9:03 p.m. — Convenience Store Parking Lot
Jay leaned against the car door, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, one hand pressing lightly to the skin just below his collarbone where the cold edge of the knife had threatened him minutes ago. Shards of glass from the broken window crunched beneath his feet. His pulse hadn’t slowed. Neither had his thoughts.
The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention. From beneath the flickering streetlamp, the woman came into focus—dark brown hair pulled into a low ponytail, phone still lit in her hand. Her steps were hesitant, cautious.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice steady but laced with concern.
Jay straightened, still catching his breath. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
But even before he finished his reply, the woman’s expression changed.
“Oh- you…”
Serena’s eyes widened. Her voice caught.
She froze, just as she had five days ago in front of the consultation room. The light struck his face just right. The glasses. The sharp jaw. Those onyx eyes. She had braced herself for this, swore she’d remain composed if it ever happened again. But the resemblance was still too cruel.
Leo.
Her heart tightened. She blinked fast, trying to keep the tears from forming.
Jay tilted his head slightly, confused by her stare. His brows lifted subtly as he adjusted his glasses. “Are you alright?”
She didn’t answer. Not immediately. Every part of her wanted to reach out and hold him. Just for a second. Even if she knew the truth. Even if he wasn’t Leo. Not really.
He waved a hand gently in front of her face. “Excuse me?”
Serena blinked, finally snapping out of it. She exhaled softly. “Sorry– I…You’re bleeding.”
Jay instinctively touched his neck and winced. A thin streak of blood had formed where the knife had grazed him.
Serena gasped, her hand instinctively reaching toward him.
“You need to clean that. Come with me, the store has a first aid kit– I saw it near the counter.”
Without waiting for his answer, she turned and led the way back toward the mart. Jay, still slightly bewildered, followed without a word.
Inside, the cashier glanced up, but Serena gave a quick wave.
“Just borrowing this for a moment,” she said, already pulling out antiseptic and cotton pads. Meanwhile, Jay sat on a nearby bench, peeling back his collar as he tried to examine the injury in the reflection of the glass door. The angle was useless.
“I can’t even see it,” he muttered.
“Need help…?”
Serena’s voice was gentle, her brows slightly raised as she knelt beside him.
Jay looked at her, hesitating. He didn’t want to trouble her, but he knew he couldn’t do it on his own. After a pause, he gave a small nod.
“You’ll hurt your knee, sit here.” he said softly, his voice low and reserved.
Serena blinked down at herself, then stood and moved to sit on the bench, leaving a respectful distance between them. She soaked the cotton with quiet care, dabbing gently at the wound. Her hands were steady, but inside, she felt like her chest carried a thousand words she couldn’t say.
Jay studied her from the corner of his eye. There was something strangely familiar about her. And yet, he was certain they had never spoken before.
Still…something lingered.
Serena swallowed. Her voice was hesitant, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“By any chance…is your name Jay Carson?”
Jay turned his head, startled by the question. His eyes narrowed slightly, curious.
“…Yes” he said quietly.
Serena nodded with a small hum, like she had just confirmed something important.
As she reached for the bandage, Jay spoke again, voice lower this time. “How did you know my name?”
Serena paused.
Her lips parted as she gathered her words, then met his eyes. “I saw your name in a file. At the hospital. It was in my son’s folder…under Dr. Jian’s notes.”
Jay’s brows pulled together. That explained part of it, but not enough.
“But how did you know I was the one with that name?”
Serena hesitated again, then bit her lower lip before answering.
“Do you remember five days ago? A woman standing in front of the consultation room– when you opened the door?”
Jay blinked slowly.
A faint image flickered in his mind. A woman in a white coat, standing silent. Their eyes had met, just for a moment.
“You?” he said, voice soft with realization.
Serena nodded. “That was me.”
Jay didn’t respond immediately. He just looked at her. Really looked. Something stirred in his chest. A feeling he couldn’t place. Unfamiliar. Unsettling.
She looked kind. Familiar in a way that tugged at something buried. Like a song he almost remembered but couldn’t quite hum.
Serena pulled back slightly after placing the bandage. “Sorry if I startled you,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to…stare. Or make you uncomfortable.”
Jay shook his head slowly. “It’s fine.”
But his thoughts were anything but.
He glanced at her again, longer this time, trying to piece together what it was about her that unsettled him…or pulled him in. But the second Serena lifted her gaze to meet his, Jay quickly turned away, eyes steady on the floor.
Serena quietly gathered the used cotton pads and wrappers into her palm, the scent of antiseptic still clinging faintly in the air. She stood up and walked toward the nearby trash bin, carefully discarding everything before dusting her hands off against the edge of her coat.
Jay remained seated, staring down at the floor for a long second. The reality of the shattered car window suddenly crept in, along with the cold breeze he’d nearly forgotten. He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out his phone. He pressed the power button once.
Nothing.
He held it up again. The screen remained black.
Jay clicked his tongue in annoyance. Low battery. Just his luck. He turned his head toward Serena, who had just returned from the trash bin. Her attention was briefly on the wall clock above the register.
Jay cleared his throat gently. “Um… would it be alright if I borrowed your phone? I need to call someone to pick me up. My car’s not exactly driveable anymore.”
Serena blinked in surprise, then immediately nodded.
“Of course.”
She pulled her phone from her coat pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to him without hesitation.
“Thanks” he said, meeting her gaze briefly before looking away again.
As he took the phone and began typing in the number, Serena sat back down beside him, not too close, not too far.
She didn’t ask what had happened to his car or who that man was. Not yet.
And Jay didn’t ask how her hands, now resting in her lap, still trembled slightly.
Jay ended the call and gently handed the phone back to Serena, their fingers brushing faintly in the exchange.
“Thank you” he said softly.
Serena gave a small smile and nodded, placing the phone back into her coat pocket.
Then, silence.
It wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly. But it hung between them like something unsaid, a quiet current of curiosity and uncertainty. Jay leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting toward her as he debated internally.
She knew his name. And yet, he didn’t know hers. He turned slightly, angling his body to face her, his voice low and calm.
“Since you kno—”
But before the question could leave his lips, Serena’s phone vibrated with a sharp ring. She blinked, startled, and pulled it out. “Sorry– just a second,” she murmured quickly before answering.
Jay stayed quiet, respectful. His words died in his throat as he watched her pace a few steps away, her voice hushed but urgent. From the corner of his eye, he saw her glance at her watch. Her posture changed. She stood straighter, suddenly alert.
“I– yes, I’m on my way. Just wait a little longer, okay?”
Jay could tell she was trying to end the call quickly. She turned back to him, her expression slightly apologetic.
“I need to go now,” she said gently, her voice rushed but sincere. “Someone’s actually waiting for me. Let’s…meet again, if we ever have the chance.”
Before Jay could respond, Serena leaned down, grabbing the grocery bags she had left by the bench. With her phone still pressed to her ear, she gave him a small, almost apologetic nod and turned, walking briskly out of the store.
Jay watched her go, something unreadable crossing his face.
No name. No parting smile.
Only the soft jingle of the mart door as she disappeared into the night.
And the quiet echo of her words lingering in the air.
Let's meet again...if we ever have the chance.
ns216.73.217.39da2
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