The rain had been falling since morning. Soft and steady, like the world had forgotten how to do anything else.
Elara liked days like this. In the quiet hum of the café, people spoke in softer voices, steam curled lazily from coffee cups, and everything felt softer around the edges.She stood behind the counter, sketching in her small leather journal between orders: strangers' profiles, raindrops streaking across the window, the delicate swirl of foam atop a cappuccino.
At exactly 3:33 PM, the world tilted.
It happened like a breath she forgot to take.The smell of coffee beans and rain vanished; her vision blurred and brightened all at once.
When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in the café anymore.
She stood on a quiet street she had never seen — or had she?Brick walls wet from rain. Lantern light flickering gold against the evening gray.And there he was: a man sitting on a low stone wall, sketchbook balanced on his knees.
He looked up.For the briefest heartbeat, recognition sparked between them — as if the space between strangers had collapsed into something older, sadder, deeper.
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak his name — a name she did not yet know — the vision fractured.
When she blinked again, she was back behind the counter.The café clock above the espresso machine ticked softly: 3:34 PM.
Her hands trembled around the cup she had been holding. Warm milk spilled over the rim, trailing down the porcelain like a tear.
A thousand Tuesdays, she thought. And each one leaves me emptier than before.
She wiped the cup, trying to steady her breath. Outside, the rain fell heavier, blurring the world into watercolor.
And then the bell above the café door chimed.
He stepped in, rain in his dark hair, sketchbook still tucked under his arm.He hesitated at the doorway, scanning the room — until his gaze caught hers.
For a moment, neither of them moved.The clock behind her ticked louder than the falling rain.
"Hi," he said, voice warm, a little unsure."Is it okay if I sit by the window?"
Elara swallowed the echo of a hundred forgotten hellos.She managed to nod. "Of course."
He smiled — and the world seemed to right itself, just for a breath.