Fin was sleeping, resting his head on the desk.
The room was quiet, untouched—until
Golden sunlight streamed through the window, gently spilling across his face as if trying to wake him without disturbing his peace.
The warmth reached his eyes, and slowly, he stirred.
He blinked awake, rubbing his eyes lazily.
"When did I fall asleep?" he murmured to himself.
His gaze drifted to the desk—and there it was.
A sketch.
The girl with red hair, drawn with careful strokes and quiet emotion.
The moment his eyes met the drawing, a faint smile formed on his lips.
There was something about her… something he couldn't quite explain.
Without another thought, he stood up, headed to the bathroom, and let the cold water wash away the remnants of sleep.
Moments later, he stepped out, dressed in a white shirt layered under a blue jacket, paired with baggy blue jeans.
His damp hair clung lightly to his forehead as he picked up his bag and walked out of his room.
"Good morning, Fin," his mother greeted warmly.
"Yeah… good morning, Mom," he replied with a small smile.
"Come, have your breakfast," she said.
Fin paused.
"I'll eat outside," he muttered.
Her expression changed instantly. "What? Why?!"
He didn't answer.
"I made breakfast for you, and you're not eating? I know you—you won't eat outside either!" she shouted, her voice filled with frustration and concern.
Still, he said nothing.
He simply walked away.
Behind him, his mother stood silently, her eyes clouded with worry.
"Why are you doing this to your body?" She asked by knowing that he would never answer this question.
A question that won't reach to him.
Outside, the world was already alive.
Fin stopped by a small store, bought a coffee, and continued walking along the footpath.
His attention, however, wasn't on the road—it was on his phone.
And that's when it happened.
"Thudd..."
He bumped into someone.
A woman fell to the ground.
Startled, Fin quickly pocketed his phone and stepped forward. "Are you okay?" he asked.
The woman appeared older than Fin.
Her long, jet-black hair flowed freely, catching the light with a soft, natural shine. It framed her face effortlessly, giving her a calm yet striking presence.
Her lips, tinted a deep red like freshly bloomed roses.
She was dressed entirely in black—a fitted shirt layered beneath a loose jacket, paired with baggy jeans that gave her an easy, unbothered style.
There was something confident in the way she carried herself, as if she didn't need to try to stand out.
Fin extended his hands in order to help her.
But she didn't take it.
Instead, she stood up on her own.
"I'm fine," she said calmly, brushing herself off. "But you should buy me a coffee. Mine just fell."
Fin hesitated.
"…Okay."
They walked together in silence toward a nearby store.
Then suddenly—
"Are you single?"
Fin froze, caught off guard.
"Yeah… I am. Why?"
She smiled. "Because you're good-looking."
He didn't know how to respond.
Moments later, they reached entered a store.
"Go get your coffee. I'll wait here," he said standing at the counter.
"You better stay here!" She smirked before walking off.
As Fin stood there, the female cashier leaned slightly forward. "Is she your girlfriend?"
He blinked. "No. She's not."
"Oh!... Sorry for asking something personal" the cashier apologised.
Just then, the woman returned, holding her coffee.
"Pay for this," she said casually.
"…Okay." Fin responded.
Once outside, she turned to him with a bright smile.
"By the way, my name is Anjulie."
She said.
"So?" Fin replied.
She laughed softly. "It means I want to be your friend."
He stared at her, confused. "We don't even know each other."
"That's the point," she said, her eyes gleaming. "People usually don't know eachother right?..."
"We have to know eachother"
While in present.
"So, did you become friends?" The man asked.
Fin smiled. "What do you think?"
"I guess you two became friends..." The man said.
"The thing she told me that day completely changed me" he said.
"There was something about her confidence… her ease."
Fin sighed.
In past
"…Okay."
Her smile widened as he agreed to become her friend.
"So... Are you free today?" She asked.
He looked at her "yeahh... But" he replied.
