The usual cafe I stop by after work to clear my head. There was a woman I'd seen there several times.

I wasn't particularly conscious of her. However, the way she spent her time quietly in the shop and the expressions she showed in fleeting moments had somehow stuck in my memory. If our eyes met, we'd recognize each other, but that was the extent of it. Nothing more.

At work, I'm a Division Manager, dealing with many people every day. I'm expected to make judgments, bear responsibility, and meet the expectations of those around me. In such a life, this time spent without having to worry about anyone else was one of my few escapes.

That's why I had no intention of intruding on a stranger in my private time. Even less so if that person was a woman. Just because she looked familiar didn't mean we were close. Just as I was likely just another customer to her, she was nothing more than one of the women I saw at my usual cafe.

That day, as usual, I finished my coffee and stood up from my seat.