Chapter 32 - Final Grape Note
The building was unusually quiet that morning.
Lucia noticed it the moment she stepped into the hallway. No elevator noise. No doors slamming. Just soft stillness, like the world itself was holding its breath.
She walked slowly, her slippers brushing against the floor, her thoughts louder than her steps.
Valentine's Day had passed, but something still lingered in the air.
Something unfinished.
She stopped when she saw it.
A single grape.
Resting carefully outside her door.
Lucia's breath caught.
Her heart already knew before her mind did.
She crouched down, fingers trembling slightly as she picked it up. It was wrapped differently this time—not folded neatly like before, not playful or teasing.
This one felt… important.
She closed her door behind her and leaned against it, the hallway disappearing as she focused on the small piece of paper in her hands.
Slowly, she unfolded it.
Lucia,
This is the last grape I'm leaving you.Not because I'm done,but because some things shouldn't be said in pieces anymore.
She swallowed.
Her chest tightened.
When we first met, I thought you were just someone I'd see in passing.A familiar face in a building full of strangers.I didn't expect anything.I wasn't looking for anything.
Lucia sat down on the floor.
But then came the texts.The late nights.The small conversations that lasted longer than they should have.The way your laughter stayed with me even after you walked away.
Somewhere between shared snacks and broken elevators,between grape notes and quiet walks,you became someone I cared about in a way that surprised me.
Lucia pressed a hand to her chest.
Her eyes stung.
You didn't rush me.You didn't ask for more than I could give.You didn't demand answers when I was still learning the questions.
You just stayed.Softly.Honestly.
She let out a shaky breath.
I've learned that love doesn't always arrive loudly.Sometimes it shows up gently,through consistency,through listening,through choosing someone again and again in small ways.
And somehow, without trying,you taught me that.
Lucia's vision blurred.
I don't know how to love perfectly.I don't know how to promise forever with confidence.But I do know this:
I choose you in the quiet moments.I choose you when nothing exciting is happening.I choose you when it's just us, talking about nothing and everything.
If love is built one grape at a time,then you're the vineyard I didn't know I needed.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She smiled through it.
I'm not asking for you to feel the same.I'm not asking you to rush.I just wanted you to know the truth—all of it, finally, in one place.
Whatever you choose,thank you for making my days softer.Thank you for seeing me.
— Jin
Lucia stared at the note long after she finished reading.
Her heart felt full.
Overwhelmingly full.
She stood slowly, walked to her window, and looked out at the city below.
Every small moment replayed in her mind.
The snacks.The notes.The laughs.The silences that never felt empty.
She picked up her phone.
Then stopped.
No.
Some things didn't belong on a screen.
She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her coat, and stepped back into the hallway.
Her feet moved on their own.
Across the hall.
She raised her hand and knocked.
Once.
Twice.
The door opened.
Jin stood there, eyes widening slightly when he saw her.
"Lucia…"
She held up the grape note.
Her voice was soft but steady."I read it."
His breath hitched.
"I meant every word," he said quietly.
She nodded. "I know."
A pause.
The kind that changes things.
"I don't need perfect," Lucia said. "I don't need promises you're not ready to make."
She stepped closer.
"But I choose you too.In the quiet.In the small moments.One grape at a time."
Jin's eyes softened, emotion clear on his face.
"Is that a yes?" he asked gently.
She smiled.
"It's a beginning."
They stood there, not touching, not rushing—just smiling at each other like two people who finally understood what they had been building all along.
Outside, the world continued.
Inside, something new began.
Not loudly.
But honestly.