Sera's work hours felt slower than usual. Every second seemed weighted with the shadow of Liam standing outside the glass door of the bakery. She could feel it—how his figure lingered on the sidewalk, unmoving, like a storm waiting to break. The chime of the bell above the door rang sharply, making her heart leap half in fear, half in hope that he had come back in.
She smiled at customers, handed receipts, returned change, but her mind was never really there. Every time she saw Liam outside, her breath caught, and her hands instinctively gripped her apron, trying to hold back the urge to either run away or move closer.
Finally, the clock showed closing time. Slowly, Sera removed her apron, exhaled deeply, and tried to gather herself. She reached for her bag, ready to leave. But her steps froze. Liam stood there—next to the lamppost, his hands hidden in his pockets, his face tired yet determined. Seeing him like that, patient yet desperate, made her chest ache.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop. Liam straightened his posture, wanting to speak. "Please, just listen to me—"
But a familiar voice interrupted the tension. "Daniel!"
Clara appeared quickly, her gentle smile hiding the small paper bag in her hands. She approached and handed it over. "You left this at the hospital that day. The doctor said you need to take it."
The word "medicine" echoed cruelly in Sera's ears. She froze, her hands gripping her bag strap until her knuckles turned white. Daniel glanced between the two women, panic flickering in his eyes.
But it was too late. The image of Liam with Clara was etched clearly in her heart. Clara's hand brushed Liam's, her gentle smile lighting up his face, as if every glance and word from him belonged only to her.
Sera swallowed hard, her breath unsteady. She looked at Liam and forced a broken smile. "I have to go. You… already have someone by your side." The words slipped out, though she wanted to stop them, though her heart screamed to stay.
She turned quickly and walked away, her steps echoing on the wet evening pavement. Her heart felt crushed, painful, yet she held back the tears from falling in front of Liam.
Liam stood frozen, his hands clenched in his pockets. He wanted to chase her, to say no one else had taken her place in his heart, but Clara was there, smiling softly. He couldn't stop her from staying close—not in front of Sera.
The next day, Sera continued to avoid him. She didn't reply to his messages, didn't go to the cafe, even refused to look at him in the bakery. Liam's shadow lingered, but she tried to bury it in busyness and routine. Every time she saw him, her heart raced, her mind in chaos.
Yet life moved on, and Sera couldn't completely shut her heart. The rain brought memories—memories of the first time they met under the same drizzle—warm, yet painfully confusing. And now, that memory haunted her again.
She walked along the sidewalk, her steps slow, almost dragged by memories she couldn't escape. Rain soaked her hair, but she didn't care. Every drop seemed to mix the emotions inside her: longing, jealousy, and pain she couldn't explain.
Meanwhile, Liam stood across the street, gazing at the same spot. He thought of Sera, how she always made him feel alive, and how the distance they'd created themselves had become a burden haunting them. He wanted to approach, to reach her, but Clara, misunderstandings, and his own fears kept him frozen.
Days passed with unspoken tension. Sera and Liam passed by each other, interacted in public, but kept their distance. Every smile, every fleeting glance, felt like a test. Sera wondered if her heart was still allowed to hope, while Liam struggled with guilt and his own fear.
One night, Sera sat alone in her room, opening her diary. The words she had written about Liam, about her pain and confusion, made her cry. "Why does it have to be me who feels all this? Does he feel the same?" she wrote, ink dripping.
That night, the rain fell hard. Sera sat by the window, watching droplets streak the glass. She remembered his gentle touch, his soft gaze, the words never spoken. All of it felt like a promise that had never been made, and the pain came because she was too close, yet never acknowledged.
On the other side of town, Liam stood by a cafe window, watching the rain. He thought of Sera, how she could always make him feel alive, and how the distance they created tormented them. He wanted to reach her, to grab her hand, but Clara, misunderstandings, and fear held him back.
Both, separated by an invisible distance, bound by fear and past mistakes, continued to remember each other. They lived in the same city but existed in different worlds—worlds that could only be bridged by courage to face their own feelings.
On another night, Sera found herself back at the cafe, sitting in a quiet corner. Her hands gripped a warm cup of coffee, eyes vacant, staring at the streets outside. She knew Liam might come, or he might not. But her heart waited, hoping, though she didn't know why.
Outside, Liam walked slowly toward the same cafe. He paused, took a deep breath, and said to himself, "I can't keep letting this go. I have to choose, before the chance is gone forever."
The rain that night once again became a silent witness to two hearts that couldn't let go, trapped in a knot of fate that no one knew how to untie. They both knew—distance, misunderstanding, and the past might separate