Chapter 1

It was the middle of summer. The summer where the blinding sun shines during one the day — shimmeringng heat waves rise from thee pavement. The heat make people feel tired from doing nothing.

Yet this is most people’s favourite season. The season to spend time with family at the beach, or to get a the sun tan they always wanted. For me, it was just a normal day like every other day.

I work at a coffee shop — and yes, while everyone’s relaxing and having fun, I’m still working but I do switch shifts so some days I work, some days I take a break. It’s only for the summer though. That’s the only thing I liked about this season of pain and discomfort. I get why people like it, but it’s just not for me.

On my way to work, I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally bumped straight into someone coming the other way. I apologie as an decent person did.

He simply responded with “It’s fine…” and walked away.

His voice was calm. Controlled. Not in an unfriendly way, but just… distant.

Our hands accidentally touching as he walks past. His hands… for a brief moment, it felt cold… It wasn’t normal. Not the kind of cold you get from ice or weather. The kind of cold from a freezer or maybe even colder. It was like I suddenly turned cold too — but only for a moment. The fact that it was the middle of summer didn’t help and only made it more strange.

I tried to forget about it and continue walking, as if nothing happened. But the strange phenomenon didn’t leave my thoughts even at work. For some reason, I kept replaying it in my head — the moment my hand brushed his. That sudden, impossible cold that shouldn’t belong in a summer’s day.

By the next day, it still hadn’t left me. That evening, I decided to tell someone about it. My friend. We were sittinging at a bench in front of my workplace, after my shift. I told her how I bumped into this guy at the streets on my way to work yesterday. I tried to make it sound normal.

“Oh?” she said, barely looking up from her drink. “Was it a cute or awkward accident?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “It was just weird.”

She leaned forward slightly, now paying attention more than earlier.

“Weird how?”

How do I explain this without sounding crazy?

“He was just… cold,” I finally managed to say.

My friend blinked. ”What do you mean by that?”

“Not mentally cold, but physically. When I touched him, it made zero sense. It’s summer and his hand felt like…” I stopped mid sentence, hesitantly. “Like something dead. It was like his blood was cold.”

”… Okay,” she spoke, unusually calm about it. “But tell me, was he handsome?”

I stare at her in disbelief. I can’t believe she asked me this kind of question.

“Seriously?! That’s all you have to say after what I just told you?”

“Hey! I’m just curious!” she says defensively. “Plus, from all the romance books I’ve ever red, this is basically the start of a romance plot.”

“So you’re saying this is normal?!” I said, skeptical of her words.

At this point, my friend looked crazier than me. How is this normal?! She asks me again weither or not he handsome. I sigh, looking away from her as I recall his appearance that I didn’t take into his appearance that I had overlooked.

“…Yeah, I reluctantly admit. “Kind of.”

“This is gonna be fun watching!” she smiled as if she was amused by all this crazyness.

“Hey! This isn’t one of your romance book!!”

Suddenly, I noticed him across the street…

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