Chapter 9 : The Meeting

Rhea and Elena walked into the small, cozy café, the afternoon sun casting soft light through the windows. The buzz of quiet conversations and the aroma of fresh coffee filled the air. Rhea took a deep breath, feeling the familiar comfort of the café embrace her after a long week of classes. She slid into a booth by the window, the sun catching the strands of her hair, making it glow in the golden light.

Elena settled across from her, already scrolling through her phone. "I swear, this week's drag," she muttered. "I'm ready to forget everything for a bit."

Rhea nodded, her fingers tapping the table absentmindedly. She wasn't sure why, but something in the air felt different today. A quiet restlessness, as if the world was holding its breath.

Their conversation was interrupted when the door chimed, and in walked a tall figure with an almost otherworldly presence. Rael. His gaze was intense, as if he carried the weight of unspoken thoughts, his eyes sweeping the café with a quiet determination. He didn't look at anyone in particular, but as if drawn by some unseen force, his eyes found Rhea's.

For a moment, everything else seemed to fade. The noise, the bustle of the café—it all blurred out of focus. Rael's gaze locked onto hers, and the world felt still. His piercing blue eyes, dark like the ocean just before a storm, held her in a way that made her breath catch. There was something magnetic in the way he looked at her, like a flame pulling her closer without words.

Rhea didn't know how long they stared at each other, but in those few seconds, she could feel something stir deep within her—a strange recognition, an energy that thrummed beneath her skin.

Elena, noticing the tension between them, raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Rhea? You good?"

Rhea blinked, breaking the trance. She quickly looked away, her heart thudding louder than she wanted to admit. She forced a smile, though it felt strained. "Yeah, I'm fine."

But her mind kept drifting back to Rael. There was something about him—something she couldn't quite place, but that magnetic pull was undeniable.

Rael, for his part, didn't look away immediately. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, and in that brief pause, it felt like he was contemplating something. Then, just as quickly, he turned and walked to the counter to order his coffee, but the tension in the air remained. The invisible thread that had connected them seemed to linger.

Rhea couldn't shake the feeling. Something was happening, something neither of them could control.

Elena's eyes widened as she spotted the tall, brooding figure standing by the counter. Her hand instinctively reached for her phone, but she stopped herself. No way.

It was him. Rael. The musician. The voice behind the songs she'd been obsessed with for months. His deep, soulful voice had always made her heart race, his lyrics like they were written just for her. She couldn't believe it. Here, in the same café as her.

Without thinking, Elena shot up from the table, her excitement bubbling over. "Rhea! Rhea, it's him!"

Rhea blinked, still caught in the aftermath of her earlier encounter with Rael. She turned to look at Elena, her mind still processing the strange connection she'd felt. "What? Who?"

"Elena," she repeated, her voice a little higher than usual, "Rael! The singer! You know, the guy from Lunar Echoes? I've told you a hundred times about him."

Rhea's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't have time to process the realization before Elena grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her toward the counter.

"Elena, wait, I—" Rhea protested, her feet dragging behind her, but Elena was already marching forward, eyes locked on Rael, her excitement barely contained.

Rael, who had been waiting for his coffee, glanced up just as they neared him. His gaze shifted from Elena to Rhea, and for the briefest moment, his eyes softened. It was fleeting, like a crack in his usual composed demeanor, but Rhea caught it. She felt her heart race, not from the same tension as before, but from the sheer surprise of how... familiar he seemed.

"Hi!" Elena chirped, far more enthusiastic than she'd intended. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm like, your biggest fan. I've been listening to your music forever. I—wow, it's so weird to meet you in person. I thought I'd never actually—"

Rael raised an eyebrow, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "It's alright," he said, his voice as smooth as the songs that had played in her head a thousand times. "I'm used to it."

Rhea felt her breath catch again, a strange mixture of awe and confusion swirling inside her. She had seen him from a distance before, but up close? There was something undeniably captivating about him. The way he held himself, the quiet confidence mixed with a certain sadness that clung to his features.

Elena, oblivious to Rhea's thoughts, was practically bouncing on her heels. "I know it's random, but I had to say something. I have all your albums—well, almost all of them. Just missing the limited edition box set, which, by the way, is like, impossible to find, but anyway—"

Rael chuckled, genuinely amused by Elena's enthusiasm. "I appreciate that. I'm glad the music means something to you."

Rhea, feeling more like an observer than a participant, glanced between Elena and Rael. She wanted to say something, but the words felt stuck in her throat, her gaze drawn to the way Rael's presence seemed to pull everything around him into focus.

Rael's eyes lingered on her for a moment, his lips curving into a small, knowing smile. "You're Rhea, right?"

Rhea froze, her heart leaping. "How did you know?"

He shrugged, his smile still gentle but edged with something unreadable." I'm not sure if they know you."

Elena's eyes widened, turning to Rhea with a teasing grin. "Looks like someone's a little famous, huh?"

Rhea couldn't help the flush that crept up her neck. Rael's comment, his easy confidence, it unsettled her more than she cared to admit. But there was something else, too—a recognition, as if he saw something in her that others didn't.

"Not famous," Rhea said, managing a small smile. "Just... trying to get through what he is saying and you are the who dragged me for his concert twice and he might have seen because we are the lucky draw"

Rael's eyes softened for a moment, a silent understanding passing between them. "I get that," he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper now. "Life's not as simple as we'd like it to be, is it?"

Elena was practically glowing, thrilled by the conversation, but Rhea felt herself retreating inward, something stirring in her chest that she couldn't explain.

Rael turned to Elena. "If you ever want to talk music—or anything else—I'm around. You can always reach out."

Elena's jaw dropped, as if she couldn't believe her ears. "You're... serious? Oh my God, yes, I'll totally text you! Thanks so much!"

Rael gave a nod, then glanced at Rhea one last time. The flicker of something—something unspoken—passed between them again, like a spark that neither could fully ignore.

As they made their way back to their table, Elena was practically bouncing with excitement, recounting every little detail of the conversation. But Rhea, her thoughts far away, couldn't shake the feeling that this meeting was just the beginning of something much larger than either of them could have anticipated.