Chapter 1: Reunion
After a grueling, back-aching flight that lasted over a dozen hours, Chloe Miller finally set foot on her homeland.
The early summer air welcomed her with a familiar, stifling humidity.
The moment she rolled her suitcase out of the arrival hall, she hailed a taxi and sank into the backseat, leaving the driver to load her luggage into the trunk.
"Please take me to this address," she said, pointing to the screen of her phone.
The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Traffic looks normal, so it should take about forty minutes. Are you in a rush, miss?"
"Not at all. Just take your time."
As the car pulled away, the phone in her hand began to vibrate violently. Chloe opened her chat with the real estate agent and shot over a quick message.
[I’ve transferred the deposit. I’m on my way to check out the house now.]
The reply came almost instantly.
[Perfect. The landlord is already there. You can head straight in to pick up the keys, just like we discussed earlier.]
Chloe stared at the text for a few seconds before locking her screen. Everything was going so smoothly that it felt almost unsettling.
The taxi soon left the bustling city center behind. Skyscraping buildings gradually receded into the distance, and the road ahead grew emptier, taking the surrounding noise with it.
The car navigated through streets that felt simultaneously familiar and foreign, passing rows of trees casting heavy shade, before finally heading toward the southern suburbs.
About forty minutes later.
"Here we are, miss," the driver announced.
His voice snapped her out of her drifting thoughts. Chloe looked up and peered through the window.
A charming two-story house emerged behind a white picket fence. It wasn't overly grand, but it looked impeccably clean and tidy.
"I’ve transferred the fare," she said.
"Thank you. Let me get that suitcase for you," the driver replied, stepping out to hoist the heavy bag from the trunk.
"Thanks so much!"
She took the handle from him. As the taxi slowly vanished down the narrow road, the surroundings suddenly fell into a profound, almost surreal quiet.
The only sound left was the rustle of leaves dancing in the wind. Compared to the crowded, chaotic streets she had grown accustomed to for years, this place felt like a rare, breathing sanctuary.
Chloe pulled out her phone, snapped a picture of the house, and sent it to the agent.
[Image]
[This is the place, right?]
A few seconds passed.
[That’s the one! The landlord is waiting inside for you.]
Slipping the phone back into her pocket, she gently pushed open the white gate. A brick-paved path led straight into the courtyard, flanked on both sides by small patches of colorful wildflowers. A few neatly trimmed bonsai pots sat under the porch, and the faint, earthy scent of damp soil lingered in the air.
In a corner of the yard, vibrant green vines twined elegantly around a wooden trellis. Everywhere she looked, there were undeniable traces of meticulous care.
An involuntary smile tugged at the corners of Chloe’s lips. She thought to herself:
(The owner of this place must be incredibly patient.)
(At least, the kind of person who willingly carves out time for plants every single day.)
Letting her mind wander for a moment, she rolled her suitcase toward the front door. The dark brown wooden door was left slightly ajar. She knocked politely.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Hello? Is anyone home? I’m here about the rental," she called out.
The interior was quiet, but a deep, low male voice soon echoed from within.
"It’s unlocked. Come on in."
Chloe froze slightly. For some inexplicable reason, that voice struck a chord of strange familiarity deep inside her. But she quickly brushed the thought aside.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The living room was spacious, with sunlight filtering through sheer curtains and pooling onto the spotless hardwood floor. The house was peaceful—too peaceful—suggesting the landlord was likely in another room.
Wheeling her suitcase in, she spoke up as she stepped through the threshold.
"Hello, I’m the prospective tenant. Don't worry, I’ll strictly abide by all the terms we agreed on. You can rest assured that I take excellent care of my surroundings..."
As she spoke, she lifted her gaze. The rest of her sentence died in her throat.
The man standing by the sofa froze as well. Neither of them uttered a word.
In that fleeting second, time seemed to grind to a halt, mirroring the way they stood paralyzed, staring at each other.
Years of separation. Not a single phone call, not a single text. Not even a chance encounter. They had been completely, utterly out of touch.
Yet now, the person standing right in front of her was the last person she ever expected to see again.
"...Dylan?" Her voice was so faint it barely caught the air.
The man opposite her locked his eyes onto hers. A flicker of emotion rippled across his face.
"...Chloe."
Their names slipped out at the exact same time. Short. Brief. Yet enough to plunge the entire room into an suffocating, indescribable silence.
Outside the window, a gentle breeze rustled the trees. The wind chime hanging under the eaves let out a crisp, crystalline chime.
Dylan Foster—the man standing before her—was the first to regain his composure. His gaze dropped to the suitcase resting by her side.
"You’re... the tenant?" he asked, as if needing to reconfirm reality.
"Yeah," Chloe nodded blankly.
A prolonged silence stretched between them. She forced a strained smile.
"Don't tell me this is your house."
Dylan stared at her for a few beats before giving a quiet reply.
"I am the owner of this house."
Chloe stood there, utterly numb. As it turned out, some coincidences in reality were far more absurd than anything written in fiction. A person she thought had been safely buried away in a dusty corner of her memories had suddenly materialized as her new landlord.
The air between them grew increasingly awkward. Neither knew where to begin, nor what question to ask first.
Dylan studied her face a moment longer before suddenly taking a long stride toward her. Before Chloe could even react, his hand gripped the handle of her suitcase.
"I’ll take this up to your room first."
With that, he turned and headed for the stairs. Chloe stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds until that familiar voice drifted down from above.
"What are you standing there for?"
"Come up and check out the room."
"If there’s anything else to talk about, we can do it downstairs later."
She watched his tall, broad back disappear around the landing. A chaotic, nameless swirl of emotions suddenly swelled in her chest.
Five years.She had truly believed everything was left in the past. But perhaps, the past had never really gone away.
