Tears burned behind my eyes. "I'm certain."
"I took photos of the entire boarding process—us walking through the gate, finding our seats, everything. I posted them on social media and sent them to my family group chat. The posts and messages are gone now, but my parents and my friends all saw them."
The sincerity in my voice must have gotten through, because Gray picked up his phone and called my parents on the spot.
But when he asked my mother whether she'd seen the photos I'd shared in the group chat, her voice came through bewildered.
"What photos? I never saw any."
"Besides, my son has always been single. He's never had a girlfriend."
The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. My head went blank.
I lunged toward the phone, disbelief cracking my voice. "Mom, what are you talking about? You know Amy and I have been together for three years! You've been waiting for me to bring her home to meet you!"
My mother went quiet for two seconds, then sounded even more confused.
"Ernest, what on earth are you saying? Your father and I nag you every year to find a girlfriend, and you always tell us you're not interested in dating."
"You've been single your entire life. How could you possibly have a girlfriend of three years?"
What was happening?
Why was my mother denying my relationship—exactly the same way she had in my previous life?
But I'd posted on social media. My friends could vouch for me.
I spun back to Gray, words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "My friends can back me up. I posted about it—they all know I was flying home today with my girlfriend to introduce her to my parents!"
Gray contacted the friends I named, the ones who had commented under my posts.
Every single response came back identical.
"What post? I never saw anything like that."
"Ernest Fox? He's famously single. Always has been. There's no way he has a girlfriend."
"He and I have been best friends since we were kids. I've never once heard him mention having a girlfriend, let alone posting couple photos on social media. There's absolutely no way."
No matter who Captain Gray asked, the answer was the same: they'd never seen any posts from me.
And every single one of them was certain I'd never had a girlfriend.
But I'd seen it with my own eyes. After I posted those photos, they'd all left comments underneath, congratulating us, sending well-wishes.
What the hell was going on?