Chapter 18
The Coffee Date
(Maya’s POV)
The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped into the little coffee shop tucked between a flower boutique and a bookstore. It smelled like roasted beans and cinnamon, and the lighting was warm, golden, quiet. Not the kind of place for confessions or chaos. But maybe that’s why I chose it.
I spotted Axel immediately. He was sitting by the window, fingers tapping restlessly against his cup, hair a little tousled, that signature half-smirk fading into something unsure the moment he saw me.
He stood up too fast, almost knocking over the tiny table in front of him.
“Maya,” he said, voice low.
“Hey,” I greeted softly.
He pulled the chair out for me, and I sat. My palms felt clammy. My heart was racing, but I wasn’t sure why.
Guilt?
Fear?
