Chapter 1
Chapter 1 — The First Spark
Maya had promised herself she wouldn't notice him.
It lasted exactly eleven minutes.
She was sitting alone at the corner table of the small rooftop café, pretending to read while the evening breeze played with the loose strands of her hair. She had come there to escape the noise of the city—and, more importantly, to escape the complicated thoughts that had been following her all week.
Then he walked in.
Tall. Calm. Dressed in a dark shirt with the sleeves casually rolled to his forearms.
Maya looked up once.
Then immediately looked back at her book.
Don't.
A few seconds later, she looked again.
He was talking to the waiter, one hand resting casually against the counter. There was nothing particularly dramatic about him, yet something about the way he carried himself made it difficult to look away.
And apparently, he noticed.
Their eyes met.
Maya froze.
His gaze lingered for a moment before he gave her the faintest hint of a smile.
Not friendly.
Not exactly.
More like he knew she'd been watching.
She lowered her eyes to her book.
Her cheeks felt warm.
A minute later, someone stopped beside her table.
"Is this seat taken?"
Maya looked up.
It was him.
She glanced at the empty chair opposite her.
"No."
He pulled it out and sat down.
"I'm Arjun."
"Maya."
"I know."
Her eyebrows lifted. "You know?"
He smiled.
"The waiter called your name when you ordered coffee."
"Oh."
She suddenly became very interested in the page in front of her.
Arjun leaned back in his chair.
"You've been reading the same page for ten minutes."
Maya looked down.
He was right.
"I like that page."
"That much?"
"Very much."
His smile deepened.
For some reason, that made her even more nervous.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it felt strangely intimate.
Maya finally closed the book.
"You always approach strangers like this?"
"Only the interesting ones."
She looked at him.
"And what makes you think I'm interesting?"
His eyes moved briefly over her face before meeting her gaze again.
"You keep pretending you aren't curious about me."
Maya's lips parted slightly.
"I wasn't."
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Trying not to smile."
She failed.
A small smile escaped.
Arjun noticed.
And somehow, that tiny moment felt more dangerous than it should have.
The café lights flickered on as evening settled over the city.
Maya should have left.
Instead, she stayed.
And when Arjun reached across the table to move her untouched coffee closer to her, his fingers brushed hers.
Neither of them moved away immediately.
For one quiet second, they simply looked at each other.
The attraction was sudden.
Unmistakable.
And neither of them pretended not to feel it.
Maya slowly pulled her hand back.
Arjun smiled.
"See you tomorrow?"
She hesitated.
Then, despite herself—
"Maybe."
His smile told her he already knew what that meant.
"Tomorrow, then."
