Chapter 4: The Second Encounter
531 Words
Two days after the incident at the library, Ada thought she had successfully erased the embarrassing memory from her mind.
Or at least she tried to.
She focused on lectures, assignments, and her part-time job at the campus café.
“Just ignore him if you ever see him again,” she told herself while wiping tables.
Easy.
Simple.
Unlikely.
“Can I get a black coffee?”
That voice.
Ada froze.
Slowly, she turned around — and there he was.
Daniel.
Standing at the counter like he owned the space — calm expression, neatly styled hair, expensive-looking wristwatch, and the same serious eyes that had watched her carefully in the library.
Her heart dropped.
Why is he here again?
She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak normally.
“Welcome to the café. That will be 3,000 naira.”
He raised an eyebrow slightly. “You work here?”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No.”
He handed her the money without breaking eye contact.
For a second, neither of them moved.
The atmosphere felt heavier than it should have been for two people who barely knew each other.
“You follow me around or something?” Ada suddenly asked.
Daniel almost looked amused.
“This is near my office.”
“Your office?”
“Yes.”
She paused.
“Wait… office? You mean you actually work around here?”
He nodded.
“I run a small startup company nearby.”
Ada blinked.
So the business documents… weren’t a lie.
Of course.
She felt slightly embarrassed for assuming otherwise.
“Oh,” she said quietly. “That explains the ‘important papers’.”
He watched her reaction carefully.
“You doubted me?”
She crossed her arms. “You didn’t exactly explain anything.”
A short silence followed.
Then —
“Fair.”
That one-word response surprised her.
He wasn’t arguing.
He wasn’t trying to prove himself.
He just accepted it.
The coffee machine beeped, signaling the drink was ready.
Ada handed him the cup.
“Careful. It’s hot.”
His fingers brushed hers for a brief second while taking it.
Both of them noticed.
Both of them quickly pulled away.
An awkward pause followed.
Daniel cleared his throat first.
“Accidents seem to happen a lot between us.”
“Don’t blame me,” she replied quickly. “Maybe you’re just bad at avoiding people.”
A small — very small — smile appeared on his face.
“Or maybe you keep appearing in places I go.”
Her cheeks warmed.
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?”
Their eyes locked for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Then a customer called her name from the other side of the café.
Ada quickly turned away.
“Your coffee is done. Please leave.”
He didn’t move immediately.
Instead, he looked at her one more time — studying her expression.
“See you again,” he said calmly.
She frowned slightly.
“Let’s hope not.”
But even as she said it…
She knew something had shifted.
This second meeting didn’t feel accidental anymore.
It felt… inevitable.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD