Chapter 2 - The Unexpected Encounter

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"Damn, I'm so full, it's like my stomach is gonna burst any second now," Julia complained.

"Well, you ate a lot, so suffer the consequences," Astraea replied with a laugh. She looked at her phone to check the time. "It's 9:30. We still have 20 minutes till Lyn's plane arrives. Let's go shopping!" Astraea said with excitement.

Julia agreed, so they wandered around the shops. "Look, Jul, perfect outfit for our beach trip!" Astraea said, holding up a dress.

"Yeah, it suits you. You should buy it," Julia replied.

Astraea nodded and headed to the cashier to pay. As she turned around, she accidentally bumped into someone and fell to the ground. She quickly apologized. While on the floor, the stranger offered a hand to help her up, and she accepted. When she looked up to apologize again, she was stunned. It was him. Her first love, Septis Valen.

Septis was also surprised. They gazed at each other, unable to speak. Then someone called out to Septis. It was Derek, Septis's best friend and also a close friend of Astraea’s.

"Bro, you were taking so long," Derek said, walking up to Septis. Then he noticed Astraea and looked at her with surprise. "Astra? I didn’t expect to see you here!" he exclaimed with excitement.

He glanced between Septis and Astraea, his eyes widening as he put the pieces together. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face. "Ooooh~~," he teased.

Julia came up just then. "Astra, look what I found!" she said, but then froze when she saw Derek. "Derek! What are you doing here?" she asked with excitement. They exchanged pleasantries while Astraea remained dumbfounded by the encounter.

"I never expected to see you guys here! What are you doing here?" Derek asked.

"We're waiting for Lyn’s plane to arrive so we can pick her up. How about you?" Julia replied.

"Well, we got bored, so we took a trip here. Anyways, meet my friend, Septis Valen. He's been my friend since junior high," Derek said.

"Oh, hi! I'm Julia. Nice to meet you!" Julia replied, then added, "Meet my friend, Astraea."

"I already know Astraea," Septis said.

Julia was surprised. "Oh wow, how do you two know each other?" she asked.

"Well, we were—" Septis began.

Before he could finish, Astraea stepped in quickly. "Friends! From junior high!" she said, laughing awkwardly.

"Oh, what a small world," Julia replied. Astraea nodded but couldn’t bring herself to look at Septis.

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A moment of silence passed before Derek spoke up again. "By the way, me, Septis, and Lyn are really close friends too. We've known each other for years."

Julia’s eyes lit up as she looked at Astraea. "Astra, what if they come with us to pick up Lyn? It would be fun to have everyone together!"

Astraea hesitated, glancing at Derek and Septis, still unsure. "Maybe they have somewhere else to be, Julia," she said quietly.

Derek immediately responded, "Nah, we’ve got nowhere else to go." He grinned at Astraea, clearly teasing her.

Julia gave Astraea a pleading smile. "Please, Astra? It’ll be so much fun, and we can all catch up!"

Astraea paused, feeling the weight of the moment, but finally nodded. "Okay, fine. Let’s go."

Julia quickly turned to Septis and Derek, her face bright with excitement. "So, do you guys want to come with us to pick up Lyn?" she asked.

Septis smiled softly. "I’d love to, if it’s okay with Astraea."

Astraea looked at Septis. "I'm fine with it," she replied.

Julia grinned excitedly. "Let's go, guys!"

The group began to make their way out of the store, ready to pick up Lyn together. As they walked, Derek shot Septis a suspiciously teasing smile. Septis, noticing his friend's look, smiled to himself.

As he walked out of the store, he glanced over at Astraea. Seeing her again after all this time, he was surprised but happy. It felt like no time had passed at all. With a small, warm smile, he walked alongside her, silently grateful for the unexpected reunion.

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