chapter 3: the first encounter

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The air outside was thick with humidity, clinging to everything it touched. The streets shimmered under the neon glow of the city, reflecting the faint pulse of life that kept it alive. Kaori stood in front of the small jazz bar, the one that had been recommended to her by a fellow musician she had met at a local café. She had come here several times before, drawn to the music and the comfort of the dimly lit space, but tonight felt different. Tonight, the air felt electric, charged with the same anticipation she had felt in her dreams.

The bar was warm and inviting, the soft hum of the piano spilling into the street as she pushed the door open. As she stepped inside, the noise of the world outside faded, replaced by the intimate murmur of conversations and the clinking of glasses. The stage was set up in the corner, a grand piano bathed in a spotlight. The familiar feeling of being surrounded by music eased some of the tightness in her chest, but the sensation of something missing, something waiting, gnawed at her. It felt like her heart was pulling her toward something—or someone.

She made her way to the bar, ordered a drink, and took a seat at a small table near the back. As she sat, her eyes scanned the room, taking in the usual crowd. Couples, businessmen, and a few other musicians were scattered about, all lost in their own worlds. But then, her gaze froze.

At the bar, sitting alone, was a man. His face was partially obscured by the dim light, but his posture was striking—tall, his shoulders broad yet lean. His eyes, though mostly hidden beneath the dark lashes, seemed to shimmer with a depth she couldn't place. For a moment, time seemed to stretch. Her breath caught in her throat as the strange sensation of recognition, of knowing him before, washed over her.

He turned slightly, his gaze briefly meeting hers. The world seemed to hold its breath. His eyes, so familiar and foreign all at once, locked onto hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. For a second, she thought she could hear the echo of her own heartbeat in the space between them.

Then, as if breaking free from a trance, he turned back to the bartender, muttering something under his breath. Kaori couldn't move. Her thoughts were jumbled, and for the first time, she felt completely vulnerable. Her fingers gripped the edges of her glass, trying to steady herself.

Was this him? Was this the man from her dreams?

But as quickly as the thought surfaced, doubt followed. She couldn't just walk up to a stranger and claim they were part of a dream she had no understanding of. It didn't make sense. It wasn't logical.

And yet... she couldn't shake the feeling. The pull. The connection. Something told her that if she didn't act now, she might never have the chance again.

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Ryo had felt the presence of someone watching him before he even looked up. His mind had been elsewhere, tangled in thoughts he couldn't shake, but the feeling was unmistakable. The strange weight of someone's gaze, like a tether that reached into his chest, pulling at him in a way that made him uncomfortable yet strangely calm at the same time.

He had hoped it was nothing. A fleeting glance from one of the regulars, perhaps. But when he turned his head, his breath caught.

Her.

The woman from his dreams.

She was sitting at a table near the back, her eyes locked on him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Her presence felt like a force, like the calm before a storm, and in that moment, Ryo felt something shift deep within him. It was as if the universe had decided that now, now was the moment their paths would cross.

His heart drummed loudly in his chest as he quickly turned away, unsure of how to handle the situation. He was used to the silence of his own thoughts, to the solitude that kept him insulated from the world. But now, it felt as though the very fabric of his existence had been pierced. He couldn't explain it, but he knew she was important. Inexplicably, he knew she was the answer to the questions that had plagued him since his dreams began.

The bartender handed him his drink, and he accepted it with a mechanical motion, trying to steady his racing heart. He had to keep it together. This wasn't the time to lose control.

But his gaze kept flickering back to her, drawn to her in a way that felt almost predestined. The way she sat, so composed, her hands folded neatly around her glass, her hair falling in soft waves around her face—it was as if he had seen her before. As if he had always known her. And yet, he had no memory of ever meeting her.

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Kaori took a deep breath, trying to calm the swirling emotions inside her. She didn't know what was happening, why she felt so compelled to go to him, to speak to him. She had never been one to rush into things. She had always been careful, always measured. But tonight, she felt as though time was slipping away, as though this moment was one she couldn't afford to let pass.

She stood slowly, her feet moving toward him of their own accord. As she approached the bar, her hands trembled, her breath shallow. When she reached him, she hesitated. The words she had rehearsed in her mind seemed to evaporate, leaving only the raw, unspoken questions that she couldn't voice.

He glanced up as she stood beside him, and their eyes met once more. There it was again—the inexplicable connection. The recognition. A flutter of something familiar sparked deep inside her chest, making her heart ache.

"Excuse me," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I don't mean to interrupt, but I think I've seen you before."

Ryo's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, his breath caught in his throat. The words, the exact words he had been waiting to hear, echoed in his mind. He hadn't known what he was expecting, but he hadn't expected this.

"You have," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper, as if the words themselves were too fragile to speak. "I think... I've seen you before too."

There was a brief silence between them, the world outside the bar fading into oblivion as they stood there, lost in the inexplicable pull between them. Neither of them understood it, but both of them felt it deeply. It was as though they had been drawn together by something greater than themselves, something they couldn't explain or control.

Kaori felt her pulse quicken, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. She opened her mouth to say something more, but the words failed her. What could she say? What could they say to explain what was happening?

Instead, she simply sat down beside him, the seat beside him already feeling like it belonged to her.

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The minutes passed like hours, the air between them thick with unspoken words. Neither of them moved, neither of them dared to break the fragile connection that had been formed. Ryo had no idea what he was supposed to do. This was so far beyond anything he had ever experienced.

But he knew one thing: he couldn't let her go.

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End of Chapter 3.