Chapter 1: The First Sight

ADY

"Dad, I can't see the road, and it's raining too hard!"

It rained heavily all night, and no streetlights could help people find their way. If Dad had stopped the car, we would have been stranded.

"There's no way we can go back, Ady. If we do that, there will be a landslide, and the river might overflow."

Then, a frightening-looking creature and a woman approached our car. Then everything happened quickly. I don't know what happened after Dad turned the steering wheel to the left, but the car went to the bridge and fell off. Before I knew it, water slowly got into the car, and I saw our car stuck between two giant rocks. My asthma attack is acting up, and I can't catch my breath. No, I don't want to die yet. I don't know what happened next, but someone was calling.

"Miss, wake up, Miss!"

I heard a man's voice and tried to open my eyes. I could barely see the young boy until everything got dark.

***

Present Time

'Oh, how terrible! I really can't bear Kuya's scent,' I thought.

I don't want to be insensitive, but being cooped up on a train with a disgusting odor and very little fresh air is intolerable. It seemed like I was having nausea. The person next to me was sweating a lot, and I wasn't sure if I would pass out or die in that instant of suffocation. I instinctively covered my mouth and nose with my hand. On such a busy day, many commuters were on the train. For people who have to get to work early in the morning, the LRT (Light Rail Transit) is a popular choice. It was the quickest and cheapest way to get around town. During busy times, waiting times are the longest.

I was speechless when the train stopped at the next station. I saw a bunch of commuters waiting on the platform. Everyone pushed onto the train as soon as the doors opened. The crowd was now squished together. Those outside the train had to keep going until the doors closed. They made me stand against the other side's train door.

When someone stepped on my toes, I exclaimed, "Ouch!" I reacted angrily.

At the train door, I saw someone's hands on each side of my head. Those muscular arms sandwiched me. And a scent of mysterious incense combined with the fresh sea aroma. An aromatic aquatic scent that was very familiar to me. It creates a powerful aura lingering around my nose.

'Thank God, a very manly scent. I loved Jasper's scent. The Giorgio Armani Aqua diGio scent, as he always brags,' I thought.

Suddenly, a voice with an accent and a hoarse tone asked, "Are you okay, Miss?"

I frowned. 'Unfamiliar voice. Then who is this man?' I thought.

A stranger kept the crowd from squeezing me. His unfamiliar voice made me look at him, and our eyes met. He was a handsome teenager with pinkish skin, blue eyes, and a mesmerizing and seductive voice.

'Damn, this guy is smoking hot, just like Jasper.' I thought.

Upon beholding the man, who resembled something from a dream, I could not help but be impressed. Never in a million years had I thought I'd be standing beside a handsome man in a crowded subway car with his hands on my head. Well, he has a different aura from my best friend.

'But how come he doesn't have a car?" I thought.

I ask him questions in my mind, which makes me look like a fool. My whole body tickles in a way that I can't quite describe. I felt like I'd fallen under his charm.

I felt the train door. I was leaning on it slightly, so I turned to look at it. I noticed the man had taken his hand off the train door and saw it was somewhat damaged. When the train stopped, I turned toward him. We were both in a hurry, but the guy left first. He hurriedly got off the train with the rest of the people.

'He's gone.'

"Ady!"

I turned around when my name was called. Elsa, a friend and fellow architecture student, ran up to me. This is my third year of college, and I have two more years to graduate. Thank you to the foundation for helping me finish my education.

"I've been yelling and chasing you, Ady, but you haven't even stopped!" Elsa put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. She was panting, and beads of sweat could be seen on her forehead.

"You don't need to run. Besides, that's why you have a smartphone. You should call me." I handed her the water bottle I had just bought at a store near the train station. My friend immediately opened it and drank from it. "It's good for your health. There is no need for you to go to the gym." I grinned and said, "You look like you've lost weight."

"Whoo! Yes, awesome! It's tiring chasing you, huh?" Elsa sighed a little bit before handing me the almost empty water bottle. "Why are you in such a rush? It's way too early."

I put the water bottle in my bag and said, "I need to go to the library to borrow a book."

"I don't understand why you have to go through the trouble of going to the library, finding a book, and reading it when there is something called "internet" in our generation. Do you know what you are doing? Are you reducing G****e's income? Don't you trust G****e?" We walked to the hallway together.

"I don't want to rely on G****e because I'm making the owner rich. It's good that I work hard on my design instead of copying someone else's. Besides, my brain sharpens when struggling, and my nose and eyes almost bleed from searching. It's called..." I couldn't finish what I wanted to say because Elsa had already preceded me.

"Self-torture. ." Elsa said. "Anyway, are you going to the acquaintance party on Friday?" I was about to answer, but Elsa cut me off. "The foundation said that their scholars should go to support the university, so you have to go. Because staff from the foundation will be there, we should go, you know, for extra credit." She chuckled.

I pouted. "I have nothing to wear, and it's too expensive to rent clothes."

"Gosh! That's your big problem."Elsa looked at me, puzzled, and then laughed. "I've got your back."

I took a deep breath, and we stopped beside the stairs to her classroom and the hallway to the library. "Oh, we will have to split up. Have fun in the most boring place on earth." Elsa said, giggling.

Elsa and I are in the same class but have different classes at different times. "See you later, Ady!" Elsa sprinted away from me with a big smile, waving as I went straight down the hallway.

I went to the library when I realized I had a free hour. Because it was so early, there were no students in the library.

My name, Adira, means "strong" in Hebrew. There is nothing special about my life, but I never thought today would be just the beginning.

***

DAMON

I'm Damon, and you wouldn't believe how crowded the train was when I got on earlier. I was doing this to kill time on the train. Everything seemed normal, but I was wrong. Today is the first day of a new Monday, and I couldn't be happier.

Moving was complicated with so many people on the train that morning because everyone pushed me to get on. They shoved me a few times before I could hold onto the door on the other side of the train.

I heard a woman say, "Ouch!"

When I suddenly recognized the woman before me, I was stunned and couldn't believe it. She is hers. Her height has changed a little, as has the length of her hair, but I'm sure she's the girl from the river. She had grown into a beautiful woman with a figure that any young woman would want. It surprised me how much her appearance had changed. It has been five years since everything happened, and I still can't find the words. I can't hide my interest in him because I haven't seen him in a long time. I'm sure she was the girl that night.

"Miss, are you okay?" I asked.

The woman was staring at me, but her mind seemed elsewhere. Even though I was wearing a mask, I couldn't help but smile.

'Did she recognize me?' I thought.

She stared at me for a long time. I thought she recognized me. Maybe she remembers me. But I lost my thoughts when the train stopped at the next station. There were a lot more commuters pushing each other to get in. This made us move closer to the door on the other side. Later, after the train stopped at the next station, the door opened. I rushed off the train with the other passengers as soon as it stopped. I moved away from the woman who didn't recognize me.

As I quickly walked away, I stopped and turned to her. She had already left the train. I smiled when I saw her wearing her ID lace while walking down the stairs. She goes to the same school as me, so it means only one thing: I see her almost daily.

"It's so nice to see you again, river girl," I whispered.