I woke up with the morning light coming in through the window, slowly, as if the day itself wanted to take its time. For a moment, I stayed still, remembering what had happened yesterday at the bar. How I saw her arrive, how she seemed nervous while serving us. I couldn’t stop thinking about it as I sat up in bed.
“When could we go out?” I murmured to myself as I stretched. “What would we do? No idea… but I want to get to know her more.”
It wasn’t something romantic, at least I couldn’t call it that. It was curiosity, genuine interest. Liz seemed different from everyone I usually meet. Attentive, reserved, but with something that made me want to understand her better.
I went downstairs to the kitchen and found my mother pouring herself some tea. I sat in front of her, my mind still racing.
“You look like you’re thinking about something interesting,” she said, amused.
I let out a short, slightly nervous laugh.
“It’s nothing… I just met someone yesterday.”
“Someone?” she asked, raising her eyebrows, with that playful spark she always had.
“Yes… her name is Liz. I met her at the museum and then… well, it surprised me to see her as our waitress. She’s… interesting. Different.” I tried to sound casual, but I probably sounded a bit strange.
My mother couldn’t help but laugh, that laugh that made me want to disappear and, at the same time, comforted me.
“Well! It seems someone left you thinking quite a lot. My daughter and her natural magnetism, huh?”
“Mom…” I rolled my eyes and smiled, blushing. “It’s not that. I just… wanted to wait for her to talk a bit, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” she said, taking a sip of tea. “Alright, alright… but it seems she liked something about you.”
I shook my head quickly, trying not to show my real interest. I just nodded, letting her laugh a little more, while I focused on my coffee. Without realizing it, my mind drifted back to Liz and the curiosity of getting to know her more, wondering when we could find time to go out.
After having some breakfast, I went to take a shower before heading out for a while. I had the day off and only needed to go to the museum if they were short-staffed or needed a guide. It didn’t take me long to shower, and soon I was ready to leave. Before closing the door, I said goodbye to Mom and told her I’d eat out.
The truth was, I had no idea what to do. At one point, I thought about inviting Liz to grab something to eat with me, so we could get to know each other a bit more. What held me back was not knowing if she was busy or still sleeping; I still remembered the faint dark circles I had noticed under her eyes when I met her.
After thinking it over, I decided to text her.
“Hi,” I said calmly, trying to sound casual. “I wanted to know if you’re free. I don’t have anything to do today and I was thinking of going to Shipyards Park, by the river. Do you want to come with me?”
“Sure!” she replied almost immediately. “See you there.”
She ended the call. I assumed she was happy, maybe she hadn’t expected me to contact her so soon. I was already at the park anyway, and I had planned to invite her. So I just stayed there waiting, looking at the horizon.
It didn’t take more than half an hour before I saw her in the distance, looking around for me. I stood up and raised my hand so she could see me. She stayed still for a few seconds, as if making sure it was really me, and then started walking toward me.
“Hi,” I said, smiling as she approached. “I’m glad you could come.”
“Hi… Isabella,” she replied with a slightly shy tone, still a bit reserved. “Yeah, I came… I didn’t want to miss this.”
I looked at her closely. Her eyes still showed a hint of tiredness, as if she hadn’t slept very well. I didn’t want to exaggerate or seem insistent, so I just asked calmly:
“Did you sleep well last night?”
Liz lowered her gaze slightly.
“More or less…” she replied softly. “I’ve had a couple of rough nights, but I’m okay.”
I nodded, feeling a small weight in my chest, a desire to take care of her without making it too obvious.
“Alright… I just wanted to make sure,” I said gently, letting my expression soften without pressuring her.
We walked for a while in silence, following the path along the river. The sun shone faintly, reflecting on the water, and the wind lightly moved the loose strands of hair escaping from our hoods or hairstyles. I liked watching her—how she adjusted her pace, how she took her time to look around, as if she were discovering the place for the first time.
As we walked, we got closer to the shore. I stopped for a moment and let her do the same. I could hear the murmur of the river, feel the cold wind on my skin, and notice how Liz seemed to relax a bit more, as if that open space gave her some sense of calm.
It was curious how someone could seem so distant and, at the same time, awaken a genuine interest in wanting to know her more. It wasn’t love, not yet… just curiosity, and the desire to discover who Liz really was, beyond the shy smile and the short words we had exchanged so far.
Time passed quickly and, before I realized it, it was already past noon. I watched Liz looking at the river, still, with her hands resting gently on the railing. I felt a little hesitant, but finally asked:
“Hey… would you like to get something to eat? I don’t know if you brought anything, but we could sit at a café near the park.”
She turned her gaze toward me and smiled, shy but genuine.
“Yeah… I’d love to. Thank you.”
I felt relieved, as if that small agreement had made everything easier. We walked together toward the edge of the park, looking for a place to sit. The curiosity was still there, that mix of wanting to know her more and, at the same time, letting her set the pace of the conversation.
As we walked, I was struck by every detail—how she moved, how she spoke, how she breathed. Every gesture, every word made me want to discover more about Liz, to understand her a little better.
