Chapter 3: A Blast from the Past
1080 Words
Olivia sat in her apartment, the soft glow of her laptop screen illuminating her face as she scrolled through the next name on The List—Tyler Reynolds. He had been her high school lab partner, the one who always smelled faintly of citrus and spearmint gum. Their almost-kiss had happened in the school library, of all places. She still remembered the way he’d looked at her over the pages of a shared biology textbook, the tension so thick she was sure the librarian could sense it. But then, like every other name on her list, something had interrupted them—a misplaced sneeze, courtesy of Olivia herself.
Natalie peeked over her shoulder, crunching on a bag of chips. “So, what’s the deal with this guy?”
Olivia sighed. “Tyler Reynolds. Genius, kinda awkward, but had these ridiculously warm hands.”
Natalie’s eyebrows lifted. “Warm hands? That’s a *detail*.”
Rolling her eyes, Olivia kept scrolling. “He’s a software engineer now. Lives a couple of towns over.”
“Perfect. So, when are we tracking him down?”
Olivia hesitated. “Maybe I should just message him first.”
Natalie groaned. “Lame. You’re overthinking. Just—wait.” She squinted at Olivia’s screen. “Oh my God, Liv. *He owns a café*?”
Olivia blinked. “He *what*?”
Natalie clicked through the link. Sure enough, Tyler Reynolds was listed as the owner of a trendy coffee shop called *Code & Coffee*.
“You *have* to go,” Natalie insisted. “This is fate.”
---
Two days later, Olivia found herself standing outside *Code & Coffee*, gripping the strap of her purse like a lifeline. Through the window, she could see people scattered around wooden tables, laptops open, the rich scent of roasted coffee beans wafting through the air.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside. The place was cozy, all exposed brick and Edison bulbs, with a giant chalkboard menu listing specialty drinks with names like *JavaScript Jolt* and *Bug-Free Brew*.
And there, behind the counter, was Tyler Reynolds.
Time had been ridiculously kind to him. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled, a little longer than she remembered, and his glasses framed the same intelligent, kind eyes she had spent hours staring into during study sessions.
He was focused on the espresso machine, his fingers moving with the same meticulous precision she remembered from high school.
Before she could turn around and run for the hills, Natalie’s words echoed in her head: *This is fate.*
Gathering her courage, Olivia walked up to the counter.
“Hey,” she said, hoping she sounded casual and not like someone who had spent hours cyber-stalking him.
Tyler looked up, and for a second, his face was blank. Then his eyes widened, recognition dawning.
“Olivia Parker?”
She grinned. “The one and only.”
Tyler let out a surprised laugh, wiping his hands on a towel. “Wow. It’s been *years*. What are you doing here?”
Olivia hesitated, then gestured around. “I heard there was good coffee.”
He smirked. “That’s true. But I’m guessing there’s more to it than that.”
She swallowed. “Maybe.”
Tyler leaned on the counter, studying her. “You look exactly the same.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is,” he said, smiling. “So, are you in town for long?”
She shrugged. “Depends. I’m sort of…on a mission.”
Tyler raised an eyebrow. “A mission?”
Olivia felt heat rise to her cheeks. “It’s, uh, kind of a long story.”
He tapped the menu. “Then you better order something. I have a feeling this is gonna be interesting.”
---
Twenty minutes later, Olivia sat at a corner table with a cappuccino, Tyler sliding into the seat across from her. The café had quieted down, the evening crowd dwindling.
“So,” he said, folding his arms. “What’s this mission of yours?”
Olivia exhaled. “Okay, so, do you remember in high school when I used to keep a list of things I never got to do?”
Tyler smirked. “You mean the infamous Kiss List?”
Her jaw dropped. “You *remember* that?”
“Olivia,” he said, shaking his head, “you *wouldn’t shut up about it*.”
She groaned. “Oh my God, that’s embarrassing.”
He laughed. “No, it was cute. Kind of ridiculous, but cute.”
“Well,” she said, stirring her drink, “I found the list recently. And…I’m sort of going back and checking things off.”
Tyler’s eyes flickered with amusement. “Let me guess. I’m on the list?”
She bit her lip. “You are.”
He chuckled. “For what?”
“Our almost-kiss in the library.”
His brows shot up. “That was a thing?”
“You don’t remember?” she asked, feeling slightly deflated.
Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. “To be fair, I was probably too busy freaking out over organic chemistry to notice.”
Olivia groaned. “Fantastic. This is going *so* well.”
Tyler grinned. “Relax. I’m just messing with you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, you *do* remember?”
He leaned forward. “Maybe.”
She laughed. “You’re impossible.”
He shrugged. “But charming.”
She rolled her eyes. “Debatable.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, sipping their drinks. Finally, Tyler exhaled, setting his cup down. “So, how does this work? Do I just kiss you now and you check me off the list?”
Olivia’s heart did an unexpected somersault. “That’s…not exactly how I imagined it.”
Tyler’s lips quirked up. “How *did* you imagine it?”
She hesitated. “I guess I wanted it to feel…real. Not like I’m just collecting moments.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense.”
Their eyes met, and suddenly, the air between them felt charged.
Tyler tilted his head. “Well, Olivia Parker, if you ever decide you want to cross this one off the list the *right* way, let me know.”
Her breath caught. “I might take you up on that.”
Tyler grinned. “I’ll be here.”
And as Olivia walked out of *Code & Coffee*, she realized that maybe, just maybe, some things were worth waiting for.
- Writer
