Chapter 1: The First Meeting
It was a hectic morning, and Ashley was already running late for her first day at a new job. Her mind raced as she rushed down the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians and trying to make it to the subway. As she neared the crosswalk, she didn't notice Matthew standing on the other side, absorbed in his phone, unaware of the approaching chaos.
Suddenly, without warning, Ashley collided with him. The impact knocked them both off balance, and papers scattered across the pavement.
"Go to hell!" Matthew snapped, visibly irritated. He didn't even look up from his phone.
Ashley, now flustered and embarrassed, tried to gather her papers while muttering under her breath. "It's not my fault! You were too busy staring at your phone to see anything!"
Matthew scoffed. "Maybe if you weren't in such a rush, this wouldn't have happened."
"Maybe if you weren't so distracted, I wouldn't have crashed into you," Ashley shot back, her frustration bubbling over.
Their words were harsh, their gazes fiery as they exchanged insults. Neither of them was willing to back down, and the tension between them was palpable.
Ashley stood up, papers in hand, and shot Matthew one last look. "You weren't paying attention, not me." With that, she turned sharply and walked away, her heart pounding.
Later that evening, as Ashley sat with her best friend, she recounted the encounter. "You wouldn't believe it," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I was running late, and this guy—he was so rude! He was standing there, completely glued to his phone, and then he yelled at me like it was my fault!"
Her best friend raised an eyebrow. "Did you yell back?"
Ashley nodded, a small smile tugging
Two days after the collision, Ashley couldn't stop thinking about the rude man she had bumped into. She had told her best friend everything, and while her friend had laughed at the absurdity of the situation, Ashley still felt irritated by the encounter. She hadn't expected anyone to be so rude over a simple accident.
On the third day, while Ashley was at a nearby coffee shop trying to relax after a long morning, she spotted a familiar face. It was the same man from the other day—Matthew. He was sitting at a table, scrolling through his phone.
Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could stop herself, her frustration flared up again. She walked straight to his table and stood in front of him.
Ashley couldn't believe she had run into the same rude man twice in one week. Standing in front of Matthew at the coffee shop, her frustration boiled over.
"You're unbelievable," she snapped, glaring at him. "Do you go around telling everyone to 'go to hell,' or is that just reserved for me?"
Matthew raised an eyebrow, setting his coffee cup down with deliberate calm. "Lady, I don't even know who you are, and yet here you are, standing in front of me, making a scene. Maybe you should take a breath and reevaluate."
Ashley's eyes narrowed. "A scene? I wouldn't need to make one if you had even a shred of decency."
Matthew sighed, leaning back in his chair. "If you came here to lecture me, you're wasting your time."
Something about his dismissive tone pushed Ashley over the edge. Without thinking, she grabbed the nearest cup of coffee—a steaming latte sitting on the counter—and splashed it across the front of his pristine white shirt.
Gasps erupted from the surrounding tables as Matthew shot up from his chair, coffee dripping down his chest. "Are you insane?" he yelled, his voice echoing in the café.
"Not as insane as you," Ashley retorted, her hands on her hips. "Maybe this will teach you some manners."
Matthew's jaw clenched, his face a mix of fury and disbelief. "You just made a big mistake."
"Oh, really?" Ashley countered. "What are you going to do? Yell at me again? Tell me to go to hell again?"
Before he could reply, the café manager rushed over, clearly alarmed by the commotion. "Is everything okay here?" he asked nervously, glancing between them.
Matthew, still fuming, grabbed a napkin and wiped his shirt. "No, everything is not okay. This lunatic just threw coffee on me."
Ashley folded her arms, glaring at Matthew. "And I'd do it again if it meant knocking that ego of yours down a peg."
The manager looked utterly confused. "Maybe you two should… take this outside?"
Matthew exhaled sharply, throwing the crumpled napkin onto the table. "Gladly."
Ashley stormed out of the café, determined to put as much distance between herself and the infuriating man as possible. But fate seemed to have other plans.
The next morning, Ashley was walking to her usual spot in the park, still stewing over the coffee shop fiasco. As she rounded a corner, she collided—again—with Matthew, who was carrying a bag of pastries. The bag tumbled to the ground, scattering its contents across the pavement.
"You've got to be kidding me," Matthew groaned, staring down at the ruined pastries.
Ashley threw her hands in the air. "Seriously? Are you stalking me now?"
"Stalking you?" Matthew shot back. "If anyone's stalking anyone, it's you! First the street, then the coffee shop, and now here? What's next, my apartment?"
Ashley scowled. "Maybe the universe is just trying to teach you a lesson."
"Or maybe it's trying to teach you one," Matthew retorted, picking up the crushed pastries and tossing them into a nearby trash can. "Like how to watch where you're going."
A week later, Ashley decided to treat herself to dinner at a new restaurant downtown. She had just settled into her seat when she spotted a familiar figure walking through the door. Her stomach sank.
"Of course," she muttered as Matthew was seated at a table across the room. "Why wouldn't he be here?"
To her dismay, Matthew noticed her almost immediately. His lips curled into a smirk as he walked over to her table.
"You again," he said, his tone dripping with mockery. "Should I start charging you rent for all the space I'm taking up in your life?"
Ashley clenched her fists. "Don't flatter yourself. The last thing I want is to see your face."
"Funny," Matthew replied, leaning slightly closer. "Because you seem to be everywhere I go."
Their argument escalated quickly, drawing the attention of nearby diners. Before long, a waiter hesitantly approached, clearly unsure how to handle the situation. "Uh, excuse me, but maybe you two could—"
"I'm leaving," Ashley snapped, grabbing her bag. She stormed past Matthew, who simply watched her go with an amused expression.
By the fourth encounter—this time in the middle of a crowded street—it was clear that their paths were crossing far too often to be mere coincidence. As Ashley and Matthew traded heated words yet again, a part of her couldn't help but wonder why the universe kept throwing them together.
"Maybe this is fate," Matthew said sarcastically after another verbal sparring match.
Ashley shot him a withering glare. "If it is, I want a refund."