Old Love Sunk in Time Chapter 1

The day the students got into a fight was the day I saw Liam again, ten years after he’d shattered my life.

The boy who’d thrown the punch was wiping away tears, calling him “Dad.”

Liam froze when he saw me, his face a mask of shock. It took him a long moment to remember his manners.

“Ms. Rhodes,” he managed, his voice strained. “I’m so sorry for the trouble.”

I kept my expression professionally placid, handling the apologies and the matter of compensation with detached efficiency. When everything was settled and the other parent had left, he lingered, hovering at the edge of my desk, words caught in his throat.

“I remember you never wanted to be a teacher,” he said, his voice quiet.

A faint smile touched my lips as I walked him to the office door. “People change. So do their plans.”

Just like my feelings for him. A chapter I’d closed a long, long time ago.

* * *

The squabble between the children was a flash flood—it came fast, and it was over just as quickly. The two boys were already laughing as they ran out of the office, the other mother trailing behind them.

Only Liam remained, standing there, his gaze fixed on me. It wasn’t exactly a burning stare, but it was far from calm.

“Have you… have you been okay, all these years?”

My smile didn’t waver. It was the same polite, impersonal smile I gave every parent. “The workload is heavy, but thankfully, the students are well-behaved for the most part.” I nodded towards the door. “Mr. Blackwood, you should talk with Leo when you get home. He admitted he was wrong this time, but if he hits another child, the next set of parents might not be so understanding.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. He abruptly changed the subject. “I mean, in all this time, have you ever…”

“Dad!”

A child’s voice echoed from the end of the hall. I instinctively took a step back.

“Come on, let’s go home! Mom’s gonna be mad if we’re late!”

The rest of his question died on his lips, swallowed back down. My smile remained perfectly in place. “Drive safe, Mr. Blackwood.”

By the time I turned back to my desk, he was gone.

Lena, the math teacher, bustled in, dropping a stack of papers on her own desk. “Leo Blackwood getting into another fight?” she asked casually.

My pen paused over a worksheet. “Another?”

“Oh, right, I forgot you just transferred here. You don’t know the legend of Leo. He’s the little hellion of the third-grade class.” She rolled her eyes. “Gets sent to the office almost every week. The weird thing is, he’s always sorry. Cries his eyes out, begs for punishment, says he’ll never do it again. And then, next week, rinse and repeat.” She sighed. “Makes you wonder what’s going on at home.”

Frowning, I pulled up Leo Blackwood’s student file.

Father: Liam Blackwood.

Mother: Phoebe Shaw.

“You know Nexus Innovations, the big tech firm downtown? That’s his dad’s company,” Lena chattered on. “And his mom owns that chic art gallery over on fifth. They’re the perfect power couple—a brilliant entrepreneur and a celebrated artist. You’d think they’d produce a prodigy, but instead, they got a little demon spawn.”

Lena clicked her tongue and slid a form across my desk. “Oh, by the way, the principal noticed you only listed yourself under family contacts. He said you need to complete it.”

I gave a soft “Mm,” my eyes still on the screen. “I grew up in a group home. I don’t have any other family.”

“Oh.” Lena’s face fell. “Oh, I’m so sorry… I’ll just… I’ll take this back to him later.”

She busied herself with her papers, though I could feel her stealing guilty glances at me. Finally, she mustered the courage to speak again. “It’s okay, Ms. Rhodes. Really. One day you’ll fall in love, get married… you’ll have a family of your own.”

She even started showing me pictures of her single friends, offering to set me up.

I shook my head, thanking her for her kindness. “I was in love, once. A long time ago. I almost had a family.”

“What happened?”

I just smiled, saying nothing more.

What happened was he built a family with someone else, and I was left alone all over again.

Lena’s face soured with disgust. “Let me guess, you ran into a real piece of work. Where’d you find him, in a dumpster? The city sewer?”

Her bluntness made me laugh, my gaze drifting back to the file on my screen, to the name under the “Father” category.

The sound of children shouting on the playground faded into a distant hum, and suddenly, I was back in my freshman year of high school. The first time I met Liam, it was also because of a fight.

I’d punched a classmate for calling me an orphan.

He’d beaten up the gym captain for calling him a jinx.

Two stubborn kids, refusing to apologize, with no parents to call. We were made to stand together by the flagpole, a public spectacle for the entire school to see.

As the principal’s lecture droned on, Liam noticed the cotton stuffed in my nose and the cut on my index finger, still oozing blood from a piece of shattered glass.

His dark eyes narrowed. “You lost?”

I bit my lip. “I skipped breakfast. Wasn’t at my best. Next time, I’ll make him beg for mercy.”

He paused for a beat, then said with an air of casual confidence, “Next time you get into a fight, find me first. I’ll make sure you win.”

Lena leaned forward, her hand propping up her chin. “So you fought because of some jerk classmate. Why was he fighting?”

I rubbed the faint scar on my index finger, my eyes moving from the word “Father” down to the next of kin listed in his old school files.

Grandmother.

“His father died when he was young. His grandparents passed away in elementary school, and his mother got sick in middle school. His tuition was paid for by handouts from relatives and neighbors.”

“Everyone at school said he was cursed. A jinx.”

Lena’s jaw dropped. After a long moment, she let out a heavy sigh. “A pair of lost souls.”

I pressed my lips together.

The truth was, after we both got into a top university, our pair of lost souls became a trio.

My best friend, whom I hadn’t seen in years, ended up at the same school. She came running toward me, giddy with excitement, and accidentally crashed right into Liam.

The milk tea he’d made for me splashed all over both of them.

Worried their first impression would be ruined, I rushed to introduce them.

“This is my boyfriend, Liam.”

“Liam, this is my best, best friend from the group home, Phoebe.”