The Beginning of Almost

Elena Alvarez hated mornings.

Not because she wasn’t a morning person, exactly — she had learned to function well enough after a strong cup of coffee and a half-hearted motivational playlist — but because mornings reminded her of everything she hadn’t yet figured out. At twenty-six, she was caught in the in-between of being old enough to know what she wanted and young enough to still feel like she was running late to her own life.

Today was no exception. The Monday sky was still gray as she hurried across downtown, balancing a leather tote on her shoulder and a cardboard tray holding two lattes. Her best friend and roommate, Priya, had begged her to stop at the café on the way to work. Elena didn’t mind, though it did make her dangerously close to being late — again.

She quickened her pace, heels clicking against the wet pavement. Somewhere behind the thick clouds, the sun was trying to rise. A breeze cut through her navy coat, carrying the smell of rain and roasted beans from the café she’d just left.

Elena told herself she liked the chaos of city life, though deep down she sometimes longed for the quieter mornings of her childhood: the sleepy town where her grandmother’s bakery opened at dawn, the smell of warm conchas drifting down the street. But that was a different life — one she’d left behind with the promise of chasing bigger dreams.

She didn’t see him until it happened.

The stranger appeared at the exact moment she stepped off the curb, his tall frame colliding with hers as if fate had pushed them together.

The impact jolted her forward. One of the latte cups wobbled dangerously, the lid popping off and sending a stream of hot foam across her coat sleeve. She gasped, fumbling with the tray as the stranger’s hand shot out to steady her elbow.

“Whoa, I’m so sorry,” his voice said — low, warm, and threaded with alarm.

Elena looked up, ready to snap something half-annoyed and half-resigned, but the words caught in her throat.

He was… unfairly good-looking. The kind of good-looking that made you blink once to be sure your brain hadn’t fabricated him out of a book cover. His dark hair was damp from the drizzle, curling slightly at the ends. A shadow of stubble framed his jaw. His eyes — stormy gray with flecks of green — locked onto hers with such unintentional intensity that she forgot, for a moment, how to breathe.

“It’s fine,” she managed, though her voice sounded thinner than she intended. “I should’ve been watching.”

“Looks like I ruined your coffee.” His lips tilted into an apologetic half-smile. He glanced at the spill on her sleeve. “Can I buy you another one? At least let me make it up to you.”

She shook her head quickly, clutching the surviving cup like a lifeline. “No, no, it’s fine. Really. I’m late for work anyway.”

The stranger hesitated, as if he wanted to argue, then gave her a small nod. For a beat, neither of them moved. The city bustled around them — honking taxis, footsteps, the rustle of newspapers in a vendor’s hands — but Elena felt caught in a strange stillness.

He stepped back, releasing her elbow slowly, almost reluctantly. “Well… sorry again. Have a good day.”

“You too.”

And just like that, he was gone — disappearing into the blur of morning commuters as if the universe had created him for a fleeting moment only to snatch him away.

Elena stood frozen for a second longer, her heart inexplicably quickened. She shook herself, forcing her feet to move. It was just a stranger, she reminded herself. Handsome or not, there was no reason to think twice about it.

Except… she was already thinking twice.

---

Later that night, Elena sat curled on the sofa in her small apartment, laptop balanced on her knees. Priya padded out from the kitchen in fuzzy socks, carrying a bowl of popcorn.

“So, how was work?” Priya asked, plopping down beside her.

Elena groaned dramatically. “Meetings. Deadlines. Clients who think design revisions appear magically overnight. The usual.”

Priya laughed, tucking her legs underneath her. “And? Did anything interesting happen?”

Elena hesitated. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to keep the morning incident to herself, like a tiny secret treasure. But Priya knew her too well.

“You met someone,” Priya accused, eyes narrowing playfully.

“What? No!” Elena protested, cheeks warming. “I spilled coffee on myself, that’s all.”

Priya gasped with exaggerated delight. “And let me guess — the guy who bumped into you was ridiculously attractive?”

Elena buried her face in a cushion. “How do you always know?”

“Because you’re glowing,” Priya teased, tossing a piece of popcorn at her. “Don’t even try to hide it. Did you get his number?”

“No,” Elena admitted. “It was just a few seconds. He apologized and left.”

Priya rolled her eyes. “Classic rom-com meet-cute and you let him walk away? Elena!”

Elena laughed, shaking her head. “Real life isn’t a rom-com.”

But later, lying in bed with the city lights bleeding through the curtains, Elena thought about the stranger’s gray-green eyes again.

And she wondered — for the first time in a long time — what if life could surprise her?

---

The next morning, she found out life sometimes does.

The café was crowded when Elena ducked inside for her daily latte. She stood in line scrolling through her phone until she heard a familiar voice at the counter.

“Large black coffee, please. No sugar.”

Her head snapped up.

There he was. The stranger. Same damp curls, same stubble-shadowed jaw, same easy way of standing like the world bent to give him space.

Her pulse stumbled.

She hesitated, debating whether to say something or quietly fade into the background. But fate seemed determined to meddle again.

He turned. And his eyes landed directly on her.

Recognition flickered. Then came that half-smile she remembered.

“Well,” he said. “Guess I owe you another apology.”

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