𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲

Part One

Alex Darwin:

After spending years in the city, I was back in my hometown. I decided to take a break from work and came to visit my parents where they had been staying since my dad passed me the CEO position of our company.

I was standing in the balcony of my old room where I used to come and stay on vacation. My father bought this property with his first great deal and my mother loved this house more than the mansion he had bought in cities.

I leaned on the railings with the steaming mug of coffee in my hand—which was prepared by my lovely mother and sitting on my nightstand when I came out from the shower. My mother knew how difficult it was was for me to move in the morning without a hot cup of coffee—it wouldn't be wrong if you say I was a caffeine addict.

I savored the bitter taste of the coffee, enjoying the crisp morning of autumn. The peace of the area made me think of the brisk morning of New York City. I own a lavish condo in the main city, close to my office and loved my isolated space. However, in all these years, I never realized that I needed to come back to this town and bask into my childhood memories.

My eyes lazily roamed around the neighborhood and followed the van from a moving company stopped outside the house across mine.

A few workers stepped outside and started to take out the boxes from the van. A car stopped behind the van and two tall teenage boys stepped out of it, dressed in jeans and jackets.

Then the back door opened and a woman came out of the car looking upset. Her hair was black with a hint of gray streaks in them — she looked in her fifties. Her brown eyes were giving out how exhausted she was by this moving process. She looked pale but had a light hue on her sunken cheeks.

A teenage girl slipped out of the car, dressed in jeans and a white sweatshirt. She had brown and long hair, almost reaching to her back. She looked young and impertinent; there was a scowl on her face while she aggressively spoke to the woman. The woman looked annoyed by whatever that girl was saying.

I was about to leave when jeans-clad slim legs caught attention. I stopped dead and stared at the beauty that stepped out of the car.

My eyes moved from her nude heels to her jeans-clad legs and settled on her blush color jumper. I stood there with my mouth agape while my heart was pounding in my chest.

I had seen a fair amount of beautiful women in my life, but none of them managed to knock my breath out like this.

Her raven hair was tangled in soft curls, resting on her back—almost touching her waist. Her creamy complexion was glowing under the bright sunlight making her look like some sort of angel. However, her startling chocolate brown eyes and her slim straight nose were the highlights of her beautiful face. She looked barely five feet while her heels were providing her a few inches to make her appear taller.

She was uniquely gorgeous and making me feel something that I hadn't experienced in the past. For a moment, I was forced to think that she was a figment of my imagination.

She stared at the house then shook her head with a smile. Her mesmerizing smile left me smitten in the spot.

I had to confess to myself that I was fascinated by her. Who the hell I was kidding? I was totally attracted to her.

For some weird reasons, I felt a sense of familiarity with her, even though I was seeing her for the first time in my life.

She went inside the house with her family and I felt disappointed that I couldn't catch the last glimpse of her face.

♥

I didn't understand if it was a coincident or destiny that was playing a role here, but her room happened to be exactly across mine. I could watch her scramble around with her hair tied in a bun, wearing comfy shorts and a shirt.