Chapter 2:

 

                                                                 The Girl Behind the Counter

The bell above the door jingled again — but this time, Kai didn’t step forward.

He lingered near the entrance, pretending to examine a rack of old bookmarks. His hoodie still dripped with rain, but his focus was on her.

Yuna.

She worked with practiced calm — her hands gliding across the spines of books, arranging them like she’d done it a hundred times. But Kai had never seen her here before. Not once. And he’d come to this shop more times than he could count.

He finally walked up to the counter, clutching a random poetry book he didn’t plan to buy.

> “You’re new,” he said.

Yuna paused, looked up. Her eyes were soft, like they held every shade of grey the rain could paint. She gave a small smile.

> “Not really. I’ve just never worked mornings before.”

Kai blinked. “Oh.”

There was an awkward silence — comfortable and strange at the same time.

> “You read poetry?” she asked, tapping the book he held.

He looked down at the cover. “Not really.”

Yuna chuckled, brushing a strand of damp hair behind her ear.

> “Well, if you ever want something good, I recommend aisle three. Near the window. The rain sounds nicer there.”

He gave a half smile, the corner of his lips twitching.

> “Thanks… uh, I’m Kai.”

> “Yuna.”

A moment passed.

Outside, the rain began to soften.

---

Kai didn’t buy the book.

But when he left, he glanced back. Through the glass, he saw her still shelving, her earphones in again. She didn’t look up.

But somehow, he felt like she knew he had stopped to look.

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🌧 Author’s Note:

Sometimes, a quiet hello is more powerful than a loud confession.

I hope you enjoyed this soft moment between Kai and Yuna. Their story is just beginning.

✨ If you felt something, drop a comment or a like — it keeps me going 💙

See you in Chapter 3!

— Arthur