Beneath the same stars

Chapter One: The Bookstore Girl The scent of old paper and cinnamon filled the tiny secondhand bookstore on the corner of Brookstone Street. It was the kind of place most people walked past without a second glance—but not Adrian. Every Tuesday after work, he stopped by, claiming he was “just browsing,” though he always ended up buying a book he didn’t plan to read. The truth? He came to see her. Her name was Lila. She was always tucked behind the counter, a soft smile on her lips, her nose buried in a book as though it were the most sacred thing in the world. Lila didn’t speak much, but when she did, her voice had the kind of warmth that stayed with you long after you’d gone. Adrian had fallen for her slowly, like a leaf drifting down from an autumn tree—not with a crash, but a gentle, inevitable landing. “Back again?” she asked that Tuesday, raising her eyes to meet his. They were hazel, speckled with gold. They always caught him off guard. “Yeah,” he said, pretending to browse. “Can’t stay away.” “I noticed,” she smiled. That smile—that was why he came. But he hadn’t told her the real reason yet. Not about the breakup that left him hollow. Not about the letters he wrote and never sent. And not about the fact that lately, the only time he felt whole was in that tiny bookstore with her. As a summer rain began to fall against the windows, Lila handed him a book he hadn’t picked out. “Read this,” she said. “It’s about two people who fall in love slowly… but deeply.” Adrian looked at the cover. The title read Beneath the Same Stars. He smiled. “So… you believe in slow love?” Lila’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded. “The best kind.” Outside, the world rushed past—but inside the bookstore, time paused. A new chapter was about to begin. Chapter Two: After the Silence The moment stretched, soft and fragile like a page waiting to be written on. Lila stood just inside the bookstore, raindrops glistening on her coat, her eyes scanning Adrian’s face as if to confirm he was real. He hadn't changed much—still wore his dark jacket, still had the same thoughtful eyes—but something about him looked more grounded now, like he'd rediscovered a piece of himself. Adrian cleared his throat and stepped closer. “You're here.” She smiled, the kind that was half joy, half apology. “I had to come back.” “Why?” Her gaze dropped to her hands. She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, then looked up, her voice soft. “Because I left too soon. I wasn’t ready to leave... and I wasn’t ready to admit that I missed you.” A silence settled between them, full of unsaid things. Adrian took a deep breath. “I kept thinking about that line in your poem,” he said. “The one about the stars.” Lila laughed quietly, brushing a damp curl behind her ear. “I didn’t think you’d remember it.” “I read it almost every night.” He paused. “It helped.” Lila’s voice wavered. “Me too.” They stood there, surrounded by the quiet comfort of old books and warm lamplight. The bookstore hadn’t changed, but they had. And yet, something between them remained—the invisible thread, the gentle gravity pulling them back together. Adrian reached into his bag and pulled out a sketchbook, flipping it to a page near the middle. “I’ve been drawing again.” On the page was a watercolor scene—two figures sitting under a night sky, the stars above them glowing like tiny candles. One figure was reading a book, the other sketching. Lila stepped closer, her eyes shining. “That’s us.” “It’s what I imagined… on the nights I missed you the most.” She didn’t speak for a long moment, just stared at the drawing like it might disappear if she blinked. Then, slowly, she took a folded paper from her coat pocket and handed it to him. “I wrote something, on the flight home,” she said. “For you.” Adrian unfolded the paper. It was a poem. --- “I thought distance would dull what I felt, But it only sharpened the ache. And in every book I touched, In every cup of tea I sipped alone, I saw your face. Not a storm, not a fire, But a quiet light— Like stars above my window. I didn’t come back for comfort. I came back for you.” --- Adrian blinked back the emotion rising in his chest. “You wrote this… for me?” She nodded. “I didn’t want to wonder anymore. I wanted to know what would happen if I stayed. If we stopped being afraid.” “I was afraid too,” he admitted. “Afraid I’d mess it up. But not being with you… that felt worse.” Lila took a small step forward, close enough for her coat to brush his arm. “So what now?” He looked around the bookstore. “This place started everything. Maybe we let it be our beginning.” Her smile this time was soft and sure. “Then let’s begin.” --- That evening, they closed the shop early. Lila brewed tea in the back while Adrian reorganized the art books. Everything felt familiar, but lighter, easier. They didn’t rush anything. They didn’t need to. As the sun dipped below the skyline, casting a golden hue over the shelves, Adrian set up two chairs by the window. He brought over two books—his favorite, and the one Lila had given him before she left. “Trade?” he asked. She nodded. They exchanged books like they’d done before, this time not as strangers passing time, but as two hearts choosing the same path forward. Outside, the stars began to peek through the night sky. Inside, they read in silence. But under the table, their fing ers found each other—tentative, then sure. And just like that, the story continued. ---