Grace sat at the dining table, her notebook open but untouched. The page was blank, but she often did this, pretending to write whenever she felt uneasy. It made her feel in control, even when she wasn't.
From the kitchen came the gentle clatter of cups and the familiar hum of Mary's voice. The smell of tea and cinnamon filled the small house, wrapping it in warmth. Outside, the rain had stopped, though its chill still lingered in the air.
The front door opened softly.
A gust of wind slipped inside, carrying the scent of wet earth and rain-soaked flowers. Grace looked up.
A figure stood at the doorway, slender, soaked from head to toe, water glistening on the smooth strands of short hair that clung to their cheeks. Their face was delicate, almost unreal in its symmetry: pale skin, long lashes, soft lips slightly parted as they caught their breath.
Grace's first thought was that Mary had a daughter she hadn't mentioned, a girl so beautiful it made her heart flutter with surprise.
The "girl" smiled faintly, shyly, lowering her eyes as if embarrassed by the attention. Grace smiled back without thinking, her pulse quickening.
"You must be freezing," she said softly.
The figure nodded once, lips curving into the smallest smile.
"Sorry," came the reply, in a voice so soft and clear that Grace couldn't decide whether it belonged to a boy or girl.
Before she could ask, Mary's voice came from the kitchen.
"Eli! You're drenched again!"
Grace blinked.
Eli?
Mary hurried out with a towel, laughing as she wrapped it around the newcomer's shoulders. "You never learn, do you?" she said, her voice half fond, half scolding.
Grace could only stare. Her mind struggled to make sense of it, this breathtaking face, this gentle presence — this was Eli? The boy she had agreed to tutor?
Mary turned toward her, beaming. "Grace, this is Eli — my son."
Eli looked up then, his lashes still wet, eyes shining with a quiet light. "Nice to meet you, Miss Grace," he said softly, his smile small but impossibly kind.
Grace forgot to breathe for a second. Her lips parted, but words came slowly. "Nice to meet you too," she finally said, her voice quiet, almost uncertain.
Mary went back to the kitchen, humming again, but Grace barely heard. Her heart was still unsteady.
She had never seen someone so beautiful.
And somewhere deep inside, without knowing why, she felt that this was the beginning of something she would never be able to forget.