CHAPTER TWO: THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE STAYED SMALL
1497 Words
Elena didn’t sleep well that night.
Not because of Adrian.
At least that was what she told herself.
It was mostly stress. Bills. Classes. The fact that her landlord had suddenly decided to become extremely passionate about rent reminders after ignoring the leaking sink in her apartment for two months.
Still, sometime around one in the morning, she caught herself thinking about the way Adrian had looked at her from across the street.
Not staring.
Not trying to get her attention.
Just… looking.
Like he had nowhere else to be.
Which honestly made no sense.
People like him usually looked busy. Important. Distracted.
Adrian looked like someone who noticed everything around him and still chose to stay quiet about it.
That was different.
And slightly irritating.
Elena turned onto her side and pulled the blanket over her shoulder.
“You’re overthinking a man you met once,” she muttered to herself.
Twice.
Whatever.
Same thing.
...
The next morning was colder than expected.
The sky outside her apartment window looked pale and undecided, like rain might start again if the city annoyed it enough.
Elena got dressed quickly, balancing a piece of toast between her teeth while searching for her headphones.
University first.
Work later.
Sleep eventually.
That was basically her entire personality at this point.
By the time she reached campus, her mood had improved slightly. The noise helped. Students moving everywhere, conversations overlapping, coffee cups in everyone’s hands like survival tools.
“Finally,” Mia said the second Elena sat beside her in class. “I thought you died.”
“I almost did. Public transportation tried to kill me yesterday.”
“That’s normal.”
“True.”
Mia narrowed her eyes suddenly.
“Why do you look weird?”
Elena frowned.
“I don’t look weird.”
“You do.”
“I’m tired.”
“No. This is different tired.”
Elena opened her notebook quickly.
“I hate that you think you know my face.”
“I do know your face.”
Unfortunately, she probably did.
Mia had been her friend long enough to notice things Elena preferred to keep private.
“So?” Mia asked. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened.”
“That means something definitely happened.”
Elena sighed quietly.
“There was just… this guy.”
Mia immediately straightened in her seat.
“There it is.”
“It’s not even like that.”
“Mm-hm.”
Elena rolled her eyes.
“I bumped into him outside work yesterday.”
“And?”
“And nothing.”
“You’re smiling.”
“I’m literally not.”
“You are internally.”
Elena ignored her and looked toward the front of the lecture hall as the professor walked in.
Conversation over.
Thankfully.
Mostly because she didn’t actually know how to explain Adrian.
Not that she wanted to.
There wasn’t anything to explain.
A strange man had appeared in her day twice. That was it.
It should’ve stayed small.
...
By evening, the city was crowded again.
Elena stepped into the café already exhausted.
Marcus glanced at her once.
“You’re early.”
“Don’t sound too happy about it.”
“I’m suspicious.”
She laughed softly and tied her apron behind her back.
For the first hour, everything stayed normal.
Orders. Noise. Small talk.
No Adrian.
Which was good.
Probably.
Elena told herself she didn’t care either way.
Then the café door opened around seven, and her brain noticed him before the rest of her did.
Dark coat again.
Hands in his pockets.
Calm expression like the weather personally respected him.
Elena looked away immediately.
Ridiculous.
Why was she reacting like this?
“You know him?” Amelia whispered beside her almost instantly.
“No.”
“That was too fast. You definitely know him.”
“I met him once.”
“Mm.”
“Twice.”
Amelia gasped dramatically.
“Oh my God. We’re progressing.”
Elena grabbed a tray just to avoid continuing the conversation.
When she finally walked toward his table, Adrian looked up almost immediately.
“You came back,” she said before thinking about how that sounded.
Something shifted in his eyes.
“I had coffee here yesterday.”
“That doesn’t mean people usually return.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I sound observant.”
That tiny almost-smile appeared again.
It was annoying how quickly she was starting to recognize it.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
“The same thing.”
“You don’t even know what I gave you yesterday.”
“I trusted your judgment.”
“That’s a dangerous personality trait.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Elena wrote down the order, then paused.
“You know,” she said slowly, “most people would just order normally instead of acting mysterious in cafés.”
“Do I seem mysterious?”
“Yes.”
“How unfortunate.”
That answer actually caught a laugh out of her before she could stop it.
And for the first time since meeting him, Adrian looked genuinely surprised by her reaction.
Like he hadn’t expected her laughter to sound real.
Which was strange.
Because why wouldn’t it?
Elena cleared her throat quickly.
“I’ll bring your coffee.”
This time, as she walked away, she could actually feel him watching her.
And somehow that felt different now.
More noticeable.
More personal.
---
Later that night, the café became quieter.
The after-work crowd disappeared, leaving behind only a few students and couples sitting too close together.
Elena wiped down the counter absentmindedly while Amelia leaned beside her.
“He likes you.”
Elena nearly dropped the cloth in her hand.
“No, he doesn’t.”
“He literally watches you every time you walk past.”
“He watches everyone.”
Amelia gave her a look.
“Please.”
Elena hated that she didn’t have a proper argument against that.
Because Adrian did look at her differently.
Not intensely.
Not obviously.
Just attentively.
Like he was trying to understand something.
And for some reason, that made her nervous.
“Maybe he’s just naturally awkward,” Elena muttered.
“Rich attractive men are never naturally awkward.”
“You don’t even know if he’s rich.”
Amelia looked toward the window where Adrian sat calmly with a watch that probably cost more than Elena’s rent.
“Be serious.”
Okay. Fair point.
....
Around closing time, Elena carried Adrian’s bill to the table.
“We’re closing soon,” she said softly.
He glanced at the clock behind her.
“I didn’t realize it was that late.”
“That’s either concerning or impressive.”
“Which one do you prefer?”
Elena folded her arms lightly.
“You answer questions with questions a lot.”
“And you notice everything.”
That made her pause for half a second.
Adrian reached for his wallet calmly.
“You work every evening?” he asked.
“Most evenings.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It is exhausting.”
“Then why do it?”
Elena shrugged.
“Because unfortunately my landlord believes in money.”
A quiet laugh escaped him then.
Small. Real.
And somehow worse than the smiles.
Because now she knew what his laugh sounded like too.
Great.
“You joke about things when they bother you,” Adrian said suddenly.
Elena blinked.
“What?”
“You make uncomfortable things sound lighter.”
She stared at him for a moment.
“That’s a weird observation.”
“It’s accurate.”
There it was again.
That feeling that he noticed too much.
Elena looked away first this time.
“You don’t talk like a normal person,” she muttered.
“Neither do you.”
Before she could respond, Marcus called her name from across the café.
Perfect timing.
Elena stepped back slightly.
“We’re closing.”
Adrian nodded once.
Then stood.
And for some reason, Elena had forgotten how tall he actually was.
“You’ll see me tomorrow?” he asked casually.
The question caught her completely off guard.
“I what?”
“You work tomorrow, don’t you?”
“Yes…”
“Then I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Like it was obvious.
Like the decision had already been made somewhere without her involvement.
Elena opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Adrian picked up his coat.
“Goodnight, Elena.”
And just like that, he walked past her toward the door.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Like he hadn’t just completely shifted the mood around her in under five minutes.
The bell above the café door rang softly as he left.
Elena stood there for a second longer than necessary.
Then Amelia appeared beside her immediately.
“Oh, he definitely likes you.”
Elena stared toward the door.
Still slightly distracted.
Still hearing: You’ll see me tomorrow.
Like it wasn’t even a question.
And honestly?
That should’ve bothered her more than it did.
- Writer
