Chapter 3 — People Are Watching
1380 Words
Rebecca made it exactly ten steps before Gabriella grabbed her arm.
“Don’t even try it,” Gabriella said.
Rebecca blinked. “Try what?”
“That thing you do where you pretend nothing just happened.”
Rebecca pulled her arm free. “Nothing did happen.”
Gabriella stared at her. Then laughed.
“Oh, you’re funny tonight. I like this version of you. Very delusional.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and kept walking. Gabriella followed. Of course she did.
“Who is he?” she asked. “And don’t lie, because I saw your face when he said your name.”
Rebecca’s steps slowed slightly. Just slightly.
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m being observant.”
“You’re being annoying.”
Gabriella gasped. “So you do know him.”
Rebecca sighed, there was no escaping this.
“It’s Andre.” Silence.
Gabriella stopped walking.
Rebecca took two more steps before realizing and turning back. Gabriella was still standing there… staring.
“Say that again,” she said slowly.
“Andre.”
Gabriella looked past her then at him. Then back at her.
“…That is not the same human being.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t understand I need a moment.” Gabriella pressed a hand to her chest. “Because if that is Andre, then life is unfair and I have been cheated.”
Rebecca huffed out a laugh despite herself.
“…You mean that Andre?” she asked. “The one who used to carry your bag and apologize when you got in trouble?”
Rebecca folded her arms. “He did not carry my bag.”
“He literally followed you everywhere.”
“He liked me.”
Gabriella’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“You knew?”
Rebecca shrugged, trying to look unaffected. “It wasn’t exactly subtle.”
Gabriella let out a breath. “And now he looks like that?”
“Unfortunately.”
Gabriella clutched her chest. “Life is so unfair.”
Rebecca huffed out a laugh despite herself.
But it faded quickly. Because she could still feel it.
That awareness. Like even without looking She knew exactly where he was.
Watching. Always watching.
“Becks.”
Rebecca closed her eyes briefly. There it was again.
That name. That stupid, soft, familiar name that no one else used.
“Don’t react,” Gabriella whispered immediately. “I want to observe.”
Rebecca opened her eyes. Too late. He was already there.
Close enough that she could see the shift in his expression when she turned. Like he noticed everything. Like he always had.
“You always this slow,” Alexandre said casually, “or are you just pretending not to hear me?”
Rebecca scoffed.
“There he is,” she muttered. “Thought London might’ve fixed your personality.”
“It upgraded it.”
“Liar.”
His mouth curved slightly. God. That was new. That confidence. That ease.
Andre used to smile like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to. This version? He knew exactly what he was doing. And it was annoying.
“Friends of yours?” he asked, glancing at Gabriella before looking back at Rebecca like the answer didn’t matter anyway.
Gabriella stepped forward instantly. “I’m Gabriella,” she said brightly. “And you are definitely not the Andre she described.”
Rebecca groaned. “Please ignore her.”
“Too late,” Gabriella added. “I’ve already formed opinions.”
Alexandre gave a small nod. “Alexandre.”
Gabriella tilted her head. “Not Andre?”
“Only she calls me that.”
Rebecca looked away. Gabriella’s eyes lit up like she’d just been handed gossip on a silver platter. “Oh, I love this.”
“I hate you,” Rebecca muttered.
“I know,” Gabriella said sweetly. “I’m going to get a drink and not spy on you.”
“You’re absolutely going to spy.”
“Obviously.”
And just like that—she was gone. Traitor.
Silence fell again. But not the awkward kind. The familiar kind. The dangerous kind.
Rebecca crossed her arms. “You always this dramatic with entrances now?”
“I said your name twice.”
“You said Becks twice.”
“And you still came.”
Her breath caught—just slightly. She ignored it.
“You didn’t have to follow me,” she said.
“I didn’t.”
“Then what is this?”
A small pause. Then— “I wanted to see you.”
That hit differently. Rebecca looked away quickly. “Well, you’ve seen me,” she said. “Congratulations.”
“That’s it?”
“What else do you want, Andre?”
The name slipped out naturally. Easily. Like no time had passed at all. Something in his expression shifted when she said it. Softened. Just a little.
“You used to talk more than this,” he said.
“You used to stay.”
Silence. There it was. Finally. Real.
He didn’t joke this time. Didn’t deflect. Just watched her.
“I tried to find you,” he said.
Rebecca shook her head. “You didn’t try hard enough.”
“I lost your number.”
“So did I.”
“And you didn’t look for me?”
“I did.”
“Then why didn’t you find me?”
“Same reason you didn’t find me,” she shot back.
That landed. They both knew it. Too much time. Too much distance. Too many missed chances.
Rebecca exhaled slowly, looking away. “I thought you forgot me,” she admitted, quieter now.
“I didn’t.”
She glanced at him. He wasn’t smiling. Wasn’t teasing. Just… certain.
“You were always bad at lying,” she said.
“And you were always good at pretending you don’t care.”
“I don’t care.”
“Becks.”
That tone. Soft. Calling her out without pushing. She hated that it still worked.
“So,” she said quickly, changing the subject. “Lawyer, huh?”
He nodded slightly. “Yeah.”
“Figures.”
“That a compliment?”
“It means you get paid to argue.”
“I get paid to win.”
She rolled her eyes. But there was something there. Pride. Even if she wouldn’t say it.
“You always said you’d do something big,” she added.
“I did.”
“And came back here?”
That question carried more than it should have. He noticed. Of course he did.
“I have a case,” he said.
“Just a case?”
A pause. Then— “No.”
Her heart skipped. “What else?”
He held her gaze. Steady. Unmoving. “You.”
Rebecca’s breath caught. Again. And this time—she couldn’t ignore it.
“You don’t get to say things like that,” she said, quieter now.
“I’m not saying it lightly.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“It makes it honest.”
She shook her head slightly, taking a small step back. Because this—this was exactly what she didn’t need. Not him. Not now. Not like this.
“Rebecca!”
Roland’s voice cut in. Easy. Familiar. Safe.
Rebecca turned, relief flashing briefly across her face. “Hey,” Roland said, walking up with a smile. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Found me,” she said.
Roland glanced at Alexandre. “Friend?”
Rebecca hesitated. Just for a second. “Old problem,” she said instead.
Alexandre’s brow lifted slightly. Roland chuckled. “That bad?”
“You have no idea,” Rebecca replied.
But her tone wasn’t as light as she wanted it to be. Alexandre noticed. Of course he did. He stepped back slightly. Not leaving. Just watching. Waiting. Like he knew this wasn’t over. Not even close.
And as the night carried on… people started noticing. The way she slipped back into old habits around him. The way he looked at her like nothing else mattered. The way they argued like they’d never stopped talking even after years apart.
And the way something unfinished lingered between them… not broken. Not gone. Just waiting.
- Writer
