The world outside was chaos. Shades of grey fighting a battle with no cause, reason, or abatement. Debris swirled in the wind as raindrops slammed against windows. The splat of each drop was violent, but its passion was diffused by the glass.

Inside, all was calm, safe, and empty. Alex poured coffee over a hangover and fought the temptation to check last night’s sent messages. The break, break-up, and breakdown were done. Now Alex meandered between daydreams, nightmares, and bad choices. The perfect environment for wistful thoughts.

In one moment, Alex is yelling ‘I do’ in a cobbled piazza as a chorus rings from the campaniles and an old Italian shoemaker holds up a glass, wiping away a single tear of joy. In another, flames engulf everything when a stray spark catches a long-dried-out bouquet and extinguishes emotional anguish with physical agony.

Alex was lost in a grimier, sweatier scenario when they blew in. A disturbance. A jingling bell. A damp gust. A change of pressure. A door wrestled back into its frame. A click. Stillness.

Now there was Alex and a stranger.

A flash of eye contact and an exchange of half smiles diffused one kind of tension and, in Alex, ignited another. The stranger began to browse. Alex tried to look busy. Tried not to be caught looking. At least not too often. The rain against the panes seemed louder than before.

‘Can I help you with anything?’ Alex said after what felt like an age. The final word was meant to sound suggestive but came out like digestive discomfort. It didn’t seem to matter. The stranger’s only response was an almost imperceptible shake of their beautiful hair.

‘I’ve just boiled the kettle, if you need warming up?’ Alex lied, but the reaction was no different. The stranger turned the corner of a display table. Alex spotted cables hanging from their ears.

‘You can’t hear me, can you?’ Alex tested.

No answer.

‘Well, at least you’re not ignoring me.’

A pause.

‘I could say anything I want, couldn’t I?’

Silence.

‘I’m glad you blew in. I was feeling quite lonely, you see. It’s been a tough few months. Since…’

The stranger glanced up. Panic ran through Alex. Every nerve burned. Breath seemed to solidify in the lungs.

The stranger looked down again. Alex tingled with relief.

Lightning flashed in the windows, catching the stranger's attention and putting the room in silhouette. As colour returned, the low rumble of thunder seemed to envelop the room. Waves rolled through Alex’s body.

Alex’s eyes closed. ‘Shall we just fuck on this desk right now?!’

Eyes opened. The stranger stood just a metre away, facing Alex, headphones in one hand, a recently plucked book in the other. A startled expression.

…

‘Just this, please,’ the stranger eventually said.

A jingling bell. A damp gust. A change of pressure. Stillness.

Alex sat down and clicked the button on the kettle.