Chapter 4: Falling Fast

The little bell over the door chimed again as I pushed into the café. It had become almost a habit—my escape from the grayness of school, from whispers, from being invisible. The rain had stopped outside, but I didn’t mind. I liked the quiet, the soft smell of old paper, the faint hum of music in the background. Most of all, I liked that Yoru was there.

She glanced up from the books she was arranging on a shelf. Her eyes found mine instantly, calm and steady, and that soft smile tugged at her lips. The one that made my chest flutter every single time.

“Back again?” she asked lightly, voice warm. “You don’t have to come every day, you know.”

“I…like it here,” I said softly, my fingers brushing the strap of my bag. My cheeks warmed without warning.

Yoru’s smile deepened just a little, quiet and knowing. “Good. Then stay as long as you like.”

I wandered through the aisles, letting my fingers graze the spines of books. Occasionally, Yoru would hand me one, sliding it across the counter with a soft, “I thought you might like this.” Or sometimes she’d read a passage aloud, just enough to make me smile. I loved those moments. There was a careful gentleness in her, a quiet way of noticing small things I didn’t even know I was giving away.

When I picked a book to take to a corner chair, she followed, carrying a cup of tea. “Careful, it’s hot,” she said, placing it beside me with a steady hand. I looked up at her, heart skipping. She didn’t just hand me tea. She made sure it reached me safely. She cared, even in small ways, and it felt…overwhelmingly warm.

Sometimes, after I read for a while, she would walk me to the door. Rain or shine, it didn’t matter—Yoru was always there. Soft steps beside me, her hand lightly brushing the strap of my bag if it swung too much. Her presence was steady, comforting, and I found myself leaning a little closer, even when my head told me to stay careful.

“You’ll be careful on the way home, right?” she would ask. Her voice wasn’t commanding, just gentle, as if she trusted me but still wanted to make sure I was safe.

“I…will,” I said softly, and for some reason, that simple promise felt weighty in my chest.

I started noticing little things about her—the way her hair fell slightly over one shoulder when she bent to pick up a book, the way her eyes softened when she smiled, the way she listened without interrupting, without judgment. Each small thing piled up in my chest, a strange, fluttering warmth that I didn’t understand at first.

And then one day, it hit me.

I was looking at her, her hand brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, and I felt it like a jolt through my chest. My heart pounded, my stomach turned, and a strange, dizzying happiness spread through me. I…liked her. Really liked her. More than I should, more than I had ever liked anyone before.

I froze, panicked. My fingers curled around my book. My mind raced. This was dangerous, wasn’t it? I had never felt this way before. People didn’t notice me. People didn’t care. And now…now I liked someone so much it hurt.

Yoru glanced at me, probably noticing the flush on my cheeks. Her smile was gentle, teasing just a little. “You’re quiet today,” she said. “Everything okay?”

I nodded quickly, pretending it was just the weather, just the tea, just…something harmless. But it wasn’t. My heart betrayed me, skipping at the sight of her. My hands shook ever so slightly, and I realized, with a jolt that scared me more than anything else, that I had fallen for Yoru.

It was terrifying.

Because she was kind, confident, so impossibly gentle, and I…was me. Quiet, small, careful. Invisible, sometimes. And yet, every time she smiled, every time she handed me a book, every time she walked me to the door, I felt like maybe, just maybe, I was someone worth noticing.

I didn’t say anything that day. I didn’t need to. Just being near her, seeing her smile, feeling her warmth…it was enough. For now, it had to be enough.

And maybe, if I was brave enough, tomorrow, I’d tell her. Or at least…try to.

For now, I held my book closer, took a sip of the tea she had poured, and let my heart flutter quietly in the corner of the café, where Yoru’s gentle presence filled the air like sunlight.