Autumn in Boston is always romantic. Yellow ginkgo leaves flutter in the wind, and the streets are filled with colorful fallen leaves.
On that day, Daniel was sitting in the Vester Café on the first floor of the Broad Institute, just as he always did.
After finishing a light lunch, he held a warm Americano in his hand and leisurely watched the people passing by outside the window.
Suddenly, a woman entered the café as the door swung open. She looked strikingly similar to someone deeply etched in Daniel's memory, as if she had traveled through time.
Her long brown hair, blue eyes, and smile perfectly matched the youthful appearance of his missing wife, Adele.
Daniel's face turned pale, and an unknown emotion surged within him.
His lips seemed to freeze as if he had forgotten how to speak, and although his heart raced, time felt as if it had stopped.
The moment he met her blue eyes, so reminiscent of the wife he loved, fleeting memories of happy moments with Adele flooded his mind, and a mix of longing and confusion began to intertwine deep within him.
Eventually, Daniel decided with trembling hands to set down his cup and approach her. His steps were heavy and cautious, yet he felt as if he were being drawn to her by fate.
She was seated by the window, looking at the menu. Trying to calm his racing heart, he carefully spoke to her.
"Excuse me," Daniel said. "Have we met before? I feel like I've seen you somewhere."
She looked at him with surprise.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know you at all."
Her voice was soft yet firm.
Daniel smiled, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Oh, I see. I'm really sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else."
She lightly nodded and turned her attention back to the menu, then began a phone conversation.
Daniel returned to his seat but still couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Who could she be? How can she look so much like Adele?" His mind was a jumble, struggling to comprehend the situation.
As autumn deepened in Boston, Daniel began to frequent that café more often, unaware of the changes that their chance meeting would bring to his life.