📖 The Space Beside You ✨ Part 1: Where It All Began Once upon a time there was a girl called Elara ,Elara had always imagined love as something big and loud — like scenes from books or movies: sweeping declarations, grand romantic gestures, moments that took your breath away. She thought love was something you stumbled upon, something perfect and effortless. That was until she met Kael. It happened on a rainy Tuesday in April. She’d rushed inside a small, warm bookstore just to escape the heavy downpour, arms loaded with books she’d nearly dropped, and bumped straight into someone. Hot tea splashed lightly over both their coats. Instead of looking annoyed or angry, the man just laughed — soft, warm, genuine laughter — and said, “Looks like the rain decided we should meet properly.” That man was Kael. They ended up staying there together for hours, talking as if they’d known each other for years. They spoke of favorite books, wildest dreams, secret fears — all those things people rarely share with strangers. There was no rush, no pretending, no need to impress. Just easy, quiet understanding. In the months that followed, they became inseparable. They walked along riverbanks as the sun set, talked until late into the night, sat side‑by‑side doing absolutely nothing yet feeling like they had everything. Slowly but surely, Elara began to realize: love wasn’t loud at all. It was steady, gentle — like a heartbeat you learn to recognise, a rhythm two lives fall perfectly into.