Someone dear to his heart was in the Big Apple, and though it had been years…

He didn’t know if Alexis still thought about him the way he thought about her. That was the funny thing about their relationship. Ted had never loved anyone more than he had loved Alexis, but that was why he had to let her go.

They didn’t keep in touch much after he left for the Galapagos. There were texts, the occasional call, but eventually they just… stopped. A part of it was work, sure, but—

It was painful.

Letting go of Alexis Rose was the hardest decision he ever had to make, but it was the only one he could make.

And as he stepped out of the airport, some small part of him was hoping that he would somehow find the one who got away once more.

-

Alexis was not having a good day, to put it simply.

PR work is not easy work, and on some days it felt like Interflix was trying to make things as hard as possible with some of the things they did. But they had hired her for a reason, and she was damn good at her job — she could take a challenge, but today it felt like she was trying to move a mountain.

“Stupid movies and their stupid premieres,” she muttered as she hurried down the street, trying her best to not run into anyone. An early showing of an Interflix original had been going well, but the next day, nearly every attendee had come down with a nasty case of food poisoning. This was why Alexis had advised against ordering from that shady Italian place, but it seemed that she had forgotten a very valuable lesson — rich people would do anything to cut a couple corners and save a couple bucks.

And now, Alexis was having the time of her life trying to clean up a mess that couldn’t be any less her fault, but ended up being her responsibility. It was going to be a very long afternoon of writing apology emails, sending Edible Arrangements, and making sure that none of the higher ups made the situation any worse. After all this, Alexis was definitely going to treat herself to one of those cinnamon buns at the bakery on the corner. She deserved it.

She had opted to do her work at a cafe rather than her apartment, but instead of going to her usual place she had decided to try out a new, smaller spot. Alexis had read a couple good reviews, and for some reason, she just felt like it would be a good place to spend the afternoon.

It was. As usual, her taste was impeccable, a fact that only became even more well known after she entered. Alexis was immediately assaulted with the sweet scents of coffee and fresh bread, something that influenced her decision to order some espresso and a sweet bun. After receiving her treats, she had found a cozy corner with an outlet, and she got to work. It was time to do what she did best — save someone from their own mistakes.

-

Yeah, Ted was definitely not a city person.

After a hectic morning spent in an airport and an even better time trying to get his things from the baggage claim, he was more than ready to check into his hotel and just relax for a second before the conference the next day.

But of course, something had gone wrong with his reservation and so he wouldn’t be able to check in for another four hours. New York really was the city where dreams were made.

He didn’t really have any idea what he was going to do for the next four hours. He could always sightsee, but at this time of day he was sure there would be tourists everywhere, and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to browse the Metropolitan.

Right now, the only thing he really needed was a coffee. Trailing a suitcase behind him and dropping the occasional apology each time someone bumped into him, he stepped into the first cafe he could find, taking a moment to enjoy the quiet. He had been lucky enough to stumble into a smaller place, and even luckier that it was mostly uncrowded.

He ordered a black coffee and was about to find a place to drop all of his things when his gaze was drawn to the corner, housing one inhabitant busy typing away on a laptop.

Ted frowned, stopping in his tracks as the familiar mess of dirty blonde hair registered in his mind. Her back was turned to him, but he knew that it was her. After all, the clip holding her hair up was one that he had given to her.

He cleared his throat and steeled himself for what he was about to do, and before he could question himself he started walking.

-

Maybe it wasn’t the best decision to do her work in a public place, as this was about the fifth time that Alexis had to hold back a scream. She often found herself wondering how people so idiotic could end up in such prestigious positions, but then she was reminded of what her early twenties were like.

At least she wasn’t a nepotism baby anymore — she just had to deal with them all day long.

She heaved a sigh as her fingers flew across the keys, her nails making a satisfying ‘clack’ with every letter, when her train of thought was interrupted by the clearing of a throat.

“Without sounding too forward… I think you are the most beautiful girl this city has ever seen.”

She knew that voice. She knew those words.

But then again, it’s not like she could forget the first words her soulmate had said to her.

Alexis turned around and her breath caught in her throat as the biggest smile appeared on her lips. Her mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, unable to get the words out, until she got out the only one that mattered.

“Ted!” she exclaimed, lunging up from her seat to envelope him in a hug. “Oh my god, Ted? What are you doing here? I’m so happy you’re here, but— what?”

He laughed, staggering back a little from the force of her embrace, but found that he couldn’t answer for a moment as the two of them stood there intertwined. He hadn’t realized how much he missed this. How much he missed her.

“I was in the area for a convention to talk about the research we did on the island,” he explained, reluctantly pulling out of her embrace as they both took seats at the table. “Something got messed up with my reservation at the hotel, so I was just looking for a place to hang out until then, but— I don’t know what led me here.”

I think I do, Alexis wants to say. It was fate.

But she doesn’t. Instead, she just smiled at him. “I— I can’t believe you’re really here. It’s been so long, Ted. It’s been too long.”

He nodded. “It really has.” A smile of his own appeared as he gestured at her. “But I mean, you look amazing. You really rock a power suit — New York’s treated you well.”

Alexis felt like a teenager, the way that the blood was rushing to her cheeks. But she can’t help it — seeing Ted again, it was like a dream. “You’ve been doing pretty good for yourself, Mister Mullens. With that beard, you’re like a rugged vet version of Captain America.”

And when he laughed, she could have melted. All the memories from their relationship were rushing back, and after spending five minutes in the same room with him Alexis had confirmed what she already knew: she had never really fallen out of love with Theodore Mullens. “What have you been up to?”

“Still doing PR — I’ve been juggling responsibilities with Interflix and other clients that I’ve been picking up with my business. And I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I really have been killing it.”

“Hey, toot away. You’ve earned it.” Ted grimaced, his brows furrowing and the corners of his lips quirking downwards in the cutest way. “That… didn’t come out right.”

As Alexis laughed, she found herself reaching for his hand resting on the table, and almost absentmindedly he intertwined his fingers with her own. It’s almost cliche, how she feels electricity.

She stared into his eyes for a moment, committing every curve and slope to memory, and a confession was spilling from her lips before she could stop herself.

“I’ve missed you.”

And Ted doesn’t even flinch, that same heart melting smile from the very first day finding its way onto his face once again as he squeezed her hand. “I’ve missed you too.”

A weight dissolved off of her shoulders, and her smile grew even brighter as she squeezed back. “Hey, so— I’m basically done with my work for the afternoon. And you said you had a couple of hours, so… want me to show you around the city? I’m basically an expert by now.”

Ted nodded. “I’d really like that.”

She wasn’t really done with her work, but Alexis would be a fool to give up this chance in favor of sending emails.

The what if of their relationship had always been a question Alexis found herself asking. What if she had never broken his heart the first time, what if she had said yes the first time, what if their paths became one in the same rather than going parallel.

But all of those questions didn’t matter now. Now, a second chance was staring her point blank with the kindest eyes and a movie star smile.