Chapter Three

After that party, Arthur became a legend in Ivy League circles.

Every day, some new detail about how much he spoiled his girlfriend found its way to my ears. How he'd show up right on time with black magic roses and hot coffee when Chloe was stuck in boring art history. How at fancy Michelin-star dinners, he'd cut her beef Wellington for her as if no one else were there. How he'd put away all his temper and become a perfect partner who never lost his cool.

After that night, he and I never crossed paths again.

Until late fall, when my roommate's environmental club organized a hike in Central Park. She dragged me along no matter what, insisting I bring my DSLR and work as their free labor.

"Eve, I'm begging you! Your film-look color grading is incredible. I'll treat you to a huge dinner when we get back!"

I couldn't take her whining anymore, so I lugged my heavy gear to the meeting spot. I'd barely stopped walking when I saw Arthur, who'd come along with Chloe.

He was wearing a light-gray Loro Piana outfit that looked amazing, his head bent as he listened intently to Chloe complain about how tired she was from getting up early. As if he'd sensed me looking, he turned his head sharply. But before he could turn all the way, I'd already looked away, my face blank.

The whole way, my roommate went around advertising my photography skills. Everyone bribed me with snacks, and I was happy to keep busy, hiding behind the lens and clicking away.

Until Chloe pulled Arthur under a ginkgo tree, the ground carpeted in gold, and waved me over. "Eve, can you take one of us too?"

I raised the camera, adjusted the focus, and pointed the lens at them.

Before I could press the shutter, my roommate suddenly shouted, "Arthur, don't look so stiff! Look at Eve's camera and smile!"

I watched quietly through the viewfinder as Arthur's jaw clenched the instant he heard my name. I didn't rush him. The moment he forced out a stiff little curve of a smile, I took three shots in a row.

On the luxury coach on the way back, everyone crowded around to pass the DSLR and look at the photos on the screen. The mood was lively, until they got to a few candid shots my roommate had snapped of me.

The composition was good. But in one of them, the focus had accidentally landed on the face of a guy who happened to be walking past behind me.

He was wearing a gray hoodie with the hood pulled low, his hair falling over his eyes.

Someone on the bus suddenly said, "Whoa, this framing is unreal. What's that thing people say online? Two strangers frozen in the same second. Maybe in a parallel universe, you two have a story."

At that, the smile on my lips froze.

They were right. In my last life, I didn't just know this guy. I'd loved him with everything I had.

His name was Lucas. My first love.

I hadn't seen him in so long, my memories had almost stopped on the day he died in a car crash. Now time had turned back, and we were strangers again, two people who'd never met.

While my thoughts were in chaos, the coach suddenly slammed on its brakes.

The force threw me forward, and the camera flew out of my hands. In a split second, Arthur, sitting just ahead of me to the side, snatched the camera strap out of the air.

Still shaken, I took a breath and reached out to take it back. But Arthur didn't seem to have any intention of giving it to me. He was staring at the candid shot on the camera screen, his pupils shrinking.

The next second, my roommate leaned over and gasped.

"Oh my God, Arthur, that guy... he looks just like you!"

I saw clearly how Arthur's knuckles turned white around the camera. He really was a stand-in.