Chapter 14: The Morning After

Morning arrived the way it always did at Chapter and Brew.
soft light slipping through the windows, the hum of espresso machine, the scent of baked comfort warming the air.

Kaia unlocked the door, just like every other day.

But today, something was off.

She moved through the cafe with practiced ease - switching on lights, setting chairs right, tying her apron - but the rhythm felt slower, heavier. Her phone lay face down on the counter, untouched. she hadn’t looked at it since morning.

Mrs. Alder noticed immediately.

She didn’t asked. She rarely did at first.

Instead, she watched Kaia miscplace the sugar jars, forget to taste the batter, stare a little too long at nothing.

“You’ve carried something in with you today,” Mrs. Alder said gently.

Kaia paused, fingers resting on the counter.
“It’s nothing,” she replied automatically.

Mrs. Alder smiled the way only someone who knows better does.
“It never is.”

Kaia exhaled slowly.
“Family,” she said, as if that explained everything.

It did.

“They only remember me when they need something,” she said quietly.
“And today…. they needed a lot.”

Mrs. Alder came closer, adjusting the sunflowers by the window.
“You don’t owe anyone your peace,” she said.
“Not even family".

Kaia’s eyes softened, but the weight didn’t lift completely.

Mrs. Alder placed a warm hand on her arm.
“You’ve built a life you are proud of, and today that matters.”

Kaia looked up.
“Office day.”

“Yes,”Mrs. Alder nodded.
“Let go off what you cannot fix. Do what you can.”

Kaia straightened her shoulders.
“ I will.”

The office felt brighter than the morning had.

Adrian sat at his desk earlier than usual, pretending to review emails he’d already read. His attention drifted more than he cared to admit - toward the glass doors, towards the hallway, towards the moment she would walk in.

He told himself it was professional.

She was a part of his team now. Ofcourse he was attentive.

And yet…

Everytime footsteps passed,his gaze shifted unconsciously.

He replayed her smile from the day before. The way she listened. The way she held her coffee. The quiet steadiness she carried without asking for notice.

He glanced at the sunflowers resting in a glass, near his desk - what remained of the bunch.

They felt unnecessary there.

He wanted to see her.
Just once
Just enough to know she was… okay.

And when Kaia finally entered the floor - formal, composed, eyes slightly tired - his chest loosened in a way he hadn’t expected.

She hadn’t noticed him yet.

But he noticed her.

And that was enough for now.