Just The Girl

Chapter 8

D A H L I A

Tapping away on his computer, Jace seemed deeply focused on whatever project he was working on.

Meanwhile, my eyes skimmed over the notes displayed on my iPad, trying to absorb as much information as possible for my upcoming exam.

We were back at Café Bistro, a day after our last hangout, and the cozy ambiance made it the perfect spot for both of us to settle into our own tasks. The soft hum of the coffee machine in the background, the occasional chatter from other tables, and the comforting aroma of fresh coffee created a familiar, almost serene environment.

We worked in comfortable silence, only pausing now and then for short bursts of conversation. These little moments made me realize that, despite our different paths, me and Jace's worlds were more intertwined than I had ever thought. It felt like the more we talked, the smaller the world became. We discovered we shared more than just a few mutual friends—people I had known for years but had never connected with him in my mind.

"I really wonder how Alissa is now," I said, thinking of one of our mutual friends. "I haven't seen her since last year."

"Yeah, me too," Jace replied, glancing up from his screen. "She kind of dropped off the radar after she went abroad, didn't she?"

I nodded, a little surprised that Jace knew Alissa as well as I did. "Yeah, she was always so spontaneous. One minute she's here, the next she's halfway across the world."

Our conversation wandered for a few minutes, sharing memories about Alissa and a few other friends. Names I hadn't thought about in ages popped up, people from different parts of my life who Jace also knew. I couldn't help but smile at how unexpectedly connected we were—Jace had probably been in the same classes or clubs with them at some point, but it had taken us this long to cross paths.

After a while, the conversation trailed off naturally, and we both returned to our work. I settled back into my study notes, but my mind kept drifting back to the fact that Jace wasn't some stranger anymore. He fit into my world in ways I hadn't anticipated, and it made me curious about how many more threads of connection we might uncover.

The steady rhythm of typing filled the air between us as we worked. Occasionally, I'd glance up, catching Jace staring at his screen with that familiar look of concentration—brows furrowed, fingers lightly drumming the edge of his keyboard. It was nice, this quiet companionship. We didn't need to fill every second with words; just being in each other's company, doing our own thing, felt enough.

At one point, he leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head before turning to me with a smile. "You doing okay over there?"

I grinned back, tapping my iPad with my stylus. "Yeah, just trying to cram a semester's worth of material into my brain in one sitting."

Jace chuckled, shaking his head. "Classic." He took a sip of his coffee and then leaned forward, as if about to share a secret. "You know, if you need a break, I heard they just got a new batch of pastries. Could be the perfect study fuel."

I laughed softly. "Tempting, but I should probably power through a little more. You?"

He shrugged, glancing at his screen. "I'm almost done with this part, but I wouldn't say no to a snack break after."

The thought of indulging in some pastries after working for a while felt like a nice reward. But more than that, it was the ease with which Jace and I had fallen into this routine—working side by side, sharing casual conversations, enjoying each other's presence—that made me feel a sense of contentment.

We may have started out as two people with seemingly separate lives, but now, sitting here together, those worlds didn't seem so far apart after all.