Chapter 11: The Echo of Touch

It had been three days since Kai last saw Yuna at the bookstore.

Three days, and he’d walked past the windows each evening, glancing in, hoping to catch a glimpse of her between the shelves. But she wasn’t there—not shelving books, not humming quietly at the counter, not smiling when he stepped in from the rain.

He hadn’t realized how much her presence had become part of his routine—how silence felt different when it wasn’t shared with her.

On the fourth day, she returned.

Kai had barely stepped through the door when he saw her, crouched in aisle two, organizing a row of newly arrived titles. His heart jumped, unsure why it did.

 “Hey,” he said softly.

Yuna turned. Her eyes met his, and something in her expression softened—not surprise, but recognition. She stood slowly.

 “Hey,” she echoed, then hesitated. “Sorry I disappeared. My brother needed help moving to another city.”

Kai nodded. “It’s okay. Just… bookstore felt different without you.”

Yuna smiled. Not wide. Just enough.

 “I think I missed this place too.”

They stood there, neither one speaking for a moment, then Kai stepped closer.

 “You recommended a book last time. I never got to ask which one.”

Yuna raised an eyebrow. “You actually want to read it?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe I just want to hear you talk about it.”

That made her laugh—quietly, like the sound was wrapped in fondness.

She walked to the corner of the shop, pulled out a slim, blue-covered book from the shelf. Handed it to him.

 “This one. It’s about people who fall in love slowly. Not because of grand gestures… but because of small ones.”

Kai turned the book over in his hands. “Sounds familiar.”

Yuna looked at him carefully. “That’s what I thought too.”

And for the first time, as he reached for the book, their fingers touched.

It was brief. Barely a second.

But it echoed.

Kai didn’t pull away quickly.

And neither did she.

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Outside, it wasn’t raining.

But the quiet between them still felt like water—soft, deep, and slowly rising.

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