Chapter 1
The Girl Who Wanted More
Brisa hated staying in one place.
Every morning felt exactly the same. Wake up. Go to school. Come home. Finish homework. Sleep. Repeat.
But every night, when the world became quiet, Brisa sat beside her bedroom window and imagined another life waiting for her outside the city.
A life full of airports, trains, beaches, mountains, and sunsets in places she had never seen before.
Travel videos were her favorite thing in the world. She watched them secretly when her parents thought she was studying. Sometimes she even placed tiny pins on a map hanging beside her bed.
Paris. Tokyo. Switzerland. Greece.
Places she dreamed of visiting one day.
But dreams were difficult inside her house.
“Traveling alone is dangerous,” her father always said.
“You’re too young for all this,” her mother added every time.
Brisa stopped arguing after a while. There was no point anymore.
Still, the feeling inside her never disappeared.
She wanted more.
One rainy afternoon after school, Brisa walked through the streets with her backpack over her head, trying not to get soaked. She noticed a small café she had never entered before and quickly ran inside.
Warm air and the smell of coffee filled the room.
The café was quiet except for soft music playing in the background.
Brisa sat near the corner and ordered hot chocolate. She pulled out her phone and started watching another travel video.
“Norway?” a voice suddenly asked.
Brisa looked up quickly.
A boy around her age stood beside her table holding two books and a camera.
“What?” she asked awkwardly.
“You’re watching a video about Norway,” he said with a smile. “Good choice.”
Brisa slowly nodded.
The boy sat in the chair across from her without even asking.
“I’m Finn,” he said casually.
Brisa almost laughed at how confident he looked. “Brisa.”
Finn noticed the small world map sticker on her notebook.
“You like traveling too?”
“Love it,” Brisa admitted quietly.
Finn grinned like he finally found someone who understood him.
For the next hour, they talked nonstop.
About dream places. Favorite foods. Mountains. Airports. Road trips.
Finn told her he wanted to become a travel photographer someday. He even showed her pictures he had taken during trips with his uncle.
Brisa stared at the photos in amazement.
“You actually went there?” she asked.
Finn nodded proudly. “Best week of my life.”
Brisa felt jealous in the best possible way.
For the first time ever, someone understood her dreams completely.
When Brisa checked the time, she jumped in shock.
“I’m late.”
Finn laughed. “You panic a lot.”
“My parents are going to kill me.”
Before leaving, Finn quickly tore a small piece of paper from his notebook and wrote something down.
“My number,” he said. “In case you want to hear more travel stories.”
Brisa smiled without realizing it.
That night, while lying in bed, she stared at his number for almost ten minutes before finally texting him.
Brisa: What’s the best place you’ve ever visited?
Her phone buzzed immediately.
Finn: Easy. Manali during winter.
Brisa smiled at the screen.
Maybe life was finally becoming interesting.
