SCENE 1 – Nina Meets Leo
Scene Goal: Establish the tone of quiet intimacy and emotional openness. This is the "fated first meeting."
INT. BOOKSTORE CAFE — LATE AFTERNOON
Rain taps against the large glass windows. The scent of coffee and paper fills the air. Nina sits in a cozy corner with her laptop and a stack of poetry books beside her. Her sweater sleeves are pulled over her hands. She's stuck writer's block.
Leo walks in, umbrella dripping, coat unbuttoned. He orders a black coffee and notices her struggling. He recognizes one of the books she's reading.
LEO
(gesturing toward the book)
That's a dangerous one to read during a rainstorm. Pablo Neruda makes you believe in love and cry in the same sentence.
NINA
(smiles, slightly guarded)
Isn't that the point?
He sits nearby, and they begin a slow-burn conversation about writing, life, and rainy days. He doesn't give his full name — just "Leo."
They laugh. A connection is born. She thinks, He's not like the others.
He thinks, She might be different.
As the rain pours harder, neither notices time slipping by.
It ends with Nina walking home, smiling, not knowing she just met the man who will shatter her and rebuild her.