Chances for Serendipity

by Natalie Chung

  “Through the Millers?” I guessed, my mind spinning from the influx of new information. He never did end up telling me how he found out about my family’s bakery.

  “Yeah. Rose had a magazine lying on the dining table, and I found a photo of you in it.”

  Oh my gosh. That embarrassing magazine? “But I still don’t get it. How did I make an impact on you that day? And please don’t say it was because I physically impacted your head when I accidentally hit you with the tennis ball.”

  His laugh came out as a half-snort. “No, I’m being serious.” His eyebrows pulled together. “Do you remember when I asked how someone would know if they really liked something if they’d been doing it their whole life?”

  My throat clogged up as my brain pieced everything together.

  He hadn’t really known if he actually liked tennis or not, and he’d asked me—a complete stranger at the time—for advice.

  “You told me the best way to know was to try to live without it. That if I ended up still thinking about it a lot, that meant I really did like it. So that’s what I decided to do. I told my dad I wanted the rest of December off from tennis, or I was out for good. I actually missed playing tennis during that time, so it made me decide to stick with it.”

  I never would’ve guessed that had made such a profound effect on his life.

  “I’ve always wondered though,” he said. “You said your dad taught you that. Did you not know whether you liked something or not? Was it to do with baking?”

  “No.” Well, that wasn’t completely true. “I mean, it was to do with baking, but my dad never gave me that advice. Not directly.” I gulped, thinking back to the reason why I’d told Aiden it was because of Dad. “It was…it was a few months after he passed away.” The pain had still been so raw back then, the gaping hole Dad had left in our lives a wound that couldn’t be healed. “We’d been thinking of selling the bakery. My mum didn’t think we’d do a good job running it without my dad.”

  “What changed her mind?”

  “Me.” I’d woken up one day with the urge to feel flour under my fingers, to open the oven and smell freshly baked tarts and buns. So I baked. Mum followed soon after seeing me do it. We baked and baked and then cried together.

  We’d realised that however painful it was to live without Dad, we also couldn’t live without our bakery.

  Reciting all of this to Aiden was a different kind of pain altogether. Like talking about a broken leg long after the incident had happened. I could remember feeling the deep ache so clearly. But presently? I didn’t know how to describe it. Only that what I felt now was different. The pain of Dad’s passing, of him not being here, would never leave. It was something that didn’t adhere to time healing all wounds, something I’d just learned to accept. Something that had become a part of me. But Dad’s memory, his wisdom—it lived on in me.

  It was why I could say to Aiden with utmost certainty, “My dad would’ve liked you. I mean, he would’ve liked you anyway as a tennis player, but I think he definitely would’ve liked you as a person too. He would have loved your sense of humour and how hardworking you are.”

  “Serendipity,” Aiden said. The way he said my name sparked something to life inside me. It ignited my soul, unfurling that same feeling over my whole body. All along, I recognised this feeling. Recognised it, but refused to believe it. But with him in front of me now…

  I shivered at his laser focus on me. Before, I would have looked away. Now, I stared back into those hazel eyes, the familiar butterfly flutters coursing through my stomach. “Yes?” I whispered.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.” He bit his bottom lip. “The challenge… You should have won it, not me.”

  “What do you mean? Didn’t I win?” Wasn’t that why we’d spent the day together?

  “I’m not talking about this challenge. I mean the last one. In December.”

  That made no sense. “Why should I have won? I thought we agreed you won by default since your dad never replied.” The old grouch. Unless… “Wait. Are you saying he finally replied to your email?”

  “No.” Aiden’s eyes darted over me, then he grimaced and glanced away. “That’s the thing. I never sent him the email in the first place.”

  What? It took a moment for his words to sink in. Had he purposely lied to win the challenge? “Why?”

  A pained look overtook his face. “I guess some part of me doesn’t want to forgive my dad for what’s done, even if he ever shows remorse for it. He—I feel like it’s been a long time since he’s treated me like his son. For once, I want him to worry about me as a person, not me as a tennis player.”

