# Episode 2: Return to Raven Brews
The next morning, Anjie woke up feeling restless. The blank document on her laptop haunted her dreams, and she knew staying in the apartment would only make her anxiety worse. She needed to get out, needed a change of scenery. Maybe the café would help. Maybe being around the gentle hum of conversation and the smell of fresh coffee would finally unlock whatever was blocking her creativity.
She dressed quickly, grabbed her bag and Arden's umbrella from yesterday, and left before Evgeniya could ask too many questions about where she was going or how she was feeling.
The walk to Raven Brews was quiet, the morning air still cool and fresh. When she pushed through the door, the warm atmosphere of the café immediately embraced her. A few early customers sat scattered around, typing on laptops or reading newspapers.
"Morning!" Jeremy called from behind the counter with his characteristic bright smile. "Back again? You're becoming one of our regulars!"
"Just need a good place to work," Anjie said, managing a small smile in return.
"Well, you picked the right spot. What can I get you?"
"Iced honey lemon tea, please."
"Coming right up!"
Anjie found her spot by the window and settled in, pulling out her laptop. She opened a new document, placed her fingers on the keyboard, and stared at the blinking cursor.
Nothing.
She sighed and glanced around the café. Arden was behind the counter, working alongside Jeremy. He caught her eye for a brief moment and gave a small wave before quickly returning to his work, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
Anjie turned back to her laptop and forced herself to focus. She typed a sentence, read it, deleted it. Typed another one. Deleted that too. The cycle continued until Jeremy appeared with her drink.
"One iced honey lemon tea," he said, setting it down with a flourish. "Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks, Jeremy."
Time passed slowly. Anjie alternated between staring at her blank screen and watching the world outside the window. Other customers came and went. The morning stretched into afternoon. She managed to write a few paragraphs, but they felt flat and lifeless. She deleted them all.
Around mid-afternoon, the sky began to darken. Gray clouds rolled in, heavy and threatening. Anjie glanced outside nervously. She hadn't brought an umbrella—well, she had Arden's umbrella, but that was meant to be returned to him, not used.
The first drops of rain hit the window softly, then with increasing intensity. Within minutes, it was pouring.
"Great," Anjie muttered, watching the downpour. She'd have to wait it out or make a run for it.
She decided to give it a few more minutes, hoping the rain would let up. She packed her laptop into her bag slowly, organizing her things while keeping an eye on the weather.
Just as she was about to brave the storm, she heard a soft meowing sound.
She looked down and froze.
A small cat sat right outside the café window, soaked to the bone. But this wasn't just any cat—it had only three legs, and its black and white markings made it look exactly like a tiny cow. The poor thing's fur was plastered to its body, and it stared up at her with the most pitiful green eyes she'd ever seen.
"Oh no," Anjie whispered. Without thinking, she grabbed her things and rushed to the door.
The moment she stepped outside, the rain hit her like a wall. She was drenched instantly, but she didn't care. She bent down and scooped the shivering cat into her arms.
"You poor thing," she said softly, trying to shield the cat from the rain with her body.
"Anjie!"
She turned to see Arden running out of the café, a black umbrella in his hand. His face was flushed—whether from the sudden exertion or embarrassment, she couldn't tell—and his hair was already getting wet despite his attempt to stay under the café's awning.
"Here!" he said, slightly breathless as he reached her. He opened the umbrella and held it over both of them, though he seemed more concerned with keeping her and the cat dry than himself. "You can't stand out here in the rain!"
"Thank you," Anjie said, adjusting the shivering cat in her arms. The poor creature burrowed into her chest, seeking warmth.
"Is that... Tuna?" Arden asked, looking down at the cat with concern.
"Tuna?" Anjie repeated, looking at the bedraggled cow-patterned cat in her arms.
"Yeah, that's what we call him. He's kind of a neighborhood cat—shows up everywhere. We feed him sometimes, but he's never belonged to anyone," Arden explained, reaching out to gently stroke the cat's head. Tuna leaned into the touch, still shivering. "Is he okay?"
"He's soaked and cold," Anjie said. "Does he have an owner? Someone I should take him to?"
"No, he doesn't," Arden said, his voice soft with concern. "He's been wandering around the neighborhood for months. We've tried to catch him a few times to take him to a shelter, but he's pretty skittish. Usually."
They stood there for a moment, the rain drumming against the umbrella above them. Arden held the umbrella steady, creating a small dry bubble in the midst of the storm. He was close enough that Anjie could see the water droplets clinging to his hair, could see the genuine worry in his eyes as he looked at the cat.
"I should get him home," Anjie said. "Get him warm and dry."
"Right, yeah, of course," Arden said quickly. He pressed the umbrella handle into her free hand. "Take this. You'll need it."