"So... Let's hang out together if you're free" she said and she grabbed his hand.
"Hey! Let go of my hand!" He said.
"Oh!... Sorry, I guess it's too much for you" she apologized.
"You didn't even ask my name, did you?" He asked.
She got embarrassed.
"Oh!... Yeah, sorry. So, what's your name?" She asked.
"Fin!..." He answered.
"So... Fin, let's go" she excitedly said.
His eyes just stared at her. "But I'm going to a Library" he said.
"Oh!... Then take me with you" she said.
He didn't say anything but he simply walked away.
And she followed him, eventually entering a quiet library.
The atmosphere was calm, almost sacred. Rows of bookshelves stood tall, and people were lost in their own worlds of reading and writing.
"What are you going to do here?" Anjulie asked softly.
"I'm going to write." He replied.
"What?" She was confused.
He slightly stared at her.
"I mean, what are you going to write?" She asked.
"A novel."
He answered
They found a seat near a window. Outside, a breathtaking view unfolded—a shimmering lake reflecting sunlight like liquid gold, trees swaying gently, birds gliding freely across the blue sky.
And a park with tall trees. Only greenery could be seen through the window.
And a road only some inches above the lake.
Vehicles were passing through the road.
It was peaceful.
Fin took out his notebooks and the laptop.
"Are you in love with someone?" She suddenly asked.
The question hit him like a whisper he wasn't ready to hear.
The red haired girl came to his mind.
But how was he even suppose to call her his love afterall he knew nothing about her.
His grip tightened slightly.
"I… don't know," he replied.
She studied him carefully. "That means you do. You're just not accepting it."
He didn't respond.
Instead, he opened his notebook and began to write.
"How many novel did u write till now?" She asked.
Him with a frustrated face said, "I wrote many but I only published 3 novels"
He then slowly moved his eyes towards her.
And both of their eyes met.
"By the way. I'm the only one asking questions, don't you want to ask me anything?" She asked resting her face on her hand.
He sighed.
"You know, you're at library if we kept talking like this then the owner will make us leave"
"Answer me" she said with a straight face.
"Let me focus on my novels" he said.
Anjulie watched him, then turned her gaze to the window.
Where swans were gliding calmly on the lake.
The park was hardly seen by her, because it was covered by tall trees.
The cars were passing through the road that was parting the lake and the park. People were walking on the foothpath.
"Beautiful…" she whispered unconsciously.
"What?" Fin asked.
"Nothing."
She hesitated.
Fin didn't show that much interest.
An hour later, she spoke again. "You should take a break."
He ignored her.
"What did you eat for breakfast?"
"…Nothing."
Her eyes widened. "What? Why?"
No answer.
She sighed. "Let's go to a restaurant" she said.
"Why?" He asked.
"What do you mean why? Why do people go to restaurant?" She asked.
He looked at her.
"Okay, then go"
"Hmm" she stared at him with confusion.
"What about you?"
She asked.
"I'm not going."
"Why?"
"What? Why? I don't want to"
Suddenly she stood up.
And grabbed his hand.
"Hey—what are you doing?!" He shouted.
People turned to stare.
He sighed.
And she simply smiled.
"…Fine. I'll come."
At the restaurant, they sat across from each other.
A waiter came.
"May I take your order please? Sir and miss"
The waiter was ready to write their orders.
"I will have a full plate of chicken fried rice" Anjulie said.
"And what about you?" She asked looking at Fin.
"I'm not eating," Fin said.
"Why?" she asked, "I'm not hungry" he answered.
"But you said that you didn't eat at morning"
"So?..."
"So... Another plate of chicken fried rice please" she ordered for both of them.
"You should take care of your health."
"Who are you to care?" he asked.
She met his eyes.
"Your friend."
He smirked.
"Yeah… right."
He started to use his phone, she was only staring at him
"You don't like to talk do you?" She asked him
"Yeah because I'm not you" he replied not looking at her.
