It was supposed to be her quiet time.
Noa had exactly forty minutes before her next assignment. She planned to spend it with her headphones, her overpriced iced coffee, and a painfully sweet slice of convenience store cheesecake.
She did *not* plan for Ren Kurosawa to walk into the same café, spot her instantly, and wave like an idiot.
"Oh no," she muttered, already regretting her life.
He plopped into the seat across from her without asking. "This is destiny."
"This is stalking."
"This," Ren said, lifting his finger like he was about to declare a law, "is a city with 14,000 cafés. And yet. Here we are."
"Because it's the only one near the studio."
"Shhh. Don't ruin the magic."
Noa took a deep breath, removed one earbud, and gave him her most exhausted stare. "Don't you have friends to bother?"
"They're all busy pretending to be productive."
"And you?"
"I'm productive. I'm here bothering you."
She tried to ignore the small smile tugging at the edge of her lips.
—
Ren ordered a hot coffee. It arrived lukewarm.
He took a sip and immediately made a face like he was having a vision.
"This coffee tastes like betrayal."
"You ordered the cheapest thing on the menu."
"Still. I expected basic loyalty."
Noa smirked. "This is why you can't be trusted with expectations."
"Oh? And you?"
"I expect disappointment. Life rarely fails me."
He laughed—like genuinely laughed, and for a second Noa forgot she was supposed to be annoyed.
They sipped in silence for a while. The café was small, buzzing with quiet chatter and distant clinks of ceramic. It was oddly cozy.
Ren tapped the table once. "You always like this?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"You know. Sharp. Blunt. Deadpan doom girl."
"I don't do small talk."
"That's not a no."
She looked away, then back. "I just don't like pretending to be someone I'm not."
He nodded slowly. "I like that."
Silence.
Noa stared at her coffee. "Most people don't."
"They're cowards."
She huffed a quiet laugh.
For the first time since they'd met, the silence between them wasn't awkward.
—
When the clock hit five minutes to call time, Noa stood up and gathered her things.
Ren followed, stretching his arms. "So... was that our first actual conversation?"
She blinked. "Huh. Maybe."
He grinned. "Good to know. You're surprisingly tolerable."
"Don't get used to it."
They walked out of the café side by side.
Same pace.
No bumping into each other this time.
But somehow… they still didn't walk apart.