Fate decides who comes into your life; your heart decides who stays.
"𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝐼𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑑."
[X-Men: First Class - X-Men Apo...
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Fate is a funny thing.
Sometimes, everything works for a reason, pushing people in one direction with gentle nudges, encouraging them and helping them find purpose—a drive. Other times, the world makes it impossible for fate to work, yet it always does. No matter how hard people try, sometimes, events just fall into place. You meet people you always have to meet. You break in ways you were always supposed to break. You fall in love with men, women, humanity because you were always meant to.
Ria has encountered fate many times. She has run from it and towards it with smiles and tears alike. Over her life, she has both loved and hated fate's mysterious ways. It granted her romance and obsession, desire and fear.
Though she runs from her past, Ria knows deep inside her crystalized heart that she only races forward towards the next big event fate has in store for her. Life had never been kind, but she believes in what fate might have waiting for her at the end of each dark tunnel.
Perhaps a new friend awaits her arrival like the regular at the bar she currently works at. Logan, a serious man, had clicked with her instantly since he started frequenting Marv's a bit over a year ago. Maybe he could recognize the restlessness of her soul the way she could see his pain, or maybe they could feel the entwining strings of fate.
It is a day like any other. Logan had arrived early in the morning and is already on his fourth beer. He keeps her occupied with tales of his past; most days, she is thankful to be able to return the favor. In fact, in her many years on this earth, it still shocks her that they had only recently crossed paths, but fate has a way of twisting its patrons.
The bar fills up as it does each day with sad drunks along with the occasional biker gang. Ria likes the gangs. Under the beards and leather jackets, most of them are sweethearts who tip readily with stories of the places they've seen. What worries her today is the group of pool players she hadn't seen before boisterously drinking and playing while she stands across from Logan.
As fate would have it, two more unknown men walk into the bar. One looks as if he could teach, an air of superiority spreading through his presence. The other, with eyes of glass, appears darker—definitely still superior but more inclined to prove it.
A small smile spreads over her face as they instantly look at Logan. "Good luck," she whispers, moving away from the grumpy man to approach the pool table. The noise pauses as the three men turn to her, despite her quiet presence. Without speaking, she takes their empty bottles in her hand and turns to leave.
"Hey, you."
Ria barely contains a roll of her eyes as one of the men leans against the table, shamelessly running his eyes down her figure, lingering on her chest. She hates when people like him stare. "Can I help you?"