"But what about you? And I still have your umbrella from yesterday—"
"Don't worry about it," Arden insisted. "Just... just get him somewhere safe, okay?"
"Thank you," Anjie said, meaning it deeply.
"No problem," Arden replied. He took a step back toward the café, already getting soaked again. "I should—"
And then, somehow, he tripped.
There was nothing on the ground, no obstacle in his path, but his foot caught on absolutely nothing and he stumbled forward. He managed to catch himself before falling completely, but the movement was so awkward and unexpected that Anjie couldn't help herself.
She laughed.
It wasn't a mocking laugh—it was warm and genuine, the kind of laughter that bubbles up unexpectedly and feels like relief. Arden looked up at her, his face turning an even deeper shade of red, but then he smiled too, a self-deprecating grin that made him look endearing rather than embarrassed.
"What a mess," Anjie said, still smiling as she adjusted her hold on Tuna.
"Yeah," Arden agreed, rain dripping down his face. "Just like me."
"Just like both of us," Anjie corrected gently.
Their eyes met for a moment, something unspoken passing between them. Then Anjie turned and hurried toward home, the umbrella keeping her and Tuna relatively dry while Arden stood in the rain, watching her go.
---
By the time Anjie reached her apartment, Tuna had stopped shivering but was still damp and uncomfortable. She set him down gently on the bathroom floor and grabbed a towel, carefully drying his fur.
"You're going to be okay," she murmured to him. "Let's get you warm."
Once Tuna was reasonably dry, she carried him to the living room. That's when she heard the soft padding of paws. Pepper, her gray tabby cat, emerged from the bedroom, her tail swishing with curiosity.
Anjie tensed, worried about how Pepper would react to this intruder in her territory. But Pepper simply approached Tuna slowly, sniffed him once, twice, and then—to Anjie's amazement—began rubbing her head against him affectionately.
"Pepper?" Anjie said, surprised. "Are you two getting along already?"
Pepper meowed in response, and Tuna, seeming to understand that he was safe here, began purring loudly. Within moments, the two cats were playing together, chasing each other around the living room despite Tuna's missing leg. He moved with surprising speed and agility, and Pepper seemed to instinctively adjust her play to accommodate him.
Anjie watched them with a soft smile. "Well, I guess that's settled then. Welcome home, Tuna."
She went to her room to change out of her damp clothes. As she pulled on a dry shirt, she thought about Arden—how he'd run out into the rain without hesitation, how concerned he'd been about Tuna, how he'd tripped and then laughed at himself. There was something genuine about him, something that made her feel less alone in her own messiness.
---
The next day, Anjie woke up with renewed determination. She'd spent the previous evening watching Tuna and Pepper play, and somehow, seeing them bond so easily gave her a small flicker of hope. Maybe things could fall into place. Maybe she just needed to stop forcing it.
She decided to go back to Raven Brews. The café had started to feel like a safe space, somewhere she could exist without the pressure of her empty apartment and blank screens.
She grabbed her laptop bag, said goodbye to Evgeniya (who was delighted by their new feline addition), and headed down the stairs of her apartment building.
The main entrance door was heavy and solid. Anjie pushed it open without thinking, eager to get outside and start her day—
THWACK!
"Ow!"
The door had swung directly into someone's face. Anjie's eyes widened in horror as she realized who that someone was.
Arden stood on the other side of the door, one hand pressed to his nose, his eyes watering slightly from the impact.
"Oh my God!" Anjie exclaimed, rushing forward and letting the door swing shut behind her. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't know anyone was there!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Arden said, though his voice was slightly nasally from holding his nose. He lowered his hand carefully and gave her a sheepish smile despite the obvious pain. "Nothing broken. I think."
"What are you doing here?" Anjie asked, still feeling terrible about hitting him.
"I, uh..." Arden's cheeks colored slightly. "I was coming to check on you. And Tuna. Make sure you both got home okay yesterday. And... well, you left your umbrella at the café. The one you were supposed to return to me."
"Oh no, I did, didn't I?" Anjie said, mentally kicking herself. "I'm such a disaster. I hit you with a door, I keep forgetting umbrellas—"
"It's okay," Arden said quickly. "Really. I don't mind."
There was a pause, slightly awkward but not uncomfortable.
"Were you heading somewhere?" Arden asked.
"To the café, actually. Raven Brews," Anjie admitted.
"Oh! I was heading back there too. My break's over soon," Arden said, then hesitated. "Want to walk together?"
"Sure," Anjie found herself saying. "That would be nice."
They fell into step beside each other, the morning sun warming their faces as they walked. The awkwardness from the door incident seemed to melt away, replaced by an easy rhythm.
