⠀⠀⠀by: kate
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⠀⠀⠀ it was the last day in the hotel — and the selection had certainly been quite the adventure.
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⠀⠀⠀ noel packed his suitcase, jessie sitting in the corner. her ears perked up as she heard a knock, running to the door. "come in, the door's open!" noel called out, zipping up the last of his clothes. "just don't let jessie out," he warned.
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⠀⠀⠀ "i wouldn't dream of it," a familiar voice rang out, soft and sweet. still, his body went rigid, knowing that voice from anywhere.
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⠀⠀⠀ he turned, watching as she stood up after crouching, jessie practically attacking her with love. it made sense, considering they had adopted her together. she looked timid, almost. completely different than he remembered, almost hiding behind the wisps of her hair.
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⠀⠀⠀ "hi, noel." a weak smile graced her lips, but she was beautiful all the same. that was undeniable — he still found her beautiful.
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⠀⠀⠀ "calista." noel shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes darting around the room, landing on anything but her. "what are you doing here?" he asked quietly.
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⠀⠀⠀ she chewed on her lip, shaking her head. "i'm sorry, noel. i've missed you so much and i know i fucked up really badly. i don't deserve a second chance, not after the way i've been treating you." tears welled in her eyes as she took several steps forward, reaching to take his hand. "but if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, i want to prove to you how much i've changed."
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⠀⠀⠀ glancing down, noel noticed how jessie nuzzled her leg. how forgiving she was, how much she meant to her. how much calista used to mean to him. how he had considered proposing before finding out that she cheated on him. several times. noel stepped back, shaking his head.
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⠀⠀⠀ "no."
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⠀⠀⠀ before, when they had dated, he would have accepted her apology. but laur and v had helped him learn a lot more about himself during the selection.
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⠀⠀⠀ "honestly, i don't want anything to do with you, calista. please get out. i don't want to be friends, and i certainly don't want to be in a relationship with you. never again." he walked past her, opening the door. she stared at him, dumbfounded.
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⠀⠀⠀ "don't make this any messier than it has to be." flushed, she left his room without another word.
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⠀⠀⠀ he slipped his phone out of his pocket, smiling as he blocked her number. no more wasting time on someone who didn't matter as much as his friends. and someone who was developing into something more. maybe it wouldn't end in love, but who knew what would happen? noel was always optimistic. ⠀
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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀—— ❆ ——
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⠀⠀⠀ "hey, i'm stopping by the coffee shop in ten minutes, see you then." noel ended the call, not needing to leave a long voice mail.
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⠀⠀⠀ he walked down the street, jessie on her leash. they walked briskly, the snow melted sludge with the coming spring.
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⠀⠀⠀ he opened the door of the shop, the strong scent of coffee grounds hitting him. "look who it is! my favorite barista," noel smiled as pluto finished their shift, closing the door behind them.
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⠀⠀⠀ "has jessie missed snickers?" they asked, leaning down to pet the excitable dog.
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⠀⠀⠀ "of course! almost as much as i missed having you around, pluto." they would always be better as friends, in fact it almost seemed silly thinking that they tried being romantic with one another. they were perfectly content with being play date pals for their pets.
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⠀⠀⠀ for now, pluto decided to stay in new york. they worked as a barista just as they did in their hometown, if only to make some extra money. new york wouldn't become home, but it was the perfect place to start a new chapter of their life. and with new friends, too. ⠀⠀⠀
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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀—— ❆ ——
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⠀⠀⠀ izabella promised herself that she would never be second in someone's heart again, yet here she was. serendipity 3, a frozen hot chocolate sundae, and unrequited feelings. maybe destiny didn't exist after all.
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⠀⠀⠀ the woman pressed the button of the elevator, ready to pack her belongings and just go home. stepping into the lift and crossing her arms against her chest, she sighed, her eyes trailing to the ground as she stood in the corner.
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⠀⠀⠀ but before the elevator doors could close completely, a hand shot in between the metal, the doors sliding back open. "going up?" an extremely attractive man with an equally charming smile asked as he entered the elevator.
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⠀⠀⠀ "uh, yes." iza nodded and forced a tight lipped smile. she wasn't quite in the mood tonight, no matter how good looking this man was.
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⠀⠀⠀ "i'm james, but my friends call me jaime," he introduced, holding out his hand.
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⠀⠀⠀ "izabella, but most call me iza." she shook his hand, strange as it was. this was not the small talk she normally endured. they chatted for a moment more, watching the elevator numbers rise before he whirled to her in a frenzy.
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⠀⠀⠀ "i know this might sound crazy, but would you like to grab some coffee? i leave new york in a couple of weeks, but if you're free..." his voice trailed off. okay, this definitely sounded crazy. but he must have felt a connection towards her, even if this was the first time ever meeting.
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⠀⠀⠀ "i'm not really interested right now, i'm sorry." iza sighed, shifting her weight. out of the corner of her eye, she watched as his face fell. she shook her head and sighed reluctantly, a playful smile on her lips.
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⠀⠀⠀ "okay, listen. if somehow we end up bumping paths in the next couple of weeks, then i'll grab some coffee with you." only if they were meant to meet, only if it was destiny.
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⠀⠀⠀ "then perhaps i'll see you, iza." he grinned as the elevator doors slid open and closed, leaving iza alone.
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⠀⠀⠀ weeks went by, with iza planning on leaving the city soon. she just wanted to visit all of the art galleries she could before leaving, gaining inspiration from all the masterpieces she viewed.
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⠀⠀⠀ as she admired a piece in a museum, her mind drifting to everything that happened in the past month. she briefly thought of jaime, though she didn't want to get her hopes up.
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⠀⠀⠀ but a tap on her shoulder made her heart race and for a moment she thought it could be him. with a beaming smile on her face, she turned — only to be face to face with a security guard. "please make sure to stay behind the tape, miss." the smile vanished from her face, and she dipped her head. she mumbled a quick apology and left the museum in a hurry.
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⠀⠀⠀ the driver opened her briskly app, needing to get her mind off of her embarrassment. she might as well make some money, she thought as she got into her car and looked up her first pick up.
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⠀⠀⠀ the hours dragged, and as it neared midnight, iza decided this was the last drive. she yawned as she pulled up to a hotel, rubbing her eyes as the car door opened and shut behind her.
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⠀⠀⠀ she adjusted her mirror, looking at the stranger in the back of the car.
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⠀⠀⠀ her heart leapt as she sputtered, "jaime?" the man's head whipped up, a glorious smile on his face.
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⠀⠀⠀ "iza — tonight is my last night in new york. i was heading to the airport right now." he leaned forward in his seat, iza turning to face him. she chuckled, pointing at her phone on the dashboard.
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⠀⠀⠀ "i can see that." they fell into a momentary silence, both in awe at their luck. wondering if it was luck after all.
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⠀⠀⠀ "i still have to leave new york, but if you want to come with...i'd like the company," he offered with a warm smile. iza laughed, knowing it was absolutely crazy. but so was running into him right before he left new york city, where finding the same stranger was like a needle in a haystack.
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⠀⠀⠀ "oh, what the hell. count me in," she grinned as she turned back around, pulling away from the curb.
