The last train of the evening was already leaving when Noah Bennett realized he had forgotten his suitcase.

He stood on Platform Seven, staring at the disappearing train.

His suitcase was gone.

His phone was almost dead.

And the rain was getting heavier.

“Perfect,” he muttered.

It had been a terrible day.

He had lost his job that morning.

His landlord had called him about overdue rent.

And now he had somehow managed to leave his suitcase on a train.

Noah rubbed his face.

“Could this day get any worse?”

“Probably.”

He turned.

A girl was standing behind him.

She was holding a red umbrella.

She had a small suitcase beside her and a book tucked under one arm.

Noah looked at her.

“Excuse me?”

She smiled.

“I said it could probably get worse.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

She laughed.

Noah noticed that she wasn’t making fun of him.

She looked genuinely amused.

“Did you lose something?” she asked.

“My suitcase.”

“On that train?”

“Unfortunately.”

She looked toward the tracks.

“Which carriage?”

“Last one.”

She sighed.

“That’s bad.”

“I know.”

She thought for a moment.

Then she pointed toward the station office.

“You should report it.”

“I know.”

“But you’re not moving.”

“I’m thinking.”

“About?”

“How much trouble I’m in.”

She smiled.

“Well, standing in the rain won’t make it better.”

Noah looked at her umbrella.

“Are you offering?”

“Offering what?”

“Half your umbrella.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You’re very confident for someone who just lost his suitcase.”

Noah smiled.

“I’ve had a difficult day.”

She laughed.

“Fine.”

She moved the umbrella slightly.

Noah stepped underneath.

They walked toward the station office together.

“I’m Noah,” he said.

She looked at him.

“Elena.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Hopefully under better circumstances next time.”

He smiled.

“Hopefully.”

Neither of them knew that there would be a next time.

---

The station office was closed.

Noah stared at the locked door.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Elena looked at the clock.

“It’s nearly midnight.”

“So?”

“So everyone has gone home.”

Noah sighed.

“Of course.”

Elena checked her phone.

“I have an idea.”

“What?”

“My train doesn’t leave until morning.”

Noah looked at her.

“You’re staying here?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Why?”

“Because I missed my connection.”

He laughed.

“Looks like we’re both having a great night.”

She smiled.

“Apparently.”

They sat on a bench beneath the station roof.

The rain continued outside.

Noah looked at the book in her hands.

“What are you reading?”

She showed him the cover.

“Letters to the Moon.”

“Romantic?”

“Very.”

“Do you like romance?”

“Yes.”

Noah smiled.

“I don’t.”

She looked surprised.

“You don’t?”

“Not anymore.”

“Why?”

He hesitated.

“Bad experience.”

She closed her book.

“Heartbreak?”

“Something like that.”

Elena studied him.

“You don’t look like someone who believes in love.”

“Because I don’t.”

“That’s sad.”

“It’s realistic.”

She smiled.

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right person.”

Noah laughed.

“That’s what everyone says.”

“Maybe everyone is right.”

He looked at her.

“You believe that?”

“I do.”

“Why?”

She looked down at her book.

“Because my parents have been married for thirty years.”

Noah smiled.

“That’s rare.”

“Not rare.”

She looked at him.

“Just worth protecting.”

Something about the way she said it made Noah quiet.

For the first time that night, he stopped thinking about his problems.

He simply listened to her.

---

They talked until two in the morning.

Noah told her about his childhood.

Elena told him about the little bookstore she had inherited from her grandmother.

He was surprised.

“You own a bookstore?”

“Yes.”

“That’s actually amazing.”

“It’s not very successful.”

“Why?”

“People don’t read enough anymore.”

Noah smiled.

“I read.”

“What kind of books?”

“History.”

She laughed.

“That’s exactly the answer I expected.”

“What does that mean?”

“You look like someone who reads history.”

He laughed.

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

She smiled.

“Maybe it’s your face.”

“That’s not an explanation.”

“It’s the best one I have.”

They continued talking.

The hours passed.

Eventually, Noah noticed that Elena was falling asleep.

“You should sleep.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve yawned five times.”

“Six.”

She smiled.

“You counted?”

“Yes.”

She leaned against the bench.

“Wake me if my train comes.”

“I will.”

She closed her eyes.

Noah looked at her.

There was something peaceful about her.

Something warm.

Something he couldn’t explain.

He had met her only a few hours ago.

Yet sitting beside her felt strangely comfortable.

He looked through the station window.

The rain had stopped.

The first light of morning was beginning to appear.

---

Elena woke suddenly.

“Did I sleep?”

“For about an hour.”

She looked embarrassed.

“Sorry.”

“You needed it.”

She stood.

“My train should be here soon.”

Noah looked at the timetable.

“Mine too.”

They stood together near the platform.

Neither knew what to say.

The night had been easy.

Morning made everything real again.

Noah’s lost suitcase.

Elena’s journey.

Their separate lives.

Their paths were about to divide.

Elena looked at him.

“I’m glad I met you.”

Noah smiled.

“Me too.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small piece of paper.

She wrote something on it.

Then handed it to him.

“My bookstore.”

He looked down.

An address was written on the paper.

“Come visit.”

“Maybe I will.”

She smiled.

“Don’t say maybe.”

“Okay.”

He looked at her.

“I will.”

Her train arrived.

Elena stepped toward the door.

Then she turned around.

“Noah?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t give up on love just because someone hurt you.”

He stared at her.

She smiled.

Then she boarded the train.

Noah watched it disappear.

He looked down at the address in his hand.

For some reason, he smiled.

He didn’t believe in love.

At least, that was what he had told her.

But as he stood alone on Platform Seven, he wondered whether meeting Elena had been an accident.

Or whether some stories began long before two people realized they were already walking toward each other.

He folded the paper carefully and placed it inside his wallet.

Then he walked away from the station.

For the first time in months, Noah wasn’t thinking about what he had lost.

He was thinking about what he might find.

End of Chapter 1