First Impressions

The soft click of Ren's camera echoed in the quiet night. Emma's breath hitched.

"Did you just take another picture of me?" she asked, crossing the street toward him.

Ren lowered his camera. "You were in the moment."

Emma huffed a laugh. "What does that even mean?"

Ren didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced down at the book in her hands. "Bashō," he noted. "You like poetry?"

"I do," she admitted. "But I don't understand most of this."

A flicker of something—amusement, maybe—passed through his eyes. "It's about fleeting beauty. Moments that exist only once."

Emma tilted her head. "Like your photos?"

Ren hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Something like that."

She studied him under the glow of the streetlights. He was different from anyone she'd ever met—his presence was quiet, yet it pulled her in. He didn't try to fill the silence with unnecessary words, and somehow, that made her want to listen to everything he had to say.

"Do you take pictures of everyone you meet?" she asked, half-teasing.

"No."

The answer was simple, but it made her pulse quicken.

Before she could ask more, Ren nodded toward the small café beside them. "Have you eaten?"

Emma blinked. "Uh… no."

"Come," he said. It wasn't a request, but it wasn't a demand either. It was just… Ren.

She followed.

Inside, the café was cozy, filled with the scent of fresh matcha and warm pastries. They found a table near the window, where the soft hum of conversation mixed with the faint sound of jazz playing over the speakers.

As Emma browsed the menu, Ren set his camera on the table. She watched as he absentmindedly adjusted the lens, his fingers moving with practiced ease.

"You really love photography, don't you?" she mused.

Ren glanced up. "It's how I see the world."

Emma rested her chin on her hand. "And how do you see me?"

Ren didn't look away. "Like a story waiting to be told."

Her stomach flipped.

This man, with his quiet words and lingering glances, was dangerous in a way she hadn't expected.

And for the first time since arriving in Japan, she felt like she might be stepping into something she couldn't walk away from.