Stranger In Smoke

Chapter One – The Stranger in the Smoke

Lucien didn’t like being seen. Not really. Not the way some men in his position did—suits, watches, power on display. No, he preferred the corners. The low light. The silence between songs.

That night, Halcyon was quiet enough to think, but not quiet enough to feel alone. The kind of place where people came to forget or be forgotten. He liked that. He liked the blur of it.

He was on his second glass of scotch when she walked in.

And just like that, everything in the room pulled a little tighter.

She didn’t look around when she entered—didn’t need to. She moved like someone who already knew where all the exits were. She wore black. Not the kind that tried too hard. Just… simple. Clean. The kind of black that made the rest of the world look too loud.

Lucien told himself he wasn’t staring.

He was.

She took the stool next to his. Ordered something he didn’t catch. Didn’t look at him once. But she knew he was there. He was sure of it. You could feel it, like static in the air between them.

He waited a minute. Maybe two. Then—

“Long day?” he asked, voice casual.

She turned toward him slightly, eyes unreadable.

“Aren’t they all?”

He smiled, tapping the rim of his glass.

“Fair enough. Though some drag harder than others.”

She looked at him for a moment.

“And this one?”

“This one’s not done dragging yet.”

A pause.

She nodded once, slow.

“Yeah. I know the feeling.”

Lucien leaned back slightly, letting the silence breathe between them.

Then he asked,

“You come here often?”

She gave him a half-smile, tired but not unfriendly.

“Not really. Just needed somewhere quiet.”

“Quiet’s getting harder to find.”

“So is real conversation,” she said.

“People talk a lot, but they don’t say much.”

He chuckled softly.

“And here I was about to ask your name.”

She looked at him, thoughtful.

“Maybe ask something else instead.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Alright. What would you be doing right now, if the world didn’t expect anything from you?”

Her lips parted, surprised. That wasn’t what she expected.

She glanced away, then back.

“I think I’d be somewhere by the ocean. Somewhere quiet. No clocks. No phones.”

Lucien nodded slowly.

“That sounds... nice.”

She looked at him for a second longer, then stood.

“Maybe I’ll see you around.”

He didn’t stop her. Just lifted his glass slightly.

“I’ll be here.”

She hesitated—barely a second—but he noticed.

Then she turned and walked out, the night swallowing her whole.

Outside, the rain had stopped. But the storm had only begun.

......................

...--will she come back again??--...

Authors note:-

This is the first time I am writing something if there is something wrong in it, you can tell me.I will try to updated as fast as possible. Thank youu😊

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