Episode 3 :Small Things
781 Words
It started with something small.
So small… she almost didn’t notice it.
She was running late.
Again.
Her alarm hadn’t gone off—or maybe she turned it off without remembering. Either way, she woke up in a panic, rushing through everything at once.
“Why is this day already bad…” she mumbled, scrambling to fix her hair while searching for her bag.
She grabbed her things and rushed toward the door—
Then stopped.
On the table…
Was a neatly wrapped sandwich.
And beside it, a small sticky note.
*“You skipped breakfast yesterday.”*
She blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Slowly, she picked it up.
“…Did he make this?”
Her eyes drifted toward his side of the room.
Empty.
He was already gone.
She stared at the sandwich for a moment longer, then let out a quiet breath.
“…That’s new.”
She took it with her.
—
That night, she came home exhausted.
Work had been longer than usual. Her part-time shift drained whatever energy she had left, and all she wanted was to collapse on her bed and disappear for a few hours.
But as she opened the door—
The light was on.
And he was there.
Sitting by the table, quietly reading something.
“You’re back,” he said without looking up.
“…Yeah.”
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
“You’re early,” she added.
“I finished earlier today.”
She nodded, placing her bag down.
A small silence settled between them.
Then—
“…Did you make that sandwich?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
He glanced at her.
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“…Why?”
“You didn’t eat.”
Her chest felt… strange.
“That was just one time.”
“You still didn’t eat.”
She opened her mouth—
Then closed it.
Because she didn’t have a comeback for that.
“…Thank you,” she said quietly.
He nodded once, like it wasn’t a big deal.
But somehow…
It was.
—
Days passed.
And little things started to change.
He would leave space for her on the table.
She would turn the light on before he got home.
He noticed when she was too tired to talk.
She noticed when he skipped meals.
No one said anything about it.
But both of them felt it.
Something shifting.
Something soft.
Something unfamiliar.
—
One evening, the rain started pouring heavily just as she left her part-time job.
She stood by the entrance, hugging her bag, watching people rush past with umbrellas.
“…Great,” she sighed.
She didn’t bring one.
And going back in wasn’t an option.
She took a deep breath.
“I’ll just run for it.”
Before she could step out—
A hand grabbed her wrist.
She froze.
“…What are you doing?” he asked.
She turned.
“…You?!”
He stood there, slightly out of breath, holding an umbrella.
“How did you—”
“You forgot this,” he said, lifting it slightly.
Her umbrella.
Her eyes widened.
“You came all the way here… just for that?”
“You need it.”
The rain poured harder, the sound filling the space around them.
For a moment, she couldn’t say anything.
Because no one had done something like that for her in a long time.
“…You didn’t have to,” she said softly.
“I know.”
Silence.
Then he stepped closer, opening the umbrella.
“Let’s go.”
She hesitated for a second—
Then stepped under it.
Close.
Closer than usual.
Their shoulders almost touching.
Her heart beat faster.
Not because of the rain.
But because of him.
They walked side by side, quiet as always.
But this silence…
Felt different.
“…You didn’t have to wait for me,” she said after a while.
“I wasn’t waiting.”
She glanced at him.
“Then what?”
A small pause.
“…I was passing by.”
She smiled a little.
“Liar.”
He didn’t respond.
But she noticed—
The slight curve of his lips.
And somehow…
That was enough.
—
That night, as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling—
She touched her chest lightly.
“…Why does it feel like this…”
She didn’t have the answer.
Not yet.
But one thing was certain.
This wasn’t just about sharing a room anymore.
Because somewhere between quiet mornings…
And small, unnoticed kindness—
Two strangers…
Were slowly becoming something more.
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