Back From Love（爱已归来）
💕Chapter 2: Cappuccino, Rain, and That Text You Regret
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📍Setting: Chengdu City – Tuesday Morning, Bookstore + Coffee Shop
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It had been three days since Chen Xiaoxi met the ridiculously good-looking photographer with dimples and a freakishly good attitude toward shin injuries.
Three days of pretending she hadn't memorized his number before tossing the napkin into her junk drawer. Three days of glancing at her phone like it owed her something—like it was supposed to text him first.
It didn't help that her best friend, Li Wei, was not subtle.
> "You met a hot guy with humor, dimples, and a camera.
If you don't text him, I will."
Xiaoxi replied with an emoji that communicated equal parts "shut up" and "I'm thinking about it."
Now she sat curled up in a faux-leather armchair inside her favorite indie bookstore-slash-coffee-shop. Outside, rain pattered against the windows like applause for her emotional confusion. Inside, the aroma of espresso mingled with printed paper and indecision.
She opened her Notes app for the third time and stared at the drafted message.
> "Hey, this is suitcase girl. Just checking if your shin recovered. If not, I recommend ice and new friends."
She hated it. It was trying too hard.
Deleted.
Rewrote.
> "Hi, this is Chen Xiaoxi. I owe you coffee and possibly a shin replacement."
Worse.
Deleted.
She looked up from her phone and sighed. "This is why I don't date anymore."
The universe must've been listening—and cackling—because at that exact moment, someone dropped a book on the table across from her.
"Wow," said a familiar voice. "Is that a breakup sigh or a tax audit sigh?"
Xiaoxi's heart did a full-body somersault.
She looked up. "You."
Lu Zihan stood there in a rain-damp hoodie, camera bag over one shoulder and a copy of The Little Prince in his hand. And of course, the dimples were back, now accompanied by the faint scent of peppermint and rain.
"You shop for books too?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't peg you for the gatekeeping type."
"I just figured someone with your jawline reads... I don't know, travel blogs and moral philosophy."
He laughed and sat across from her without asking, as if they'd been friends for years and this wasn't literally fate stepping in like a clingy rom-com director.
"I'm here to shoot a profile series on Chengdu's cultural spots. The café owner's an old friend."
"Of course he is," she muttered, trying not to smile. "Let me guess. You also know the barista, the cat sleeping on the bookshelf, and the ghost that haunts the poetry section?"
Zihan smirked. "Only the cat."
She fought the urge to swoon. She lost.
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☕Fifteen Minutes Later
They sat with fresh cappuccinos between them. The conversation flowed like it had in the airport—effortlessly, humor mixed with tiny truths.
"I never got your text," he said casually.
Xiaoxi almost choked on foam.
"You expected one?"
"Not expected," he said, stirring his coffee. "Just... hoped."
Her eyes narrowed. "You hoped I'd text you, but didn't text me first?"
"I didn't want to pressure you. You seemed like the type to regret spontaneous decisions and block people after emotional lattes."
"…That's not entirely wrong," she admitted. "But also: rude."
He smiled. "I figured if fate wanted us to meet again, it would find a way."
She blinked. "And what if I'd never come here again?"
"Then I guess I'd be reading The Little Prince alone today."
Her mouth twitched. "You're good at this."
"Good at what?"
"This. Flirting with hidden emotional depth. You've either dated a Libra or binged too many sad love songs."
He grinned. "Both."
They sipped their coffee.
The silence between them was comfortable. Familiar. Like an old hoodie or the third rewatch of your favorite K-drama.
And it scared Xiaoxi.
Because this was exactly how it started last time—with someone who made her laugh, look forward to mornings, and then vanish with nothing but Spotify playlists and shared memes left behind.
She took a breath. "Listen, Lu Zihan… I'm not really the 'let's fall in love in bookstores' type."
"I know," he said softly. "You're the 'I wear sarcasm like lip gloss' type."
She gave a slow nod. "I've just… been through some sh*t. Recently."
"Same," he said.
She looked up. "Yeah?"
He met her gaze. "I think most people who travel are either running from something or trying to run into something. I've done both."
The tension cracked slightly. It wasn't flirtation anymore. It was something quieter. Something real.
Then, mercifully, a wet sneeze from the bookstore cat cut the mood.
They laughed.
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📝Before They Left
She stood up, brushing crumbs from her lap. "Well… guess I can't accuse fate of not trying."
Zihan grinned. "So what now?"
She bit her lip. Then grabbed a receipt from the table, wrote something on the back, and handed it to him.
"Here's my number—again. This time on purpose."
As she turned to leave, he called after her.
"Xiaoxi?"
She looked back.
"I have a shoot next week. Street café downtown. Want to be my assistant-slash-critic?"
She smirked. "Will there be coffee?"
"And sarcasm."
She smiled. "Then I'm in."
To be continued