asier felt than ever said. And for Maya, that space in be

Just... unfamiliar. Her heart no longer followed the logic she had always clung to. Her journal

feared that the magic would vanish if they tried to define it. Or maybe they were bot

fifth day,

faintly on the pavement, and she kept looking down, unsure why she felt so self-aware that day. When she looked up, she saw him-

ike they hadn't left the con

er voice caught a little in her thro

e asked, rubbing th

lied, the corner of her mo

. "Come in, then. Let

ance their way. That laugh-it did something to Liam.

chapter. The bookstore was warm and cluttered in a comforting way. Piles of books were stacked unevenly on wo

never understood poetry," he said, flipping

y Oliver. "You don't have to u

oo long. "That makes sense. You see

ghtly. "Is that

t's rare,"

me, not reading all the time-just existing in the same sp

a book and found a note tuck

rson who f

nts to love you the way you do

ly. He read it and smiled ge

he asked, he

"That we found

But when he walked her home afterward, there was a quiet unders

to him. "Thanks for the

you want to breathe

k back. Not because she didn't want to-but because some

t the ceiling. She couldn't remember

lling him. Almost texting. Almost saying something

eithe

at Frida

night for students to read poems or sing or share their art. Ma

need a little more world and

cretly hoping Lia

w

attending

alked up slowly, almost awkwardly. A hush fell o

d, voice uncertain. "But

hat grows slowly, patiently, like a tree. And when he

t a decl

an invi

feelings inside her. This wasn't how love stories in movies worked. There were no grand gestur

something tha

night, her

message f

t know what this is, Maya. But

the screen,

e, she didn

to

was

was e

per, not a bang. And some hearts don't