After the Heartbreak

Chapter 10: An Unexpected Encounter

But as life would have it, just when you think you’re moving on, the past has a way of showing up unexpectedly.

It had been two months since I started the job. One afternoon, I was in the cafeteria with Mark and a few others, laughing over something ridiculous. The energy at the table was light, carefree, and I was grateful for the distraction. The job wasn’t always easy, but the people made it worthwhile.

“Hold on,” I said, standing up and grabbing my empty water bottle. “I need a refill.”

I made my way to the water refilling station, humming softly to myself. As I approached, I noticed a guy already there, filling up his own bottle. I waited patiently behind him, not paying much attention. But when he turned around, bottle in hand, our eyes met—and my heart dropped.

Gino.

For a second, neither of us moved. We just stood there, frozen, staring at each other like we were seeing a ghost. My mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. Of all the people, of all the places—why now?

Finally, Gino broke the silence.

“Megan?” His voice was filled with surprise, his eyes wide with recognition.

“Hey,” I managed to reply, my own voice shaky.

We stood there for a moment, both unsure of what to say. The last time we had seen each other was on our “date” months ago, and now here we were, face to face in the most unexpected of places.

“Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Gino said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Yeah,” I replied, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “Same here. I didn’t know you worked on this floor.”

“I don’t, actually,” he said. “I was just passing through, grabbing a quick drink before heading back upstairs.”

“Oh, right,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Makes sense.”

There was an awkward pause, the air between us thick with unspoken words. For a moment, it felt like high school all over again—those same feelings of uncertainty, of wanting to say something but not knowing what.

“So, how’s work?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“It’s good,” I said, nodding. “I like it so far. The people are great.”

He smiled, the awkwardness slowly easing. “Yeah, it’s a good place. I’ve been here for a while now. It’s not bad.”

Another pause.

“Well,” he said, glancing at the time. “I should probably get back to it. But it was good seeing you.”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “You too.”

And with that, he walked away, leaving me standing there with my water bottle and a heart that was suddenly beating too fast. I watched him disappear down the hall, my mind racing.

Back at the table, I could barely focus on the conversation. My friends were still laughing and joking, but I was somewhere else entirely.

“You alright, Megan?” Mark asked, giving me a curious look.

I blinked, snapping back to reality. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... ran into someone I didn’t expect to see.”

Mark raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, but didn’t push for details. I was grateful for that. I wasn’t ready to explain.

As the day went on, I kept replaying the encounter in my mind, wondering if it had meant something or if it was just another random crossing of paths. I didn’t know how I felt. All I knew was that my heart hadn’t stopped racing since the moment I’d looked into Gino’s eyes again.