Once our girl was out of sight (though not quite yet out of mind), I let myself go.  And he promptly spun around and threw a punch, hitting me square in the jaw and knocking me backwards through a nearby dumpster.  The site of this seemed to shock some sense back into him.  When I emerged, he spoke to me for the first time.

"Who...what...are you?"

I decided to learn from my own future self and keep my cards close to my vest.  "Let's just say I'm a guardian angel of sorts, and you were about to make a big mistake."

"Mistake?  She wanted me."

I could hardly believe these words were coming out of my mouth.  "What makes you say that, Romeo?"

"We've been flirting for awhile, tonight was our first date.  I was planning on taking it slow, but I knew she wanted me, so I decided to cut to the chase."

"And just what made you think that she wanted you?"

"I don't really know.  The signs seemed to be there, and the voice inside my head just said 'Let's go for it, she's going to give you the ride of your life.'  It was so confident, I listened."

Now why the hell would I have a thought like that?  My normal thought process in this situation is to take it slow and not screw up, usually missing almost all of the signs.  I spend more time wondering if she's on the date out of pity or actual attraction, but 'let's go for it' never crosses my mind on date number one.  (One night stands aside, but those usually exist as a pickup without any actual "date" involved.)

Suddenly it hit me.  What if he was picking up on my memories of the redheaded girl?  That was right about the time things started to change.  Did my foreknowledge become his foreknowledge, thus boosting our collective confidence level and changing what was happening in his present?  We could experiment with that later.

"Fair enough, I think I know what happened, and I'm sorry."

"You better be sorry," he said.

"Yes and no.  You will never see that girl again now, that much I know.  Once upon a time you guys had something good, but you needed time for it to build."

"What are you, from the future or something?"

"Angels are, um..." I started my white lie, "...omnipresent."

"So you were here to make sure I get the girl, but I didn't, so go back to heaven or whatever with your wings between your legs."

He turned to leave, but I grabbed him.

"Alright, I'll keep this brief.  Help me with my real mission first, and I'll get you a second chance with the girl.  Deal?"

"That depends on what kind of help you need."

"You'll like this.  I want you to go to your sister's wedding tomorrow and read that objection you wrote."

"How did you know about that?"

"I told you, I'm omnipresent.  It's just something that needs to be said, and you're the one who needs to say it."

I had spent the previous evening rooming with myself at the old apartment.  Part of me wanted to blink home first to get some proper wedding attire even though the traditional dress code didn't technically apply to me, but I was worried about what I would find there and decided to play it safe.  There was still plenty to keep me occupied during my stay.  We edited the draft of the objection, transposed it onto some 4x6 index cards, rehearsed the exact point during the ceremony to speak up during, and made a contingency plan just in case objections weren't asked for.  (A distinct possibility under the circumstances, as it was no secret that this wedding was contested.) 

Younger me also asked some questions about his future (which I avoided) and the general future (which I gave correct, albeit elliptical answers to).  We also had a nice back and forth debate on how time travel may or may not work after I detailed out many of my observations, theories, and practical experience on the subject.  I still held on to my guardian angel cover story, but even a guardian angel would need a method for time traveling.  Being that we're the same person, we tended to be on the same page.  Still, it is surprisingly refreshing to have a real deep conversation with yourself while actually vocalizing things without seeming crazy.

At the ceremony, my younger self was going over the notes again and getting cold feet.

"Do you really think I should start with the quote?" he asked.

"Yes.  The quote will suck them in from the start.  Some will be intrigued, some will be outraged, but you'll definitely have their attention."

He thought about this a moment, referred to the cards, and nodded.

"Alright.  I'm ready," he stated with confidence.  Then broke the mood by adding "You look like a janitor in that hospital outfit of yours.  If people could see you, you just might fit in with him."

Other me pointed to a worker picking up trash around the outskirts of the wedding site with one of those nail on a stick gadgets.  Looking down at myself, his outfit was quite similar though not identical.

"Very funny.  You should go take your seat.  We have a wedding to stop."