Beneath the glow of blinking streetlamps, she watched the world bustle past from a solitary table. She never let anyone close. Not until he burst into her quiet sanctuary, a whirlwind of energy, as if the world itself had taken human form—relentless and impossible to ignore.
“You should smile more,” he teased, an effortless grin lighting up his face.
She rolled her eyes, her voice dry. “You should talk less.”
Yet his laughter carried a warmth that seeped into the cracks of her guarded heart. It was disarming, scattering her defenses like a breeze stirring fallen leaves.
For the first time, the idea took root that maybe, just maybe, the world wasn’t as cold as she’d always believed. And as she watched him leave, she found herself wondering what it would be like to walk hand in hand with someone, if only for a moment.
