Serendipity

AN: I'm back! So this is an idea that I couldn't get out of my head. I love the idea that whatever path life took them down, they were destined to find one another. I'm not sure how old Charles is supposed to be in the show, I'm guessing 45 – which is what I'm going with for this story, 4 years older than Liza.

I loved how the show showed us that Charles and Liza were destined to find each other, that even if Liza had never gone to work for Empirical, they would have been introduced by Bob and Julia anyway :) So this is an idea I had based on this and the theory that everything happens for a reason, and at the time that it's supposed to happen. Charles and Liza were always meant find each other, but what if they'd met before? A series of moments over 23 years, leave indelible imprints on them. It wasn't their time then, but the world kept ensuring their paths overlapped, so that when it was their time – they'd know.

I was originally planning on a one-shot, but I've always been a bit of an over-achiever and so this has turned into a five-shot! I'll update daily/ bi-daily :)

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Younger, it's characters or any canon text.

June 5th 1995: Princeton

CHARLES

His fingers trembled as he straightened his tie for probably the fifth time. It was a purple paisley – he wasn't quite sure why, but it was his favourite. He exhaled deeply as he checked his appearance in the mirror of his college dorm room. Navy suit – crisp and not a wrinkle in sight, favourite tie – check, hair – slightly unruly but presentable, an entire butterfly farm fluttering around in his stomach…definitely check! He was nervous. He was graduating today, summa cum laude, but what was really nerve wracking was that he was giving the valedictory speech – in front of a few thousand people. To anyone on the outside looking in, he appeared confident and socially skilled, but in reality he was a very private and shy person. So whilst being valedictorian was a huge honour, especially at Princeton, it also scared the crap out of him.

His speech was safely tucked away in his jacket pocket. He wasn't 100% sure about it though, whether it was interesting enough, whether it was too long or too short, but it was too late to do anything about it now. He was pushing it for time – he knew that, but he just needed a few more minutes of solitude to build himself up.

"Hey Upchuck! Come on man, your parents are ready to send out a search party! You can't be late for your own speech." Charles sighed – so much for solitude.

"Alright, I'm coming. Just…give me a minute. I'll meet you down there."

In a rare moment of understanding and solidarity, Jay – who usually spent his time teasing him, clapped him on the back in encouragement and smiled. "OK, but if you're not down in 10 minutes I'm gunna stop running interference with your parents."

Charles chuckled, "Thanks."

Jay smiled and turned back to him just before he reached the door. "And Charles, stop worrying about your speech – you'll do great." That meant a lot to Charles, especially considering Jay had actually used his real name. "Plus, even if it's really bad, none of the females in the audience are actually gunna hear a word you say anyway because they'll be too busy staring at that annoyingly attractive face of yours." And there it was – the Jay he had been used to for the past four years. He rolled his eyes good naturedly as Jay left him alone again. Jay had always joked about the effect he had on women, but he always just shrugged it off, not understanding what all the fuss was about.

He took one last deep breath for courage then grabbed his cap and gown, that were folded neatly on his bed, and hurried out of the dorms. So caught up was he in stressing about his speech as he headed across the courtyard, that he didn't notice the dark-haired young woman who was dragging a suitcase whilst simultaneously reading a book, and obliviously heading directly for him. He noticed her however when she crashed right into his chest, the impact surprising her and knocking her slight frame backwards. He reached out just in time to catch her arm and prevent her from falling. The jolts of electricity that shot through his veins when his skin touched hers surprised him. He was pretty sure she felt it too because she took a sharp intake of breath. As their gazes met, it was his turn to catch his breath as he noticed just how beautiful she was. It took him a few moments of staring before he remembered his manners.

"I-I'm so sorry – this was my fault, I was in a world of my own and wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?"

The woman smiled at him and his heart did a little flutter in his chest that he'd never felt before. "It's okay – really. I wasn't looking where I was going either – that'll teach me to walk and read at the same time!"

Charles chuckled and looked down at her hand that was still holding her book. He blushed when he realised he was still holding onto her arm. Reluctantly he let it go, and if he wasn't mistaken, he was sure there was a flash of disappointment on her face at the loss of contact. He smiled as he registered her choice of reading material. "Look Homeward Angel – no wonder you were distracted" he teased.

She blushed and an adorable rosy hue coloured her cheeks. He mentally slapped himself at the absurdity of the fact he'd only known this woman for five minutes and he was already thinking of her as adorable. "I'm a bit of a bookworm" she admitted.

