By the end of that week, Daniel had become part of Maya's daily routine.
He came in every morning at almost the same time. He ordered the same coffee and muffin. He sat at the same table near the window. Some days he stayed for hours writing in his notebook. Other days he rushed out after ten minutes with an apologetic wave.
Maya told herself she was simply noticing him the way she noticed all regular customers.
But she knew that was not entirely true.
On Friday morning the café was quieter than usual. Rain drizzled softly outside and only a few people sat scattered around with laptops and newspapers.
Daniel walked in shaking droplets from his jacket.
"Looks like I brought the bad weather with me," he joked.
"It was already here," Maya replied. "You're innocent."
"I'll take your word for it."
As she prepared his order, he leaned casually against the counter instead of going straight to his table.
"Busy day?" he asked.
"Not really. Fridays are unpredictable."
He nodded and glanced around.
"Can I ask you something?" he said.
"Depends on the question."
He smiled. "Fair enough. Do you actually enjoy working here?"
Maya thought about it for a moment.
"Most days, yes. It's simple and calm. And I like making people happy with coffee."
"That's a good reason."
"What about you?" she asked. "Do you enjoy the musician life?"
Daniel let out a soft laugh. "When it's going well, yes. When it's not, I question all my life choices."
"That sounds honest."
"Brutally honest."
She handed him his cup and muffin, expecting him to go sit down like usual.
Instead he stayed.
"So, Maya Collins," he said, glancing at her name tag again, "what do you do when you're not saving people with caffeine?"
The question caught her off guard.
"Not much," she admitted. "I read a lot. Walk around the city. Boring stuff."
"I doubt it's boring."
She shrugged. "What about you? Besides music."
"I explore," he said. "New neighborhoods, small restaurants, random bookstores. I'm still figuring New York out."
"Well, you picked a good street to start on."
"I think so too."
For a few seconds they simply looked at each other, both slightly unsure what to say next.
Maya suddenly became very aware of how close he was standing and how easy it felt to talk to him.
A customer cleared his throat behind Daniel, waiting to order, and the moment broke.
"Duty calls," Maya said with a small smile.
"Right. I'll get out of your way."
He headed to his usual table but glanced back once as he sat down.
The rest of the morning passed in a comfortable blur. Every now and then she caught him watching the rain or scribbling furiously in his notebook like inspiration had struck.
Around noon he packed up his things and approached the counter again.
"Heading out?" she asked.
"Yeah. Rehearsal across town."
"Good luck."
"Thanks. And hey, Maya?"
"Yes?"
"I'm playing at a small place tomorrow night. Nothing fancy, just a bar downtown. If you're free, you should come."
The invitation hung in the air between them.
Maya hesitated only a second.
"I might just do that," she said.
His face brightened. "I'd like that."
When he walked out into the rainy afternoon, Maya felt something warm settle inside her.
For the first time in a long while, she had plans she was genuinely excited about.
And somehow, they all started with a simple cup of coffee.