Serendipitous Love - Oscar Piastri

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Warning: English is not my first language. There might be some mistakes. This story contains curse words, mature content as well as maybe some mistakes since I don't know everything :).

Disclaimer: this story is a product of my imagination. Some things might be real, other things are made up.

Happy reading :)

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I want to dedicate this story to the best person I had the pleasure of meeting through this app, InesFerraz1 If I had a twin, it would definitely be her; our friendship is the muse that fuels my inspiration and she's been an absolute best friend. Please, check out her account as wel since she's an amazing writer, too! I love you, twinnie <3

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Sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ. 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒾𝓉

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𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐲'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

November 2022

I think it was the seer calm in the brown of his eyes, a direct contradiction of the panic coursing through mine. The way they gazed up at me to check if I was alright, even though I was the one that roughly collided with him, his eyebrows shot up, but his eyes– they stayed calm, and focused on me.

"Are you okay?"

My first response were a few hesitant blinks as I tried to regain my composure, while the boy who had just saved me from a collision gently released his hold. If it weren't for him– or his crazy fast reflexes–I would've undoubtedly hit the concrete floor.

"Y– yeah, I think I am," I mumbled as I tried to avoid his gaze. "Sorry."

He tilted his head, a movement that transformed the dark brown of his eyes into a soft chestnut hue as the light played on them, "What's the rush for?"

I shook my head as the panic waved over me again, almost drowning me out as I thought about everything that could be happening to my little sister. Or about the funeral I was about to get if my mother ever found out, I lost my little sister while shopping.

"N– Nothing," I stuttered out. "Sorry."

The apology escaped my lips almost involuntarily. An attempt to turn away faltered as the disorientation and the panic gripped me tighter in a suffocating embrace, pressing on me like a labyrinth closing in its walls.

I had asked my sister a million times to stay close to me, even grabbing her hand so we would easily make it past the little kids' department of the IKEA to the light section so she could choose a night light for herself. We even managed to get there, and she had pointed to a design she wanted to see closer by, but the moment I grabbed it from the shelf and turned around– she was gone.

Tears welled up in my eyes, my breaths quickened, and the anxiety was clawing at my chest.

"Hey," The boy's voice was soft, and for the first time, I noticed an unfamiliar accent– one that is definitely not from here. "You seem really lost. Can I help?"

"My little sister... she... she wandered off," I struggled to form coherent words, and my throat tightened with fear.

"Alright," He ran his hand through his hair, and the longer lock of his hair fell back in a soft curl. "Give me a moment." He turned halfway around, "Mom! I am going to help this lady out for a second."

Behind him appeared a woman, and undoubtedly, they were related by looks. If he hadn't called her his mom, I would've already guessed it. She nodded to her son and gestured that she would continue her own shopping spree.

"My name is Oscar," I tried to place his accent, checking off those that definitely weren't matching. "Who are we looking for?"

My hands were trembling, and I tried to calm them down by intertwining my fingers together, "I'm Cassidy," I took a deep breath. "My sister's name is Lily."

His chuckle almost went unnoticed, but due to the suffocating fear that threatened to drown me in my own guilt, I let it go. Every second that I wasted standing here was gripped around my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs.

"Come on," Oscar gestured with his head, the color of his eyes just slightly changing again. He offered me a small smile, "Where have you last seen her?"

"We were at the light section, but she isn't there anymore. I checked at the kids' department; she isn't there either."

All of a sudden, he grabbed my hand and gently led me back to the light section, "Retrace your steps."

I followed him back to where I'd already been, but this time, I had an extra pair of eyes, and that somehow made the anxiety inside my chest burn a little less. Oscar had yet to let go of my hand; it almost looked like he didn't even remember grabbing and holding my hand.

The warmth radiating from his to mine was weirdly comforting.

My heart, however, kept pounding in my chest, I could only desperately hope that Lily was around the corner, distracted by something colorful or something shiny.

"How old is your sister?" Oscar asked, regaining my attention.

"Six," I replied, my voice is still shaking. "She turned six last month. She's wearing a pink dress, and I braided her hair this morning."

He nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration, "We will find her, though. Kids always have those weird ways of turning up when you least expect it."

His reassurance, the confidence, it was oddly comforting.

We reached the department with bigger furniture, and if we were both suddenly struck my lightning, we let go of each other's hand when I saw a little girl with a pink dress and braided hair sitting on a sofa, playing with a golden retriever stuffie.

I raced toward her, swept her up in my arms, and held her close. Tears of relief almost steamed over my cheeks. I let out a trembling sigh.

"Cassie!" Lily exclaimed, surprised and happy to see me.

"Oh, God, Lily, why did you wander off? I was so worried."

"I'm sorry," She said, and her little hands wiped away the tears on my cheeks. "Don't cry, please. I am really sorry."

"It looks like we found our little troublemaker," Oscar chuckled behind me.

I turned to Oscar, "Thank you so much, Oscar. I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how grateful I am for your help."

"It's not a problem. My mother would've killed me if I hadn't helped you, and I liked the adventure too."

"Thanks again," I said as I put Lily back on the ground. "Let's go. We still need a light for your bedroom, and Mom wants us back at home in an hour."

Lily grabbed my hand tightly as if she was afraid to wander off again, and I looked over my shoulder one last time. Oscar had already disappeared in between all the other people shopping. And all I could do was hope I thanked him enough.