CHAPTER 1: New Meeting

At that moment, a storm of emotions engulfed them as their gazes locked.

After class, Liam casually entered his friend's café with the intention of unwinding and amusing himself by playing his guitar passionately for the customers. He took a seat in the center of the room, on a chair equipped with a sizable microphone stand.

Mia walked into the café with a smile on her face, hoping to catch sight of the charming young man manning the throne-like seat, strumming his guitar while using his music as a coping mechanism to entertain those around him. Every Sunday she came here alone to relax. To attract Liam's attention, she ordered something identical from the menu.

She had an enormous crush on him and crossing paths with him was her way of decompressing from life's stresses. Whenever he played it felt like a delightful reverie.

Girls, numbering several in quantity in fact, were content to just hang around watching him perform because he had accumulated quite a following. He would beam back at them too making Mia feel envious momentarily before swiftly regaining her composure thanks to the melody being played. She just sat there basking in his performance reveling in how he looked at her almost lost.

"Fact is," he crooned softly

Once, he winked at Mia. For the duration of the song, she was silenced and perturbed by his gaze. The waiter took their orders as Mia glanced at Liam's beverage. All at once, Liam finished his drink. Pausing his singing, he let his voice ease off and approached Mia for a conversation. He set down his instrument and put it away in its case. Before his next performance, in twenty minutes, he walked towards Mia whose chair was adjacent to him. As he made his way closer to her, Mia covered her face as she wasn't prepared for this encounter.

She shifted her gaze elsewhere and signaled the waiter to order the same drink as Liam.

''Make that two cocktails," said Liam cheerfully.

Whispering softly, Mia replied '' Oh, Hi.''

Liam responded in a relaxed manner "Your name is Mia right? I feel like I've seen... pauses to (look at her attentively up front) you somewhere."

Curious, Mia questioned "How do you know me?"

"We're classmates in Physics," confidently states Liam.

Mia silently acknowledges "He knows we go to the same classes. I never knew he paid so much attention.''

Moreover Liam adds" You're the brightest student who excels in class and is adored by all the professors."

Mia maintains a straight face while thinking "This is ridiculous.

Liam waves his hand dismissively and pesters showing a smirk on his face before responding, "Oh, yeah, about that.

You're well aware of me.

I'm familiar with you too," Mia retorts.

''Your name is Liam, and everyone in the collage knows your name and your music.''

Liam puts on a contemplative expression. Oh, absolutely, every single student.

Mia immediately remarks again, 'You're also part of the Athletics and Music Clubs."

"What?" Liam's voice rings loud and clear.

''Darn it! ''

To avoid appearing strange, I beam back at him and say, "You said too much Mia."

''What I meant to say was that I don't just hang around clubs to see you not being cool at all,'' the speaker says.

Yup, I messed up real big, Mia thought to herself. (I wanted to say something else.)

''He'll probably think I'm some sort of crazy stalker,'' I state flatly.

Liam exclaims with a chuckle,"Haha," as he laughs fondly at how cute she looks when nervous.

"You're spot-on about the clubs I'm involved in.

Haha,'' Liam exclaims cheerfully.

You really are pretty funny man,

You come here every day if I notice correctly,

Mia quips back amusedly , '' Yeah. At least occasionally.

Hah,'' Liam replies with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

I often come here to relax since it's such a calm café , Mia responds softly .

You usually drop by after classes end, right ? '' Liam asks casually .

'' Yeah a lot of times , '' Mia answers back .

And you never miss any of my performances ,''Liam observes .

Mia nonchalantly responds ,"You could say so .''

''Indeed.'' What song do you fancy the most? Liam enquires calmly .

I find the song enjoyable on a whole, but there's something about when you pick up that guitar and strum away on it," Mia said with a smile.

Liam remarked, "Your name has such a distinctive ring to it."

"Thank you," replied Mia, her smile widening.

Their drinks having arrived at the table moments earlier, each started to take small sips. I've still got 15 minutes left. We still have plenty of time to chat.

Noticing her uneasy expression, Liam inquired," Something bothering you?"

Mia responded tersely, '' Some girls are eyeing me strangely.''

"Let them look," Liam says, his eyes focused solely on her as if she were the epitome of beauty itself.

Liam couldn't help himself but compliment her acute nose: "You smell like strawberries."

"I appreciate getting to know you better."

Mia shot back with an equally spirited response," Likewise."

Smiling at her comment, Liam acknowledged affably, "Good to hear."

"Just pretend they're not there for the moment," he says closing the gap between their hands ever so slightly. A tingle rushes through her from their contact.

"Yeah.. sure.." Mia muttered.

Curious now, Liam decided to explore further asking," So what do you enjoy doing in your free time?"

"I love painting " Mia said.

"That's really cool " responded Mia.

"And what, about you?" she asked.

"I enjoy creating and performing music " Liam replied.

"You must have a passion for music " remarked Mia.

Liam, with an enamored expression said, "I truly am. It's the one thing that truly defines who I am."

"I was quite passionate about it as a child when I got my guitar " he pointed at the instrument.

"I have something that's truly special to me, something I never want to lose," I expressed, my voice filled with sincerity.

Curious, Mia looked at me questioningly and asked, "What is it?"

As I glanced at my watch, I realized our time together was coming to an end. "My time is up," I confessed regretfully.

Mia nodded, acknowledging that we had been talking for quite a while. "We've been talking for twenty minutes," she added with a smile.

Realizing that I had to leave, I suggested, "Maybe we can continue this conversation next time?"

Mia's eyes lit up with anticipation as she replied, "You've got to show me."

With a nod, I assured her, "Sure, I'll make sure to get back to you."

But before I could leave, I realized I had forgotten to ask something important. Pausing for a moment, I gathered the courage and asked, "Do you mind if I have your phone number?"

Mia's response surprised me. "I don't have a phone with me," she said, regret evident in her voice.

A frown creased my forehead as I replied, "Oh, really?"

Defeated, Mia murmured, her anger palpable, "I'm not permitted to have one," crossing her fingers and lowering her head.

Understanding her predicament, I gently patted her hand and said, "I completely understand."

Then, an idea struck me. I set down my handkerchief and placed a pen beside it. "How about this? Leave your personal email with me," I suggested.

Brightening up, Mia responded, "I do have a personal email."

With a comforting smile, I said, "Great. Let's exchange emails then."

Liam asked, "Can I have your email?" and Mia replied, "Sure, I'll write it down for you." After Liam finished his performance, he grabbed a handy tissue and said, "Great job." Mia replied, "It was a pleasure talking with you." Liam slowly walked away, saying, "I'm going to go back and perform." Mia smiled and said, "I'll see you around, Liam." With her on his mind, Liam left. Mia responded with a smile, "You too, Liam."

Liam returned to the stage and performed a song, secretly dedicated to Mia. Although she may not have realized it was for her, Liam kept his gaze fixed on her throughout the entire song. When the show ended, Mia smiled back, clearly enjoying it. Liam expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who came to hear his music as he finished his performance.

Mia left the café and went home for dinner. As she browsed online on her laptop, she discovered that Liam had sent her an email. They started talking and continued throughout the night. They discussed their interests, listened to music, and even played games as they gradually fell asleep.