Found You Again

The elevator played soft music hums, a blend of classical and jazz as it climbed to the top floor. Caldwell Tower was a sleek, glass covered monolith, scraping Silver Bay skyline. Sophie Bennett sighed for the umpteenth time as she fumbled with her sketch pad. Scanning herself in the mirror for possible flaws, she smoothed her pressed navy blazer and took a deep breath. She needed to be calm and collected. This could be the job that saved her business. And she refused to walk in looking like she had to catch a cat along the way. “Relax,” Mia had told her that morning as she played with her spoon idly in a scalding cup of coffee. “It’s only a meeting to submit your proposal, not your wedding” Sophie had rolled her eyes then, but now she wanted to do it all over again. Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one walking into the office of literally one of the most influential tech CEOs, hoping and praying her pitch didn’t come off as brazenly arrogant or worse, amusingly naive. The elevator dinged, a light sound that brought her back to reality. The doors slid open and her mouth followed. She had seen her fair share of prestigious buildings and received a mail of the building’s blueprint but seeing it in person, she was terrified. The area was so pristine it would mislead one to believe it was an art gallery if they didn’t walk in through the front door. White marble floors stretched endlessly beneath recessed lighting. Minimalist interior designs decorated the room alongside strategically positioned abstract sculptures. It was modern sophistication at its peak. Everything screamed power, precision and of course a ridiculous amount of money. Transparent panels on the left offered Sophie a glimpse of the bay and on the right, open meeting spaces. The water glistened in the sunlight and memories of summer in the countryside threatened to throw her off. A woman in a white shirt and sleek black pants appeared like a genie conjured out of a kettle. Her posture was controlled, her makeup polished, her expression rehearsed. Not a hair out of place. “Miss Bennett?” she said, her voice as polished as her smile. “Mr. Caldwell is expecting you. Right this way.” Sophie swallowed and nodded. Her heels clicked against the glossy floor in consonance with the assistant’s, leaving a rhythmic trail behind. She shook her head lightly, a minute demonstration of her resolve. At the end of the corridor, the assistant paused before a matte black double door. Without knocking, she pushed one open with such grace Sophie had never seen before and stepped aside. “Mr. Caldwell, this is Sophie Bennett of Solstice Design.” Sophie stepped in and froze. There he was at last. Standing near a floor-to-ceiling window, one hand in his pocket and the other hanging by his side, he looked down on the city like it was his to rule. He didn’t move immediately. Instead, he stood as if nothing happened if he didn’t will it. Sure enough, both ladies watched quietly as if observing a sacred ritual. At his pace, he turned slowly. Tall. Broad-shouldered. The custom suit, black with vertical white lines was tailored to mindless perfection, hugging his frame like it had been sewn on him while he stood. His tousled dark hair brushed his nape, styled to suggest a careful blend of effort and nonchalance. His face was defined with precision. Cheekbones stood out like they were carved from stone, paired with a strong V-shaped jawline, coated with the kind of stubble that appeared accidentally but was likely intentional. His piercing eyes, astonishingly grey, cut straight through her. Sophie breath hitched, her brain lagging for a split second. She stood breathless, struggling to find her voice. He stepped forward slowly with an inscrutable expression, but quickly shifted into something Sophie couldn’t quite decipher. Almost as if he’d seen her somewhere. “Miss Bennett,” he said, traces of the expression still on his face. “Thank you for coming.” “Mr. Caldwell,” she managed, stepping forward and offering her hand. “Thank you for the opportunity.” His handshake was warm. Firm. Lingering too long until she cleared her throat. “I’ve gone over your proposal,” he said as he released her hand. “It’s… bold.” Sophie tucked her sketchpad to her chest and lifted her chin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” “You should,” he said. