closer than before
794 Words
Closer Than Before...
Elara woke up the next morning feeling exhausted.
The photographs from the previous night were still on her phone.
She had looked at them dozens of times before finally falling asleep.
Every smile.
Every glance.
Every moment Luca had shared with Sofia.
She hated how much it bothered her.
Yet she couldn't stop thinking about it.
After getting ready for work, she slipped her phone into her pocket and headed toward the café.
The city was already alive with morning traffic.
Normally, she enjoyed the walk.
Today, her mind was elsewhere.
On Luca.
Always Luca.
When she arrived at work, Maya immediately noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes.
"You look terrible."
"Thanks."
"I'm serious. Did you even sleep?"
"A little."
Maya narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Does this have anything to do with that handsome businessman?"
Elara nearly dropped a coffee cup.
"What?"
"The guy from a few days ago."
Maya smirked.
"The one who looked at you like he knew you."
Heat rushed to Elara's cheeks.
"It wasn't like that."
"Sure."
Maya laughed and walked away.
But her words lingered.
Did Luca look at her differently?
No.
Of course not.
Still, the thought refused to leave her mind.
Around noon, the café became crowded.
Elara moved quickly between tables.
Orders piled up.
Customers complained.
Machines hissed endlessly.
Then the bell above the entrance rang.
Her heart instantly skipped.
She looked up.
Luca.
Again.
For a second, she thought she was imagining him.
But there he was.
Standing in the doorway.
A black suit.
Dark hair.
The same calm confidence.
Her pulse quickened.
Twice in one week.
Maybe fate really was bringing them together.
Luca noticed her almost immediately.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The smile was polite.
Friendly.
Nothing more.
But to Elara, it felt special.
Very special.
He walked toward the counter.
"Busy day?" he asked.
She struggled to remember how words worked.
"A little."
Luca glanced around the packed café.
"I can see that."
His smile widened slightly.
The sight made her stomach flutter.
"I'll take my usual."
Usual.
The word made Elara ridiculously happy.
She remembered exactly what he ordered.
Black coffee.
No sugar.
No cream.
No extras.
Just coffee.
She prepared it herself despite several customers waiting.
When she handed him the cup, their fingers brushed briefly.
A tiny touch.
Barely noticeable.
Yet it sent electricity through her entire body.
"Thank you," Luca said.
"You're welcome."
He moved toward his usual table near the window.
Elara watched him sit down.
Watched him open his laptop.
Watched him start working.
For the next hour she found excuses to pass by his table.
Refilling napkins.
Cleaning nearby tables.
Checking customers.
Anything that allowed her another glance.
Eventually Luca's phone rang.
His expression changed immediately.
The relaxed look disappeared.
Something serious had happened.
"Are you sure?" he asked into the phone.
Silence.
Then a sigh.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes."
The call ended.
Luca closed his laptop.
As he stood, Elara approached cautiously.
"Everything okay?"
He looked surprised by the question.
Then he nodded.
"Just work."
Even his tired smile looked perfect.
"Nothing to worry about."
He reached into his wallet and placed cash on the table.
Then he paused.
"Actually."
Elara waited.
Luca looked at her.
"I never properly thanked you."
Her confusion showed.
"For what?"
"Talking to me like a normal person."
She blinked.
"What?"
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"Most people see my name before they see me."
For the first time, Luca seemed genuinely honest.
Genuinely vulnerable.
"They want something."
Money.
Connections.
Opportunities.
Power.
Elara suddenly understood.
Being Luca Moretti wasn't as easy as it looked.
"You don't seem difficult to talk to."
His eyes met hers.
For a brief second, the noise of the café faded away.
Then Luca smiled.
A real smile.
Not the polite one.
Not the business one.
A genuine smile.
"That's nice to hear."
Elara felt her heart completely surrender.
Later that evening, Luca drove away from the café without another thought.
He liked Elara.
She seemed kind.
Quiet.
Easy to talk to.
Nothing more.
Meanwhile, Elara returned home feeling like she was floating.
She replayed their conversation over and over again.
Especially one sentence.
"You don't seem difficult to talk to."
And his smile afterward.
It felt important.
Meaningful.
Like something had changed between them.
By midnight, she had convinced herself that Luca enjoyed seeing her.
That he looked forward to their conversations.
That she mattered to him.
The dangerous thing about obsession wasn't that it appeared suddenly.
It didn't.
It grew slowly.
Quietly.
One thought at a time.
One fantasy at a time.
Until eventually the line between reality and desire became impossible to see.
And Elara was beginning to lose sight of that line.
- Writer
