The city was waking slowly, drenched in the afterglow of yesterday's rain. Ava Bennett sipped her coffee, eyes half-lidded as she stared out her apartment window. Her thoughts, inevitably, drifted to him—Lucas Sterling.
Why was he in her meeting yesterday? Why did he know exactly what she needed, almost before she did? She tried to shove the questions aside. She had work, deadlines, responsibilities… yet, she couldn't ignore the pull he had on her.
Across town, Lucas Sterling adjusted his cufflinks in front of the mirror. He didn't usually think about strangers, and yet… Ava Bennett had lodged herself firmly in his mind. He could still picture her sharp green eyes narrowing slightly when she corrected a colleague's mistake, the subtle way her lips pressed together when she was concentrating, and the faint blush he'd caught when he offered his "unexpected help."
She's infuriatingly competent, he thought. And she has no idea the effect she has.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the day. But even as he immersed himself in work, in meetings and phone calls, his thoughts kept drifting back to her—the way she moved, the way she challenged him without even knowing it.
It was later that afternoon when fate, apparently, decided to intervene.
Ava was walking to a nearby cafe to clear her head after a morning full of tedious client calls, her umbrella battling a stubborn wind. She rounded a corner, and there he was—standing at the entrance, coat slightly damp from the drizzle that had started again.
Her stomach flipped.
"Lucas," she managed, trying to keep her voice steady. "You're… everywhere."
He smirked, that maddening half-smile that made her heart skip. "I could say the same about you, Ms. Bennett. Seems like fate enjoys playing tricks on us."
Ava opened her mouth to reply, but found herself hesitating. She didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she believed in "fate" or "destiny." And yet… there he was, leaning casually against the cafe wall, watching her with an intensity that made her pulse spike.
Lucas studied her quietly. She looked beautiful even in the casual jeans and sweater she had thrown on. But more than that… there was something about her eyes, focused and guarded, that intrigued him. He wanted to know what made her tick. What made her so fiercely independent, yet so… vulnerable in small, fleeting moments.
"You… get coffee a lot?" she asked, trying to keep it light, though her voice betrayed a flicker of curiosity.
"Only when there's a chance I might see someone I want to talk to," he replied smoothly, leaning closer than necessary, his voice a low tease.
Ava felt her cheeks warm. "That's… oddly specific."
He raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe it's very unspecific. But the point is, I was hoping for a cup. Care to join me?"
Her mind screamed caution. She didn't need to sit with him. She didn't want to. And yet, something inside urged her forward.
She found herself agreeing, almost without thinking.
They took a small table near the window, the rain tapping softly against the glass. For a moment, they just sat, letting the silence stretch, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was charged. Electric.
Lucas sipped his espresso, his gaze flicking to her. "You're… not like anyone I've met," he said finally, almost as if testing the truth of the words.
Ava raised a brow. "Is that… a compliment or a warning?"
He smiled, small and knowing. "Both, maybe. Depends on how you take it."
She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I like to think I'm predictable," she said, but even as the words left her lips, she knew they were a lie. She wasn't predictable. Not to him. Not anymore.
Lucas studied her reaction, noting the way her eyes narrowed slightly when she tried to appear indifferent, the subtle flush across her cheeks. She's clever. She notices everything.
"Tell me," he said, leaning forward just enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him, "do you usually let strangers—especially infuriatingly attractive ones—into your life so easily?"
Ava hesitated, unsure how to respond. She wasn't used to this—someone challenging her, teasing her, and yet making her feel… seen. "I… I don't," she admitted softly.
He nodded, though his smile didn't falter. "Good. Then we're both breaking the rules."
Their conversation shifted to lighter topics—books, travel, small confessions. But every word was layered with tension, a slow push-and-pull neither wanted to acknowledge openly. Every glance, every subtle movement carried unspoken attraction.
At one point, Lucas reached across the table to point something out on her tablet. His fingers brushed hers lightly, almost accidentally, but the contact made both of them pause. Ava felt heat spike through her body, and she caught his gaze—sharp, intense, unflinching.
Lucas' mind raced. She's not just beautiful. She's fire. And I want to know every inch of it… every thought, every spark.
He didn't move away. He wanted her to see that he felt it too—the pull, the tension, the undeniable curiosity that now tethered them together in ways neither could ignore.
Ava swallowed, trying to hide the rapid beat of her heart. She wanted to pull back. She wanted to claim professionalism, independence, control. And yet… the thought of him, so close, watching her, intrigued by her, made her chest ache in ways she didn't fully understand.
The rain outside intensified, tapping against the window in rhythm with their unspoken tension. Neither spoke for a moment, caught in the silent dance of proximity and curiosity.
Then, just as she thought the moment might stretch indefinitely, the cafe door swung open with a gust of wind. A delivery man rushed in, sending a flurry of papers skittering across the floor. Lucas moved instinctively, helping to gather them—and when their hands met over a fallen document, neither could deny the spark again.
Ava laughed, breathless, shaking her head. "You really are everywhere today."
"And you… keep running into me," he replied, voice low, teasing, yet threaded with something warmer. "Maybe fate is stubborn."
Her stomach twisted. Maybe it was.
By the time she left the cafe, both were acutely aware of the pull between them. Lucas lingered outside, watching her walk away, his thoughts swirling with an unfamiliar intensity.
Who is she really? he wondered. And why does she make me feel like I'm barely holding myself together?
Ava, meanwhile, walked briskly, telling herself she was imagining things. She wasn't imagining the thrum of excitement when their hands brushed. She wasn't imagining the ache in her chest when he smiled that impossible smile.
But deep down, she knew better. Fate hadn't just intervened—it had planted a spark, one that neither of them could ignore.
And both of them, though stubborn in their own ways, were about to discover just how dangerously entwined their lives were becoming.