The next morning was no different — at least, it wasn't supposed to be. Adrian followed the same steps, wore the same muted suit, and walked the same cracked pavement.
But at the corner café, something caught his eye.
The place had always been there — a small shop tucked between a bookstore and a flower stand. He must have passed it hundreds of times without noticing. Today, though, he stopped.
Maybe it was the smell of freshly baked bread drifting into the street. Maybe it was the music spilling softly through the doorway — not the usual radio chatter, but a tune so warm it seemed to wrap around him. Or maybe it was simply that he was tired of his own routine, tired enough to take a step off the grey path.
Inside, the café was alive with color. Bright paintings covered the walls — swirls of red, blue, yellow, like someone had poured emotion onto canvas. Plants hung by the windows, sunlight streaming through their leaves, casting green shadows on the wooden tables.
And behind the counter was a barista with the brightest scarf Adrian had ever seen. It was patterned with colors he hadn't thought about in years — deep orange, ocean blue, sunflower yellow. She moved with an energy that seemed to paint the air around her, laughing with customers as if every interaction mattered.
When Adrian approached, she smiled — not the polite, distant kind, but a smile that reached her eyes.
"First time here?" she asked, her tone light, almost musical.
He nodded. "Yeah… I guess I never noticed this place before."
Her laugh was soft but genuine. "Funny how we can walk the same road every day and still miss what's right in front of us."
Adrian didn't know why, but those words stayed with him.
He ordered a coffee and sat by the window. The drink was nothing extraordinary, yet as he sipped, he felt something stir — like a faint color brushing into his grey world.
It wasn't life-changing. Not yet. But for the first time in a long time, Adrian didn't rush. He lingered. He looked around. He noticed the world — the sun, the laughter, the colors.
And when he finally left, the day felt just a little less grey.