The little café on the corner was almost empty when Maya walked in, brushing the morning chill off her shoulders. She ordered her usual cappuccino and found a seat by the window. The world outside was still waking up—buses rumbling, shopkeepers unlocking doors, people rushing past with sleepy eyes.
She pulled out a book, but before she could read a single line, a voice interrupted.
“Excuse me… is this seat taken?”
She looked up and saw a man holding his own cup of coffee, his smile hesitant but kind. The café had plenty of empty chairs, but somehow he had chosen hers. She shook her head, and he sat down across from her.
At first, they exchanged small pleasantries about the weather and how quiet the café was. But soon, the conversation deepened. They laughed over childhood stories, discovered they both loved the same old movies, and shared dreams of traveling to faraway places.
Minutes slipped into hours without either of them noticing. The rain that had begun outside drummed softly against the glass, and for a moment, the rest of the world seemed to blur away.
When it was finally time to leave, the man hesitated before asking, “Same time tomorrow?”
Maya smiled, her cheeks warm. “Only if you promise to bring better stories.”
He grinned, and as they both stepped into the drizzle, Maya couldn’t help but feel that she had just stumbled into the beginning of something she had been waiting for all along.
