Serendipity

The record store smelled like dust and nostalgia. Faint music played from an old vinyl spinning in the corner, its soft crackle filling the quiet space. Olivia ran her fingers along the spines of the records, barely reading the names. She had come here to clear her head, to lose herself in the comfort of something familiar.

She wasn’t expecting him to be here.

Elliot stood just a few feet away, flipping through records with the same careful attention he always had. His dark hair was a little longer than before, his sleeves rolled up in that effortless way she used to tease him about.

She could have turned around, could have left before he saw her. But something in her—maybe fate, maybe stubbornness—kept her rooted in place.

Then, as if he sensed her presence, he looked up. Their eyes met.

A flicker of surprise crossed Elliot’s face before he offered a small, hesitant smile. “Olivia.”

She inhaled sharply. “Hey.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The last time they had seen each other, they weren’t standing in a record store. They were standing in the rain, shouting words they didn’t mean. It had been months since that night, but the weight of it still hung between them.

“You still come here?” he asked, breaking the silence.

She nodded. “Yeah. Some things don’t change.”

Elliot chuckled softly. “Yeah. Some things don’t.”

Another pause. Olivia glanced at the record in his hand. Fleetwood Mac. She smiled despite herself. “You’re still stuck in the ‘70s, huh?”

“Always,” he said, his smile widening. “And you? Still listening to sad songs on repeat?”

She rolled her eyes. “Some things really don’t change.”

A comfortable silence settled between them. It wasn’t as awkward as Olivia expected it to be. If anything, it felt… familiar. Safe.

Finally, Elliot cleared his throat. “I, uh… I’ve been meaning to call you.”

Her breath caught. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know what I was expecting, running into you here, but maybe it’s a sign?”

She raised an eyebrow. “A sign of what?”

He hesitated, then exhaled. “That maybe we should try again. That maybe we were never really over.”

Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to be cautious, wanted to protect herself—but the truth was, she had never stopped thinking about him either.

“Maybe,” she said softly.

Elliot took a step closer. “Can I take you to dinner? Talk properly this time?”

She looked at him, really looked at him. Then she nodded, a slow smile spreading across her lips.

“Yeah,” she murmured. “I’d like that.”

The record played on, the crackling sound filling the quiet between them. And just like that, fate gave them another chance.