Late one afternoon, after the meeting.
Bach Lan stood at the edge of the rooftop balcony, the wind teasing the thin fabric of her shirt. The evening sun stretched in a soft, warm orange across her face.
A quiet sound came from behind.
She turned to see Trach Dong approaching, holding a light jacket. He said nothing, simply draping it over her shoulders with a natural ease, as if it were the most ordinary gesture in the world.
"It's cold up here." – He said simply.
Bach Lan didn't reply, yet her heart warmed. That small, unpretentious act of care without flair, without words, without drama, moved her more than any grand promise ever could.
She lowered her gaze slightly.
Trach Dong did not move away. He stayed by her side, and together they silently watched the sunset paint the distant city streets in fading gold.
Early one morning, in the office.
Bach Lan found a neatly wrapped lunch box on her desk, with no note or name of the sender. She opened it to find bird's nest porridge with goji berries, the same dish she had praised once when eating with Trach Dong.
She looked up, but he was already in the meeting room. Trach Dong was always like that, never sending a message, never boasting.
She smiled softly, then bent her head to eat in quiet, feeling her soul gently soothed.
But peace didn't last long.
Late one evening, as she was leaving the office, Trach Hien appeared.
"Let me take you home." – He said, his smile calm and gentle as always.
"No, thank you." – She replied softly.
"Could it be... that now you even feel awkward with me?"
"I just don't want to make things more complicated." – She said.
Trach Hien was silent for a moment, then his voice hardened: "You've changed."
"I'm just understanding myself better." – She said.
"It's because of Trach Dong, isn't it?" – His voice deepened, tinged with bitterness.
Bach Lan said nothing.
"Have you forgotten? I was the first to hold your hand, the first to protect you..."
"I haven't forgotten." – Bach Lan replied, her gaze still gentle. – "But I also haven't forgotten that I was only a move."
He froze. He hadn't expected her to echo words he once said to his assistant. A faint, crooked smile appeared, now he understood the root of everything.
He reached out, trying to pull her hand back to explain.
"It's not like that... Please, let me explain." – He urged.
Bach Lan coldly pulled her hand free and walked past him, ignoring his excuses. The wind carried the scent of her hair across his face, sharp and unsettling.
"I am Bach Lan, a person who can be loved and left. I don't need your false, twisting words." – She murmured.
In the distance, Trach Dong arrived. The headlights of his car cut through the dark street. He opened the door for her silently, giving Trach Hien only a small, quiet nod.
Trach Hien stood there, alone, swallowed by the shadows of the night.
A late weekend afternoon, the sun was soft and warm.
Bach Lan unexpectedly received a message from Trach Dong: "Are you free this afternoon? I need to buy a few things."
The message was short, simple, just like him. Yet, for some reason, she agreed. Maybe... she simply wanted to spend a little more time with him.
At the supermarket at the end of the street, Bach Lan pushed the cart while Trach Dong walked beside her, holding a shopping list.
"Instant coffee, laundry detergent, bok choy, hand soap... normally, if I asked, someone would buy these for me."
"But I want to do it myself." – He said.
"You could go alone, then."
"True. But going alone... is a bit troublesome." – He said briefly, eyes fixed on the shelves.
She chuckled quietly.
Before they knew it, they had split up to find items. Trach Dong carefully read labels, while she touched each item, occasionally glancing back to ask,
"Which milk do you like?"
"This one is vanilla, should be easy to drink."
"Do you have any allergies?"
He didn't answer right away. He just looked at her for a moment, then said softly,
"None. Except... for someone who asks too many questions."
She gave him a playful glare, but the corner of her lips curved into a smile.
At the checkout, he grabbed the cart, letting her stand comfortably behind him. She held a bottle of orange juice she had just chosen, but he suddenly took it from her.
"Let me."
"No need... I can pay myself. You don't have to go that far."
"I'm not going too far. I just... want to." – He said, stacking each item on the counter as if it were routine.
On the way back, the rain began to fall. Not heavy, just a light drizzle. She pulled out her phone to call a taxi, but Trach Dong gently grabbed her hand and guided her under a roadside awning.
"I have a car."
"But you walked here earlier..."
"The car is just a bit ahead. Wait for me."
She watched him with surprise as his tall frame disappeared into a narrow alley. The soft rain soaked his shoulders, dampening his shirt. Step by step, he faded into the thin curtain of rain.
A little later, a black car arrived. He stepped out, opened the door for her, and shielded her from the rain as she got in.
Bach Lan slid into the seat and instinctively watched him brush the rain from his forehead. Their eyes met briefly in the rearview mirror.
No words were exchanged, yet the silence between them felt tender, soft.
After the rain, the streets shimmered under the scattered lights. She expected him to drive her home, but the car didn't turn toward her usual apartment.
Trach Dong steered into a quiet side street lined with rain-soaked trees. At the end of the road, a small café glowed with a soft yellow light, almost unnoticed.
"Do you want something to drink?" – He asked, voice low, eyes not meeting hers.
She nodded.
He said nothing more, simply parked. They sat at a table outside the café. The rain had stopped completely, leaving the faint sound of distant cars and occasional gentle breezes brushing past, cool against their skin.
Trach Dong handed her a cup of hot cocoa while he only ordered a glass of water.
She glanced at the water in his hand, curious.
"Not coffee?"
"Coffee is bitter." – He said.
"But you like bitter flavors, don't you?"
He was silent for a moment, then said softly.
"Depends on... sometimes if it's too bitter for too long, you don't want to drink it anymore."
She held her cup a little tighter. The warmth spread through her fingers, but her heart felt strangely cold, she wasn't sure if it was from the breeze or from his words.
A long silence stretched between them.
Then... she turned slowly and looked at him.
Trach Dong's gaze was quiet, deep, as if she could lose herself in it completely.
"Trach Dong..." – She began, her voice barely more than a whisper, then faltered.
She didn't know what to ask, or what to say.
Hearing her call, he turned toward her. In that moment, their eyes met, so close it felt almost tangible.
Without thinking, she tilted her head, resting it lightly on his shoulder. Not forceful, not hurried, just a gentle, almost hesitant lean.
Amid all the chaos around them, his shoulder felt like the only place she could breathe freely.
Their feelings began to grow, quietly and warmly, uncomplicated by desire or expectation, simply because both needed a place to lean on.
He didn't move, only gently lifted his hand and rested it over hers on his shoulder, warmth passing through the thin fabric of her shirt.
A soft breeze drifted by, carrying the faint scent of mint from him.
Her heart slowed, then quickened, then slowed again, caught in a rhythm she didn't fully understand.
They sat like that for a while, silent together. Only the soft clink of the hot cocoa cups against the table and the faint drip of leftover rain from the leaves onto the porch disturbed the quiet.
Trach Dong tilted his head slightly, resting his chin against her hair, a gesture almost unconscious.
"Bach Lan..." – He said, low and sincere. – "When you stayed silent, I was so afraid."
She lifted her eyes, still glistening.
"I... don't know how to face these feelings." – She admitted.
He answered gently, still calm: "Then I'll wait."
No urgency, no demand, just a simple, quiet promise that made her heart stir unexpectedly.
That night, under a clear moon and gentle wind, she received a message from him.
"Next time it rains, don't wear slippery sandals. Falling would be such a hassle."
Nothing more.
But she stared at the message for a long time. When she finally set her phone down, her lips curved into a soft, serene smile, gentle as a slowly unfolding dream.
She didn't know what the future held, but in that moment, it was enough to make her want to keep moving forward.
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