Chapter One: A Collision with Fate
Emma Hartley hurriedly fed her dog, Poodle, who had been under the weather for the past few days. The little dog, with his soulful eyes, seemed to sense her anxiety and gave a weak wag of his tail as he slowly ate the special diet she’d prepared.
Her phone chimed for the third time straight. He wanted to know where she was. She was supposed to be there 30 minutes ago.
“Come on, Poodle, eat up,” she urged gently, glancing at the clock. She was already running late for her date with Mark.
Satisfied that Poodle had eaten enough, Emma quickly grabbed her purse and dashed out of her apartment. The bustling streets of the city greeted her with their usual chaos. She navigated through the crowd, her mind racing with thoughts of the evening ahead. She was supposed to meet Mark at their favorite restaurant, and she hated being late.
In her haste, she didn’t notice the uneven sidewalk. She stumbled and collided with someone, her belongings scattering around them.
“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, barely glancing up as she hastily gathered her things. The man she had bumped into had bent down to help her, but she was too focused on retrieving her phone to take a proper look at him.
“No problem,” he replied, his voice deep and somewhat familiar. Emma muttered another apology and darted off, hailing a taxi just in time. As she settled into the backseat, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling the brief encounter had given her.
When the taxi pulled up at the restaurant, Emma rushed inside, scanning the dimly lit room for Mark. She spotted him near the back, engaged in conversation with someone.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Emma said, slightly breathless. She reached out and lightly tapped Mark’s shoulder.
Mark turned to her and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “No problem at all, love. Emma, I want you to meet my best buddy I’ve been telling you about.”
Emma looked up, ready to greet the stranger with a polite smile, but her expression froze. The man Mark was with was staring at her intently, his eyes wide with shock. She quickly looked down, feeling a wave of awkwardness wash over her.
“Emma, this is Tom,” Mark continued, oblivious to the tension. “Tom, meet my girlfriend, Emma.”
Emma’s heart raced as she forced herself to look up again. Tom. The name sent a shiver through her, and she felt a flash of recognition. But where had she seen him before? His intense gaze was making her uncomfortable, so she extended her hand, hoping to break the awkward silence.
“Nice to meet you, Tom,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Tom hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand, his grip firm yet gentle. “Nice to meet you, Emma,” he replied, his eyes not leaving hers.
Mark, sensing none of the silent exchanges, continued talking, oblivious to the silent exchange between his girlfriend and his best friend. “Tom and I go way back. We were inseparable in college. I’m so glad you two finally get to meet.”
Emma nodded, but her mind was racing. Tom. There was something very familiar about him, but she couldn’t place it. She had long buried the memories of her past, the life she had before meeting Mark. Yet, here was someone who seemed to know her, truly know her.
Tom, on the other hand, was struggling to contain his emotions. He had spent years looking for her, hoping to find the girl who had captured his heart so long ago. And now, here she was, standing before him as the girlfriend of his old long best friend. He couldn’t believe it.
Mark continued recounting stories from their college days, but Emma could barely focus. She was hyper-aware of Tom's presence, his eyes occasionally meeting hers, each glance filled with unspoken questions.
Finally, Emma excused herself to the restroom. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts. In the quiet of the restroom, she leaned against the sink, taking deep breaths.
“Get it together, Emma,” she whispered to herself. She wanted to splash some cold water on her face to clear her mind but she had makeup on, So instead she started reapplying her makeup, dabbing powder on the crusted parts and reapplying her gloss lipstick. But the questions kept swirling. Who was Tom? Why did he feel so familiar?
When she returned to the table, she found Tom standing by the entrance, waiting for her. His expression was serious, and for a moment, she felt a hint of fear but shook it off.
“Emma, can we talk?” he asked quietly, his voice filled with an urgency that made her heart skip a beat.
She looked back at the table where Mark was chatting with the waiter, oblivious to the world. Nodding, she followed Tom to a quieter corner of the restaurant.
“I don’t know if you remember me,” Tom began, his voice low. “But we’ve met before. A long time ago.”
Emma’s heart pounded in her chest as pieces of memories began to surface. A boy with kind eyes, a moment of fear, a feeling of safety.
“Tom…?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. “Yes. I’ve been looking for you, Emma. For years. I never forgot you.”
The weight of his words crashed over her. The past she had tried so hard to forget was now standing right in front of her. Emma felt a mix of emotions — fear, confusion, but also a strange sense of relief.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” she stammered.
Tom took a step closer, his expression softening. “You don’t have to say anything right now, how about we meet some other time to catch up?”
Emma nodded, her mind a mix of thoughts and emotions. The reunion she never expected was happening, and it was more complicated than she could have imagined. As she looked back at Mark, still happily engaged in conversation, she realized that her carefully built new world was about to change forever.
