Love, After All

The bell above the door chimed as Jimmie stepped into Bound & Bejeweled, the scent of freshly ground coffee and old books wrapping around him like a warm embrace. He wasn’t much of a coffee shop guy, but something about this place felt right. Maybe it was the cozy, lived-in atmosphere or the faint sound of soft jazz playing in the background. Or maybe, it was fate.

Then he saw her.

Daisy Marie stood near the counter, flipping through a book as she waited for her order. Her caramel skin glowed under the shop’s dim lighting, and her long sister locs cascaded down her back like silk. But it was her eyes—hazelnut and full of stories untold—that made Jimmie’s knees buckle.

He had never believed in love at first sight. Not really. But this? This felt close.

Daisy, fresh out of a love she thought would last forever, had promised herself she wouldn’t rush into anything. She was here for a simple oat milk latte and a quiet moment with a good book. But when she turned and locked eyes with Jimmie, something shifted.

“Uh, excuse me,” he stammered, forcing himself to move toward her, “I—I don’t usually do this, but… what are you reading?”

She smiled, a soft, knowing smile. “Before I Let Go.”

Jimmie chuckled. “Kennedy. A classic.”

“Are you a reader?”

“Trying to be,” he admitted, his nerves settling in the warmth of her presence. “But mostly, I’m just trying to find a good reason to stay in this shop a little longer.”

Daisy raised a brow, amused. “And have you found one?”

He glanced at her book, then back at her eyes. “Yeah. I think I have.”

That day, they sat together in a quiet corner of the shop, talking about books, life, and the heartbreak that had led them both here. And for the first time in a long time, neither of them felt alone.

Love, after all, had a way of finding them when they least expected it.