Chapter 3: Cracks in the Armor

Ethan Blackwood wasn't accustomed to distractions, but as he sat in his corner office the next morning, the city skyline stretching out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, he found his thoughts drifting back to the woman he'd met the night before. Ava Morales—her name lingered in his mind like a melody he couldn't shake, her determined eyes and the quiet strength in her voice replaying in his memory.

He tried to focus on the numbers in front of him, the financial reports that would typically command his full attention. But the figures blurred on the page, replaced by the image of her smile, the way she had laughed at his joke—genuine, unguarded, a moment of light in the carefully curated life he led.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his dark hair in frustration. This was ridiculous. He had never been one to let anything, let alone someone he barely knew, take up space in his mind. His life was a series of calculated decisions, each one leading to the success he had meticulously built. Emotions, especially those tied to strangers, were nothing more than unnecessary complications.

And yet, here he was, thinking about her.

A sharp knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. His assistant, Claire, poked her head in, her expression as efficient as ever.

"Mr. Blackwood, your meeting with the board is in ten minutes. Shall I bring the files?"

Ethan nodded, straightening in his seat. "Yes, thank you, Claire. I'll be right there."

She nodded and disappeared, leaving the door slightly ajar. Ethan exhaled, pushing the thoughts of Ava to the back of his mind, locking them away behind the iron-clad walls he had spent years building. He stood, smoothing down his suit jacket and picking up the stack of reports from his desk. It was time to get back to business.

But even as he walked into the boardroom, his steps confident and assured, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted in him, that a crack had formed in the armor he had worn for so long.

---

Across town, Ava was back in her routine, the previous night's encounter feeling like a distant memory as she hurried across campus, her bag heavy with textbooks and her mind racing with the day's to-do list. Classes, work, more work, then maybe—if she was lucky—some sleep before it all started again.

She reached the entrance of her economics class just as the professor was closing the door, slipping inside with an apologetic smile. Her usual seat near the back was taken, so she settled for one in the middle, the faces around her familiar but distant. These were her classmates, people she saw every day, but few of them knew her beyond a polite nod or a shared assignment. She didn't have the luxury of friendships, not when every minute of her day was accounted for.

As the lecture began, Ava's thoughts drifted back to the night before, to the man who had given her a ride. Ethan Blackwood. She hadn't recognized him at first, but later, as she lay in bed replaying the events of the day, the name had clicked. He was a name in the business world, someone she had read about in passing in articles that felt worlds away from her reality. And yet, he had been kind to her, treating her with a respect she hadn't expected from someone in his position.

Why had he offered her a ride? And why couldn't she stop thinking about it?

Ava shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the lecture. Daydreaming about someone like Ethan was pointless. Their worlds were too different, their lives too far apart. She had her own problems to solve, her own future to build, and there was no room in that future for distractions.

But as she took notes, her pen scratching across the paper, a small part of her couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see him again, to find out if the connection she had felt was real or just a figment of her tired, overworked mind.

---

Later that evening, as the sun dipped low in the sky, painting the city in hues of orange and gold, Ava found herself back at the diner, her apron tied tightly around her waist as she moved between tables, taking orders and refilling coffee cups. The regulars were there, their faces a comforting constant in her chaotic life, but tonight she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different.

As she cleared a table near the window, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking past the diner, tall and unmistakably out of place in this part of town. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized him—Ethan, his silhouette framed against the fading light.

For a moment, she thought she was imagining it, that her mind was playing tricks on her. But then he turned, his eyes catching hers through the glass, and the world seemed to pause.

Ethan hadn't intended to walk past the diner. In fact, he had no reason to be in this part of town again. But after a day spent fighting to keep his thoughts in check, he had found himself here, as if drawn by some invisible force he couldn't explain.

When he saw her, standing there with a tray in her hands, the faintest smile on her lips, he knew he had made the right choice. The doubts that had plagued him all day fell away, leaving only the certainty that this—whatever this was—was something he needed to explore.

He pushed open the door, the bell above it jingling softly, and stepped inside. The diner's warm, cozy atmosphere wrapped around him, a stark contrast to the sterile, controlled environments he was used to.

Ava stood frozen for a second, her heart racing as he approached. She hadn't expected to see him again, especially not so soon, and certainly not here. But as he drew closer, she realized that part of her had hoped for this, that she had been waiting for something to happen, for this moment to come.

"Fancy seeing you here," Ethan said, his voice light, but his eyes serious as they held hers.

Ava managed a smile, though her mind was spinning. "I could say the same to you. What brings you to this part of town?"

He hesitated, as if searching for the right words. "I was in the area… thought I might stop by for a cup of coffee."

Ava's smile widened, despite herself. "In the area, huh? Well, I suppose we can manage that. Have a seat, and I'll be right with you."

Ethan nodded, sliding into a booth near the window, the same one where he had seen her standing. He watched as she moved behind the counter, filling a mug and bringing it over to him. As she set it down in front of him, their eyes met again, and this time, the connection was undeniable.

"Do you always stop by diners on your way home?" Ava asked, her tone teasing but her eyes serious.

Ethan took a sip of the coffee, the warmth spreading through him in a way that felt more comforting than he expected. "Only when I'm looking for good company."

Ava's cheeks flushed, and she looked away, suddenly unsure of herself. This was dangerous territory—she knew that. But the pull she felt toward him was stronger than her fear, stronger than the voice in her head telling her to be careful, to keep her distance.

"Well, you've come to the right place," she said finally, her voice soft. "We've got plenty of that here."

They fell into a companionable silence, the din of the diner fading into the background as they sat across from each other, the world outside forgotten. For the first time in a long time, Ava felt the weight of her responsibilities lift, just a little, replaced by something lighter, something that made her want to believe in possibilities she had long since given up on.

And as they talked, their conversation weaving between casual banter and moments of unexpected depth, both of them felt it—the undeniable spark of something new, something that neither had been looking for but now couldn't imagine letting go of.

Ethan knew he was crossing a line, stepping into a world that wasn't his own. But for the first time in his life, he didn't care. He wasn't thinking about the consequences, about what people might say, about the life he had so carefully constructed. All he knew was that, here in this small, unassuming diner, he had found something real, something worth holding onto.

And Ava, despite all her reservations, felt the same. As she looked into his eyes, she knew that whatever happened next, whatever challenges they might face, this was the beginning of something that could change everything.

For better or for worse, their worlds were about to collide.