Charles grinned. "So am I. Although my multitasking skills aren't advanced enough to combine reading and walking."

She giggled and he felt a tingle run down his spine. "Yeah you seemed to be having difficulty just mastering walking without getting into trouble."

Charles laughed, his anxiety over his speech totally gone. He liked this woman – she had a sense of humour and could hold her own. "Touché! Although I do have an excuse for being distracted today." He held up his cap and gown and watched as her eyes widened in delight.

"You're graduating today?!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious and he smiled, "Yeah, I am. It's more my speech that I'm nervous about though."

"You're valedictorian?" He nodded shyly. "Wow! Congratulations - that's incredible! You should be really proud."

Charles smiled warmly at her. "I am - it's a huge honour. It's just the idea of standing up in front of thousands of people and talking about myself, kinda fills me with dread."

She returned his smile, "Yeah, I can understand that. But they chose you for a reason, and you seem like an easy person to talk to - at least I think so. I'm sure you'll be fine. What was your major?"

He didn't know this woman – he didn't even know her name, but her belief in him was comforting. "Thank you. I majored in English."

Her eyes lit up at this. "Really? Me too! At least I will be - I'm interning over the summer with one of the professors, then I'll be a freshman in the fall."

Charles grinned – what were the odds?! "It's a great course - you'll love it" he told her, not understanding why but feeling an inexplicable need to prolong their conversation.

"I hope so. So, do you know what you're going to say in your speech?"

"Well I've written it out, but I'm not sure about some of the content."

She smiled encouragingly at him, "Use me as a sounding board - I'll tell you if I think it'll drop like a lead balloon."

Charles chuckled, "I was going to talk about my favourite book as a child, but I don't want to lie." He was never normally this open and candid with strangers, but for whatever reason, he wanted to share with her.

"Why would you lie?" she asked curiously.

"I was never much of a reader" Charles explained, "but I loved baseball, so I just told everybody that my baseball coach told me that reading would ruin my eyesight and I'd never hit a curveball again. I did read comic books though."

She laughed, "Well if you're going to lie, which I'm not suggesting, because…"

"Because lying is bad" Charles finished for her.

"Uh yes, but in certain cases, acceptable."

"Even necessary. Go on."

"I would go with 'To Kill a Mockingbird'" she suggested.

He loved that she was so well versed in literature. "Excellent idea. I don't think that 'The Hulk' is gonna cut it."

She giggled and he couldn't get enough of that sound. She regarded him curiously and then smiled. "You know what, I think you should go with The Hulk."

Charles grinned, "You're really putting me out on a limb here."

"Well it'll be a Princeton valedictory speech first. Plus, The Hulk is cool!"

Charles laughed, the tension he felt about his speech ebbing away with every moment he spent with her. He opened his mouth to reply but he was interrupted by Jay yelling at him from across the courtyard.

"Upchuck! Come on man – everyone's taking their seats, and I can't keep your parents at bay any longer!"

Charles scowled at his friend and his awful timing. He couldn't care less about speeches right now, he just wanted to carry on talking to this woman. "Alright, I'm coming! I'll meet you in there."

Charles looked apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, I guess I have to go." And he really was sorry.

She smiled warmly at him. "Don't be sorry - it's your graduation, you can't miss your own valedictory speech! You've earned this - go and be amazing, and tell them how reading The Hulk as a child helped you become valedictorian!"

Charles returned her smile, "Thank you. I feel less nervous now. I'm glad I literally bumped into you. I'm Charles by the way."

"I'm Liza" she replied, shaking the hand he'd held out to her. The electric current he'd felt before when their skin touched, rippled through his veins once again as their hands met. He didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to. They held hands for a few seconds longer than would normally be considered customary, before Liza smiled regretfully at him, sensing that their time was coming to an end. "Good luck Charles."

"You too Liza"

They shared one last look before continuing on their way. He paused at the door to the graduation hall and looked back, watching as Liza walked up the steps towards the dorms. His breath caught in his throat when she turned back as well and caught his gaze. She smiled and nodded at him, assuring him that he would be fine. With one last smile at her, he headed inside.

He took her advice and went with The Hulk, and she was right - it went down well. Liza. He had a feeling that he wouldn't forget her. Little did he know then, how true that feeling would be.