Moment of Heartbeat

Chapter 13

"Anyway, he's just a weirdo!" Mia Carter always summarized her brother this way, with that familiar touch of indifference.

Sophia Anderson kept her myriad questions about him to herself, swallowing her curiosity again and again.

Would they meet again? And if so, when?

Thinking back on the polite, almost distant exchanges between them, she couldn't help but sigh.

Could they... really ever return to being friends?

Did he... hold a grudge against her?

As it turned out, their reunion came sooner than she could have expected.

Just before New Year's, when the banking world was caught up in an end-of-year whirlwind, Sophia Anderson was also staying late, exhausted from nights of overtime.

She left the brightly lit office building with a brief nod to the security guard. The moment she stepped outside, a sharp night wind greeted her, and she pulled her beige coat tighter as she walked, head down, in the direction of the station.

Few others shared her pace along the red brick path, mostly other office workers finishing late. Occasionally, couples bundled up in the cold passed by, and she glanced at them with a soft smile.

She had once longed for warmth like that, but over time, she had come to believe that no one could make her feel truly warm.

The sound of her heels echoed rhythmically against the quiet streets, amplifying a strange sense of solitude.

At the intersection, she stopped, the wind lifting her shoulder-length hair and briefly blurring her view. She brushed it back, feeling the chill against her fingertips.

And then, she saw him standing on the opposite side of the street.

Even now, Jake Carter was still the most striking man Sophia had ever seen. And just as she had imagined, he had grown into a man whose mature charisma was undeniably captivating.

The light turned, but she was too dazed to notice, letting the night wind tousle her hair once more as her vision softened around him.

"Hi." Jake's voice reached her as he came closer. He looked taller, more muscular, more reserved than she remembered. His handsome face was unreadable.

Was this just a chance encounter? Or...?

In that moment, it felt as though the world had shrunk to the small space between them; every sound, every passerby, every tree disappeared, leaving only him.

"What are you doing here?"

Jake smiled faintly. "Had a meeting nearby. Just finished."

"Oh!" Sophia stammered, caught off guard. "What a coincidence?"

Jake just kept smiling, saying nothing more.

How had they been with each other before? And why was there now this heavy silence?

Since their reunion, Jake had felt like a stranger—always smiling faintly but staying so distant.

She couldn't help but think of the way he had once looked at her, his eyes warm and full of fire, his kisses intense...

Her cheeks grew warm, and she looked away, eager to flee from his gaze.

"Well, I'll be going then..."

It could have been the wind or her imagination, but she thought she heard him sigh softly.

Finally, Jake spoke in a calm voice, "Are you heading to the metro? I'll give you a ride. My car's just over there."