"So," Arden began after a moment, "I've been thinking about university. About Professor Kim's class."
"The screenwriting workshop?" Anjie asked, surprised.
"Yeah. I was remembering how you always had the best feedback during critique sessions. You had this way of seeing straight to the heart of a story, you know? Like you could understand what the writer was trying to say even when they didn't quite know how to say it themselves."
Anjie felt her cheeks warm. "I don't know about that. I just... I loved those workshops. Everyone was so talented."
"You were the most talented one there," Arden said quietly, then seemed to catch himself. "I mean, everyone thought so. Your stories were incredible."
"What about yours?" Anjie countered. "You wrote that piece about the musician who lost his hearing but could still feel music through vibrations. I cried reading that."
Arden stopped walking, turning to look at her with genuine surprise. "You remember that?"
"Of course I remember it," Anjie said. "It was beautiful. You had such a gift for finding the emotional truth in things."
"I can't believe you remember my work," Arden said softly, something vulnerable in his expression. "I always felt invisible back then. Like everyone was so focused on the star students that people like me just... faded into the background."
"You weren't invisible," Anjie said firmly. "Not to me."
The words hung in the air between them, weighted with meaning neither of them was quite ready to acknowledge. Arden's expression shifted, something warm and hopeful flickering in his eyes, but before either of them could say anything more, they arrived at Raven Brews.
Arden held the door open for her, and they stepped inside together.
"Anjie! Arden!" Jeremy called out immediately, his face breaking into a wide grin. "Well, well, look who's arriving together! Should I start a rumor?"
"Jeremy, don't," Arden said, but there was no real heat in his voice, just embarrassment.
"I'm just saying, you two walked in here like the main characters of a rom-com," Jeremy teased, then his expression shifted to concern as he looked at Anjie more closely. "Hey, you feeling okay? You look a little pale."
As if on cue, Anjie felt the tickle in her nose. "I'm fine, just—ah... ah... ACHOO!"
She sneezed twice in rapid succession, each one more violent than the last.
"Bless you!" Jeremy said. "Okay, that's it. No iced drinks for you today."
"I'm fine, really—" Anjie started to protest.
"Arden, get her a hot honey lemon tea," Jeremy ordered, cutting her off. "She needs something warm. Look at her, she's probably catching a cold from yesterday's rain."
"On it," Arden said immediately, moving behind the counter.
"You don't have to—" Anjie began, but Jeremy was already shaking his head.
"No arguments. We take care of our regulars here," he said with a warm smile.
A few minutes later, Arden appeared with a steaming cup of honey lemon tea. Their fingers brushed as she accepted it, and Anjie felt a small flutter in her chest that had nothing to do with being cold.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"No problem," Arden replied, his eyes lingering on her face for just a moment longer than necessary before he returned to work.
Anjie found her usual spot by the window and settled in, wrapping her hands around the warm cup. She pulled out her laptop, opened it, and stared at the screen.
As she sat there, something occurred to her that made her stomach drop slightly.
She knew Jeremy's name. He'd introduced himself on her first visit, and his name tag was always clearly visible. But Arden... when had she learned his name? Had he told her? Had Jeremy mentioned it? She'd been calling him by name in her head, but she couldn't remember the actual moment when she'd learned it.
*I don't even know if I officially know his name,* she thought with growing embarrassment. *This would have been the perfect time to ask. To properly introduce ourselves. But now it's been too long, and asking would be weird.*
She glanced over at the counter where Arden was working. He was two tables away, close enough that she could just walk over and strike up a conversation, ask him properly. But something held her back—fear of awkwardness, fear of revealing that she'd somehow missed this basic piece of information, fear of... something.
She sighed and turned back to her laptop, trying to focus on work.
But focus refused to come. Her inbox kept pulling her attention, and finally, she gave in and opened it.
There, sitting at the top of her unread messages, was an email from Crown Entertainment.
**Subject: Following Up - New Project Discussion**
Her heart sank. She knew what this was before she even opened it. She clicked on it anyway, and the words on the screen felt like tiny daggers.
*Dear Miss Adeniran,*
*We hope this email finds you well. It's been several months since we last spoke regarding your next project, and we wanted to reach out once more to check on your progress.*
*As you know, "Echoes of Tomorrow" exceeded all our expectations and continues to perform well in syndication. Our audience is eagerly awaiting your next story, and we remain very interested in being the home for whatever you create next.*
*However, we must be frank with you—the industry moves quickly, and while we value our relationship with you immensely, we cannot wait indefinitely. We'd appreciate an update on your timeline, even if just a rough draft or concept outline.*
*We understand that the creative process cannot be rushed, but we hope you understand our position as well.*
*Please let us know your thoughts at your earliest convenience.*
*Best regards,*
*Marcus Chen*
*Head of Development*
*Crown Entertainment*
Anjie felt her chest tighten as she read the words. The message was professional, polite even, but the underlying meaning was clear: *Time is running out. We're losing patience. Don't disappoint us.*
She was so absorbed in her spiraling anxiety that she didn't notice the two women sitting at the table next to her until their conversation drifted over.
