A Love Unlocked

Chapter 2: Encounter

Amy’s breath caught in her throat as the memories rushed back, a whirlwind of emotions hitting her all at once. She hadn’t seen him in years, not since… well, she wasn’t ready to think about that yet. But here he was, standing in the same room, in the same building, looking at Elowen like they were old friends.

Elowen, unaware of Amy’s internal turmoil, smiled and waved at the man. “Hey, you! I didn’t think you’d be in the office today,” she said, her tone light and playful.

Amy stood frozen, her mind racing. How could this be happening? Of all the places, of all the moments…

She forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. She didn’t know why he was here or what this meant, but one thing was certain: her first day at this new job had just gotten a lot more complicated.

A couple of hours later, there they were... at Dylan and his friends’ party.

The house was impressive for a group of college students—a two-story rental that seemed far beyond what most people their age could afford. There were really only two explanations: either they got ridiculously lucky, or they had the money to back it up.

The living room was already packed by the time they made it inside. Laughter and chatter filled the air, mingling with the thumping bass of the music. It was loud, chaotic, and everything Amy had avoided throughout her college life.

“Sarah! Over here!” Dylan’s voice cut through the noise, waving them over from across the room.

“Hey!” Sarah called back, grabbing Amy’s hand and pulling her through the throng of people toward Dylan.

When they finally reached him, Dylan was surrounded by a few of his friends, chatting and laughing. Amy couldn’t help but glance around, searching for the one person she actually cared about seeing.

“Where’s Mike?” she whispered to Sarah, trying to sound casual, though her stomach was twisting in knots.

“Dylan, where’s Mike?”, Sarah tried to help her

Dylan raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “Mike had to step out for something urgent, but he’ll be back soon. Why are you asking about him?”

"Something happened, I need your help right now. I’ll wait for you in my room!" he said hurriedly, barely stopping as he spoke.

"And please tell Sammy to come with you to my office." Without another word or even a glance in Amy’s direction, he turned and rushed off, clearly preoccupied with whatever urgent matter had come up.

Amy stood there, feeling slightly unsettled by his abruptness. His tone was sharp, his focus elsewhere, and it all happened so fast that she hadn’t even had time to respond before he was gone.

Elowen, standing beside her, let out a sigh—one that spoke more of familiarity than frustration. It was clear she had dealt with this behavior many times before. She seemed completely unfazed, as if his brusque demeanor was nothing new.

"Don’t take it personally," Elowen said, offering Amy a kind smile as she gently patted her shoulder.

"He didn’t mean to ignore you—it’s just the way he is. It’s in his bones, I swear!" Her voice held a note of understanding, almost as if she were excusing his behavior while trying to comfort Amy at the same time. With that, Elowen turned and walked off to carry out the his request, leaving Amy standing alone for a moment.

Amy exhaled, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. I think I was worrying for no reason, she thought, relieved. After all, she was new here, and she knew there was no reason he would recognize her. She was just another insignificant person in his life— just like an NPC in a game, then and now.

But that didn’t stop the small, familiar feeling that had stirred inside her when she saw him.

But wait… why is he here?

­­­­­­­­_________

Six years ago

While her friends immersed themselves in the typical college experience—going to clubs, parties, and jumping in and out of relationships—Amy took a different path. She wasn’t drawn to the late nights or the excitement of casual dating. Instead, she chose to focus on her goals: study hard, graduate on time, and land a job at Nebula Byte, or NB, as most people called it. Amy’s dream was to become a concept artist, and she was fiercely determined to make it happen. Someday, she hoped to build a creative empire of her own. But for now, the first step was NB.

However, her choice to stay single wasn’t entirely because of her dedication to her studies. There was another reason. Someone had already captured her heart—Mike. She had admired him for years, but never worked up the courage to tell him. Instead, she chose to keep her feelings to herself, watching him from a distance, all while her friends dated and moved through relationships.

“Am, you should really come with me to Dylan’s graduation party,” Sarah whispered to her, afraid the professor might hear them.

Amy barely glanced at her, pretending to stay focused on her notes. “I can’t. I have a ton of assignments,” she said, trying to dismiss the idea before it took root.

Sarah was the life of the party, the one who always knew where to go and who to see. How the two of them had become friends was still a mystery. Amy preferred quiet spaces, while Sarah thrived in loud, vibrant environments. They were a pair of contradictions, yet somehow, they balanced each other out.

Unfazed, Sarah continued in a conspiratorial whisper, “FYI, it’s not just Dylan’s party. His roommates are throwing it too. And guess who one of his roommates is?”

Amy felt a flicker of curiosity and glanced sideways at Sarah.

“Who?”

“Mike,” Sarah said with a grin, knowing exactly what she was doing. “Mike’s going to be there.”

Amy’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected to hear that name.

“Mike… lives with Dylan?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral, but failing to hide the interest in her tone.

Sarah nodded enthusiastically. “Yep. This is your chance! You’ve been crushing on him forever. You need to come to the party, make a move! You’ve spent all this time just admiring him from afar. Don’t you think it’s time to, you know, do something about it?”

Before Amy could respond, a crumpled ball of paper landed on their desk. The professor’s stern gaze swept over them, his expression leaving no room for further whispers. They both quickly returned to their notebooks, but Amy’s focus was already elsewhere.

Sarah’s words echoed in her mind. She had been right. Amy had spent far too long watching Mike from the sidelines, too afraid to take any action. Maybe this party was her last opportunity to change that. Graduation was looming, and soon Mike would be gone, leaving her with nothing but regrets if she didn’t do something now.

Amy sighed softly, her eyes drifting away from her notes. It was time. Time to stop being so passive, so afraid of what might happen. Maybe she didn’t need to confess her feelings, but she could at least talk to him, share a moment before it was too late.