
He was always there before me.
Same table. Same hoodie. Same silence wrapped around him like armor. Table Nine had become his home—claimed not with a reservation, but with presence. The kind of quiet that made you look twice, even if he never once looked back.
I didn’t notice him at first. Not really.102Please respect copyright.PENANAd633VBKXWC
But I noticed the routine.
He’d arrive at 7:42 AM. Never earlier. Never later. Order a black coffee with two sugars, even though he never stirred them in. Headphones in. Laptop open. Typing, pausing, typing again. Like he was writing the world into existence—then deleting it just as quickly.
I convinced myself he was probably a songwriter. Or a coder. Or one of those people who only speak to screens and not humans.
But then one morning, he looked up.102Please respect copyright.PENANAuYU9JnJiXx
And everything shifted.
It wasn’t a long glance—barely two seconds—but his eyes met mine like they’d been waiting for the chance. Calm. Focused. The kind of look that makes you forget how to breathe for a moment too long.
He didn’t smile.102Please respect copyright.PENANAK5TfPzslSf
I didn’t either.
But I kept watching.102Please respect copyright.PENANAMPxRzdbYLe
And I started arriving earlier.
Not for the coffee.102Please respect copyright.PENANAss0cB887HM
Not for the seat by the window.102Please respect copyright.PENANAMf8e8VscXN
But for the stranger who made silence feel like a language I wanted to learn.
I didn’t know his name.102Please respect copyright.PENANAkIyGtQYzPF
I didn’t know his story.
All I knew was that he was always there…102Please respect copyright.PENANA8LpnCvQaJp
and now, I didn’t want him to leave.