James was heartbroken. Completely, utterly heartbroken.
It happened on a random Thursday night when he was, as usual, lurking on Mia's social media.
That was when he saw it — a picture of her with a boyfriend.
Not just any picture. A smiling, happy, arms-around-each-other, "look at us, we're cute" kind of picture. Mia beaming up at the camera, her boyfriend leaning in close, their faces lit up with joy.
James froze, staring at the screen, his heart sinking straight to his stomach.
He clicked the photo. Then another. Then another.
Oh no. There were more — a lot more. Selfies at cafés, photos at the beach, goofy couple videos, even one with matching outfits.
"It's been years," James muttered to himself, slumping back in his chair.
Years since they last saw each other, years of him secretly hoping that maybe — just maybe — they'd bump into each other and something magical would happen. But nothing ever happened because, well… he never had the courage.
He never messaged her.
Never called her.
Never even liked her posts.
And now? She was with someone else.
James groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"This is my fault," he mumbled.
If only he had been braver, if only he had taken the chance years ago, maybe it would've been him standing next to Mia in those photos. Maybe he wouldn't be here now, alone in his room, stalking her social media like a sad, rejected puppy.
But even though his heart ached, James couldn't stop.
He clicked on Mia's boyfriend's profile and hit "add."
Why? He didn't even know. Maybe out of curiosity. Maybe a bit of pain. Maybe a weird mix of both.
Soon enough, he was deep-diving into that guy's posts.
Apparently, Mia's boyfriend was one of those super-active posters. Gym selfies. Coffee shots. Mia this, Mia that.
James squinted at the screen, comparing himself.
"Who is this guy anyway?"
He checked the guy's job — meh. Not impressive.
He checked his hobbies — meh. Typical.
He checked his background — definitely not upper-class.
James puffed out his chest, even though no one was watching.
"I'm way more accomplished than this dude," he whispered to himself.
He had a stable job, a decent apartment, a pretty impressive social status (if he said so himself).
He deserved Mia.
Not this… this loser.
Still, none of his internal pep talks stopped him from religiously checking Mia's updates. He knew it was probably unhealthy. But she had been his ideal woman since forever. How could he just let go?
One night, feeling restless, James wandered downstairs to the basement. His family's old basement was a dusty, cobwebby place full of forgotten boxes, broken furniture, and piles of old books. He wasn't even sure why he went down there — maybe to distract himself, maybe to escape his spinning thoughts.
He ran his fingers across the dusty spines of the books, stopping when one caught his eye.
It was an old, faded book with gold lettering on the cover: Magical Secrets: Unlocking the Power of the Cosmos.
James smirked. What was this? Some kind of weird old family relic?
Curious, he opened the book, flipping through its fragile, yellowed pages. There were chapters on charms, potions, ancient symbols. And then he landed on a page titled:
Binding Magic: Creating an Unbreakable Connection.
His eyes widened. The description said it was a way to spiritually connect yourself to another person — to make sure they thought about you, to link your souls together across time and space.
James swallowed hard. "Okay, this is ridiculous," he said aloud. But even as he said it, his fingers traced the sigils on the page. He could feel his heart beating faster.
What if…?
Before he could second-guess himself, James grabbed a piece of chalk and carefully drew the symbols on the basement floor. He lit a candle, just like the book instructed, and whispered the ancient words, imagining Mia's face as clearly as he could.
Please, he thought. Please let her think of me.
Let her remember me.
That night, rain pattered softly against the windows of Mia's apartment in the city. She sat curled up on the couch, feeling strangely restless. She couldn't explain it. She had been happy all day, but now she kept feeling… unsettled. She opened her phone, scrolling through social media absentmindedly, looking for something. She wasn't sure what.
And then, out of nowhere, she found herself typing a name into the search bar.
James Carlden.
Her brows furrowed. Why am I thinking about James? They hadn't spoken in years. He was just that quiet guy from high school, the one she danced with at prom, the one she occasionally joked with in class.
Still… for some reason, she felt drawn to his profile. She clicked on his account and scrolled through a few pictures. He looked good. Different, but good.
She hesitated for a moment — then, without overthinking, she hit Send Friend Request.
The next day, James was out for his usual afternoon jog. It had become a habit, partly for exercise, partly because — let's face it — he always secretly hoped he'd run into Mia somewhere. And today, for the first time ever, it actually happened. He was jogging down a familiar street when, at the intersection, he saw her.
Mia.
She was on the other side of the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. Her hair was tucked under a beanie, her coat pulled tight against the chill, her face just as beautiful as he remembered.
For one split second, their eyes met.
His heart stopped.
She blinked, startled — as if she couldn't believe she was seeing him.
And then, just like that, the light turned, and they both walked across, passing each other silently, like two strangers on a busy street.
Neither of them said a word.
It had been too long, and the moment felt too fragile to break.
When James got home, sweaty and out of breath, he flopped onto the couch and pulled out his phone.
That's when he saw it:
1 New Friend Request — Mia Parker
He stared at the notification, his pulse racing. Was this real? Was this actually happening? He accepted the request, his fingers trembling slightly.
His mind was swirling. After all these years, after all the what-ifs and missed chances, he was finally connected to Mia online.
He could message her.
He could talk to her.
He could — maybe — fix everything he'd been too afraid to fix before.
James leaned back, staring at the ceiling with a dizzy, hopeful smile.
Maybe the magic worked.
Maybe fate was giving him a second chance.
One thing was certain:
This was just the beginning.