CHAPTER 5: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
292 Words
“Forgive me, señorita—I didn’t see you there,” the man says, offering me his hand. His voice is gentle, with a soft accent that makes my heart race. “I’m Romano Graciano.”
“Ma. Gracia Del Sol,” I say, taking his hand. The moment our skin touches, a jolt runs through me—like lightning meeting earth.
Romano leads me to a nearby bench under a banyan tree, apologizing again for bumping into me. He tells me he works as a farmer and carpenter, helping his family tend to their small plot of land just outside town. As he speaks, his eyes light up when he talks about the soil, the rain, the way crops grow stronger with care. I find myself telling him about… well, I don’t know how to explain my life in 2026, so I tell him I’ve come to visit family and am staying at the big house on the hill.
We talk for hours, and when the sun begins to set, he walks me back to the house. “Will I see you again?” he asks, his voice quiet.
“I hope so,” I say, and I mean it more than anything I’ve ever said.
In the weeks that follow, Romano visits me every day. He brings me wildflowers, tells me stories of the town, and teaches me how to weave palm leaves into baskets. He never pushes, never asks questions I can’t answer—he just listens, really listens, in a way no one in my life ever has. I find myself falling for him faster than I thought possible, my empty heart filling with a love so bright it feels like it could light up the whole world.
- Writer
