Claire reached for Pride and Prejudice just as another hand brushed against hers.

“Sorry,” a man said, stepping back.

She glanced up, meeting warm brown eyes.

“You have good taste,” he added, nodding at the book.

Claire smiled. “So do you,” she replied, noticing The Great Gatsby in his other hand.

“I’m Daniel,” he said.

“Claire.”

A simple exchange, but neither forgot it.

The next Saturday, she found him in the bookshop café, reading. He looked up, grinning. “Want to discuss this classic over coffee?”

Week after week, they met there—talking books, dreams, and life. Slowly, pages turned into something deeper.

One autumn evening, Daniel stopped mid-walk. “I came here for a fresh start,” he admitted. “I didn’t expect to find you.”

Claire felt her heart leap. “I didn’t expect you either.”

And just like that, love began—between the pages of a bookshop on Willow Street.