"Huh?! You should talk you know" she said to him
"Why should I?" He asked her
"what do you mean? Don't you want to express your feelings?" She asked resting her chin on her left hand.
He took a look at her
"Let me ask you something. Why do you talk so much?" He asked her
She glared at him "because I'm not you"
She smiled and started to laugh.
He glared at her when she was laughing but then he smiled aswell, she was surprised.
"Oh!! So you can smile." She teased him.
"Obviously I can" he replied, she smiled aswell
"Why do you carry so much positive energy huh?!" He asked
While in present
"She has so much positive energy in her, she definitely can influence anyone, anybody by her talk" Fin said with a smile
"She is also savage you know" the man laughed.
Fin started to laugh after hearing this "yeah definitely she knew how to answer people" Fin said with a smile
Back to past.
"Why do I carry so much positive energy? You asked" she smiled.
Her soft voice lingered.
"It's because... I'm Anjulie"
She laughed.
Fin was disappointed by this answer but still he smiled
"You are really weird you know" he said and started to use his phone, she stopped laughing and was staring him
"Who cares if I'm weird or what? I'm happy that I could brought a smile on your face" she smiled.
Fin stared at her.
Fin couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
There was something almost unreal about the way she looked in that moment—the soft glow of the lights brushing against her face, the quiet confidence in her posture, the way her presence seemed to dim everything else around her.
The world had narrowed down to just her, as if the rest of the restaurant existed only as a distant blur.
He didn't even notice the approaching footsteps until a gentle voice broke through his thoughts.
"Here is your order, ma'am and sir. If you need anything, please let me know."
Fin blinked, pulled back into reality.
This waiter carefully placed the plates on the table, his movements smooth and practiced, his tone calm and respectful.
But he wasn't the same waiter who had taken their order earlier.
This one carried a different presence.
He was a young man with striking light brown eyes that seemed to catch the light every time he moved.
His hair was styled in a neat comma cut, falling perfectly across his forehead in a way that looked effortless yet deliberate.
Dressed in a crisp white shirt, black pants, and a neatly tied tie, he looked almost too refined for the ordinary bustle of the restaurant.
And it wasn't just Fin who noticed.
From across the room, subtle glances followed him—women pausing mid-conversation, their attention quietly drifting toward him as he moved between tables.
"Hey... Look at him"
"Quite handsome"
"Yea"
There was something about him, a quiet charm that didn't demand attention but gathered it anyway.
Unbothered, or perhaps simply used to it, the waiter gave a small, polite nod before turning away.
Moments later, he disappeared into the restroom, leaving behind only the faint echo of curiosity and the soft murmur of conversations that slowly resumed.
"Hey that waiter was so handsome right?"
"I will come to this restaurant everyday from today on"
"Haha me too"
Anjulie noticed that too.
"Hey! That guy looked quite young, didn't he?" She asked.
"Yea..." He softly agreed.
Then she passed a plate towards him.
"What?" He asked.
"This is yours" she said
"I told you that I won't eat" he replied.
She smiled
"I don't care. You have to eat it" she said
"Why?"
"Because I can't eat two plates and also we shouldn't waste foods" she said.
"Okay... I will eat"
And he ate.
And for the first time that day—
"It's tasty," he admitted quietly.
She smiled.
After lunch, they stepped outside.
The sky stretched endlessly above them, clear and vast.
"So, where will you go now?" she asked.
Fin looked up… Then remembered the girl with red hair.
"I have something to do."
"Secret?"
"Yeah."
She grinned. "Then give me your number. I'll text you tonight."
He hesitated… then nodded.
They exchanged numbers.
"Bye. Take care," she said.
"Yeah… bye."
They walked away in opposite directions.
In present.
"So? Did she become your friend?" The man asked.
Fin smiled softly.
"She changed something in me that day."
A pause.
"We became really good friends."
His smile deepened, touched with something more.
"And after that…"
"We never left each other."
To be continued…