Chapter 11: The First Text
385 Words
Bami’s POV
For a little while…
Neither of them said anything.
The notebook rested safely beside Bami’s coffee, exactly where it belonged.
She wrapped both hands around the warm mug, letting the heat settle into her palms. Only now did she realize how tense she’d been all day.
Funny.
One missing notebook had managed to steal an entire day’s peace.
“You really scared yourself.”
She looked up.
Tobi was smiling.
Not laughing at her.
Just… smiling.
She laughed softly.
“I really did.”
“I could tell.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“You walked in like someone preparing for bad news.”
She let out a small breath and shook her head.
“I think I was.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“I would’ve been too.”
She searched his face for a moment.
“You would?”
“If I’d lost something important.”
His answer was so simple that it caught her off guard.
Most people would’ve asked what was inside the notebook. They would’ve joked about finally discovering the secrets of a bestselling author.
He hadn’t asked once.
He had only cared that she’d gotten it back.
She ran her thumb over the worn edge of the cream cover.
“It’s silly,” she admitted. “It’s just paper.”
“I don’t think so.”
She looked at him.
“I’ve noticed something about you.”
She laughed softly.
“Should I be worried?”
“Not yet.”
The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile.
“You carry that notebook everywhere.”
She glanced down at it.
“You write in it when you’re waiting for coffee. When you’re watching people cross the road. Sometimes, when you think nobody is looking…” He paused, smiling apologetically. “You even smile at whatever you’ve just written.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“You’ve been observing me.”
“A little.”
“That’s slightly unsettling.”
“I know.”
“But also…”
He shrugged.
“…it’s hard not to notice someone who notices everyone else.”
For reasons she couldn’t explain, that sentence stayed with her.
Maybe because it made her feel seen.
Not in the uncomfortable way strangers sometimes stared.
In the quiet way that made her feel understood.
- Writer
