Alex adjusted his bag over his shoulder as he pushed open the heavy wooden door, the small bell above it chiming softly.

The bookstore, tucked between a cozy café and a flower shop, felt like a secret hidden in plain sight.

The warm air hit him as he stepped inside, carrying with it the smell of old books, faint vanilla, and a hint of freshly brewed coffee wafting in from next door.

The soft patter of rain against the windows added a quiet rhythm, like the world outside was far away.

It wasn't his usual haunt, his usual was a dimly lit library on campus filled with exhausted students cramming for exams, but the sudden downpour left him no choice but to duck into the first place he could find.

He wandered through the aisles, the uneven wooden floor creaking under his steps. His fingers brushed against the spines of books, some worn with years of flipping, others shiny and new.

The quiet was soothing, broken only by the occasional sound of a page turning and soft whispers from a pair of customers debating over a cookbook.

Perfect, he thought. Peace at last.

As he rounded the corner to another shelf, he nearly collided with someone.

"Oh shoot, sorry!" The voice was bright, a little breathless, and way too cheerful for how startled he felt.

He stepped back, blinking in surprise, and nearly knocked over a display of bookmarks in the process.

After steadying them, he finally got a better look at the person he'd almost mowed down.

She was clutching a precariously high stack of books to her chest, her dark curls half-hiding her face as she tried to steady the pile.

"Wow, uh... you okay there?" Alex asked, his hand twitching instinctively, like he was ready to dive in and save the books.

"Yeah, totally fine!" she said, though the wobbling stack in her arms begged to differ. "Happens all the time. Books just have a thing for me, you know?"

Alex raised an eyebrow, unsure how to respond to that. "Right… Well, it looks like gravity's about to have a thing for you, too."

She laughed, a musical sound, and just as one book slid off the top of her stack, Alex caught it mid-air. It was an automatic reflex, something he hadn't thought about until after it happened.

"Nice reflexes," she said, her grin widening, showing a flash of teeth.

He handed the book back to her, glancing at the stack. "You sure you don't want to grab a basket or something?

Or… maybe a forklift?"

She gasped, feigning offense. "Hey! I'll have you know I've carried twice these many books before.

"Well, almost."

Alex smirked despite himself. "You're really making a case for that forklift."

She rolled her eyes but her smile didn't falter. "Okay, maybe you have a point. But I'm committed now."

"Committed to what? Throwing out your back?"

She chuckled, shifting the books to one arm and extending her free hand. "I'm Clara, by the way.

Med student, part-time book hoarder."

"Alex," he replied, shaking her hand lightly. "First-year law. And apparently, part-time book-catcher."

Clara's eyes brightened. "Law? Oof, intense. Guess that explains the serious vibe you've got going on."

"Serious vibe?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know, broody, mysterious, probably lives on coffee and stress." She squinted at him like she was trying to solve a puzzle. "Bet you even have one of those fancy leather planners with a pen loop."

Alex blinked, then laughed softly. "Okay, first of all, I don't live on stress. Just coffee. And second, my planner is spiral-bound, thank you very much."

Clara gasped dramatically. "A spiral-bound planner? Oh no, the horror! How will the other law students take you seriously?"

"Pretty sure they don't already," Alex said dryly.

Clara laughed again; the sound so free it almost felt out of place in the quiet bookstore. Her energy was so different from his, so unapologetically alive.

It made him feel both lighter and more grounded at the same time. As she glanced at her wobbling stack of books, then back at him, Alex couldn't help but notice how her smile faltered for just a split second, like a cloud passing over the sun.

"Tell you what," she said, leaning closer with a conspiratorial grin. "I'll help you find something that isn't a soul-crushing legal textbook if you help me carry these to the counter. Deal?"

Alex hesitated, glancing at the mountain of books she was balancing. "This feels like a trap."

"It's not! I promise. I'll even throw in a solid book recommendation. Something fun, not legal or medical. Deal?"

With a sigh, Alex nodded. "Fine. But if I drop something, you're taking the blame."

"Fair," Clara said, handing him a few books from her stack. "Now come on. Let's find you something to remind you that life exists outside of courtrooms."

They moved through the shelves together, Clara chatting effortlessly about books, med school, and the ridiculous amount of coffee she consumed daily.

Alex found himself smirking more than he expected, even chiming in here and there. He noticed the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about the books she loved, and how her laugh came in little bursts, like she couldn't help it.

By the time they reached the counter, Clara had somehow convinced him to buy a novel he'd never even glanced at before.

"This one's a classic," she said as she set her own books on the counter. "Trust me, you'll love it. And if you don't, you can come find me and yell at me for wasting your time."

Alex arched a brow. "Find you where? Med school?"

She pointed to the shelves behind them. "Here, most likely. Or the med library if I'm pretending to study."

"Noted," Alex said, though he wasn't sure if he'd ever actually follow through.

Clara slipped her receipt into her bag and adjusted her stack of books.

"Thanks for the assist, Alex. And good luck with law school. You're gonna need it."

"Thanks, I guess?" Alex replied, smirking faintly.

As Clara disappeared into the rain outside, Alex looked down at the novel she'd convinced him to buy. Her words echoed in his mind: "You might surprise yourself."

And somehow, as improbable as it seemed, he felt like she might be right