Adam never believed in grand love stories. He wasn’t the type to fall head over heels in an instant, nor did he expect romance to sweep him off his feet like in the novels he occasionally flipped through. Love, he thought, was something that happened slowly, quietly, like the way the seasons changed.

And yet, it started with something as simple as a note.

One chilly morning, Adam walked into his favorite café, Le Petit Café, just as he did every day. He ordered his usual black coffee, found his usual seat by the window, and opened his laptop, ready to...