Till We Meet Again

WHEN WE MEET AGAIN. Chapter 1 – The Girl Who Dreamed of Fire Ava woke up screaming. Her heart pounded, and sweat ran down her face. The dream had come again. Flames. A burning temple. A man’s voice, soft and desperate, calling her name. “Ava… forgive me…” She gasped for air, clutching the thin blanket around her. Her tiny room smelled like burnt coffee from last night — but the memory of fire lingered in her mind. A knock at the door made her jump. “Ava, are you okay?” her aunt called. “I’m fine,” Ava whispered, sitting up. “Just… just a bad dream.” Her aunt didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press. Ava stared at the ceiling, wishing she could remember more. Something about that dream felt… familiar. Later that morning, Ava rushed down the narrow stairs of her apartment building, juggling a tray of coffee and her battered notebook. She worked part-time at the city café — barely enough to pay rent. Her notebook held sketches and small notes for her dream-inspired writing. As she stepped outside, she collided — hard — with someone. Coffee flew everywhere. “Oh no!” Ava cried. The man she had hit glared at her. Tall. Expensive suit. Perfect hair. Silver cufflinks glinting in the sun. And eyes… piercing eyes that made her chest skip a beat. “You—what are you doing?!” he barked, shaking his coat. “I—I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking—” “You spilled coffee on me!” His voice was sharp, but there was something in it… a flicker of pain, or maybe surprise. Ava’s cheeks burned. “I’ll pay for the dry cleaning, I swear!” He glared at her again, then checked his watch. “Late,” he muttered, more to himself than her. Ava opened her mouth, but no words came. He turned and walked away. And then — she saw him stop. He turned back quickly, staring at her like he recognized something… but he shook his head and continued down the street. The rest of the day, Ava couldn’t focus. Her co-worker Clara noticed. “You’re spacing out again,” she teased. “It’s nothing,” Ava mumbled, pretending to stir milk in the blender. But her mind kept replaying his face. Something about him felt… familiar. Not like she had seen him before — more like she had known him forever. That evening, she returned home exhausted. She fell onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. The pendant she had found in a flea market months ago lay on her bedside table — silver, moon-shaped, old and broken. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands. A memory hit her suddenly — sharp, like lightning. A man’s hand reaching for hers. His eyes filled with sorrow. “Forgive me…” Her breath caught. The fire. The temple. The voice. Somewhere deep inside, she remembered. She had loved someone before. And somehow… she had lost him. The next morning, fate seemed to laugh at her. Ava was late to the café. She was rushing across the street when — boom! She ran straight into him again. Coffee. Bag. Notebook. All over him. He looked down at the mess, then at her. And then… he smiled. Ava froze. It was the first time she saw him smile, and something inside her stirred. A memory? Or a dream? She didn’t know. “Looks like we keep meeting,” he said, brushing coffee from his sleeve. “I… I’m so sorry!” Ava said again, but this time, she laughed nervously. “Name’s Adrian,” he said, holding out his hand. Ava stared at it, her heart racing. Something deep inside whispered: You’ve met him before. You have to trust him… She took his hand, and a strange warmth spread through her chest. “I’m… Ava,” she said quietly. And in that moment, two souls who had loved and lost centuries ago met again — not knowing that the past was watching, not knowing that fate had given them a second chance. The city moved around them, oblivious to the story that was about to unfold. But Ava’s dreams would grow clearer, Adrian’s guilt would rise, and love — complicated, messy, and real — would find a way to bind them together again.