The sky had begun to dim, the soft drizzle blurring the golden streetlights into hazy halos. The small shop was quiet, save for the faint clinking of cups being stacked and the rain tapping softly against the window.
Kei leaned against the counter, his fingers curled loosely around a warm mug. He wasn't even drinking it—just holding it as though the warmth might steady the restless beat in his chest.
Min was at the other end, wiping down the tables with slow, absentminded movements. His sleeves were rolled up, a few strands of hair falling messily over his forehead. He looked peaceful in that way Kei always found unfairly beautiful—so ordinary, yet pulling the whole world toward him.
"Kei?" Min called softly, breaking the silence.
Kei's head lifted, silver eyes meeting his. "Yeah?"
"You're awfully quiet today," Min said with a light laugh. "Did someone steal your words?"
Kei's lips twitched. "Maybe someone made it hard to say them."
Min tilted his head, not fully understanding but smiling anyway. "Then maybe that someone should be proud."
The words hit a little too close, and Kei turned his gaze toward the rain-washed window. It was easier to look at the soft blur of the world outside than at Min's gentle smile.
He wanted to tell him. Every beat of his heart screamed for it. But the words felt too big, too fragile, too everything to just toss into the quiet.
Min walked over, tugging lightly at Kei's sleeve. "Hey… don't drift off like that."
Kei let out a small breath, forcing a half-smile. "Sorry. Just… thinking."
Min's voice softened, "About something important?"
Kei met his eyes again, and for a moment, the whole shop seemed to fade. All he saw was Min—warm, close, and unknowingly holding his entire heart.
"…Yeah," Kei finally said. "Something very important."
The drizzle outside turned to a steady rain. The world was quiet, suspended in a soft kind of stillness.
And though Kei didn't say the words yet, they hung there in the space between them—"almost spoken, almost real".
To be continued....