Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 20

And we walked, still holding hands, until the hallway split and we had to go in different directions.

That night, I didn’t dress up.

Gray blouse. Loose denim. No makeup except maybe a swipe of balm. My hair was still damp from the earlier shower, heavy and untamed, so I just let it fall. I didn’t want to try too hard. I didn’t want to pretend too much.

But when I saw James waiting outside, leaning against the hood of a car, my chest fluttered anyway.

He wore a white polo, tucked in, crisp. Silver chains glinting softly under the yellow streetlight. The sleeves hugged his arms just right. His watch caught my eye, a silver Rolex with a navy-blue dial, like a tiny sky tied to his wrist. Black trousers, black chunky shoes. He looked like he cared. Like he tried.

“You look nice,” I said when I reached him.

“So do you,” he replied, but his gaze didn’t settle on my outfit. It lingered on my face. On my eyes.

---

The restaurant wasn’t fancy. No candlelight. No expensive menus. Just linoleum floors, laminated tables, and the smell of garlic rice in the air. But I liked that. I liked how normal it felt.

He let me choose the dish but gave me a look when I tried to pick something weird. “I swear to God, Betty, if you make me eat fishballs again---”

“I’m broadening your palate, James,” I said with a grin.

He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too.

We talked. About small things. About school. Teachers. The upcoming sports fest.

“I’m dedicating my game to you,” he said as he poked at his plate with a fork. “So if I suck, just lie to me and say I was great.”

I snorted. “Even if you win MVP, I’ll still say Matt looked hotter on the court.”

He laughed, loud and from his belly. “You’re evil.”

“But supportive,” I countered.

“Fair enough.”

It was… peaceful. For a while. He didn’t hover like I thought he would. He just sat across from me like we were both trying to enjoy something we couldn’t name. He didn’t ask me about the bracelet. Or the hospital. Or the ocean.

And I didn’t bring it up.

We just… let the night be light.

Because even though the shadows were still there, tonight we pretended they weren’t.

After dinner, we didn’t go home.

James parked near the town park, and we walked. No words, at first. Just the crunch of gravel under our feet and the occasional chirp of crickets in the grass.

The streetlamps glowed softly, bathing the world in this dull, golden hush. A few cars passed by, blurred headlights, soft engines, and I found myself narrating them like I was hosting a late-night talk show inside my head.

“That one looks like it has three screaming children in it,” I said, pointing to a red sedan.

James smiled. “Probably.”

“That one’s someone driving away from a terrible first date.”

He chuckled again, gently. “Maybe they forgot their wallet.”

“And that one,” I pointed at a black car speeding through, “is someone trying to kidnap a child.”

He didn’t respond to that one. Just squeezed my hand, tighter than before. Firmer. Like he knew.