The Silent Love

Chapter 03

It was just another ordinary morning at the cafe, but for Kiko, something felt different. As he walked in, the familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee surrounded him, and the soft hum of quiet conversations filled the air. He’d been coming here for days now, finding solace in the comfortable corner by the window, where he could sip his coffee and let his thoughts drift. But today, something caught his attention as he approached his usual seat.

Across the room, at a table near the counter, was the girl. *Bea,* he remembered. The girl who had been silently occupying the same space each time he came in. She was seated with her back to him, writing on a whiteboard in front of her—something she always did, but today, it felt different.

Kiko froze for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he watched her write down something on the board, her movements calm and deliberate. She was alone, like usual, but something in the rhythm of her gestures made him pause.

He sat down in his usual spot, but this time, he couldn't stop watching her. He’d seen her here before, but it was only now, in this quiet moment, that the realization hit him like a wave.

*She doesn’t speak.*

It was a small thing, but it suddenly felt like a giant shift in his world. He had noticed the quietness, of course, but he had never really thought much of it before. She never engaged in conversation, never seemed to make any attempt to interact with the others around her. She simply came in, ordered, sat, and wrote. But it wasn’t until now—watching her quietly jot something down on the whiteboard again—that it clicked.

*She’s mute.*

Kiko felt a jolt of surprise, followed by an almost immediate sense of realization. He'd been unknowingly running into this girl for days, their paths crossing in silence, yet somehow never noticing the full depth of who she was. Was this some kind of twist of fate? He had never thought much about destiny before, but the idea that he kept finding himself near Bea, day after day, made him wonder. Was this more than just coincidence? Or was it something bigger?

He watched as Bea finished writing on the board and moved to the counter to order her food, gesturing to the barista as she pointed to the menu with a calm, practiced grace. There was a certain peace to the way she moved, as if she had long since accepted this routine. She wasn’t bothered by the silence around her; it was just how she existed. And yet, Kiko felt the urge to know more—about her, about the silence, about everything that had led her to this point.

As Bea took her seat again, returning to the quiet rhythm of writing on her whiteboard, Kiko couldn't help but feel a pull. There was something in her presence, in the calmness of the way she communicated, that drew him in. He had always been someone who spoke too much, filling every gap with words, but here was a person who had learned to live without them, to find meaning in the spaces between.

Kiko leaned back in his chair, a mix of curiosity and wonder settling in his chest. Today, something had changed. Today, he would learn her story. He didn't know how or when, but for the first time, he felt like the silence between them might hold the answers he had been searching for.