His gaze locked onto her, unwilling, unable, to look anywhere else. The world around him softened: the clink of cutlery, the chatter of customers, even the sound of traffic outside all of it dissolved into a dull hum. The only sound he registered was the soft whoosh of the coffee machine and the gentle swish of Maya's ponytail as she turned her head.
Her hands fascinated him first. The way her fingers curled delicately around the handle of a cup, steady yet gentle, like she was holding something fragile. He noticed the faint trace of milk froth on her knuckle, and before he realized it, his chest tightened. Why did something so small matter so much?
Then his eyes traced her profile. The slight curve of her nose, the way her lips pursed when she focused on pouring, the soft furrow in her brows that disappeared as soon as she set a drink down. She wasn't smiling widely, just a polite, professional smile for strangers, but Ryan caught himself thinking, She deserves to smile for real. She deserves to shine the way she used to.
Every little detail consumed him. The faint wisp of hair that had slipped free from her neatly tied ponytail. The way her lashes lowered when she blinked slowly, as though even blinking was an art only she could master. Even the slight tiredness beneath her eyes, remnants of a sleepless night spent crying, didn't lessen her beauty. If anything, it deepened it, made her look more human, more raw.
Ryan realized with a pang that he had never really looked at her before. Not like this. He had dismissed her, brushed her off, blinded himself to the way she lit up a room. And yet now, standing outside this cafe, he couldn't look away. His eyes clung to her with a desperation he didn't fully understand, as though seeing her was the only proof he was still breathing.
He leaned slightly against the glass, careful not to draw attention, but his heart hammered like he was committing a crime. His throat felt dry. The air felt heavy. It was almost unbearable, this pull he felt, like invisible strings were dragging him toward her.
And the strangest part? For the first time in his life, Ryan Bennett, a man who had never lied, never strayed, never compromised his rules, had chosen this. He had lied about the hospital. Lied to Kai. Lied to himself. Because standing here, watching Maya pour coffee, watching her brush a strand of hair behind her ear, watching her exist felt more urgent, more necessary than anything else.
She looked up briefly, and Ryan instinctively stepped back, his pulse skyrocketing. She hadn't seen him, thankfully. But that fleeting second of panic made him realize something terrifying.
If she catches me… what would I even say?
But even with that thought, his eyes returned to her. Because no matter how much his mind warned him, his heart had already decided Maya was the only thing worth looking at.
Ryan's chest tightened. For the longest time, he had pushed her away, dismissed her, treated her presence as if it were an inconvenience. And yet… here he was. Standing outside like a thief, stealing glances, unable to move, unable to look away. His eyes were glued to her, tracing every detail: the way she tucked her hair back absentmindedly, the way she tilted her head when she listened, the way her lips curved upward when she teased someone. She wasn't trying to be extraordinary. She just was.
And for the first time in his carefully controlled life, Ryan realized he didn't see the customers, he didn't see the baristas moving behind her, he didn't see the people passing by on the street. He only saw Maya. It was terrifying, and it was liberating. He blinked once, twice, but his eyes betrayed him, returning to her, drawn like gravity.
Knock. Knock.
The sound startled him. His body jerked, and he turned his head sharply toward the glass. On the inside, someone had tapped on the windowpane.
It was Alina. She stood there, framed by the morning light filtering through the cafe's glass, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her face was calm, but her eyes… her eyes held the sharpness of someone who understood too much without needing words.
Before someone opened the door, He turned back and tried to cover his face so that Maya couldn't see. But that she wasn't Maya, it was Alina.
But before she opened the door, Ryan went away. Unfortunately, she couldn't see his face. His back was the only thing she remembers. And she knew that it was familiar.
For the next few days, Ryan had been practicing in front of the mirror all morning. ''This time, no mistakes. Just three words: I'm sorry.''
