The way you look at me

Maya had a favorite seat in the entire city. It was a small table beside the window of a quiet café called The Little Corner. She loved sitting there with a cup of hot chocolate and her notebook, watching the world move outside. People hurried down the street. Cars passed. Students laughed and complained about school. Maya simply watched. She liked quiet things. Quiet places. Quiet people. She especially liked being left alone. That afternoon, she was writing in her notebook when her best friend, Tessa, dropped into the chair opposite her. "You've been here for hours," Tessa said. "I'm working." "You're writing." "That's work." Tessa looked at the notebook. "Another story?" Maya nodded. "What's this one about?" "A girl trying to figure out where she belongs." Tessa smiled. "Sounds suspiciously personal." "It isn't." "Sure." Before Maya could answer, Tessa suddenly looked toward the café entrance. "Okay..." "What?" "There's a girl." Maya sighed. "Here we go." "I'm serious." Maya glanced toward the door. And stopped. A young woman had just walked into the café. She wore a black jacket and had long braids falling over her shoulders. She carried herself with an effortless confidence that immediately caught Maya's attention. The café owner greeted her. "Elena! The usual?" "Please." Elena collected her drink and looked around. There were plenty of empty tables. Yet her eyes stopped on Maya. Their eyes met. Elena smiled. Maya immediately looked down at her notebook. Tessa grinned. "She smiled at you." "People smile." "Not like that." "Stop." Tessa laughed. A few minutes later, Maya heard footsteps. She looked up. Elena stood beside her table. "Hi." Maya blinked. "Hi." "Is this seat taken?" Tessa immediately stood. "Nope." "Tessa—" "I just remembered I have somewhere to be." "You don't." "I do now." Tessa walked away before Maya could stop her. Elena laughed softly and sat down. "You two are close." "Unfortunately." "I heard that." Maya smiled. Elena looked at her notebook. "You write?" "Sometimes." "You're always writing." "You've seen me before?" "Several times." Maya looked surprised. "Why didn't you say anything?" "You always looked busy." "I wasn't." "You looked like you wanted to be left alone." Maya considered that. "Maybe I did." Elena smiled. "Fair enough." For a while, they talked. It started with simple things—school, music, books, and the café. But somehow the conversation became deeper. Maya discovered that Elena wasn't as fearless as she seemed. "I don't like people thinking I'm weak," Elena admitted. "Why?" "Because once people think you're weak, they start making decisions for you." Maya nodded. "I understand that." Elena looked at her. "Do you let people make decisions for you?" "Sometimes." "You shouldn't." Maya laughed. "You make everything sound easy." "I don't think it's easy." Elena's voice became softer. "I just think you deserve more confidence than you give yourself." Maya didn't know how to respond. Nobody had ever said that to her. "Why do you care?" she asked. Elena held her gaze. "Maybe I want to." Maya looked away. Outside, dark clouds gathered. Rain began tapping against the window. Elena glanced outside. "Looks like we're going to get soaked." "I didn't bring an umbrella." "I did." "Of course you did." "I plan ahead." Maya smiled. When the rain became heavier, they left the café together. Elena opened her umbrella. They walked side by side beneath it. Maya tried to keep a little distance. There wasn't much room. Their shoulders occasionally brushed. Neither mentioned it. "You live far?" Elena asked. "About fifteen minutes." "I'll walk you." "You don't have to." "I know." "Then why?" Elena smiled. "Because I want to." Maya looked at her. "You really do whatever you want." "Not always." "What happens when someone tells you no?" "I respect it." Maya smiled. "Good answer." They continued walking. After a moment, Maya said, "You're very confident." "I try to be." "Why?" Elena looked at her. "Because life is too short to spend pretending you don't want something." Maya didn't know why those words stayed with her. They reached Maya's street. "This is me." Elena stopped. "I'll see you tomorrow." Maya smiled. "Maybe." Elena raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?" "Maybe I'll sit somewhere else." "You won't." "How do you know?" "Because that's your seat." Maya laughed. "Goodnight, Elena." "Goodnight, Maya." Maya walked toward her building. After a few steps, she turned around. Elena was still standing there. Still watching her. Maya smiled before going inside. Her phone buzzed. Unknown number. Elena: You forgot something. Maya frowned. Maya: What? The reply came quickly. Elena: An excuse to text me. Maya covered her face, smiling. Maya: You're ridiculous. Elena: And you're smiling. Maya stared at the screen. Maya: How do you know? Elena: I'm hoping you are. Maya didn't know what to say. She finally typed: Maya: Goodnight. Elena: Goodnight, Maya. Maya put her phone down. She didn't know what this was. She didn't know where it would lead. But for the first time in a long time, she was looking forward to tomorrow. The next morning, Maya arrived at the café early. She told herself she came to write. But she kept looking toward the entrance. Twenty minutes passed. No Elena. Maya sighed and opened her notebook. Then a familiar voice spoke. "Waiting for someone?" Maya looked up. Elena stood there, smiling. "You're late," Maya said. Elena raised an eyebrow. "So you were waiting for me?" "No." "You just said I was late." Maya laughed. "Sit down." Elena sat opposite her. For a moment, they simply looked at each other. Then Elena asked quietly, "Can I tell you something?" Maya nodded. "When I first saw you, you looked lonely." Maya's smile faded. "Was I?" "A little." "And that made you interested?" "No." Elena smiled. "It made me want to know you." Maya looked at her. "Why?" "Because you looked like someone who had an entire world inside her but didn't know who to share it with." Maya felt something tighten in her chest. Nobody had ever described her like that. Elena placed her hand on the table. She didn't touch Maya. She simply left it there. Maya looked at her hand. Then slowly placed hers beside it. Their fingers didn't touch. But neither moved away. Maya opened her notebook. She wrote one sentence: Maybe some people aren't meant to find their way alone. Then she looked at Elena. Elena was already looking at her. And this time, Maya didn't look away. To be continued…