Chapter 2: Coincidences
777 Words
Chloe wasn’t usually the kind of person who obsessed over strangers.
Yet somehow, the man from table seven found his way into her thoughts before she even got home.
She unlocked the door to her small apartment, kicked off her sneakers, and tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter.
“Long day?” her roommate, Emma, asked from the couch without looking away from the television.
“The usual.”
Emma glanced over. “You don’t sound convincing.”
Chloe shrugged as she tied her hair into a messy bun.
“I spilled coffee on a customer.”
Emma winced dramatically.
“Ouch. Did he yell?”
“No.”
“Demand your manager?”
“No.”
“Leave a bad review?”
Chloe opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.
“He was… nice.”
Emma sat up.
“Nice?”
“Too nice.”
“That’s suspicious.”
Chloe laughed.
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
She couldn’t explain it.
The man had barely spoken, yet there had been something unsettling about him.
Not dangerous.
Just… different.
Like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Before she could think about it any longer, her phone buzzed.
Maya Calling.
Her best friend never texted at first.
She always called.
“Please tell me you’re alive,” Maya said the second Chloe answered.
“I think so.”
“You forgot.”
Chloe froze.
“… Forgot what?”
“My birthday dinner!”
Chloe slapped a hand over her forehead.
“Oh no.”
“You completely forgot.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“You owe me dessert.”
“I’ll buy you the whole bakery.”
“You’d better.”
Forty minutes later, Chloe was racing through downtown traffic toward the restaurant.
Florida evenings always had a different energy.
Music drifted from open bars.
Street performers gathered on busy corners.
The ocean breeze softened the summer heat.
She finally found a parking spot two blocks away and hurried down the sidewalk.
As she rounded a corner…
Someone stepped directly into her path.
“Oof!”
The impact nearly knocked her backwards.
Strong hands caught her before she hit the ground.
“Easy.”
That voice.
She looked up.
Table Seven.
The mysterious stranger.
“You?”
His lips curved into the faintest smile.
“We really need to stop meeting like this.”
Chloe laughed despite herself.
“You’re the one who walked into me.”
“I could argue you were looking at your phone.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were thinking.”
She blinked.
“How do you know that?”
“You have the same expression now.”
“And what’s that?”
“Like you’re somewhere else.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The city noise seemed to fade around them.
“I’m Liam,” he finally said, offering his hand.
She hesitated before shaking it.
“Chloe.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you.”
“You already asked if we’d met before.”
“I did.”
“And?”
His expression changed.
Almost disappointed.
“I was wrong.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means…”
Before he could finish, his phone vibrated.
He looked down at the screen.
His relaxed expression disappeared instantly.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I have to go.”
Again?
Chloe watched as he walked away with hurried steps.
Halfway across the street, he stopped.
Not because of traffic.
Because someone was waiting for him.
A man about the same age leaned against a black SUV.
Blond hair.
Gray eyes.
Expensive suit.
The two exchanged only a few words.
Then the blond man looked directly at Chloe.
Even from across the street, she could feel the weight of his stare.
He wasn’t smiling.
He looked…
Concerned.
Liam turned.
Following the man’s gaze, he noticed Chloe still standing there.
Something unreadable flashed across his face.
Without another word, the two men got into the SUV and drove away.
“What was that about?” Chloe murmured.
“Talking to yourself?”
Maya’s voice startled her.
“There you are!”
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
“You can apologize after cake.”
The evening passed with laughter, teasing, and far too much food.
Still…
Every now and then, Chloe caught herself staring out the restaurant window.
Looking for a black SUV.
Looking for dark eyes she barely knew.
By the time dinner ended, it was close to eleven.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Maya said before
- Writer
