Romance Novel: The Trace of a Feeling

Chapter 1 – An Unexpected Encounter

The rain poured heavily, as though the sky had decided to release everything it had been holding since morning. Droplets struck the rooftops, slid down windows, and crashed onto the pavement in endless rhythm, turning the entire city into one vast orchestra of water. The streets, usually filled with the impatient honking of cars, now echoed with hurried footsteps and umbrellas opening like flowers under the storm.

On the corner of a quiet lane stood a little café named Lentera Senja. Its warm golden lights spilled through the glass windows, a soft invitation for anyone seeking refuge. Hidden between an old bookstore and a flower shop, the café wasn’t a place one would easily stumble upon. Yet for Adrian, it had long been his sanctuary.

He sat at his usual seat near the window, a thick book open before him, though his eyes drifted more often to the blur of rain outside than the printed words. His fingers wrapped around a cup of black coffee, the steam rising gently, warming the air before him. Adrian was a man of silence, of thought, of unspoken things. His solitude was not loneliness but habit, a shield against a world that often felt too loud.

Then the door opened. The small bell above it chimed, clear against the muffled hum of rain. Adrian looked up, and in that instant, the rhythm of his world shifted.

A young woman stepped inside. Her hair clung damply to her face, strands sticking to her cheeks, while droplets slid down the shoulders of her cream jacket. Her white sneakers, now smudged with gray, squeaked faintly against the wooden floor. Yet none of this dulled her presence. There was a warmth about her, something quiet but unmistakable, as though she carried a secret light within her.

She looked around, searching for an empty seat. The café was unusually crowded, filled with people who had fled from the rain. Only one chair remained — the one across from Adrian.

For a brief moment, she hesitated. Then she approached, her voice soft yet laced with urgency. “Excuse me, would it be alright if I sit here? It seems every other place is taken.”

Adrian closed his book gently and raised his eyes to her. Their gazes met — his steady, hers curious. The world outside blurred into silence. After a heartbeat, he nodded. “Of course.”

She smiled faintly, setting her small bag on the chair before slipping into it. With a quiet sigh, she brushed back her damp hair, her fingers delicate, almost hesitant. “The weather’s so unpredictable. Just half an hour ago the sky was clear, and now this.”

Adrian’s lips curved slightly, though his voice remained calm. “Clear skies are often just pauses before the storm.”

She tilted her head, surprised by the weight in his words. A smile lingered at the corner of her mouth, though she said nothing more.

For a while, silence enveloped them, but it wasn’t the kind that pressed down heavily. It was softer, like a fragile thread binding two strangers. Adrian pretended to return to his book, but his eyes betrayed him, lifting every so often to watch her as she traced patterns on the coffee cup she had ordered. She, too, occasionally glanced his way, her eyes carrying a spark that seemed both curious and guarded.

Outside, the rain continued to weave its melody. Inside, two hearts, unfamiliar yet strangely attuned, began to sense each other.

As the storm softened, thinning into drizzle, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. Slowly, she gathered her bag. “I should be going. Thank you for letting me sit here.”

Adrian wanted to say something — anything that would keep her there a little longer. A name, a question, a reason for her to stay. But hesitation rooted him to silence.

She stood, her hand resting briefly on the back of the chair. Turning to him, she gave one last smile. “Maybe someday we’ll meet again.”

And just like that, she left.

The door closed behind her, the bell chiming softly, fading with her steps. Adrian’s gaze lingered on the space she had occupied, the faint warmth she had left behind. His heart, usually so calm, beat faster than he could understand.

Outside, the rain had nearly stopped. But within Adrian, a storm had only just begun.