Chapter 1 - Coffee and Sticky Note
Iris woke to the sharp trill of her alarm. A groan escaped her mouth, unwilling to leave the cozy warmth of her weighted blanket and the pillows she hugged to sleep.
She snoozed off her alarm and drifted back to sleep.
It took a few more attempts before she finally sat up, hair a mess, eyes half-open. She stretched, yawned, and stared at the ceiling for a moment, gathering herself.
I need coffee. Definitely coffee.
She mumbled to herself as she splashed cold water on her face. Iris looked at her reflection in the mirror. Tired but steady.
'Be happy, Mom and Dad would be proud of what you achieved,' she reminded, lightly slapping her face.
Nineteen. A car. A small apartment. A job that paid enough to keep the loan reminders from turning into panic. It wasn't glamorous, but it was hers.
That had to count for something.
After giving herself a mini TED Talk, she changed her clothes into something presentable, grabbed her car keys, and got out of her haven.
The city was already awake—people moving with purpose, conversations overlapping, engines humming. The drive to the café passed in a blur, muscle memory taking over. By the time she parked and stepped inside, the heaviness from earlier had eased.
"What can I get you?" the barista asked.
"A caramel macchiato with extra sugar and an everything bagel," Iris smiled. "Takeaway or here?" asked the man, typing her order. "Take away."
While waiting, she took a seat near the glass wall and watched the street outside. A girl dropped her wallet; someone picked it up and handed it back. They exchanged a few words, then smiled. A man in a blue suit jogged past, clearly late. A teenager walked her dog, coffee in one hand, leash in the other.
Iris closed her eyes and relished the ambiance it provided.
She looked out of the glass wall while tapping on the table, waiting. Her eyes wander at the slightest detail on the road.
Her thought process halted as a few pages flew by her. She flinched at the sudden movement. Iris startled, then leaned down to gather them. The papers seemed to have slipped from a nearby table, abandoned. She stacked them neatly and paused.
Her eyes trailed over the contents of the paper, pausing over a few words for a bit. A sigh escaped her lips. The owner of the document is nowhere. 'Should I or should I not?' she thought. Having a mini internal battle, she picked up the sticky notes and a pen lying on the table.
It wasn't her business. She knew that.
Still.
She grabbed a sticky note and a pen from the table, pulled out her phone, and searched quickly—just enough to confirm what she suspected.
Her pen moved without much thought.
A few sentences. Brief. Direct. A suggestion, not a lecture.
She added a small smiley at the end, stuck the note on top of the pages, and put everything back exactly where she'd found it.
She didn't think of it as anything significant. Just a quiet correction. A way to keep someone from making a mistake—or being taken advantage of. It was done purely out of kindness.
"Order for Iris," the man spoke from behind her.
Iris collected her order and left the cafe, moving on with her life.
"Girly, are you coming? Flint and I are waiting for you before starting the meeting," Rhea spoke from the phone. "On my way," she answered, getting into her car.
She drove with one hand on the wheel, sipping her coffee, the radio murmuring in the background. The morning settled into something normal, forgettable.
She didn't think about the note again.
Little did she know her few words were going to change her entire life.