Astra_K

The Echo Between Us
A Novel by Astra K.

Lana Vienne never believed in fate-until the night she left a note between the pages of a forgotten book, never expecting anyone to find it. It was nothing more than a quiet confession, a whisper of longing pressed onto paper, meant to disappear into the endless hum of the city.

But when she walks into Café Amour weeks later, she sees him-Oryn Moreau, the man the world knows as Ryn, a famed yet elusive writer-reading her words.

She doesn't know him, but he knows her words.

And somehow, it feels like he's been waiting for them all along.

Set in the dreamy city of Aurivelle, where love lingers in quiet corners and fate writes between the lines, The Echo Between Us is a story of serendipitous moments, unspoken emotions, and the delicate line between fiction and reality.

The Echo Between Us

The café had begun to feel like a second home to Oryn. Or maybe, more honestly, a tether. A place that pulled him back again and again, as if the words left between these pages had woven themselves into the air, into the scent of coffee and the low murmur of conversations.

He hadn't meant to come today. Not really. But something about the silence of his apartment had felt unbearable. He had written for hours, discarded every page, restless in a way he couldn't explain.

His hands found the book easily. Too easily. It felt almost fated, the way his fingers fit into the grooves of its worn spine. He barely noticed himself sitting down as he flipped through the pages, searching.

"Because I think you needed someone to."

The words hit something deep in his chest, something he hadn't realized had been aching.

Oryn exhaled slowly, running his thumb over the ink, as if he could feel the weight of her intent through the paper.

She had seen him. Not his face, not his name, but something beyond that.

He swallowed, gripping the pen in his fingers, hesitating only a moment before pressing it to the page.

"And what if I need more than just someone?"

The words sat heavy in the space between them.

He didn't know why he wrote them. Maybe he was pushing too far. Maybe he should keep this light, let it remain a game. But the truth was, it hadn't felt like a game for a while now.

And he wasn't ready to let go of that yet.

She told herself it was silly—this exchange, this lingering pull toward someone she'd never even seen. It was starting to feel like she was standing at the edge of something dangerous, something that could slip away if she reached too far.

The book was exactly where she expected it to be, waiting like it had been placed there just for her.

She flipped through the pages, pulse quickening as she searched for his response.

"And what if I need more than just someone?"

The air felt heavier somehow, the café fading around her.

This wasn't just playful anymore. This was a real question. A raw one.

Something stirred in her chest—something close to fear. But not the bad kind.

She let her fingers trace the edges of the page before she picked up her pen.

"Then maybe… you're not alone in that."

She closed the book before she could second-guess herself.

And as she left the café, she realized something.

She wasn't just leaving behind words anymore.

She was leaving behind a part of herself.

The Spaces Between Us