"...is that it? Is that really the end of 'The Letter'?" one of them was saying, disappointment heavy in her voice.
"I can't believe it," the other woman responded. "It's been, what, almost two years since Adeniran uploaded anything new? I even told my mom to update the poster for 'The Letter' in her shop, thinking there'd be a sequel or something."
"Maybe she's done with writing. You know how some writers have one big hit and then just... disappear?"
"That would be such a shame. 'The Letter' was so good. And 'Echoes of Tomorrow' was brilliant."
"I know, but two years is a long time. Maybe she's lost it. Maybe she doesn't have another story in her."
Each word felt like a physical blow. Anjie wanted to turn around, wanted to tell them she was right there, that she was trying, that the blank page haunted her every waking moment. But what could she say? They weren't wrong. It had been two years. She had nothing to show for it. She was failing.
She felt the disappointment crash over her like a wave. Her chest felt tight, her breathing shallow.
"Achoo!"
Another sneeze, this one more violent than before. Her head began to pound, a sharp pain building behind her eyes. The café suddenly felt too bright, too loud, too crowded. The voices around her blurred together into an incomprehensible buzz.
*I should talk to him,* she thought desperately, glancing over at Arden. *Maybe talking would help. Maybe—*
But then the headache intensified, and her vision started to blur at the edges. Everything became fuzzy and distorted.
*I need to work,* she told herself firmly. *Stop making excuses. Just work.*
She pulled up her to-do list, the one her editor had sent her last week. As the document loaded on her screen, she felt her anxiety spike even higher.
**TO-DO LIST - ANJOLOUWA ADENIRAN**
- Outline for new drama series - DUE LAST MONTH
- Character profiles - DUE LAST MONTH
- Act One draft - DUE NEXT WEEK
- Treatment for pitch meeting - DUE IN 3 DAYS
- Call with producers - TOMORROW
- Revisions on old script - DUE YESTERDAY
"Ahhh," she whispered, the sound escaping involuntarily as panic seized her.
Everything was overdue. Everything was piling up. The list seemed to grow longer as she stared at it, multiplying into an impossible mountain of obligations she could never possibly fulfill. Her breathing became rapid and shallow. The pounding in her head grew worse.
"Anjie?"
She looked up, startled. Jeremy was standing beside her table, his usual cheerful expression replaced with genuine concern.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked gently. "You really don't look well."
"Yes, I'm fine," she said automatically, even though she very clearly wasn't. Her voice sounded strange to her own ears—distant and strained. "I should... I should get going actually."
"Okay," Jeremy said, though he didn't look convinced. "Take care of yourself, alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks. Bye," Anjie said, already packing up her laptop with trembling hands.
She practically fled from the café, her vision still blurry, her head pounding with each step. The walk home was a blur of anxious thoughts and physical discomfort. Every breath felt like effort. Every thought spiraled into panic.
*You're a failure. You're washed up. One-hit wonder. You'll never write anything good again. Everyone's waiting. Everyone's disappointed. You're going to lose everything.*
By the time she reached her apartment building and climbed the stairs to her floor, she could barely see straight. She fumbled with her keys, finally got the door open, and stumbled inside.
Pepper appeared immediately, meowing with concern and rubbing against her legs. Tuna limped over from wherever he'd been napping, sitting beside Pepper and looking up at her with those knowing green eyes.
"I'm okay," Anjie whispered to them, even though she wasn't. "I'm okay."
She made it three steps into the living room before her legs gave out. She collapsed onto the couch, her laptop bag sliding from her shoulder to the floor with a soft thud. Pepper jumped up immediately, curling into her side with a comforting purr. Tuna, despite his three legs, managed to hop up as well, settling near her feet.
*Just rest for a minute,* she told herself. *Just close your eyes for a minute, and then you'll be able to work. Then everything will be fine.*
But even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew it was a lie. Nothing would be fine when she woke up. The blank page would still be blank. The emails would still be waiting. The expectations would still be crushing her.
The last thought she had before darkness claimed her was of Arden's face—the concern in his eyes when he'd given her the tea, the way he'd smiled when she'd laughed at his clumsiness, the vulnerability in his voice when he'd said he'd felt invisible.
For just a moment, in the midst of all her anxiety and fear, she'd felt less alone.
And then there was nothing but darkness.