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but enough to notice. “Because I like bold.” He gestured to a long, glass-top table spread with digital renderings, samples, and floor plans. “Walk me through your vision.” She inhaled and stepped forward. Time to work. For the next twenty minutes, Sophie found her rhythm. She spoke with clarity and confidence, explaining her choices with passion and logic. A combination rarely employed by women in her field. Her intention wasn’t just to redecorate, but to redesign with fresh purpose. She talked about softening the building’s cold, corporate feel with natural features. She described how a biophilic wall could create visual calm, boost cognitive performance and work habits overall. How breaking down a dividing wall could potentially create comfort, open collaboration and improve natural lighting. That last bit got a raised eyebrow. “You want to knock out a wall in a billion-dollar company’s headquarters?” She met his gaze squarely. “It’s not just a wall. It’s a barrier. This place feels like a fortress. Your employees are brilliant minds but they’re humans too. They need to breathe.” He didn’t respond immediately. He just watched her. Long enough for her pulse to start thudding. For her mind to wonder if she had come off as presumptuous. “I assume you have a structural engineer on standby,” he said at last. “I do.” “Good,” he said with a nod. “I want to see what that east wall looks like without it.” A somewhat inappropriate grin stretched across her face. She tried to hide it, albeit a little too late. He noticed it and a trace of amusement flashed across his face. Clearing the distraction, Caldwell cleared his throat and Sophie straightened her suit. “Now tell me why you think a coastal colour palette won’t make this place look like a beachfront cafe.” Challenge accepted. The meeting lasted no more than it was scheduled for. An hour. Ethan asked sharp, focused questions, testing and not dismissing her. He pushed her to explain every choice, every detail without interrupting or talking her down. If anything, he listened too closely. And it was discomforting to her. He looked at her with such intensity that made her feel he wasn’t even listening. As she gathered her sketchpad and samples, she caught him watching her again. A second too long to be casual. Not just an employer gauging a contractor. Something else entirely. He walked her to the elevator himself, which felt unnecessary and entirely intentional. “I’ll review your revised concepts by next week,” he said as the elevator dinged behind her. “You’ll be in touch with my team?” “Yes. Absolutely.” She said, then added, “Thank you again for the meeting. I wasn’t sure how my ideas would land.” “They landed,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard someone talk about design the way you do.” She turned slightly, intrigued. “How’s that?” “Like it matters.” The elevator doors opened. She stepped inside and turned to face him. His face fell flat, almost as if he was sad to see her leave. Just as the doors began to close, he said with a face that almost looked like a smile, “You still tilt your head when you’re thinking.” She stretched her hand but it was already late. Back downstairs, Sophie stepped out of the elevators and into the sunny street, confused. A direct contrast from how she felt when she walked in a little over an hour ago. She thought about going back up to get what he meant but quickly decided against it. Still in front of the building, she winced as the sunlight rested on her. The heat pulled her out of her thoughts. Her phone buzzed. Mia: Give me the tea. Is he terrifying or hot?? She sighed at the message, not in the mood for small talk but replied anyway Definitely hot… and strangely sweet. She hurried into a roadside café across the street. The same one she’d settled into to kill time before her meeting with Ethan Caldwell. She had arrived thirty minutes early. The waiter smiled, recognising her from before “Welcome again, ma’am,” he beamed. “Thank you,” Sophie responded, equally smiling. “Can I get you anything?” “Iced matcha, please.” She idly flipped through her sketchpad both to wait for her order and take her mind off things. As she turned the pages, something unexpected flipped out. A loose sketch. Old. Yellowed slightly at the edges. A boy by a lake. Half-finished. She hadn’t seen it in years. Strong jaw. Windswept hair. A crooked grin that suggested rebellion and honesty all at once. Her heart stopped. She’d drawn it a long time ago. It was from that summer. The one that left her with memories she wished she never experienced but didn’t want to part from. She stared at the sketch, reliving a hundred moments. It was a very eventful summer. She thought the boy shared an uncanny resemblance with Ethan, but quickly shook her head. It couldn’t be. That was just her imagination or a fault in her drawing. Wishful thinking. Memories seeking an outlet to come to life. That boy had been carefree and wild, all denim and daydreams. Ethan Caldwell was different. Polished and steel. A man who belonged to boardrooms and billion-dollar ventures. He couldn’t be the same person. Yet, his words looped through her mind. “You still tilt your head when you’re thinking.” How would he know that? She looked up at the waiter, forcing a smile as she received her order. “Thank you. If it was him why hadn’t he said anything? Why hide behind a different name? Why now? And if it wasn’t him, why did she have this inexplicable feeling she couldn’t shake off. She shut the sketch pad and sipped from her cup, staring at Caldwell Tower. Her proposal was all that mattered now, not the identity of some boy from ten years ago that left her without a trace. Maybe it was a coincidence. A moment of nostalgia and nothing more. Or maybe, just maybe the past wasn’t as far behind her as she thought.