I still remember the first time I saw her.
It was a quiet afternoon, the kind where the sky looks soft and the whole world seems slow. I walked into the small café near my apartment, hoping for a few minutes of peace. I wasn't in a good place then, and silence felt safer than people.
She sat by the window.
A girl with gentle eyes, holding a book but not really reading it. Her hair fell over her face in a way that made her look thoughtful, maybe a little sad. Something about her made me stop walking for a second.
She looked up.
Our eyes met for just a moment, but it felt like something warm touched my chest, as if a part of me had been asleep for a long time and suddenly woke up.
I tried to look away before she noticed me staring, but she smiled first.
Just a small smile. Soft. Kind.
I walked to the counter.
"Uh… medium coffee," I said, a bit awkward.
When I turned to find a seat, the café was crowded. Every table near the back was taken, except hers.
She lifted her head again.
"You can sit here if you want," she said.
Her voice was gentle. Not pushy. Just an honest invitation.
I hesitated. Talking to strangers wasn't something I did anymore.
But something in her eyes made me trust her.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. I don't bite."
Then she laughed a little and added, "Well, only on bad days."
I smiled for the first time in a long while.
I sat down across from her. For a moment, we didn't talk. She played with the corner of her book. I tapped my fingers on the cup.
Finally, she looked up again.
"I'm Lena."
"Aiden," I said.
She tilted her head slightly, like she was studying me.
"You look like someone who thinks a lot," she said softly.
I let out a small breath. "Maybe too much."
"I get that," she whispered.
And somehow, in that small café, with the warm light and the soft rain outside the window, it felt like two lonely worlds quietly touched.
Neither of us knew it yet.
But that moment was the beginning of everything.