CHAPTER ONE: UNFAITHFUL ENCOUNTER When the Past Met My Future
853 Words
The rain had barely stopped when I saw him again.
Same dark eyes. Same careless smirk that once made my heart race.
I told myself I was over him, that I’d buried every memory deep enough that I’d never find it again.
But the moment I saw him across that café, time froze, and the past I’d run from came crashing back.
“Ma’am, ma’am,” the driver called, and just like that, I returned to my senses.
I was probably hallucinating, there was no way he would be in New York, I told myself, still feeling anxious like never before.
My hands trembled, and it felt suddenly hard to breathe. I guess I hadn’t truly gotten over him yet, and that terrified me.
* * *
The next morning
“Phew, that was a close call, you nearly missed your interview!”
“I know. I’m so glad I called,” I laughed into the phone, still breathless.
“It’s funny, I thought I knew my way around, but I ended up getting lost anyway. Thanks Josh, you saved my day.”
The bright lights of New York seemed to dazzle me as I rushed down the crowded street.
Blaring horns, chatter from the crowd, and the smell of roasted nuts from street carts blended into a blur of noise and colour.
“Just take it easy, alright?” Josh’s calm voice soothed me through the phone. “You’re new in town. I wouldn’t want anything happening to you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I said, smiling faintly. “Take care of yourself. I’ll call you later, I need to go now.”
My eyes drifted up to the towering skyscrapers, glittering like dreams I still wasn’t sure I believed in.
New York, a new beginning. A new me hopefully.
“Busy already? You just finished your interview,” Josh teased, and I could almost hear that little grin in his voice.
“Yeah, and I’m exhausted,” I sighed. “I’m meeting the house agent by four, remember? I’ve barely got twenty minutes left.”
Panic surged as I checked my watch.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, good luck. I really hope you get the job.”
His words wrapped around me like a promise.
“Thanks, Josh. You’re the best. Catch you later.”
I ended the call and settled into the back seat of a taxi.
The warm air inside wrapped around me as I exhaled deeply, watching the city lights blur past the window.
All my life, I’ve tried so hard to make something of myself.
But no matter how much effort I put in, I always end up ten steps back, starting over, losing jobs, changing locations, quitting hobbies.
It’s exhausting.
Something’s missing… something I can’t even name.
I hope moving to New York won’t turn out to be another regrettable decision.
The city’s neon lights stretched across the glass like streaks of colour, and I let myself get lost in thought.
And just then, I saw him.
But this time, our eyes met, and for some reason, I knew it was him.
There was no way I could be hallucinating for a second time.
I got out of the taxi just to be sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.
Of all the people I could run into, it had to be him, the one mistake I never forgave myself for.
I didn’t know then that that moment would rewrite my life.
Right there stood everything I tried to forget, and everything I wasn’t ready to face yet.
And then he called my name. “Ashley,” walking toward me.
The sound of it on his lips froze me, like I had seen a ghost.
I couldn’t let him get to where I stood, so I got back into the taxi and took a ride away.
There was no way I would break down in front of him, or pretend I was fine.
I thought that would be the last I’d see of him.
But fate, as always, had other plans.
* * *
Later that evening, expecting the delivery man or the landlord, I swung the door open,
and froze.
It was him.
My ex.
Standing there with the same look, the one that once made me forgive him.”
No words came out.
Shock surged through me, and before I could stop myself, I slammed the door in his face.
My pulse pounded in my ears. My heart ached, and before I knew it, tears started spilling down my cheeks.
Oh my God. How could this day possibly get any worse?
I realised he had followed me home without me even noticing.
It had barely been forty-eight hours since I arrived, and already I was regretting everything.
I thought he was in Boston.
What was he even doing here, at my doorstep, of all places?
I groaned and buried my face in my hands.
Of course, leave it to me to move to a new city and still run straight into my past.
This can’t be happening.
Not now.
Not here.
- Writer
