Page 10 of Room One Hundred and Twenty

Spotting a familiar head of blonde hair, I come to a sudden halt. Catching my foot on the carpet, I barely avoid making a fool out of myself.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is Eloise Tanner running a bakery right next to my favorite coffee shop?

There’s no way. I am imagining things.

Silently, I take a few more steps forward to get a better look.

The blonde is smiling, working alongside another face I recognize simply through social media. I’m even more confident now. It is her.

My chest feels tight as the air trapped in my lungs burns from a lack of release. No matter how badly I need to breathe, I’ve completely forgotten how to do one of the most basic things. Breathing should come naturally, so why can’t I do something so simple?

For the first time in my life, I’ve been left speechless.

Across the lobby behind a pastel counter is Eloise Tanner.

The woman who I let slip past my fingers so she could follow her dream. The one I’ve never been able to forget.

She’shere. AtStartBit Techof all places. Questions start building up in my mind, none with any sort of answers. What I need to know is how she’d end up here without me knowing.

The answer comes with a sudden slap to my back. Inhaling sharply, my head spins as air circulates through my body.

“Cute little thing, isn’t she?” Rather than wearing his normal smile, Jake has a glint of mischief hiding behind that curve. “Doesn’t hurt that she can bake a mean cupcake. Today’s opening day. Can you believe it? Oh, how time flies.”

He had told me we were getting a new food place, he never mentioned a bakery. Even if he had, I would’ve never thought he’d find a person from my past to taunt me.

“What did you do?”

He sighs at my side, seemingly disappointed with my reaction. “I wanted to surprise you. From the looks of it, I can’t tell how you’re handling my gift.”

His gift. What is he expecting, me to thank him? The only reason why I haven’t melted down is the fact that we’re surrounded by people who work below us. I’m supposed to leave an impression here.

“Let’s go say hi.” Much to my dismay, Jake turns away and starts walking in the direction of the bakery.

I am moving before my brain can catch up. Trying to wrap my mind around everything happening, I realize how much I am at a loss for words.

I never thought I would see her again. Well, not in person. Up until now, I was satisfied with watching her from the safety of my phone. Now she’s right here and I don’t know what to do with myself.

“I don’t know how you found her, but if I don’t end up killing you, count yourself lucky.” Choking on my threat, I clear my throat.

Looking far more calm and collected, he chuckles. Reaching the counter, he rests his body against it and waves a hand to get both women’s attention. I watch the way Eloise’s smile appears rather instantly. Good to know they’ve had plenty of time to get to know each other.

Swallowing thickly, I watch her abandon her work and stroll in our direction. With her, she carries the source of the sweet smell I inhaled earlier. No wonder I grew so curious from the beginning. Even without knowing it was her at the time, something like this comes naturally.

Looking my way for only a moment, she quickly does a double take. Reacting similarly to what I had, she looks outright horrified as she reaches the other side of the counter. However, she does not have a talent for covering it up as I do.

“I wanted you to meet someone important.” Jake offers a hand in my direction. “This is–”

“Nicolas,” she interrupts as her brows lifts. “Is that you?”

There’s a low stirring in my gut at the discovery that she still remembers me. It’s a momentary distraction. Even if she has never thought about me in the last handful of years, hearing my name in her sweet voice helps clear up my thoughts a bit.

Completely forgetting that Jake is standing right here as a spectator, a soft smile comes to my lips.

“You look good, Eloise.” Understatement of the century. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

Surprised I can talk to her without choking on my tongue, I chase this feeling and wonder why I haven’t reached out to her after all of this time.

“Oh you know each other,” Jake feigns his surprise. “Should I give you two a moment to catch up?”

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