Liam stood outside Café Memento, shifting from one foot to the other, checking the time on his phone for what must've been the fifth time in two minutes.
2:56 PM. Early.
He looked through the window, past the string lights and potted plants, to the soft wood-and-brick interior where students sipped coffee and typed away on laptops. A few tables were already taken, but the booth in the corner—right by the bookshelf—was empty. Perfect.
He pushed the door open, and the warm scent of coffee and cinnamon hit him like a gentle wave. He walked in, claimed the booth, and took a seat. His fingers tapped nervously on the table.
It still didn't feel real.
Cara Moreno. Sitting across from him. Working together. Talking. Laughing—maybe.
And she was single.
He took a slow breath, pulled out his notebook, and tried to focus on the project. Literature analysis. "Modern Mythology in Contemporary Fiction." A topic he actually liked.
The doorbell jingled. He looked up.
She walked in.
Cara scanned the café, her eyes landing on him almost immediately. She gave a small smile and waved. That smile—Liam felt it in his ribs.
She wore a cream knit sweater and jeans, her dark brown hair tied up in a loose ponytail. No makeup, no filters, just… her. The same girl he'd noticed two years ago laughing with friends in orientation, the one who made his heart skip even when she wasn't trying to.
She sat across from him, placing her bag on the seat. "Hey! Sorry if I'm late."
"You're not," Liam said, clearing his throat. "I just got here."
"Cool. I almost thought I went to the wrong café for a second," she chuckled, pulling out her laptop.
They ordered drinks—iced coffee for her, black for him—and fell into the initial awkward hum of setting things up. Screens opened. Notes spread out. Word docs loaded.
For a few minutes, it was all business. They discussed the theme. Divided the reading. Set a rough timeline.
But the words between them weren't just about the project. Something else lingered underneath—something unsaid.
Cara tilted her head. "You're a lit major, but you don't talk much in class."
Liam blinked. "I guess I prefer… listening."
She smiled. "So you're one of the silent smart types?"
"Or just average and quiet."
She laughed, and he couldn't help but smile too. "I doubt that. You wrote a killer essay last semester. Professor Benitez used part of it in her lecture slides."
"You remember that?"
"Of course. You write differently than most people. Like you've got something you're not saying, but you're feeling all of it anyway."
Liam's stomach twisted—not in a bad way. She noticed that?
He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just bad at saying things out loud."
"Same," she admitted. "Except I fake being confident."
"You fake it well."
She laughed again, but this time it was softer. Almost... shy.
They went back to the project, but the atmosphere had shifted. Liam felt it. Her gaze lingered a bit longer now. Her smile stretched a little wider.
Then she asked, "Did you ever have a partner you hated working with?"
He smirked. "Last semester. He left me to do 80% of the work and turned in a meme as a slide."
"Was it at least a good meme?"
"A Minion meme."
She made a face. "Oof."
They both laughed.
"Okay, your turn," Liam said. "Worst partner?"
Cara thought about it, lips pursed. "Hmm... I had this one guy in first year who tried to flirt with me during every meeting, didn't read the material, and still had the nerve to call himself the 'creative mind of the duo.'"
Liam grinned. "Tell me you failed him on the peer evaluation."
"Oh, I did. With detail."
He liked this version of her—the one unfiltered, a little sarcastic, and completely real. And she seemed to enjoy talking to him, too.
For a moment, it almost felt like something could start.
But just as he let that thought linger, his phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
Ava
Hey stranger 😘 Busy today?
He didn't respond. He put the phone down face-down.
But Cara saw his expression shift. "Everything okay?"
Liam looked up, hesitated. "Yeah. Just… someone persistent."
She tilted her head, curious, but didn't push.
Instead, she leaned back and sipped her coffee. "Can I be honest about something?"
"Sure."
"I was kind of glad when I saw we were paired." She fiddled with her cup. "I feel like… you're easy to talk to."
Liam's heart thudded. "Really?"
"Yeah," she said, almost nervously. "You've always been nice. And quiet, but in a comforting way."
There was a pause.
"Cara—" he started.
But the bell above the café door rang again.
Liam glanced toward it and instantly froze.
Ava.
She stepped in, holding a drink, scanning the café—until her eyes landed on him. And then… on Cara.
She smiled. Slow. Calculated.
Cara turned too. Her brows lifted. "Is that…"
Liam sat up straighter. "Yeah. That's Ava."
Cara looked between the two of them, her lips twitching slightly. "She seems… friendly."
"Too friendly," Liam muttered.
Cara giggled under her breath.
Ava walked right past their table, waved, and said sweetly, "Hey, Liam. Didn't know you were the type to study with company."
"Hey, Ava."
She glanced at Cara, gave her a polite nod, and kept walking—straight to the back corner of the café. But not before giving Liam one last look over her shoulder.
Cara raised an eyebrow. "Persistent, huh?"
Liam groaned. "You have no idea."
Cara smiled. "Well… I think I'm starting to."
They both laughed again, but the moment was different now. Not ruined—just... complicated.
And as the sun dipped lower through the café window, Liam realized something.
This wasn't just about a crush anymore.
Things were moving.
And some things—like feelings—were finally starting to surface.