1. The Scent of the Old City
The streets of the old city never truly slept. When evening fell, blue and yellow lights flickered on above shop signs, steam curled up from cups of tea, and the scent of paper drifted from the roadside bookstalls into the air.
In one quiet corner stood the "City Library" — an old red-brick building where time seemed to move a little slower.
At that point in his life, Arian carried a strange exhaustion. University pressures, family expectations, and the invisible weight of the future pressed constantly against his chest. The library was his refuge. There, he could bury himself in books and disappear from the world.
2. The Girl by the Window
It was an autumn afternoon — sunlight fading, dry leaves whispering in the wind.
A girl stood by the window. Her name was Mehrin. Her hair rested gently on her shoulders, her eyes deep and thoughtful, her face carrying a quiet sadness. She stared outside as if searching for answers hidden in the distant sky.
When a book slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, their eyes met for the first time.
There was no dramatic moment — only an unfamiliar familiarity, as if they had once met in a forgotten dream.
3. A Friendship of Silence
For several days, they barely spoke. They sat at separate tables, exchanging glances that lingered a little too long.
Eventually, conversation began — first about books, then about writers, and slowly about life itself.
Mehrin once said softly,
"When I read, I feel like I can step into someone else's life and forget my own pain."
Arian looked at her and replied,
"But can we ever truly escape our own story?"
That day, they spoke for a long time.
From then on, one quiet corner of the library became their world.