh liked, or a different one, or maybe a shirt.

**DING**

Josh looked down at his phone, smiling at the text message he received from Ken. They had memorized each other’s numbers sometime along the way and made sure to text each other their plans, whether it was to try something new at work or to just hang out together or find some other destination they could drive off to.

Josh wasn’t sure when or where his days were going to end, or even where he was going to find himself today. He wasn’t even sure he would find tomorrow again, or if he should even keep looking for Sunday. But for some reason, it didn’t feel like such a daunting prospect, didn’t feel like he had to keep running forward to find a solution, didn’t have to rush or be scared or worry. Instead, he felt each day keenly, enjoying the subtle changes and the new paths that he could take even from ones he had already threaded.

Because no matter how many Saturdays they lived, it was never exactly the same and neither of them could fully predict how it would occur.  Even just one choice, no matter how big or little, might change the course of the day. What was that saying about ripples and a butterfly’s wings?

And if one day Sunday finally came and dawned on them, he didn’t feel quite so scared facing an unknown tomorrow, because he realized that even every day of the same was something new he could enjoy.

Josh texted Ken to see if he wanted to skip work and go see the aquarium. Then he took a deep breath and got up to get a shower. 

It was still a Saturday, but that was okay. Anything could happen.