11

  The morning sunlight spilled across the streets of the city as Finn and Maxi made their way toward their father’s small market stall. The smell of fresh bread and sizzling oil greeted them long before they arrived. The bustling market was already alive—vendors shouting their wares, children weaving between stalls, and the occasional clatter of a dropped pot. Yet, Finn found a quiet rhythm in it all, moving beside Maxi with practiced ease.

  They arrived at the stall, tying on their aprons. Their father was already at the grill, flipping meat and stirring sauces with deft hands. Aunt Nins, as lively as ever, called out greetings and guided customers to tables. Finn fell into his usual role: taking orders, carefully packaging food for takeout, and occasionally preparing deliveries for online orders. Maxi moved beside him, more animated than focused, but effective when it counted.

  The routine brought comfort. Between rushes of customers, Finn would sneak glances at his school notebook, reviewing math problems or sketching chess positions. Life was simple, steady, and predictable—or so he thought.

  It wasn’t always like this. Finn’s world had its quiet corners, and one of them had recently grown brighter, though he had yet to understand it fully: Katherine. She was a schoolmate from another class, someone Finn had noticed months before. He first admired her from a distance—the way she concentrated in class, her calm demeanor, the slight tilt of her head when reading. There was a gentleness to her that drew him in, though he hadn’t dared speak to her much beyond brief greetings. Over time, simply seeing her in the hallways, or at the church where Finn sang in the choir, made his chest lift in an unfamiliar way. She was radiant, yet approachable, and Finn found himself smiling more often, quietly hoping for a moment to cross paths.

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  That chance came unexpectedly one afternoon. An online order popped up on Finn’s phone, and he grabbed the scooter without checking the details too closely. The streets were warm and sunlit, and he delivered the food to a quiet house on a tree-lined street. The door opened, and there she was—Katherine.

  Finn froze for a heartbeat. “H-Hello… um… your order,” he stammered, extending the carefully packed food.

  Katherine’s eyes widened just slightly, a shy smile tugging at her lips. “Oh! Thank you.” She took the package carefully. Her fingers brushed his briefly, and Finn felt his cheeks flush without warning. She returned with the payment, their fingers brushing again, and Finn muttered a quiet, “Th-thank you,” before turning away, heart pounding. At the time, he didn’t realize she was his schoolmate.

  What made it stranger—and more thrilling—was that Katherine also recognized him instantly. She had seen him around school, noticed his gentle presence, the way other students seemed drawn to him, yet she hadn’t had a reason to approach him. Their brief encounter left both of them shy, smiling awkwardly at the small, unspoken connection they had formed.

  After that day, Finn began to notice her more often. In the hallways, her classmates whispered when he approached, and Katherine would blush faintly, ducking her gaze. At church, where Finn was part of the choir, he often caught her watching from the pews, quiet and attentive, and his heart would beat faster at the sight. His gentle face, calm demeanor, and positive aura seemed to make him approachable, and yet it was her shy glances that unsettled him most.

  Despite the flurry of daily life—school, helping at the stall, practice with the choir—Finn carried the memory of that delivery with him. Every order he packed, every step he took along the city streets, reminded him of Katherine. Simple routines were no longer quite so ordinary; they held the quiet hope that, someday, their paths might cross again in a way that neither of them would forget.

  And so, Finn moved through the days, his focus on school and helping his father, yet always aware of the soft pull of curiosity and admiration he felt for Katherine, the woman whose presence had quietly begun to change the rhythm of his world.