I didn't expect today to change anything. But something about that man… Harrison. His name feels strange on my lips, like a secret I'm not supposed to say aloud. I don't know why he's lingering in my mind. Maybe it's because he looked at me like I wasn't invisible. Like I mattered.
After the mall, I found a delicate silver bracelet for Clara's birthday nothing too flashy, but elegant. She'll love it. Still, my thoughts kept drifting back to Harrison: the unexpected spark, the calm confidence, the way his voice wrapped around my name like a promise.
I shouldn't be thinking about him. People like him don't end up in the lives of people like me. I'm just a girl with old wounds and a barely-there bank account. He's probably back in his office overlooking the city, forgetting I even exist. And yet…
When I arrived at Clara's place later that night, the room buzzed with laughter and light. For a few hours, I was able to forget the emptiness I came from. Clara hugged me tight and told me I looked "lighter." Maybe I did. Maybe something in me shifted today.
And then the impossible happened.
Clara introduced me to a few of her colleagues. One of them? Harrison.
He looked just as surprised as I was. "Twice in one day," he said, his voice smooth and low. "Starting to think fate has a plan for us."
I laughed nervously. "Or maybe the universe has a strange sense of humor."
He didn't leave my side all night. We talked about books, favorite vacation spots, and the way city lights look from rooftops. For the first time in ages, I wasn't just surviving I was living.
There's a quote Mom used to say: "Some people come into your life like lightning quick, bright, unforgettable." I don't know if Harrison is lightning or a passing storm. But tonight, for the first time in years, I felt something more than sadness.