Bump of Fate

She had lived all her life knowing she might never find the love of her life. Everyone seemed to get their perfect match, but she struggled with literally everything. On her eighteenth birthday, amidst blowing out candles and making a wish, she had asked for a handsome man to bump into her one day, and their love story would begin. Five years had passed since that wish. Twenty-three now, Ava went about her days working as a content writer, reading romance novels, and hanging out with friends. Yet, there'd been no bump – no collision of fates, no swoon-worthy encounter. It was a typical Wednesday when Ava met her friends, Ethan and Lily, at their favorite café. Ava had always been the creative one, scribbling stories in notebooks and dreaming of love. Ethan, part of the elite crowd, had surprisingly chosen this laid-back school to unwind from expectations. That’s where he met Ava – in a creative writing class – and bonded over mocking the prof’s outdated novels. Lily, on the other hand, was a force in her own right: running a cozy bookstore downtown, always recommending the juiciest rom-coms to customers. Her lively smile lit up the café whenever they swung by. "Guys, I think my wish was a joke," Ava said, stirring her cappuccino. Ethan, ever the optimist, grinned. "Ava, your bump is on the way. Maybe he's just running late ." Lily chuckled. "Or maybe you need to put yourself out there more? Like, actually talk to people." Ava sighed. "I talk to people. I just don't get _the one_." Ethan leaned in. "Tell us again what happened on your eighteenth birthday. Maybe we missed a clue." Ava laughed, recalling the drama. "Okay, so I was at this huge party with friends, made the wish, and... honestly? I got super drunk afterward. Woke up with no memory of the night except..." "Except?" Lily prompted. "Except I found a weird note in my bag afterward. Like, someone wrote: 'Bumps aren't always literal.' Weird, right?" Ethan's eyes widened. "Whoa. That's wild. Where's the note?" Ava shrugged. "Lost it. But the point is, no bump. No handsome stranger. Nada." As they chatted, Ava's phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number: "Ava, are you ready for your bump?" Ava's eyes widened. Her friends exchanged looks. "What?!" Ava whispered. Ethan grabbed the phone. "Who is this?" The message ended with: "See you soon." Ava stared at her phone, the "See you soon" echoing like a dare. Five years she had wished for love - campus cafés, late-night bookstore hangs with Lily, Ethan's teasing jokes — and now this. Was the universe finally playing along? Ava's heart skipped. Could it be...? _To be continued_