Chapter 3: Before our hands meet
The night had settled like a velvet curtain over Durban, painting the streets in soft shadows and distant golden lights. Julia walked alone along the promenade, the salty scent of the ocean curling around her senses. The laughter and chatter from nearby cafés felt like they belonged to another world, one she wasn't part of tonight. Her journal, pressed tightly to her chest, was the only witness to the storm of thoughts swirling inside her.
She couldn't shake the memory of him. Junior. His presence, fleeting yet heavy, lingered in every corner of her mind. She hadn't spoken to him, hadn't even touched his hand, but the pull between them was undeniable. Every glance exchanged on the bus that morning had sent sparks crawling across her skin, a quiet, fierce reminder that some things didn't need words.
Julia's thoughts were interrupted by the soft hum of footsteps approaching. She froze, her heart skipping. And then she saw him Junior leaning casually against the railing, his silhouette framed by the glow of the street lamps.You're out late,she said softly, unsure if she was talking to herself or him.
Junior straightened, his eyes catching hers in the dim light.I could say the same about you, he replied, voice low, almost a whisper. But there was an edge to it, a challenge wrapped in curiosity.
Julia's chest tightened. She wanted to run, to escape the intensity, yet her feet were rooted. Something about him made the night feel alive, made the air buzz with a kind of anticipation she had never felt before.I… I just needed some air, she said, her words faltering.
Air, he repeated, almost teasingly. Or were you hoping for something else?Her cheeks burned at the question, and she looked away toward the ocean, where the waves glimmered like liquid silver. I don't know, she admitted Maybe.
Junior stepped closer, the space between them shrinking, yet respecting some invisible boundary. He didn't speak for a moment, just studied her his gaze lingering, searching. Julia felt exposed, yet strangely safe, as if he could see the thoughts she didn't dare voice.
Why do I feel like I've known you forever? he murmured. Even though we've barely spoken?
Julia swallowed hard. She wanted to answer, to confess that she felt the same, that every beat of her heart had recognized him before her mind even did. But fear knotted her tongue. Instead, she said, Maybe some people are… just meant to meet.
A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Maybe.
They walked side by side, letting the rhythm of the waves guide them. Every brush of their arms, every accidental close step sent a jolt through Julia. She wanted to reach out, to let their hands meet, but something held her back the fragile line between yearning and reality, the terrifying beauty of possibility.
Junior broke the silence. Do you ever wonder if this is all… fate? That moments like this are meant to happen?
Julia hesitated, then nodded slowly I think… sometimes. But fate doesn't make it easy.No, he agreed, voice dropping. Fate leaves the hard parts to us.
The wind whipped her hair across her face, and he reached out almost instinctively, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. His fingers brushed her cheek, soft and deliberate, and Julia's heart threatened to leap from her chest.
For a moment, the world contracted. There was no ocean, no promenade, no distant laughter only the space between them and the tension coiling in it. She wanted to lean in, to close the distance, but she stopped herself. That moment that fragile pause before hands could meet, before hearts could fully collide felt sacred.
Junior's hand lingered near hers, hesitating, teasing the possibility. I don't want to rush this, he said quietly, though his eyes told a different story. But… I can't ignore it either.
Julia's lips parted, and she swallowed the tremor in her throat. I feel it too, she confessed, almost inaudibly. I can't… ignore it either.
He smiled then, a small, secretive curve of lips that made her stomach twist in ways she didn't have words for. He stepped even closer, and their hands hovered a breath apart, fingertips almost touching, creating a spark that was more felt than seen.
The world seemed to hold its breath around them. The waves whispered secrets, the wind carried promises, and for a moment, it was as if nothing else existed except the fragile electricity of anticipation between them.
Julia wanted to close the distance, to let her hand brush against his, to feel that simple, intimate connection. But a whisper of doubt held her back fear of the unknown, fear of what it meant to let someone in so completely, so quickly.
Junior seemed to sense it. He didn't move, didn't force the moment, but his gaze softened. Whenever you're ready, he said, voice barely above the ocean's murmur. I'll be here.Tears pricked Julia's eyes, a mixture of relief and longing. I… I want to, she admitted, her voice breaking slightly. I just… need to be sure.
He nodded, understanding etched into every line of his face. And in that silence, Julia realized that this this waiting, this suspended moment was as beautiful as the touch she craved. Sometimes the anticipation was more powerful than the act itself.
They walked a little farther, their steps in quiet harmony, sharing the same space without forcing it, letting the tension pulse quietly between them. Each glance, each unspoken word, each almost-touch carried more weight than a thousand confessions.
The night deepened, and the stars blinked above like silent witnesses. Julia finally dared to glance at him, and he met her eyes with a look that promised understanding, patience, and an intimacy that went beyond words.
I don't know what comes next, she whispered, voice soft and fragile.Neither do I, he replied. But I do know that this whatever this is... is worth waiting for.
And as the waves crashed and the night held them in its gentle embrace, Julia realized that some moments were meant to be savored slowly, that the heart sometimes needed to hover on the edge of longing before surrendering completely.
Their hands remained inches apart, a tangible yet invisible thread connecting them. Julia could feel his warmth, sense his presence, and know that soon perhaps not tonight, but soon their hands would finally meet, and the world would tilt in the most beautiful way imaginable.
For now, she let the anticipation linger, savoring it, letting it write its own poetry across her soul. And in the silence, in the space before their hands could truly meet, Julia felt something extraordinary: the intoxicating promise of love that was patient, powerful, and impossibly alive.
She glanced at him one last time before the promenade ended, the moonlight glinting in his hair. And even without words, without a touch, without a single confession beyond that quiet understanding, Julia knew: this was only the beginning.
The night wrapped them both in its gentle embrace, and the world vast, endless, unpredictable seemed to hold its breath for the moment when fate, patience, and desire would finally converge.
And in that suspended heartbeat, Julia understood that love could wait, could linger, could tease… and in the waiting, it could grow stronger than anything either of them had ever imagined.