  I gaped at him, wanting to say something to comfort him. But any words I might have conjured up were lost to me. Though he’d divulged some details about his dad’s actions last year, I’d never really known the extent of injury they’d had on him. How much he had really felt.

  “Also…” He cringed. “I think you had the wrong idea about something I did. The day I got mad at my dad, I posted a bunch of stupid stuff online to scare him into thinking I would quit tennis. That’s why you challenged me, right? But that was never really the plan. I like tennis, and I want to continue playing. I just don’t want my dad to be involved in it anymore. I want him to act more like my dad, you know? Hopefully, as soon as I can find myself a new coach, he’ll have no other choice but to stop coaching me.”

  His revelation hit me like a tennis ball to the back of my head. “You never planned on quitting tennis?” I’d basically challenged him for nothing. “You—why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I had so much fun doing the challenge with you, I didn’t want it to stop. And I was so annoyed at my dad. I wasn’t ready to bare my soul to him.”

  An ache sprung in my chest as I looked into his sorrowful eyes. In spite of him withholding the truth from me and lying, I couldn’t find it in myself to be angry.

  Before I could think twice, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace. The heat of his body engulfed me, the earthy scent of his cologne teasing my nostrils. “It’s okay. It’s okay to feel mad at your dad and not want to forgive him. What you want matters. If he really doesn’t care about you and refuses to see it, then he doesn’t deserve to be in your life.”

  His body trembled, then his arms looped around my middle and squeezed. “He might not deserve me, but I don’t deserve you.” He buried his face in the crook between my neck and shoulder. “How can you forgive me so easily for lying to you?”

  My pulse picked up speed like I was running down a steep hill. The words tumbled out from my mouth. “Because I lied to you too.”

  His hold on me loosened. “What do you mean?”

  I worked my jaw, but hesitation took hold of me.

  This wasn’t easy. Not like baking. You followed the recipe, and voilà. Done. If you messed something up, then you could start the recipe again from scratch.

  Love, on the other hand, was not so easy. You didn’t really know what you were getting yourself into. There was no recipe to follow, no exact measurements. Sometimes there were no opportunities to start over. But you didn’t know until you tried. I’d been afraid of trying, for fear of being rejected again. Of finding out I wasn’t good enough. It took me a while to realise that it had never even been about me. Nothing had been wrong with me, except for this fear holding me back.

  Suddenly, Aiden’s catchphrase came to mind—embrace the unknown.

  I remembered pondering over the meaning of those words. How could I embrace something I didn’t even know? But it all made sense now. Embracing the unknown meant to stop being so afraid of a future you had no control over. To take chances so I could live my life with no regrets. And with all the chances I’d taken during the past week, I hadn’t regretted any of them.

  “Sere? What did you lie about?”

  I opened my mouth to speak. I lied when I told you that you were mistaken about my feelings. That was all I had to
say. So why did my tongue lock up and refuse to say it?

  Tugging myself free from his embrace, I pulled away so that we were no longer pressed flush against each other. Instead, I had the perfect view of his face. Eyebrows knitted together, hazel eyes filled with concern, his lips pressed in a thin line. Seeing him like this undid me, letting loose the torrent of feelings I’d bottled up inside myself.

  Gathering my courage, I closed the distance between us. “This,” I said, and kissed him.

  It was everything I remembered and more.

  His lips pressed against mine, soft but firm. My eyes fluttered closed, and my hands found their way to his hair, fingers weaving through the tousled strands. His own hand moved to cup the back of my head, preventing me from pulling away. Not that I’d want to ever pull away. My heart yearned for more.

  As if sensing that, Aiden moved his lips more urgently on mine. His free hand skimmed over my back, sending shock waves rippling across my skin. Heat pooled in my stomach, my entire body melting from his touch. His hand continued to trail upward, leaving behind a molten pathway of heat in its wake.

