Rejected: A love story-Chapter 159: Odd

...those eyes, that peaceful smile. And even the manner in which she was standing next to Nathan in the photo seemed familiar to her somehow.

Viktoria lightly shook her head as she set Mateo down on the bathroom floor.

"I’m overthinking," she said to herself.

Mateo stretched his arms up. "Lift."

She smiled, lifting him up and placing him on the bathroom counter.

"Let’s brush first," she said, picking up his toothbrush. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Mateo opened his mouth as he was supposed to, still half asleep.

Viktoria brushed his teeth, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the photo. Something about it was bothering her, but she wasn’t frightened, just disturbed.

As she finished rinsing his teeth, her phone rang from the bedroom.

She frowned. "Stay here, might be your daddy," she said to Mateo softly.

He nodded, playing with the edge of his sleeve.

Viktoria went back into the bedroom, retrieving her cell phone from the bed.

The number was unfamiliar, so she hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Hello, good morning."

"Good morning, Miss Viktoria."

"Good morning."

"Hello, Miss Viktoria. This is Alex, and I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Keith. He would like to reschedule the meeting we had scheduled for yesterday."

Viktoria’s eyebrows slightly rose from her face. "Oh?"

"Yes. He’s available tomorrow morning at 10 AM."

Viktoria took a moment before answering, she didn’t expect it to be so soon. Besides, she hadn’t rested properly since they got here. "Yes, it works."

"Perfect. I’ll send you a confirmation email."

"Alright, thank you."

"You’re welcome, Miss Viktoria."

The call ended and Viktoria slowly placed the cell phone back onto the bed.

The next day...? That meant she would see Nathan again...But for some reason, her chest felt slightly tight and she didn’t know why.

"Mummy!" Mateo called from the bathroom.

"I’m coming!" Viktoria replied, putting the cell phone down and heading back into the bathroom.

●●●●●●●●●●

Viktoria and Mateo ate breakfast in the hotel’s dining area. The morning sun was shining in through the large windows, illuminating the area with a warm light.

Mateo was babbling away happily as he ate his toast, occasionally looking up at his mother with big, curious eyes.

Once they had finished breakfast, Viktoria stood up and smoothed out her dress. She knelt down to Mateo’s level and smiled.

"How about we go out and explore a little today, baby?"

Mateo’s eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. "Explore?"

"Yes," Viktoria said. "Well, we’re in America for the first time, right? So let’s go out and see the city, maybe go to a park or two, and some other fun places..."

Mateo clapped his hands excitedly together, almost falling over. "Yes! Go! Go!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Viktoria laughed and lifted him up in her arms. "Okay, okay, calm down, little explorer."

Mateo squirmed in her arms and giggled. "Happy! Look at me mommy!"

Viktoria smiled, and for a moment, the concern about the day before, the picture, the similarity, all dissappeared.

As they exited the hotel lobby and ventured out into the streets, Viktoria held Mateo’s hand tightly. There were a lot of people and cars, and in the distance, the sounds of music played by a street performer wafted through the air.

"Look, baby," Viktoria said, pointing to a colorful water fountain. "Isn’t it pretty?"

Mateo squealed in delight and bounced up and down excitedly. "Pretty! Like mommy!"

Viktoria smiled to herself and let him take the lead for a moment, running a few feet in front of her and turning back to ensure she was behind him.

...

The sun was warm, and the streets were alive with the weekend crowd. Viktoria grasped Mateo’s hand tightly as she stopped at a small ice cream stand. The smell of cones and chocolate filled the air as she ordered for herself and Mateo.

"Chocolate for you, vanilla for me!"

Mateo giggled as he took a small bite of his chocolate cone. "Thank you, mummy!"

As she looked down at Mateo, she noticed a small movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a small boy, probably eight years old or so, staring straight at her. His eyes were intense, curious... and almost familiar.

Mateo seemed to have noticed too. "Mummy...?" Mateo murmured, instinctively hugging her leg.

Viktoria’s smile wavered. She looked puzzled. Why was he looking at her like that? She glanced around quickly on the street. The boy didn’t look familiar to her... and yet there was something eerily familiar about him.

And then she remembered. The boy... he was the same boy in the photograph she saw in Nathan’s office. The boy on Nathan’s shoulders.

But... how? She had assumed that boy was Nathan’s son!

She opened her mouth to call out to him, gesturing with her hand. "Hey... come here..."

The boy looked startled at her gesture. Instead of coming towards her, though, he ran down the street as if frightened, vanishing into the crowd.

Mateo tugged at her sleeve. "Mummy...?"

Viktoria knelt beside Mateo, pushing his hair out of his face. "It ok, baby," she said softly.

Viktoria stood motionless for a moment, her heart racing with an increased tempo. She gazed down the street where the boy had vanished from sight. Her mind was in disarray. Could this really be the same boy from the photo?

"Mummy?" The small voice of Mateo brought Viktoria back to the present.

She looked down at him. His large eyes looked up at her with such innocence. "It’s all right, baby," she said, forcing a smile. "Let’s finish our ice cream."

Mateo nodded his head, though his small hands remained locked tightly onto Viktoria’s dress. Viktoria looked about the street once more before guiding him over to a nearby bench. She needed to sit down, even if just for a minute.

As Mateo continued to enjoy his ice cream, Viktoria sought to clear her head about what had just occurred. The boy’s face, his expression, the way he looked at her... it wasn’t just recognition. It was as if the boy knew her. But how was that possible?