A Chance Encounter

It was a rainy afternoon when Emily first met Liam. The kind of day when the world feels washed clean, and everything is muted beneath the rhythm of falling rain. Emily had been huddled in the corner of the small café, her book forgotten as she stared out the window. The sky was a shade of gray she couldn't name, and the city seemed to hold its breath. She felt the weight of her own loneliness, a quiet ache she hadn't yet learned how to ease.

Liam entered the café in a flurry, shaking off droplets from his jacket. He was the kind of person who seemed to bring light with him, even on the cloudiest days. As he made his way to the counter, his eyes met hers briefly-long enough for her to feel something stir deep inside her. Something unexpected.