Honey (a Jacob Elordi short story)

It's a regular Friday evening when Ophelia boards the metro into the centre of Amsterdam. There's a golden retriever sitting across from her, in between the legs of a man who seems oddly familiar. A conversation strikes.

What follows is a series of destined run-ins. Amsterdam may be small, but these coincidences are too perfect to be chance. Ophelia knows that there's something about this man that is fated.

One small detail is that this man is famous. The kind of famous that means he roams through the city with sunglasses and caps and scarves to stay anonymous. But somehow, Ophelia breaks through his mask and they become friends.

For the first time in a long time, she allows herself to begin to feel. She lets herself bask in his humour, his warm presence, his charm.

And it's sweet like honey.

~~~

Jacob is in Amsterdam for a job-nothing more. He likes the city enough, but he begins to love it when he makes a friend. But making friends means taking root, and before he knows what is happening he can't imagine leaving Amsterdam.

But he has to. Life goes on, and someday he's going to break the spell and move back to Hollywood, even when he hates it there.

Ophelia's sweet like honey, but maybe she's too sweet for him.

Only time will tell.