It had been a month since Lena's unsettling dream. The days had drifted by in a blur of classes, assignments, and long hours spent in the library, yet now and then, the thought of Manuel would resurface like a distant echo she couldn't escape.
On one frigid Wednesday afternoon, as Lena stood in line at her favorite coffee shop near campus, she first saw him.
At first glance, he wasn't anyone extraordinary, tall, with dark hair and a casual jacket. He was just another face in the crowd. But then, as if drawn by some invisible force, their eyes met.
Lena's heart stuttered. His gaze was intense, yet distant, as though he too was trying to place her but couldn't quite figure out where they had met. The fleeting connection lingered just a second too long before he turned back to his phone, the moment broken.
Was that him? she thought, her breath catching in her throat. Her mind scrambled for an explanation. There was no reason why this man should stir anything within her. She barely knew him. She had never seen him before. And yet, there was something familiar in how he looked at her, something that made her pulse race.
She dismissed the thought quickly, chalking it up to coincidence. After all, people had a way of looking at one another, especially in a busy place like this. But her heart wasn't listening.
The barista called her name, snapping her out of her reverie. Lena grabbed her coffee and walked toward the door, but as she passed him, she couldn't resist the pull. Her feet slowed as she passed him, her curiosity gnawing at her. For a brief moment, she was close enough to hear his voice as he spoke to the barista.
He sounds like... Lena's thoughts trailed off, but before she could make sense of it, she was already out the door, the cool air hitting her face.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of lectures and study sessions, but no matter how hard Lena tried to focus, she couldn't stop thinking about the man at the coffee shop. Why did he feel so familiar?
By evening, Lena had convinced herself it was just her imagination running wild. She was overthinking it. It had just been a passing moment.
But as she walked home, the feeling followed her like a shadow.
A few days later, Lena sat in the university's campus library, hunched over a pile of books. She had the window seat, her favorite spot, where she could watch the students walk by and lose herself in her studies. As she scanned through a chapter on literary theory, her phone buzzed in her bag.
It was a notification from her social media showing an unexpected friend request.
She blinked and swiped open her phone. The name staring back at her caused her heart to skip a beat.
Manuel.
Her pulse quickened as she stared at the screen, wondering how he had found her. They hadn't exchanged names at the coffee shop. No words had passed between them beyond the briefest of glances.
The profile picture was simple, his face partially obscured by the shadows, but she could see the intensity in his eyes. He was the same man. There was no doubt about it.
What do I do? she thought, her finger hovering over the accept button. The question felt silly, but it wasn't. The connection she felt in that brief moment at the coffee shop still clung to her like an invisible thread. She hadn't imagined it. She couldn't deny it.
With a deep breath, she pressed Accept.
Almost immediately, he messaged her.
Hi Lena, I'm Manuel. We crossed paths at the coffee shop the other day. I couldn't shake the feeling that we've met before. Is that strange?
Lena stared at the message for a long moment, her heart pounding. She felt an odd sense of familiarity, but at the same time, she was also wary. She didn't know him, at least not in the way he seemed to imply. And yet... something about his words made her feel like they were meant to be more than just two strangers.
Hi Manuel, it's not strange at all. I thought I recognized you. Funny how we can cross paths and not know it. What brings you to this part of town?
The reply came almost instantly.
I live nearby. And I come here often, but I didn't notice you until then. Something about your eyes… they just seemed so familiar, like I was meant to meet you.
Her breath caught in her throat, her mind racing. She knew she should be cautious, but the words felt too real, too raw to ignore. They seemed to speak to something deeper, something she wasn't sure she was ready to confront.
Maybe we were meant to meet. She typed back, the words slipping out of her fingertips before she could think too much about them.
Maybe, he replied. I've been thinking about it ever since. Do you believe in fate?