At the café, Maya saw Ryan opening the door and approaching her. At that moment, all she wanted to do was throw him out and say never to come at her sight again, but she was unable to do so ''He is just a customer. That's it. Nothing more.'' She murmured to herself
Maya was wiping a table when he finally approached, holding his coffee cup like it was a trophy. "Maya, listen, I… I want to say something. The thing is that…"
The coffee machine hissed loudly. He leaned forward so she could hear him, but in doing so, his elbow knocked over the entire napkin stand. Whoosh, hundreds of napkins flew into the air like snow. Customers clapped sarcastically, a child squealed with delight, and Maya just… stared at him.
Ryan, mortified, bent to pick them up. But the more he grabbed, the more they slipped from his hands. It looked like he was juggling napkins. His ears burned crimson. Maya snatched a few from the ground, shoved them back on the counter, and muttered, "Do you always create chaos wherever you go, or is it just around me?"
Ryan opened his mouth, but she walked away before he could say anything else. Ryan's second attempt failed!
The next time Ryan spotted Maya shopping at the mall. ''This is it'' he told himself, clutching a small gift bag he'd bought as a peace offering.
She stepped onto the escalator. He rushed to catch up, but in his hurry, his shoelace got stuck in the side panel.
"Listen, Maya! I… want to…oh no, oh no…."
The escalator kept moving, dragging him down while he frantically tried to free his shoe. His body twisted awkwardly, almost horizontal, like he was performing some new dance move. The gift bag flew from his hand and landed two steps below Maya. She picked it up, glanced inside at the chocolates, then at him, half-dangling, red-faced, muttering curses at the escalator.
Instead of helping, she calmly placed the bag on the handrail and said, "Next time, tie your shoelaces. And don't use chocolates as bribes." By the time he freed himself, she was long gone.
Third attempt: eaten alive by an escalator.
Determined not to fail this time, Ryan decided to go directly to her apartment. But before that, He spotted her on the balcony while he was returning from the office, and she was watering plants.
He called her, "Maya! Hey, Maya, listen…" She looked, but didn't respond. Thinking his voice is not reachable. He shouted so that his voice could reach her. "I just wanted to say… the thing is that…"
SNAP.
The old potted plant hanging above her finally gave way. It landed squarely on his shoulder, soil spilling down his pristine white shirt. Maya gasped softly but quickly hid it, her lips twitching as she fought a smile. She covered her mouth with her hand, clearly trying not to laugh.
Ryan, meanwhile, stood there like a tragic clown drenched in mud, holding the broken pot. He muttered, "Great. Just great."
Maya turned away before he could see her smirk. For the first time, she almost laughed. But her pride won, she went inside, leaving him to sulk with dirt on his blazer.
He didn't lose his hope and tried his luck again when he spotted Maya in the apartment lobby, holding her phone, waiting for the lift. His pulse kicked up. ''Okay, this time I won't mess up. No tripping, no slipping, no falling flowerpots. Just say it. He smoothed his hair, adjusted his tie, and approached her. "Maya, listen… I…"
She didn't even glance at him. "Oh? You're talking to me now?" she asked flatly, her tone razor-sharp.
Ryan swallowed, his practiced words tangling up. "I… I wanted to explain. The thing is that…"
Before he could finish, she turned slightly, eyes cold as winter."Don't." The single word cut him off like a blade. Ryan froze.
Maya tucked her phone into her bag and stepped into the lift. She didn't raise her voice, didn't show anger. Instead, she used his own weapon against him, the indifference he once threw at her. "Whatever excuse you've prepared, save it. I don't have the energy to listen."
The doors began to close. Ryan panicked, stepping forward. "Wait, Maya…" But she pressed the button herself, sealing him out. The last thing he saw was her calm, unreadable face before the doors shut completely. Ryan stood there, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, a hollow ache spreading through his chest.''So this is what it feels like''
He remembered his own words, the ones he once flung at her without thought:
"You can't even understand that I've been ignoring you, that I don't want to talk to you. Yet you keep pursuing me."
Now, Maya had handed those words back to him without speaking them. And the silence that followed hurt worse than any angry outburst.