C7 : A Familiar Name
380 Words
It was a Tuesday morning, and the shop was unusually quiet. Mia used the lull to sort through a new shipment f books. She lived this part — the crinkle of fresh plastic wrap, the crispness of new pages, the thrill of new titles finding their place on her shelves.
She was halfway through unpacking when her fingers froze on a familiar-looking cover.
The novel was titled The Silent Tide. The jacket was dark blue, the kind that evoked stormy seas. But it wasn’t the title that made her pause — it was the author’s name printed in elegant silver letters accessing the top.
Adrian Hale.
Mia’s breath caught.
Her gaze flicked instinctively toward the corn-sea table. Adrian — her Adrian — sat there, journal open, brow furrowed in concentration. He hadn’t noticed her staring.
Her pulse quickened. She glanced back at the book, then again at him. The same first name. The same thoughtful eyes shed seen in the author's photo on countless dust jackets. The resemblance was undeniable.
But could it be?
Heart racing, Mia flipped into silence, and found it in words.
Her chest tightened. It was exactly the kind of thing Adrian would say.
“Mia?”
She jumped, nearly dropping the book. Adrian stood a few feet away, watching her with an unreadable expression. His journal was still in his hand, closed tightly as though guarding its secrets.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said lightly, but there was tension under the words.
“I…” she swallowed hard, holding up the novel without thinking. “This book. The author’s name — it’s yours.”
For a fraction of a second, Adrian’s mask slipped. His jaw tightened, his eyes flicked to the cover, and something like resignation crossed his face.
Then he smiled, carefully. Too carefully. “Common name, isn’t it?”
Mia hesitated. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to tuck the thought away and let their quiet little world remain untouched. But as he gently took the book from her hands and set it aside, her chest thrummed with a truth she couldn’t ignore.
It wasn't a coincidence. She was sur of it now.
Adrian Hale wasn't just a stranger passing through. He was someone the world already knew.
- Writer