  When we finally pulled apart, panting for breath, awe filled his rounded eyes. “You lied about your feelings?” Uncertainty lingered in his voice. “Why?”

  The truth came out of me, unbidden and raw. “I was scared of getting into another relationship. I thought it wouldn’t end well. And…I thought you might have been mistaken about your feelings for me.”

  He huffed loudly. “I’m not mistaken.” He took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  My body stilled at his touch.

  “You’re like nobody I’ve ever met, Sere. You challenge me in so many ways. You made me realise I should be happy with what I have instead of being upset at what I don’t have. Except…” He squeezed my hand again. “I still can’t believe it.” His thumb brushed my cheek. “I’m not dreaming, am I?”

  I smiled and hugged him tightly, pure joy suffusing every fibre of my being at his confession. “If you’re dreaming, then I’m dreaming too. Just embrace the unknown.”

  Aiden laughed, a loud chuckle that sounded like music to my ears, as he hugged me back. “We’ll embrace it, Serendipity. Together.”

  Epilogue

  One year later (24 years old)

  “Thanks for offering to drive, Gor Gor,” I said, buckling my seatbelt.

  “Meh, it’s fine.” Max turned the key in the ignition, letting the car rumble to life. “Who else would drive you? Ma’s so emotional right now that she’ll probably start crying.”

  I looked out the window to see, true to his word, Mum sniffing into a tissue, gazing forlornly at us. With the way she was acting, people would’ve thought I was leaving her forever instead of only a few months. But this would be the longest I’d ever been away from home.

  Max let out a wistful sigh. “I still can’t believe you’re going to New York.”

  “Don’t forget Mexico and Miami.” Travelling with Aiden to his next few ATP tournaments was going to be my big holiday away from work.

  Starting my own business from nothing and trying to make it something? Not easy. Creating an online shop with an enticing selection of goods and promoting it all had taken its toll on me. I was intent on including original recipes of my own, like the strawberry-choc custard tarts. That meant baking a lot with trial and error.

  Business was slowly coming together now, but it was also time for a well-deserved break. And, okay—I really missed Aiden.

  A loud rap on the car window made me jolt upward.

  Mum peered in through the glass. Her mouth moved, but the words were muffled by the car engine. I pressed the button to roll down the window.

  “Did you remember to bring everything? Passport, mobile phone, charger?” she asked.

  “Yep. I got everything.”

  “Everything except a boyfriend who’ll drive you to the airport,” Max butted in.

  “Hey!” I elbowed him. He didn’t sound grouchy about it, so I knew he wasn’t actually upset at having to take me there. But I’d pretend to be offended for Aiden’s sake, even if he wasn’t around to hear it.

  Mum shot Max a stern look. “Don’t be rude, Max. Aiden is a good boyfriend. He’s just busy. I’m only sad he couldn’t make it to our reopening day.”

  I hummed in agreement. Aiden had spent almost every day with me last month, but I’d convinced him to go to Melbourne a week ago, ahead of the Australian Open, to give him time to practice and prepare for the Grand Slam.

  “It’s not like he won’t come back to see the bakery later. In fact, he’ll probably bring in more business for us.” Max mimed taking a photo with a camera.

  “Ugh, don’t remind me.” Though we’d been discreet about our relationship, the media had eventually caught wind of it. Now pesky paparazzi wandered about whenever Aiden returned to Sydney. As much as I initially disliked photos of my face on the internet, I was weirdly getting used to it now and made sure to steer clear of most public places whenever Aiden was here.

  “It’s okay,” Mum said. “More business for the bakery is good. I don’t care if they take photos since everything looks so nice now.”

  Yeah, that was one positive way to see it. The bakery looked almost like a brand new shop now that renovations were done. Max and I had grouped our sizable savings to pay for the renovations, making Mum the happiest she’d been in years.

  “We better get going,” Max said. “Wouldn’t want you to miss the plane.”

