It started like any normal day.
No signs.
No music swelling in the background.
No sudden flash of fate.
Just me, walking into my favorite coffee shop the one I had finally made mine again.
I wasn't thinking about the past.
I wasn't hoping for anyone new.
I just wanted my usual vanilla iced latte, a corner seat, and a quiet place to sketch new ideas for an upcoming project.
But life has a way of surprising you when you're not searching for anything.
He was already there when I walked in.
Sitting at a table by the shelf of used books.
One hand holding a sketchbook, the other nursing a warm cup of coffee.
He wasn't loud. He didn't draw attention.
But his presence felt... different.
Calm.
Still.
Safe.
Like the room got a little quieter around him.
I ordered my drink, smiled at the barista, and glanced in his direction again not on purpose. Just… curious.
He was sketching something with charcoal pencil strokes. Focused. Brow slightly furrowed, like he was building a world only he could see.
There was no phone on the table.
No distractions.
Just art. And coffee. And him.
I took my seat near the window, opened my laptop, and tried to work.
But I kept noticing the way he moved.
Slow, thoughtful.
Like someone who wasn't rushing through life.
And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about Jayden.
I wasn't measuring this man against a shadow of someone I used to beg to stay.
I was just… present.
Ten minutes passed. Maybe more.
And then I heard his voice.
Soft. Warm.
A little deeper than I expected.
"Excuse me," he said, walking up to the empty table near me. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
The coffee shop wasn't full, but something about the moment felt intentional.
"Not at all," I said with a small smile.
He nodded, sat down, and placed his sketchbook carefully on the table.
Not facing me. Not performing.
Just existing nearby.
We didn't speak for a while.
But the silence was… comfortable.
Not awkward.
Not tense.
It reminded me of peace.
The kind I had learned to give myself.
Eventually, I stood up to throw away my empty cup.
As I walked past his table, he looked up briefly and smiled.
"Nice bracelet," he said, pointing to the one on my wrist.
The one that said: Choose You.
I looked down and smiled.
"Thanks. It reminds me of something important."
"Good reminder," he replied, nodding. "I think we forget to do that sometimes."
There was no flirtation in his voice.
No expectation.
Just kindness.
I was surprised at how easy it was to reply.
"Yeah… I used to forget it all the time."
He closed his sketchbook gently and asked, "You're a designer?"
"How did you guess?"
"I saw the color swatches open on your screen earlier," he said with a grin. "Also, your shoes match your laptop sleeve. That's not an accident."
I laughed.
"Guilty."
"I'm Elijah," he said, holding out a hand.
"Ava."
We shook hands quick, but warm.
There it was.
Elijah.
We talked for a few minutes.
Nothing deep.
Nothing dramatic.
Just two people sharing space.
Breathing the same air.
Not trying to impress.
Just… being.
And it felt good.
Strangely good.
Eventually, I glanced at the time and said I had to go.
"Client call," I explained. "One of those never-ending ones."
"Ah, the fun kind," he chuckled.
I picked up my things and gave him a polite nod.
"Nice to meet you, Elijah."
"You too, Ava."
And just as I turned, he said something that made me pause.
"Hope to see you around."
It wasn't forced.
Wasn't desperate.
Just an open door.
As I walked out, something inside me felt lighter.
Not butterflies.
Not sparks.
Just calm.
A calm I hadn't known in a long time.
That night, I sat in bed thinking about the day.
Not overanalyzing.
Not romanticizing.
Just remembering.
His voice.
His smile.
The way he noticed without prying.
I opened my journal and wrote:
Today I met someone.
I don't know what it means yet. Maybe nothing. Maybe something.
But he didn't feel like a storm.
He felt like the sky after.
And the most beautiful part?
I wasn't looking.
I was just living.
And somehow, that was enough for something good to begin.