The café was quiet, except for the steady drum of rain against the glass windows. Outside, the streets glistened, puddles rippling every time a car splashed through. Most people hated days like this. For me, it was the opposite.
Rain gave me an excuse to disappear. To hide in the warmth of Café Liora, where I worked part-time after classes, wiping counters and sketching absentminded doodles on coffee cups. Customers came and went, but rarely stayed. Which meant I didn't have to talk much. Which was perfect.
I'd just finished cleaning the espresso machine when the bell above the door chimed.
She stepped inside.
At first, she was just another customer-umbrella dripping water, camera bag slung over her shoulder, hair damp from the storm. But then she pushed back her hood, and for a moment the café lights seemed to soften around her. Her eyes held that curious mix of mischief and melancholy, like she was both lost and exactly where she wanted to be.
She walked to the counter. "Hi. One cappuccino, please."
Her voice was brighter than the weather outside.
"Sure," I said, keeping my tone even. I busied myself with the order, though I couldn't help glancing at her reflection in the glass display. She was watching the rain, as if it was some kind of performance only she understood.
By habit, I grabbed a marker while I worked. On the white cup, I drew a little scene: raindrops falling from clouds, with a small sun peeking through. It was stupid, I knew. But drawing was the one thing that made me feel less... ordinary.
When I handed her the cup, she paused. "You drew this?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Just a habit."
Her lips curved into a smile that seemed to cut right through the grey outside. "Well... thank you. It's beautiful."
Most people just laughed off my doodles. She didn't. She looked at it like it actually mattered.
I froze for a second, unsure what to say. She laughed softly and added, "Guess this is the first bit of sunshine I've seen all day."
She carried the cup to a window seat and sat down, sipping slowly, her camera resting on the table.
And just like that, the girl who came with the rain became the only thing I noticed.
