Steve had always been the forgetful type. His friends knew it, his family knew it, and, unfortunately, the entire coffee shop knew it that fateful morning.
It all started when Steve walked into his favorite café, ready to start his usual routine: grab a caramel latte, sit by the window, and scroll through his phone for far too long. Nothing unusual. Except that, this time, he reached into his pocket for his wallet... and it wasn't there.
His heart dropped. He checked the other pocket. Nothing. He patted his back pocket like it was a treasure chest, but nope—nothing. A cold sweat formed as his mind raced. Did I leave it in the car? Did I drop it on the bus?
"Can I help you?" The barista, a young guy with a name tag that read "Chad," asked with a half-smile, clearly waiting for Steve to order.
Steve hesitated, his eyes darting around as if the wallet might appear out of thin air. "Uh, I... I think I left my wallet at home," he said, his voice trailing off in embarrassment.
Chad's smile didn't falter, but Steve could see the judgment behind it. "No problem. Do you want to pay with your phone?"
Steve groaned inwardly. "My phone is dead."
A small laugh escaped from Chad's lips, and Steve wanted to crawl into a hole. "Alright, well, just let me know when you're ready, and we can sort it out."
Flustered, Steve backed out of the line and sat at a table near the corner. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, willing it to turn on, but the screen stayed black. Great. Just great.
He slumped in his seat, staring out the window at the bustling street outside, trying to come up with a plan. Maybe he could just leave and come back later. Maybe he could... nope, that wasn't going to work. Not when he was craving that latte like a caffeine-deprived maniac.
As he pondered his options, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, and there was a woman standing behind him, holding up... his wallet.
Steve blinked. "How did you—"
"I think you dropped this," the woman said with a smile. She was a bit older, dressed in a business suit, with a handbag that could probably cost more than Steve's rent.
Steve jumped to his feet, practically snatching the wallet from her hand. "Oh my gosh, thank you!"
"No problem." The woman seemed unfazed, like finding lost wallets was part of her daily routine. "I found it by the door."
"Wait..." Steve paused, his mind working at full speed. "But I didn't—" He looked around, but the woman was already walking out the door, leaving Steve staring after her with wide eyes.
He checked the wallet: everything was there. Cards, cash, his lucky grocery store loyalty card—everything. He couldn't remember dropping it, let alone being anywhere near the door. A strange feeling crept up his spine.
Then, just as he began to process the weirdness of it all, Chad called out from the counter. "Hey, you okay, man? I can just put your order on my tab if you need more time to sort it out."
Steve froze, thinking about how his luck had suddenly turned around. "Uh, no need," he replied, trying to act cool, but failing miserably. He rushed up to the counter, ordered the latte, and left the café as quickly as possible, still muttering "thank you" to the universe.
But, as soon as he stepped outside, there was something else on his mind. Who was that woman? He tried to shake off the weird encounter. She must've just been a kind stranger. But something about it didn't sit right. He could have sworn he saw her glance back at him, her eyes sparkling with something he couldn't quite place.
As Steve walked home, trying to ignore the nagging feeling, he checked his wallet once more. But then, he noticed something odd. There was a small, folded piece of paper inside.
He pulled it out, unfolding it with trembling hands. Written in messy handwriting was a single sentence:
"I'll see you soon."
Steve's heart skipped a beat. His brain raced to make sense of it. Had the woman left this behind as a joke? Or was it something more? Before he could think any further, a sudden shout interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Steve!"
Steve froze. He recognized the voice immediately. It was his friend Dave, jogging up to him with a big grin plastered on his face. "What's up? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I—I think I've been followed," Steve blurted out, his voice shaky. "I found my wallet... and... there's this note."
Dave stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me you got your wallet back... and then you found a note that says, 'I'll see you soon'? Dude, you might want to lay off the caffeine."
Steve held the note out for Dave to see, his palms sweating.
"Okay," Dave said slowly, inspecting the note. "You've either got a mystery to solve, or you're about to be pranked by some random stranger. Either way, sounds like a great story."
Steve stood there, staring at the note in disbelief. His day had gone from bad to weird to outright unsettling. The last thing he needed was a follow-up meeting with a mysterious woman who seemed to know more about him than she should.
But for now, all he could do was walk home, trying to push away the growing sense of unease. Who was this woman? Why had she left him a note? And why was this turning into the most bizarre day of his life?
The answers, he suspected, would come sooner than he thought.