"Love Beyond Measure

Chapter One: Chance Encounter

It was a warm summer evening in the city, and the streets were alive with people enjoying the night. Among the crowds, two strangers found themselves walking towards each other on the same sidewalk. As they got closer, they both looked up and their eyes met. Something at that moment made them pause as if time stood still.

"Excuse me," said the man, breaking the silence. "Do you happen to know the way to the nearest coffee shop?"

The woman smiled, her heart racing a little faster than usual. "Actually, I was just on my way to grab a cup of coffee myself. If you don't mind, we could go together."

He didn't mind at all. They walked together, chatting about the weather and the city, finding that they had a lot in common. When they arrived at the coffee shop, they ordered their drinks and found a table to sit at.

As they talked, the hours seemed to fly by. They shared stories, laughed, and discovered a mutual love for classic movies and books. When they finally checked their watches, they were both surprised to see that it was well past midnight.

"I should probably be going," said the woman, feeling a little disappointed that the night had to end.

"Wait," said the man, taking a deep breath. "Before you go, would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? There's a little Italian place I know that serves the best pasta in the city."

The woman smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat. "I would love that."

And just as the woman turned around to leave, he called out to her again and said "After all these stories, will I not have the honour of knowing your name?"

The woman blushed, with even her ears turning red. She was embarrassed to have spent an evening in conversation with this man without even exchanging their names.

"Maya". The woman said to him. He smiled and said "My name is Theo"

As they parted ways, they both knew that something special had just happened. They didn't know what the future held, but at that moment, they knew that they had found something they had been searching for.

Even as Maya walked home, she could not get the giddy smile off her face. She seemed to be on cloud nine.

As Maya reminisced all that had happened today she realised she was totally out of her comfort zone. She is NEVER one to be bold and start a conversation let alone make the first move on someone she might be interested in. Today was a day of many firsts for her, she had spent a whole evening conversing with a stranger, who for some reason made her feel completely at ease. Maya is a timid girl who feels anxious about starting conversations with people which is why she was surprised that the conversation with Theo, just seemed to flow.

After Maya had left, Theo walked to his car and sat in the driver's seat. He couldn't believe that he had found her and that too with such a chance encounter. He felt all giddy and couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he had finally found his sunshine. He couldn't wait to go out for dinner with her. He started his car and finally left for home.

Maya had just finished taking a shower and her skincare routine when she heard the notification sound on her phone. She checked her phone and the brightest smile appeared on her face only to see that she had received a follow request and a DM from Theo. He had asked her if she had reached home safely and if they were still on for the dinner plan the next day. After replying to him, she retired to bed and fell asleep with happy memories about today.