Night had slowly settled over the farm, covering everything in a quiet blanket of darkness.
The porch light cast a warm glow beside me as I rocked gently in the old chair, the familiar creak filling the silence with every movement.
My gaze stayed fixed beyond the trees.
Toward his house.
The outside of the house was brightly lit, almost glowing against the darkness surrounding it.
A strange contrast to the dim lights I had seen inside.
A small smile tugged at my lips as the events of earlier replayed in my mind.
It still felt unreal.
After years of thinking I would never see him again, I had somehow found him.
By pure coincidence.
And he just so happened to live next door.
What were the odds?
I picked up my phone from beside me and opened my settings.
The WiFi signal was still there. Strong as ever.
A~R.
My fingers hovered over the screen while my other hand moved instinctively to my lower stomach, tracing the tattoo beneath my shirt.
"Adrien..."
I whispered his name.
And then I smiled.
Because hearing myself say it felt strange.
Not bad.
Just strange.
A voice and two letters finally had a face and a name.
Then another thought crossed my mind.
He didn't mention his last name.
My smile disappeared.
What if he wasn't the one?
What if this was all just a coincidence?
The possibility hit me so suddenly that I sat upright.
The chair creaked loudly beneath me, the sound echoing across the quiet porch.
I stared toward the brightly-lit house.
No. I could've forgotten what he looked like but that voice was definitely his.
There was no way in the world I'd gotten it wrong.
I slowly relaxed back into the chair.
"Stop expecting the worst," I muttered to myself.
For once, maybe I could let something good happen without immediately searching for the reason it wouldn't.
My eyes moved back to my phone.
"I wonder what R means," I whispered.
I leaned my head back, allowing the chair to rock me gently as I looked up at the sky.
And that was when I noticed it how many stars filled the dark.
I couldn't remember the last time I had actually stopped to look.
My hand drifted back to my tattoo.
"I wonder what he'll think when he finds out I got a tattoo of his initials."
A quiet laugh escaped me.
The image of his calm, unreadable face finally breaking into surprise was enough to make me smile.
Then reality caught up with me and my smile faded.
"Get a grip, Yareli."
I sighed.
"You barely even know the guy."
*
The next few days passed by quietly.
Before I knew it, I was already a week away from the end of my mini vacation.
I hadn't seen Adrien again after our last encounter.
Not that I was expecting to.
At least, that's what I kept telling myself.
Deep down, I wanted to see him again.
Why? Who knows... Maybe it was curiosity or some sort of admiration or some reason I couldn't quite name.
And the funniest part?
I couldn't be bothered if he remembered me from that night.
I didn't blame him if he didn't.
How could I?
He had been kind to a stranger who had been at one of the lowest points in her life.
It was me who had held onto that one moment for all these years.
But it was the only time, a man, other than my dad, made me feel safe and cared for.
It felt...sad.
Maybe even a little pathetic.
And there was a very real possibility that I wasn't the only woman he'd treated that way.
I bit my lip at the thought.
What if he had a girlfriend?
Or worse...
A wife?
I didn't remember seeing a wedding ring on his finger. Actually, I didn't remember seeing any jewelry on him at all.
Which made sense given how simple he seemed.
Wait.
Why did I think him being married was the worst-case scenario?
"Li?"
I blinked.
"Yareli?"
I snapped back to reality at the sound of Dad calling my name.
"Huh?"
He was staring at me with a frustrated expression.
"You cut the tomatoes by the root."
"What?"
Then I finally realized I was on the farm.
I looked down at the poor tomatoes I'd attacked while stuck in my reverie.
I flashed him a sheepish smile.
"Oops. Sorry, Papa."
Dad sighed, shaking his head.
"You've been out of it these past few days. Is something the matter?"
I looked away.
How was I supposed to explain that I was distracted by a man, the same one who happened to live few yards away from us.
"I'm fine. It's nothing," I said.
I reached for the plants again, ready to continue whatever task we had been doing before my mind decided to abandon me.
Dad immediately slapped my hand away.
"Ow."
"Don't touch anything."
I frowned.
"You could've said that without hitting me."
"Would you have listened?"
Fair point.
"Go stand over there."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
I sighed dramatically but did as I was told, stretching my arms as I stood back.
That was when I noticed the second basket beside him was already almost overflowing with vegetables.
"Why so many?"
Dad glanced at it.
"We're having guests over."
"Oh."
I nodded, not thinking much of it.
Then the words registered.
Guests.
My eyes widened slightly.
Wait. Could it be...
"Papa, who are the guests?"
Dad looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"Our neighbors. Who else?"
My heart started beating faster.
Our neighbors.
Adrien.
•••