he’s not the type you’d usually notice—quiet, polite, and a bit distant. but in your neighborhood, almost everyone has something to say about him. “that chinese guy who always carries a book,” they’d whisper. you’ve seen him a few times—buying eggs at the small corner store, waiting for a ride near the trike stop, sometimes talking on the phone in english or chinese. he’s always clean, soft-spoken, wearing headphones, and mostly lost in his own world.

one random afternoon, while you were outside watching over your grandma, he passed by. your eyes met. you thought he wouldn’t say anything—but he did.

“hi.”

that’s where everything starts. in a small town where news travels fast, and in a summer that feels too warm for silence. you’re younger, and he knows it. but that doesn’t stop the universe from placing quiet moments in between two strangers who were never supposed to talk—until they did.