Writing Prompt: Write about two people who meet at the wrong time but share an undeniable connection. How do their choices, secrets, and missed moments shape their futures? What if just a few minutes could have changed everything?
I know a poet who was in love with a woman who didn't know it. He would lie awake at night, fantasizing about her while his wife snored softly beside him. Because he was a poet, his fantasies were elaborate, painted in countless colors and textures that only made him want her more. It wasn’t just physical desire—he imagined the life they could have built together if only he had met her two years before he met his wife. Funny how life works that way.
Two years ago, he attended a Christmas party with his friends, only to run into who he thought was the love of his life. Six months ago, he realized she wasn’t. This new woman had awakened something inside of him that he hadn’t known was there. He had spent his life embodying the persona of the "Good Man"—loving, supportive, always playing by the book. He was a devoted husband, father to twins, and stepfather to two boys.
Six months ago, at a charity event, he was hired to perform spoken word and his world flipped upside down. While searching for a seat, he accidentally bumped into her. Apologizing profusely, she forgave him, introduced herself, and he did the same. They ended up sitting together, engaging in small talk that quickly turned into laughter, inside jokes, and her expressing admiration for his poetry. She had no idea what an indelible impression she had left on him in that brief encounter. She walked out of the event and went on with her life, while he was left lovestruck after a mere two-hour conversation.
That night, when he returned home, he scoured the internet and social media, searching for her. He discovered she was a writer with a bestselling novel that had been circulating for years. She was family-oriented, God-fearing, and, most importantly, appeared to be single. He hit the follow button on Instagram—then immediately retracted it, thinking, "What am I doing?" After hours of searching, it dawned on him: he was married, and fantasizing about a stranger was crazy. He put his phone away.
But although he had unfollowed her, he woke up the next morning to see a follow request from her, accompanied by a DM: "Good morning. I hope you don’t mind that I looked you up. It was great meeting you. Have a great day."
"Damn," he thought to himself. "And she’s polite too." His desire reignited. After contemplating how to respond respectfully, he simply replied, "Good morning, I don’t mind at all. How is your morning going?"
That DM turned into an all-day conversation. He got ready for work, made breakfast for his family, went to work, had lunch, got a haircut, picked up the kids, had dinner with his family—all while messaging her the entire time.
They talked about life, God, favorite books, career origins, and shared crazy family stories. Talking to her was effortless, unlike with his wife, who rarely responded to his messages and constantly reminded him of the man he needed to be. With Arya, he felt like himself. They had so much in common. For months, their Instagram messages evolved into daily conversations about everything—bad days, small victories, and more inside jokes. He shared every detail of his life—except for the fact that he was married.
At first, he had planned to tell her, but as their conversations continued, he hesitated. It would be awkward now—why hadn't he mentioned it earlier? His Instagram reflected only his children, not his wife, who had little interest in social media.
Then came his third wedding anniversary. He and his wife went to dinner, only to run into her at the entrance. Her eyes widened, going in for a hug, only to be met with a stern stare from his wife. He fumbled nervously, "Hey, nice to see you. This is my wife, Evelyn. Evelyn, this is my colleague, Arya." Both women exchanged surprised glances, each realizing the other’s existence. "We’re celebrating our third anniversary," he added to break the silence.
Arya quickly recovered. "Oh! Happy anniversary. Well, I have to get inside to meet my friends. Enjoy your dinner."
Dinner was silent. Evelyn ordered wine after wine, barely touching her food. Attempts to break the ice failed. That night was even colder—his wife slept on the basement couch. He reached for his phone, but Arya hadn’t messaged him. He put it back down and went to sleep.
The next day, Evelyn finally asked about Arya. The poet swore she was just someone he met at the event, which was technically true. But Evelyn had seen the way his eyes lit up when he saw her—something she had never seen directed at her. She searched for reasons why. He reassured her that he loved her, but she saw in his eyes that he was longing for something she couldn’t give. Their marriage began to decline.
In response, Evelyn changed. She reinvented herself, trying to become the woman she thought he wanted. They went on more dates, had adventurous sex—but none of it won his heart. Arguments followed, because the truth was, she just wasn’t Arya. Though he hadn’t spoken to Arya in months, he still thought about her. He followed her under an alias because Arya has blocked him on Instagram, not reaching out—just wanting to see her life from a distance.
Meanwhile, Evelyn was spiraling, feeling inadequate. On Instagram, he watched Arya release another bestseller and prepare for a book tour. He debated attending but decided against it. That same day, Evelyn came home in tears—she had been attacked on her way home. The poet shifted his focus to comforting her and dealing with the aftermath. By the time it was over, so was Arya’s book tour.
Three years passed. One morning, the poet woke up with a newfound determination to take control of his life. He had to stop pretending. He loved Evelyn but had not been in love with her for years. Staying out of guilt was torture for both of them. She deserved someone who loved her for who she was.
As he prepared to break the news, Evelyn walked into the kitchen with a radiant smile. "We’re pregnant!" she announced. His eyes widened—not with excitement, but with crushing disappointment. This wasn’t part of his plan. He hugged her, faked enthusiasm, and left for work.
Skipping breakfast, he stopped at a coffee shop near his job. Distracted by his phone, he bumped into someone. Looking up to apologize, he saw Arya. Both were stunned. "You really need to look up before you hurt someone," she teased. They laughed, embraced, and realized they were headed to the same café.
"Are you eating here?" she asked.
He lied. "Yeah."
They sat together, talking for hours, as if no time had passed. This time, he told her about his marriage—everything except Evelyn’s pregnancy. She shared details of her book tour, and he pretended it was the first time hearing about it.
"I have a question," he said.
"Ask away."
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
She smiled. "I’m over it. So much time has passed. And honestly, nothing romantic was ever really there. Maybe I overreacted."
What she didn’t tell him was that she was engaged.
He accepted her answer but never asked to be unblocked from Instagram. He just hoped she would do it eventually. He debated confessing his feelings and standing up in the middle of the coffee shop reciting one of the countless poems he had written about her. Instead, they hugged and parted ways.
As he walked away, he realized he was a man of words, not action. He chose to stay with his family, never knowing that Arya felt the same way about him. He would never know that, on the night he introduced her to his wife, she had planned to confess her love.
As they walked in opposite directions, each daydreamed of what could have been—unaware of how much difference a single day, or even five minutes, could've made.
Challenge: Use the writing prompt to create a story or continue this one. To have your story published on the site, email me at info@beyourownkind.com.
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