Episode 3
1449 Words
Maya stepped off the curb.
One step.
Then another.
She could hear the sound of traffic around her, but somehow it all seemed distant. Her attention was fixed on the man standing across the street.
Elias.
He watched her approach without moving.
There was something different about the way he looked at her this time.
The first time had been curiosity.
The second had been recognition.
This time, there was something warmer.
Something that made Maya suddenly aware of the way she was walking, the way her hair had fallen over her shoulder, even the fact that she was still holding her phone in her hand.
She stopped a few feet away.
“Hi.”
Elias smiled.
“Hi.”
Maya looked at him.
Then at the street behind him.
Then back at him.
“You’re everywhere.”
He laughed quietly.
“I was about to say the same thing.”
“I work here.”
“I know.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You know?”
Elias realized his mistake.
“I mean… I remember you telling me.”
Maya stared at him for a second.
“You have a good memory.”
“Only for things that matter.”
The words came out naturally.
Too naturally.
Maya looked away.
For some reason, that simple sentence made her uncomfortable.
Not because she disliked it.
Because she liked it too much.
“So,” she said, changing the subject, “what are you doing here?”
“Lunch.”
“Here?”
“Apparently.”
She smiled slightly.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Elias looked toward the café beside the building.
“I was going to get coffee.”
Maya glanced at the café.
Then back at him.
“You don't even drink coffee.”
He blinked.
“You remembered that?”
“You told me.”
“Right.”
Another silence.
This time, neither of them rushed to fill it.
Maya suddenly realized something.
They were both remembering small things about each other.
Things they shouldn't have remembered.
Things that shouldn't have mattered.
But they did.
Elias finally nodded toward the café.
“Want to have that coffee?”
Maya hesitated.
She checked her phone.
She had thirty-five minutes before her next meeting.
Plenty of time.
But she still hesitated.
“Just coffee,” she said.
“Just coffee.”
They walked into the café together.
The place was small and quiet.
Warm lights hung above wooden tables, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room.
They found a table near the window.
Maya sat across from Elias.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The situation felt strangely familiar.
Like they had done this before.
Except they hadn't.
A waitress came over.
Elias ordered coffee.
Maya ordered tea.
When the waitress left, Elias smiled.
“You still don't trust coffee?”
“I trust coffee.”
“Then why tea?”
“I don't trust you enough to drink coffee with you.”
Elias laughed.
“That sounds fair.”
Maya smiled.
She hadn't expected him to make her laugh.
That was becoming a problem.
She looked outside the window.
“Do you come here often?”
“Not really.”
“So why today?”
Elias leaned back in his chair.
“I don't know.”
Maya looked at him.
“You don't know?”
“I was walking around and ended up here.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
“Maybe.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe?”
He smiled.
“Maybe I was hoping I'd see someone.”
Maya's expression changed.
“Someone?”
Elias didn't answer immediately.
He simply looked at her.
And Maya understood.
Her heart skipped.
She quickly looked down at the table.
“You shouldn't say things like that.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
She paused.
Because she didn't know what to do with them.
Because she had spent years learning how to keep people at a safe distance.
Because she knew how to handle responsibilities, deadlines, disappointment, and loneliness.
But she didn't know how to handle someone who looked at her like he had all the time in the world.
“Because you barely know me,” she finally said.
Elias nodded.
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because I want to.”
Maya looked up.
He wasn't joking.
There was no teasing smile.
No hidden meaning.
Just honesty.
And somehow, honesty was more frightening than anything else.
Their drinks arrived.
For the next few minutes, they talked about ordinary things.
Work.
Books.
Food.
Places they wanted to visit.
Maya discovered that Elias loved quiet places.
Mountains.
Old buildings.
Rainy afternoons.
He discovered that Maya liked taking pictures while traveling, even though she rarely posted them.
“You keep memories for yourself?” he asked.
“Mostly.”
“Why?”
“Because not everything needs to be shared.”
Elias nodded.
“I like that.”
“What about you?”
“What?”
“Why do you take pictures?”
He thought about it.
“To remember how something felt.”
Maya looked at him.
“That sounds complicated.”
“It is.”
She smiled.
“Of course it is.”
They laughed.
And for the first time, the conversation felt easy.
Not forced.
Not careful.
Just two people slowly becoming less unfamiliar.
When Maya checked her phone again, her eyes widened.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“My meeting.”
“How long?”
“Ten minutes.”
Elias immediately stood.
“I'll walk you back.”
“You don't have to.”
“I know.”
He reached for his jacket.
“But I want to.”
Maya didn't argue.
They left the café together.
The afternoon sun had finally broken through the clouds.
They walked side by side.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Then Maya said quietly,
“Elias?”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you leave your number?”
He looked at her.
“Because I wanted you to have it.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is.”
She stopped walking.
He stopped too.
Maya looked at him seriously.
“You knew I might never call.”
“I knew.”
“You weren't afraid?”
“Of you not calling?”
She nodded.
Elias smiled softly.
“I was.”
That surprised her.
“You were?”
“Of course.”
“Then why did you do it?”
He looked at her for a long moment.
“Because sometimes being afraid doesn't mean you shouldn't try.”
Maya didn't know what to say.
Those words stayed with her.
Maybe because she understood them.
Maybe because she had spent so much of her life choosing the safe option.
The predictable option.
The option that didn't hurt.
And now someone was standing in front of her, reminding her that sometimes the things worth having required a little risk.
She looked away.
“I still have the number.”
Elias smiled.
“I was wondering.”
“You were wondering?”
“Every day.”
She laughed softly.
“That's a little embarrassing.”
“For you or me?”
“Definitely you.”
“Good.”
They started walking again.
When they reached her office building, Maya stopped at the entrance.
“This is me.”
Elias nodded.
“I know.”
She looked at him.
“Thank you.”
“For the coffee?”
“For today.”
He smiled.
“You're welcome.”
Maya took a step toward the door.
Then stopped.
She turned around.
“Elias?”
“Yeah?”
She hesitated.
Then finally said,
“Maybe next time, I'll have coffee.”
He smiled.
“Maybe next time, I'll bring the coffee.”
She smiled back.
And this time, she didn't try to hide it.
She walked inside.
Elias stayed outside for a moment, watching the doors close behind her.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He stared at the screen.
Then smiled.
A few seconds later, his phone vibrated.
A new message.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
Maya: You still owe me a coffee.
Elias laughed.
He typed a reply.
Elias: I was hoping you’d say that.
Across the city, Maya looked at her phone.
She smiled.
Then put it face down on her desk.
She tried to focus on work.
She really did.
But for the rest of the afternoon, she couldn't stop thinking about one thing.
Maybe some meetings were meant to happen.
Maybe some people were meant to cross your path.
And maybe, just maybe...
Their story wasn't beginning by chance anymore.
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