.

*In plain sight, at the front.
No care. Eyes shine, glare twirls, the hue bends.
A gem in the distance.

Roses on the table, but…
Something in the air.
Smiles that don’t fully reach the eyes.
Love present, but fragile.
Something unsaid.

I see her.

The bright light setting,
rays that direct the eyes.

I see her.*

The steps get closer.
The air shifts toward the shine of her.

His face erupts into a smile, sudden and uncontrollable.
He forces it down too late.

“Why that face?”

Kaia’s lips press together.
“Oh… I don’t know.”

Multiple tables are completely packed. A slight traffic noise leaks in from the road. Waiters linger. The chatter almost drowns it out. The table is already served.

Kaia sits at the front, much farther from the road.

“Sit, Finn.” She points to the empty chair.

“No, I’m fine standing.” A smirk crosses his face, but he’s already pulling the chair back.

“Okay, stand then.”

Finn sits. Facing her.

Not the table. Not the others. Her.

People focus on their meals, their conversations folding over each other. Someone laughs too loudly. A fork drops. A waiter squeezes past.

He doesn’t hear most of it.

She reaches for her glass. He notices her, the way she avoids looking at him for too long.

He leans in slightly, barely visible. The rest of the table continues without pause.

“Finn, eat something,” Ameen says, sitting beside him.

“I’ll order coffee,” Finn responds.

“Coffee at this hour?” Kaia sips her drink.

Finn pauses, looks at her with a face that is desperate.
“It’s just… I am tired.”

The air changes.

Not louder. Not quieter.

Heavier.

The sun has completely set. A sudden shift that candles bring. Music that was not present before. Hums of acoustic violin.

A man next to his table looks to the girl and proposes, asking if she’ll be his valentine.

A pause. Eyes gathered. Finn looks at Kaia. She looks unbothered.

“I think it’s going to be a no, this one,” Ameen chimes in.

Finn shushes him.

A smile on the proposer. She is willing. Everyone takes a breath. The tension is immense.

The other attendees stop eating and focus on them. The waiters bring treats.

Silently, Kaia.

“Very odd to have this in this setting.”

“It’s sweet,” Ameen says.

“I mean, would she refuse if so many people want this?” Gauging, Kaia looks troubled.

“I’ll just say no,” Ameen says.

“Dream as you like,” Finn says.

Ameen laughs, but Finn looks at her.

Her smile comes late, then fades.
Her eyes drift from the candles to somewhere darker.

“I also don’t like these kind of celebratory rituals at all,” Finn says to Kaia.

He looks at her from the side. She looks back. The words do not come out.

“I think it’s a good thing. It’s special for some people,” Ameen.

"It can be," Finn nods.

“I think I should head back,” Finn sighs.

“You haven’t ordered your coffee even,” Ameen pointing.

“Waiter,” Kaia calls loudly.

The waiter, heading toward a different direction, tilts. “Yes?”

“Bill, please.”

“You all are heading out as well?” Finn says to Ameen.

“You came late and you want to go early,” Kaia says, pissed off.

⸻

*He stands back up,
noticing the celebration that is love.

He walks out, past the noise,
past the candles and the cheers.

He walks empty.

The night wraps around him,
and the quiet says what he could not.*

The image is AI generated.
@corpsekaizen