Chapter 3

“Marissa,” Cameron whispered in shock.

He was unable to believe his eyes. He had lost almost all hopes of ever meeting her again, let alone discovering her as one of his neighbours.

They both were standing in shock, trying to decipher the meaning of their sudden encounter, when Steve, her neighbour abruptly came out of nowhere.

“Is everything alright here?”

“I... um...” Marissa was having difficulty forming words. She was still trying to digest that Cameron Bernard was standing before her equally shocked by her presence.

Steve, however, oblivious to the entire situation and their history asked Cameron, “Are you new here? I have not seen you before.”

“Yes. I have just shifted here.” Cameron told him after composing himself.

“And let me guess, the sudden and loud music from this apartment brought you here?” Steve asks him with amusement.

“You could say that.” He replied with an uneasy smile.

“Well, let’s say our little Marissa is illiterate when it comes to electronics or any other technology,” Steve joked, and Marissa sighed nervously.

If she was not in shock, then Steve would have definitely earned a glare or, better, a smack from her. He was way too good for his own good but a good neighbour nonetheless.

“Well, anyway, I am Steven Dalton and I live next door.” He introduced himself.

“I am Cameron Bernard. The apartment just above hers.” They both shook hands.

“Nice to meet you, man, but don’t let this girl make you run away with loud music or any strange accidents happening here because of her incompetency. This might not be her first good impression but my dear Marissa here is the best. Anyway, I will meet you guys later. Have a date which I cannot miss under any circumstance.” With that, Steve rushed but not without winking at Marissa making her narrow her eyes at him.

Cameron, however, did not know how to react. This was not on his mind when he walked down to have a word with the owner of the apartment.

“I... I should probably go.”

Cameron rushed upstairs to his condo, and so did Marissa, who closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.

‘No, he is not here. It is just my imagination. Even if he is here, he doesn’t have any say in my life. We are nothing. He just stays in the same building as me. That’s it. It is not like we will meet each other again.’ After a few more words of self-assurance to herself, Marissa went to do her work.

She cannot let Cameron distract herself. It had been three years since she had last seen him. Every string which was attaching them together had been cut and thrown away. She also made sure to take every step to stay estranged to him and his family and she had been successful until the moment before she saw Cameron again.

Regardless of everything that had happened, she should be surprised that Cameron even remembers her, never mind remembering her name.

The same thought was not shared but Cameron. Even if he desired, he could never forget her. This had to be destiny, which was binding them together again. He was glad that he finally came across Marissa and found her after three excruciatingly long years. Not a single day had passed when he didn’t think about her and how unfair he had been to her.

He had never been tongue-tied unless you count the first time when he actually understood how wrong he was of her.

He had to make things right with her; make things right between them, apologize to her for his uncalled behaviour and the crass image he had of her back then.

When Cameron went to bed, all he could think about was his new neighbour downstairs. From last what he had seen, she has definitely changed a lot. Her face looked more content and carefree. He had never seen her wearing any shorts when they were living together.

Marissa always came across as a reserved girl, but today there was something different about her. Sure, she was equally shocked as him but he could no longer see her as a timid woman who rarely spoke to him.

More than ever, he wanted to know everything about her, especially after what he had made her endure. If only he was sensible before, he would have already known everything about her, and she would never have had to condone the injustice he did to her.

With that thought, he went off to sleep.