Chapter Three : Conversation deepens
668 Words
"The next few days passed quietly, like the week didn’t know how to move ahead. Javen still came every morning, same time, same order, but the air between them had changed. Something had. She couldn’t name it, but she felt it.
Hazel noticed it in little things. The way he stayed a bit longer before leaving. Or how he’d start talking just when she was about to turn away.
Sometimes it was about work — his office, his tight schedules, how his days always ran faster than his sleep. Other times, it was small talk. Something about her playlist or a random joke that made her smile when she shouldn’t.
But lately, every word felt heavier than before.
“Morning, Hazel,” he said one Thursday. His tone was light, warm.
She didn’t look up. “Let me guess. Coffee, no sugar, vanilla bread?”
He laughed quietly. “You make me sound predictable.”
She smiled. “You are. But in a good way.”
“Reliable?” he asked, like testing how it sounded.
“Exactly.”
He leaned on the counter, his eyes thoughtful. “No one’s ever called me that.”
Hazel frowned a little. “Really? You seem like it.” or aren't you?
He shrugged. “Maybe I was, before everything started moving too fast.”
She nodded. She got it. The kind of tired that doesn’t show until someone looks long enough.
She poured his coffee slowly. The steam rose between them, soft, curling. “You sound like someone who misses slow days,” she said.
He paused. “Maybe I just miss the right people.”
Her hand stopped halfway. “The right people?”
He smiled a little. “You know. The ones who made things lighter.”
Hazel didn’t ask who he meant. She already knew.
Later that afternoon, the café was almost empty. Only an old couple sat near the window, sharing a muffin. Hazel cleaned the counter again — not because it needed it, but because she needed to do something.
His words wouldn’t leave her head. Maybe I just miss the right people.
Ada noticed. She always did. “You’re thinking of him again.”
Hazel blinked. “Who?”
Ada smirked. “The hot chocolate man who orders coffee like he’s ordering your time.”
Hazel sighed. “It’s not like that.”
“Then why do you smile every time he walks in?”
Hazel threw a towel at her. “You’re dramatic.”
“I’m not. Just saying,” Ada said softly. “You’re both engaged. Don’t let the past fool you.”
Hazel looked away. “I know.”
But deep down, she knew something inside her had already shifted.
The next morning, Javen didn’t show up.
By noon, Hazel found herself glancing at the door more times than she wanted to admit. She told herself he was busy. People had lives. Deadlines. Maybe even someone waiting at home.
Still, when she locked up that night, something in her chest ached.
He came back the next day. A little late, looking tired but still wearing that same quiet smile.
“You disappeared,” she said before she could stop herself.
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, You noticed?”
Hazel tried to sound casual. “You come every day. I just figured maybe something came up.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Long day yesterday.”
“Rough one?”
He smiled faintly. “Sort of. But seeing you now makes it better.”
Hazel’s heart skipped. “Javen…”
He chuckled. “Sorry. That came out wrong, didn’t it?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Just… caught me off guard.”
Their fingers brushed as she handed him his cup. The touch stayed a second too long.
“Maybe I should stop saying what’s on my mind,” he said quietly.
“Or maybe,” she whispered, “you shouldn’t.”
The silence that followed said everything they couldn’t.
- Writer
