She met him as she departed from her evening train. After a long days work she wasn’t focused and bumped into as he left a train from the opposing side. Mutually melted into a friendly smile. Her fiancé had called. He was working late again. It had become the norm. She had no dinner plans. He offered to fill them.

They went to the old cafè the used to frequent back in the day. Had the same wine. Ate the same food. Talked. Laughed. She wasn’t in a rush to return to an empty house. He touched her hand. Chills shimmered down her arms. A familiar dance in her stomach. Her body tightened. Would she remove her hand or return the touch? She did neither. He took it as assent.

They had dessert. He paid for dinner. He walked her to a waiting cab. They hugged goodbye. She leaned her head back. Looked in his eyes. His scent, so familiar, a cord pulling her closer to his body. Closer to his warmth. A smile of invitation. She caught the sign. She neither moved back nor forward. He took it as a sign of assent. Funny how chance encounters upend the established.