  Mum gave me an awkward half-hug through the open window. “You take care, sweetie. Call me when your plane arrives in Melbourne.”

  “I will, Mum. Bye! See you in a few months!”

  We waved to each other until Max pulled out of the parking spot and drove off. I eyed her in the passenger-side mirror, watching her dab at her face with a tissue. Poor Mum. Sometimes she got emotional like that. At least she had both Max and Ming to keep her company while I was gone.

  Soft music trickled out from the car speakers, filling up our silence for most of the ride. I recognised some as Disney songs Ming liked to hum while baking. As the last notes of A Whole New World faded out, our car slowed to a stop at a traffic light.

  Max drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “So, Dippy. You’re happy with Aiden?”

  Uh, was that even a question? “Yeah, of course I’m happy.” Happy didn’t even cover half of what I felt. I was elated. Treasured. Loved.

  Long-distance relationships were definitely hard, but it also made me appreciate the time we did have together. Maybe people would say that magic wouldn’t last forever, that we were still in the honeymoon phase. That wouldn’t stop me from enjoying every moment I had though. I’d worried enough about potential bad things happening to me. As Aiden would say—embrace the unknown.

  “That’s good.” Max cleared his throat, readjusting his glasses. “I’m proud of you…and Ba would be proud of you too.”

  My mouth fell open. Was I hearing him right? “Um, what? Where’s my gor gor, and what did you do with him?” My older brother declaring he was proud of me was as likely to happen as him giving up early in a challenge.

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. You’ve turned your life around since last year. Ba would be proud of how far you’ve come.”

  I melted at the rare praise. “I think he’d be prouder of you. I mean, you’ve come a long way since your computer-addicted days.”

  “Hah. Thanks. High praise from you, Dippy.”

  “You’re welcome.” We both laughed. Then, because I couldn’t help teasing him, I added, “But I think Ming deserves most of the credit.”

  A huge smile split across his face. “Yeah, I’m lucky to have her. You know, I think I lucked out a lot really, with following through on my promises to Ba.”

  “Promises?” More than one promise? “What—”

  Beep! A loud honk from the car behind us broke the conversation. Max stepped on the accelerator, causing me to lurch back into my seat.
>
  I ended up holding my tongue for the rest of the trip, not wanting to cause an accident. Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the airport.

  Max eased the car to a stop at the departures section. I hopped out and stretched my stiff legs while he grabbed my luggage from the back passenger seat and deposited it at my feet. “Well, guess I’ll see you in a few months, Dippy.”

  “Wait a sec.” I jabbed a finger at his chest. “What was that about following through on your promises?” I had to ask him now while I had the chance. “I thought you only promised Dad to keep the bakery alive.”

  Max winced. “Nope. I, uh, also promised to make sure you and Ma are happy.”

  No way.

  I wouldn’t have guessed that at all. But it made sense. Max was the eldest, and the only man left in the family. Basically the one who should hold all the responsibilities in the household, according to Chinese tradition.

  Max toed the ground with his sneaker, avoiding my eyes. “I know what you’re going to say. That I did a crap job of my promise.”

  “No.” I sighed. “You didn’t do a crap job. You looked after the bakery when I didn’t.” He’d also helped Mum hire Ming and worked during weekends to ensure the bakery didn’t close down. “Plus you helped me make a website for my business. You’ve done more than you realise.”

  “Geez. Thanks, Dippy.” He flashed me a grateful smile, then glanced at his watch. “You better get going.”

  “Right.” I pulled out the handles of my luggage bags. “Thanks, Gor Gor. See you in a few months.”

  “Bye.” He took a step forward and patted my head. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”

  I laughed and swatted his hand away. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I will.”

  “Game, set, and match, Andale. 7–6, 6–4, 6–3,” the umpire announced.

  I leapt up in my seat and clapped along with the raucous cheers of the crowd. Aiden raised his racket, waving it to the audience.