Not finding anything really good where we could sit to eat or drink, I suggested going to the bar where she worked. She didn’t refuse, so we took the bus and headed there. She seemed a bit nervous, but not uncomfortable; there was something in her attitude that made me feel she was willing to keep going.
We went in and sat away from the entrance, against a wall, in a small corner for two people. We were served fairly quickly, and the waiter looked at Liz and greeted her. She blushed immediately, all the blood rushing to her cheeks, clearly nervous.
She showed me the menu, and I decided to let her order for me; I wanted her to feel encouraged to talk a bit more with me without feeling pressured. In the end, she ordered two burgers: hers came with fries and mine with onion rings.
“So… do you always work here?” I asked, trying to sound casual as I took a sip of my drink.
Liz played with her napkin, as if searching for the right words.
“Yeah… almost always. It’s comfortable, I know the place, and it’s close to home.” She sighed lightly, as if saying it helped her relax a bit. “And you… do you come around here often?”
“Not exactly,” I replied, smiling. “Today was more of a coincidence. But… I like the museum, and this place is relatively close.”
She nodded, still blushing, but began to open up a little more.
“I don’t like meeting new people, and sometimes I don’t really know how to start a conversation,” she said with a shy smile. “But with you it feels… easy.”
Hearing her say that made me smile. The way she expressed herself, simple but sincere, made me want to hear more.
“I’m glad,” I replied. “I also wanted to get to know you a bit more.”
There was a brief silence, but not an uncomfortable one. We simply settled in, letting the conversation flow at its own pace. As we ate, I noticed every detail: how she moved her hands, how her eyes lit up when talking about simple things, how even her pauses made me want to pay more attention to every word.
We kept talking for a while about trivial things and, before I realized it, hours had passed. Time slipped away between laughter and comments about anything. Finally, we quickly asked for the bill and left the bar.
There we were again, at the exit, about to say goodbye. Just as I was about to speak, Liz spoke first.
“I had a lot of fun today,” she said, with a shy smile. “Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve had such a good time. At first I was nervous about seeing you, but in the end it was much more fun than I expected. You’re interesting… I’d like to go out with you again.”
I listened to her and felt a kind of warmth in my chest, but I tried to keep my composure. Her sincerity made me feel curious and, at the same time, reassured me that she had also enjoyed the time we spent together.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I replied, smiling. “I had a great time too.”
We stood there for a moment, looking at each other at the bar’s exit, each holding onto our own contained emotions, knowing that this encounter was only just beginning.
Before going home, I stayed with her until her bus arrived. I wanted to use those minutes to keep talking a little longer, as if every moment felt too short. I asked her if she had any hobbies or something she really enjoyed doing.
She lowered her gaze, as if the question weighed more than expected, and took a few seconds to answer.
“Actually… there’s something I like,” she said in a low voice, almost a whisper. “Almost every day, if not always, I stay up playing. A lot of times, dawn comes and I don’t even realize how many hours have passed.”
I noticed she was being honest, though I could also tell it was hard for her to admit it. I didn’t fully understand why it seemed to embarrass her, but in her eyes I saw no lie, just a bit of shyness.
“That sounds fun,” I replied naturally. “Maybe one day you could show me one of those games. Maybe we could play together for a while.”
Elizabeth lifted her gaze toward me. I saw a small smile form on her face, shy but genuine. It seemed like she wanted to say something more, but at that moment her bus arrived and there was no time for words. We said goodbye quickly, and I watched her get on while I stayed there, standing, watching her until she disappeared into the crowd.
As for me, I chose to walk home. It was a bit far, but I didn’t mind; I wanted the cold night air to accompany me as I went over every detail of the day. When I arrived, Mom wasn’t there; I only found Dad on the couch, the television on. I sat beside him and, as usual, he asked me about my day. This time, I didn’t want to make anything up. I told him the truth.
Dad lowered the volume of the television a bit and looked at me calmly.
“So, how was your day off?”
I settled into the couch, letting out a sigh.
“Good, pretty good. I went for a walk, spent some time by the river, and then ended up going out to eat with Elizabeth.”
He nodded immediately, as if he remembered perfectly.
“Ah, the girl from the bar, right? The one who served us yesterday.”
I smiled a little.
“Yeah, that’s her. We met up today and talked for quite a while. She’s calm, though you can tell it’s hard for her to open up at first.”
Dad leaned back and crossed his hands over his chest.
“That was my impression too, but she seems like a good person.”
“She is,” I replied without thinking too much. “She has interesting things about her, though we haven’t talked much about her life yet. I guess it’s just a matter of time.”
Dad nodded again, satisfied with my answer.
“The important thing is that you had a good time.”
I didn’t say anything else. I just stayed there for a while in silence, watching television with him. After a few minutes, I stood up.
“I’m going to my room. I’m tired, I think I need to rest a bit.”
“Go ahead, get some rest,” he said, turning his attention back to the screen.
I slowly went up the stairs to my room. As soon as I closed the door, I let myself fall onto the bed. The exhaustion of the day weighed on every muscle, and without realizing it, I stayed still, listening only to the silence. Little by little, my eyes began to close.
ns216.73.217.110da2
and then Add to home screen.