Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

Dominik had read every book she recommended, savoring each word as though it were a message meant just for him. He trusted her judgment with a fervor he couldn’t quite explain, as if each story she shared held a part of her heart. Somehow, knowing she’d loved these words made them sacred.

Tonight, like so many others, he returned to the library. The rain was falling steadily, casting a silvery glow through the windows, and as he stepped inside, he saw her waiting, a soft, welcoming smile on her face. They settled in, their usual easy rhythm slipping into place as they talked about characters, places that didn’t exist, and dreams that lived only in the pages of their favorite novels.

But tonight felt different. Their laughter was softer, their voices lower, the silences between them holding a deeper intimacy. Dominik’s heart beat a little faster, a new thought stirring. He wanted to know her—not just the parts she shared through stories, but her, beyond the safety of fiction.

At last, he looked at her, an unfamiliar shyness in his voice. “I just realized… I’ve been coming here all this time, and I never caught your name. What is it?”

She laughed, a light, musical sound that made him smile. “I’m Happy,” she said, almost sheepishly.

Dominik blinked, caught off guard by the simplicity of it. Happy. He almost laughed, but held it back, finding himself amused by the oddness of it. He wanted to say something clever, something that would make her smile, but all he could manage was, “Well, that’s… certainly unique.”

She looked down, her smile turning a bit self-conscious. “I know, it’s a bit ironic, isn’t it?”

He shook his head, a strange warmth softening his gaze. “Not ironic at all. I think it suits you perfectly.”

For a moment, there was only the gentle sound of rain outside, the two of them held in a quiet that felt as real as the words they’d shared. And somehow, the simplicity of her name, so open and earnest, reminded him of why he kept coming back. It was because of her—because, for the first time in so long, she made him feel… happy.

“Happy,” he repeated softly, letting the name settle, already feeling it etch its way into his memory, as permanent as the stories they loved.

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