Fate

Chapter Four: Unwanted reunion

Chapter 4: Unfinished Business

Ann had made a decision.

She would stay away from Demian.

It was the logical thing to do. She was in a new environment, and this was supposed to be her fresh start. The last thing she needed was to let old feelings drag her backward. Besides, Demian probably didn’t even remember half the moments she had spent obsessing over.

Yes, avoidance was the best solution.

But the universe seemed to have other plans.

It started the very next day.

Ann and Joy had decided to visit the student café between classes. It was a small, cozy place near the library, buzzing with students chatting over cups of coffee.

As they joined the line, Joy nudged Ann. "Heads up, someone’s staring at you."

Ann frowned. "What?"

"Behind you."

Ann turned slightly, and there he was.

Demian.

Sitting at a corner table, leaning back in his chair, watching her with an amused expression.

Her stomach flipped.

For a second, she thought about ignoring him. But before she could act, he stood up and made his way over.

"Hey," he said casually. "Twice in two days? What are the odds?"

Ann forced a smile. "Yeah. Crazy."

Joy raised an eyebrow, looking between them. "Friend of yours?"

Ann cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah. Joy, this is Demian. We went to the same secondary school."

"Ah," Joy said, smirking. "The famous Demian."

Ann’s eyes widened in panic. "Joy!"

Demian chuckled. "Famous? That’s new."

Ann glared at Joy, who only grinned innocently.

"So, what are you up to?" Demian asked.

"Just grabbing coffee before class," Ann said quickly, hoping to end the conversation.

"Cool. Maybe we can catch up sometime," he said, flashing his signature easy smile.

Ann hesitated. "Yeah… maybe."

Demian nodded, then walked back to his table.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Joy burst into laughter.

"What?" Ann asked, crossing her arms.

"Girl, you are so obvious," Joy said, shaking her head. "That was painful to watch."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Joy rolled her eyes. "You should’ve seen your face when he walked over. You looked like you were about to have a heart attack."

Ann groaned. "I’m trying to move on, okay?"

"And how’s that working out for you?"

Ann didn’t answer.

Because the truth was, it wasn’t working at all.

The second time the universe interfered, it was in the form of an unwelcome group assignment.

Ann’s literature professor had announced that they would be working in groups of four on an in-depth character analysis project. Students were assigned randomly, and as luck would have it…

She and Demian ended up in the same group.

Ann stared at the list in horror as the professor read out the names.

"Ann, Demian, Luke, and Sarah. You four will be working together."

Beside her, Demian smirked. "Guess we’re stuck with each other."

Ann forced a smile, ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks.

When class ended, their group gathered to discuss plans.

"So, when do we meet?" Luke asked.

"I’m free this evening," Demian said.

"Same," Sarah added.

Ann had been planning to say she was busy, but she knew that would seem suspicious.

"Yeah, me too," she mumbled.

"Great," Demian said. "Library at five?"

They all agreed, and Ann mentally prepared for the longest study session of her life.

At exactly five, they met in the library. Ann made sure to sit as far from Demian as possible.

The discussion started smoothly. They assigned parts of the project, exchanged notes, and debated character motivations.

But then, somehow, the conversation drifted into personal territory.

"So, how did you guys end up at Westwood?" Sarah asked, flipping through her notebook.

"Scholarship," Luke said. "I was lucky. Almost couldn’t afford it."

Sarah nodded. "Same here. You, Ann?"

Ann hesitated. She never liked talking about her struggles with the state exam.

But before she could come up with a vague answer, Demian spoke up.

"She worked her ass off to get here," he said. "Five years of nonstop effort."

Ann’s head snapped up. "How do you—?"

He shrugged. "Lisa told me."

Ann felt a rush of embarrassment. "Great. So now you know how pathetic I am."

Demian frowned. "Pathetic? Ann, that’s impressive. Not everyone would’ve kept going after so many tries."

Ann blinked, thrown off by his sincerity.

Sarah smiled. "Honestly, that’s inspiring."

Ann looked down, feeling an unexpected warmth in her chest.

She hadn’t expected encouragement—least of all from Demian.

Maybe avoiding him wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

---

The more Ann tried to keep her distance, the more Demian seemed to appear everywhere.

She saw him in the cafeteria. In the library. Even in the hallway outside her dorm.

And every time, he acted… different.

More attentive.

More interested.

More like someone who actually wanted to be around her.

One evening, as she was leaving the library, she found him waiting outside.

"Hey," he said casually.

Ann raised an eyebrow. "Hey?"

"You heading back to the dorms?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

Ann hesitated but eventually nodded.

They walked in silence for a while. Then, out of nowhere, Demian spoke.

"You know… I always thought you hated me."

Ann nearly tripped. "What?!"

He chuckled. "In school, you always acted like I annoyed you."

Ann’s mind raced. Had she really been that obvious?

"I didn’t hate you," she said carefully. "I just… I don’t know. I was focused on school."

Demian nodded. "Yeah. You were always serious."

They reached her dorm, and she turned to face him. "Well… thanks for walking with me."

Demian smiled. "Anytime."

Ann stepped inside, heart pounding.

What was happening?

Was Demian just being friendly? Or was there something more?

She didn’t know.

But for the first time in years, she allowed herself to wonder…

What if?