A Face From the Past

A Face From the Past  

As the elevator doors slid open, the sight earlier than me stopped me in my tracks.  

“Ethan?” I whispered, my voice slightly audible.  

Standing there, protecting a bouquet of sunflowers, became Ethan Carter. My Ethan. The boy from my small- city excessive school, the only who used to make me chuckle till my aspects hurt. He’d been my first-rate pal earlier than lifestyles pulled us in one-of-a-kind directions.  

He seemed one-of-a-kind now—older, extra refined. His soon as shaggy blond hair became well trimmed, and the informal jeans-and-hoodie appearance were changed with the aid of using a tailor-made military suit. But the ones piercing blue eyes hadn’t changed, and that they had been locked on me with a combination of wonder and recognition.  

“Anita,” he said, moving into the elevator as though he belonged there. His voice became deeper than I remembered, however the warm temperature became nonetheless the same.  

I blinked, looking to method the coincidence—or fate—that had added him right here tonight . “What… what are you doing right here ?”  

His smile became tinged with hesitation, as aleven though he couldn’t accept as true with I became status in the front of him either. “I simply moved again to New York some weeks ago. I became virtually right here to go to a client. Didn’t count on to run into you, even though .”  

The elevator doors slid shut, and I found out I hadn’t pressed the button for the lobby. My hand hovered over the manage panel, my mind a jumbled mess.  

“It’s been years,” I said , my voice shaking.  

“Yeah,” he replied, his tone soft. “It has.”  

Silence settled among us, however it wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt just like the sort of quiet you fall into with a person who’s recognized you for a protracted time.  

“What about you?” he asked, breaking the silence. “What brings you right here ?”  

I opened my mouth to respond, however the fact stuck in my throat. How ought to I inform him I became fleeing my crumbling marriage with not anything however the garments on my again ? Instead, I compelled a smile. “Just… leaving.”  

Ethan tilted his head, his sharp gaze reading me. He had continually been capable of seeing via my defenses, and this night became no one-of-a-kind . “You don’t appear okay, Anita,” he said, his voice laced with concern.  

I seemed away, my grip tightening at the strap of my bag. “It’s been a long night .”  

The elevator dinged, signaling our arrival in the lobby. I stepped out quickly, determined to place a few areas among us. But Ethan wasn’t one to be left at the back of so easily.  

“Wait,” he said, catching as much as me as I crossed the marble-floored lobby. “Can we snatch an espresso or something? Catch up?”  

I hesitated, glancing at the revolving doorways ahead. Part of me desired to maintain running, however some other element —the element that felt like a drowning lady clutching at a lifeline— desired to mention yes.  

“I don’t suppose now is a superb time,” I said, my voice slightly above a whisper.  

Ethan frowned however nodded. “I get it. But…” He hesitated, then pulled out a commercial enterprise card and handed it to me. “If you ever want a person to speak to, name me. No pressure.”  

I stared at the cardboard for a second earlier than slipping it into my bag. “Thanks,” I said, even though I wasn’t certain I intended it.  

As I walked out into the cold night time air, I couldn’t shake the sensation that Ethan’s reappearance became extra than only a coincidence.  

Back in my small- city condominium later that night time , I pulled out Ethan’s card, debating whether or not to name him. Before I ought to decide, my telecel smartphone buzzed with textual content from an unknown number: “Anita, it’s Alex. We want to speak .”