2 When the past walked in
1113 Words
As I reached the door to my office, my steps slowed. Leaning casually against the frame was a well-dressed man, barely three and a half feet tall,
Yet carrying himself with a confidence that filled the entire hallway.
He looked to be in his early forties, his handsome face lit by a warm, familiar smile.
“Hello, Sofi,” he said softly. “The sound of that nickname froze me in place.
Only one person had ever called me that, and hearing it again after all these years felt like a ghost whispering through the walls of my office. Slowly, I turned toward him.
“Hello,” I replied, forcing a faint smile, though my mind was already racing with questions.
He tilted his head, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“What?
Don’t tell me sophia Black has forgotten me already.”
For a second, I simply stared at him. Then it hit me like a forgotten melody from another lifetime.
“Richard Richardson!” I exclaimed, my voice rising in shock as memories of my school days came rushing back.
Richard Winter—my first love… and the only man who had ever truly owned a piece of my heart.
“Sofi… my heartbeat.”
The sound of that nickname froze me in place.
Slowly, I turned toward him.
Richard stood at the doorway, smiling with the same dangerous charm I remembered from our school days.
Time had changed him—his jaw sharper, his shoulders broader, his presence heavier—but his eyes… Those eyes still carried the same warmth that once made my teenage heart reckless.
“Ooh, Richy,” I breathed softly, almost in disbelief. “You still remember?”
A low chuckle escaped his lips as he slipped his hands into his pockets. “How could I forget?” he asked.
“You were the only girl who ever owned my soul.”
My cheeks warmed instantly.
“Please,” I muttered, forcing out a nervous laugh. “Don’t start with those sweet talks again.”
“Why?”
He teased, stepping a little closer. “They used to work perfectly on you.”
I rolled my eyes, though my heartbeat betrayed me.
“Come inside before someone sees you standing there charming your way through my office door.”
He laughed quietly and walked in while I closed the door behind him. For a brief second, the room felt strangely smaller… and far too intimate.
“I think we have a lot of catching up to do,” I said.
“More than you know,” he replied, his tone suddenly deeper than before.
Something about the way he said it made my stomach tighten.
Pushing the feeling aside, I pointed toward the chair beside mine. “Please, have a seat.”
As he sat down, I found myself staring at him again, still trying to accept that Richard Winter was truly here, sitting in my office after disappearing from my life without a trace.
“What can I offer you, Richy?” I asked, moving toward the small mini fridge tucked in the corner of the office. “Let me guess…
Do you still love red wine?”
“Only when it’s served by you, honey,” he answered smoothly.
I shook my head with a quiet laugh and pulled out the bottle.
Holding the wine in one hand and two glasses in the other,
I suddenly became aware of how silent the room had grown.
Too silent.
When I turned back toward him, Richard was no longer leaning comfortably against the chair.
He was watching me.
Intensely.
The kind of stare that carried memories… and secrets.
A strange uneasiness crept into my chest, but I ignored it and handed him a glass before sitting down across from him.
“Richy,” I said softly, trying to lighten the mood, “what a pleasant surprise. I never believed I would see you again… at least not like this.”
I paused, studying his face carefully.
“When did you get back?”
Richard slowly lifted the wine glass to his lips, but instead of drinking, he smiled.
A mysterious, unreadable smile.
“Last night,” he said quietly. “And Sofi… you have no idea why I came back.”
“Why?” I asked softly, though deep down, I already feared the answer.
“Out of curiosity,” he replied, but the look in his eyes told a completely different story.
Slowly, he rose from his seat and closed the distance between us.
My breath caught in my throat as he reached out, his fingers slipping gently through my hair with a tenderness that felt painfully familiar.
Then he leaned closer, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.
“Because of you, baby,” he whispered into my ear, his voice rough with emotion. “I’ve missed you so much. I tried to stay away; I really did, but I couldn’t take it anymore.”
He paused, his hand lingering against my cheek. “Life has been miserable without you in it.”
My chest tightened instantly.
“What about your wife?”
I snapped, taking a quick step back from him before I lost whatever control I still had left.
At the mention of her, his expression darkened slightly.
“My wife…” he murmured quietly, dragging a hand through his hair.
“She’s fine.
At home, probably wondering where I am.” He let out a bitter laugh before looking back at me.
“But trust me, I’m done with that marriage. I’ve wanted to file for divorce for over a year now because the truth is…” His voice dropped lower.
“I never really loved her.”
“Wow” for a marriage of 15 years? I asked him with shock written all over my face.
Biting the tip of my finger
I stared at him, unable to speak.
“Every single time I’m with her, I think about you instead,” he continued, his other
fixed intensely on mine.
“Every touch, every moment… it’s always been you in my head.
You never left me, Sofi. Not for one day.”
His words wrapped around me like a dangerous spell.
“I searched for you for years,” he confessed.
“God knows I did.
I tried everything to find you, but it was like you disappeared from the world.”
He stepped closer again, his gaze softening with something that looked painfully close to heartbreak.
“And now that I’ve finally found you again… how do you expect me to walk away.
- Writer
