Emma hurried through the crowded airport terminal, dragging her carry-on behind her. After a week-long business trip, which had frayed her nerves, all she wanted was to see Jake.
As she hurriedly took out her phone, cradling it her elbow, while she dragged her bag, looking for a cab,
Emma’s fingers flew across her phone screen as she typed out the message:
"Hey babe, just landed! Meet me at the café near your place in 20? I have a surprise for you!
She hit send without a second thought—until she saw the name at the top of the screen.
Jason.
Her stomach lurched. No, no, no.
Not Jake. Jason. Her ex.
A year had passed since their messy breakup, and she hadn’t spoken to him since. She’d meant to delete his number, but somehow, it had lingered in her contacts, right next to Jake’s. She had hit "Send" without double-checking the contact name. A second later, her stomach dropped. The message hadn’t gone to her boyfriend, Jake—it had gone to Jason, her ex.
Before she could react, three dots appeared. Then:
"Emma? It’s been a year. You… have a surprise for me?"
Emma groaned, typing frantically. *"OMG, wrong person! So sorry!"*
Jason replied: *"Funny, because I’m actually at that café right now."*
Emma froze. That was *their* old spot. Had he been going there all this time?
Curiosity got the better of her. She showed up..
Her thumb hovered over the screen. She should ignore it. She should text Jake the right way, apologize for the delay, and move on with her evening.
But something tugged at her.
Before she could second-guess herself, she hailed a cab and gave the driver the address.
Emma’s breath caught. No way. That cafe -- The Daily Grind -- had been their spot. The place where they’d shared lazy Sunday breakfasts, where he’d first told her he loved her, where she’d cried after their breakup. Had he been going there all this time without her?
And there he was, sitting at their usual table, looking just as surprised to see her.
"Hi," he said softly., his voice softer than she remembered.
He looked up the moment she walked in, as if he’d sensed her. His hazel eyes widened slightly, and for a second, neither of them moved.
Emma’s heart hammered. He looked different -- his hair a little longer, a faint stubble shadowing his jaw. But the way he watched her, the slight tilt of his head -- it was all so painfully familiar.
"Hi." She clutched her bag strap, suddenly unsure why she’d come. "I, uh… really did mean to text someone else."
Emma sat down. And just like that, a simple mistake turned into a second chance.
"Hi." She hesitated. "I really did mean to text someone else."
"Oh ! A case of mistaken identities, makes for a Agatha Christie mystery", he smiled good-naturedly., and continued "And relax, I'm not looking at upsetting ont want to any apple cart , since you're here, want to catch up? "
The café looked exactly the same -- warm wood paneling, the scent of roasted coffee beans, the faint hum of indie music playing overhead. And there, in the corner booth by the window, sat Jason.
She hesitated. This was a bad idea. She had a boyfriend. A good one.
But curiosity won.
They talked. At first, it was stiff -- polite updates about work, mutual friends, the city. But then, inevitably, the past crept in.
"You never answered my last text," Jason said quietly, swirling his coffee.
Emma stiffened. She remembered that text -- a long, rambling message he’d sent months after their breakup, asking for another chance. She’d deleted it without replying.
"I didn’t know what to say," she admitted.
Jason studied her. "Do you now?"
The air between them felt charged. She was thinking of what to say - in that brief moment her phone buzzed.
A new message from Jake: "Hey, you okay? You never showed up."
It was as if she was caught between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, not knowing what she should do.
Jason noticed her expression. figured out the reason for her pause, said "That him?"
She nodded, suddenly feeling like an intruder in her own life.
Jason exhaled, leaning back. "You should go."
Emma bit her lip. "Jason, I --"
"It’s okay," he said, smiling faintly. "Really. I’m glad you’re happy."
But as she stood to leave, his hand brushed hers -- just for a second -- and her heart ached in a way she’d forgotten it could.
Outside, the city lights blurred as she blinked back tears. She typed a reply to Jake: "So sorry, got held up! On my way now."
But as she walked away, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had just shifted -- that a single wrong text had cracked open a door she’d thought was sealed forever.
The message she had sent hurriedly had landed her on the horns of a dilemma - and she had no idea what to do.
React
