C16 : The Dedication
268 Words
Mia couldn't stop thinking about it.
The book sat on her nightstand, its dedication burned her mind. For Adrian, who believed when no one else would.
She turned the phrase over and over like a stone in her pocket. Who had written it? Why had it mattered so much to him? And why had he looked at the author's name as though it carried weight too heavy for words?
The next day, when Adrian walked into the shop, everything felt the same — except for her. She saw him differently now. Every laugh, every thoughtful silence, every guarded glance carried a new question mark.
She wanted to ask. Desperately.
But instead, she tucked the book beneath the counter, hidden. She smiled as if nothing had changed, arranging stacks of paperbacks while her heart tripped unevenly in her chest.
"Long night?" Adrian asked gently, watching her more closely than usual.
Mia forced a light shrug. "Something like that."
She hated the lie, but she wasn't ready. Not yet.
That evening, as they closed the shop together, Adrian reached for a box of books at the same time she did. Their hands brushed, and he lingered, just slightly, as if anchoring himself to her.
The touch could have steadied her. Instead, it made her ache with all the words she couldn't say.
When he left, Mia leaned against the counter, staring at the hidden book beneath it. The dedication waited, patient and sharp, like a truth that refused to stay buried.
For the first time, she wondered if the man she was falling for was someone she didn't fully know.
- Writer
