Chapter 28: Lucia's Realization
Lucia didn't notice it all at once.
It didn't hit her like a movie scene or a dramatic confession. There was no sudden rush of music, no overwhelming wave of certainty. Instead, it came slowly—quietly, like everything else between her and Jin.
One small moment at a time.
She was sitting on her bed late one evening, the soft glow of her bedside lamp lighting the room. Outside, Brooklyn hummed gently, the city never fully asleep. Her phone rested in her hand, open to a message from Jin.
"Did you eat today?"
She smiled before she even realized she was smiling.
Not How was your day?Not What are you doing?
Just… Did you eat?
It was such a small question. Almost ordinary. And yet, it made her chest feel warm in a way she couldn't ignore.
She typed back.
"Yeah. Leftover pasta. Don't judge."
A few seconds later:
"No judgment. Proud of you. Pasta is still a win."
She laughed softly, shaking her head, and set the phone down. The smile stayed on her face longer than expected.
That was when the thought slipped in, gentle but persistent.
Oh.
She leaned back against her pillows, staring at the ceiling.
Oh… I think I'm falling for him.
The realization didn't scare her at first.
It surprised her.
Lucia had always thought love would announce itself loudly. She expected fireworks, chaos, obsession, something overwhelming and dramatic. That was the version she had grown up seeing—in movies, in stories, in her own past heartbreaks.
But this?
This was quiet.
This was Jin remembering she liked her tea with honey.This was him leaving notes when she had rough days.This was him walking her home even when it was out of his way.This was him listening—really listening—when she talked about her fears.
She sat up, reaching for the small box beside her bed where she kept his notes.
The grapes.
She spread them across the bed like little memories.
"Even small steps matter.""You don't have to do everything perfectly.""Proud of you today.""One grape at a time."
Her throat tightened.
These weren't grand declarations. They weren't dramatic promises. But somehow… they had reached her deeper than anything else ever had.
She pressed one note to her chest and exhaled slowly.
When did this happen?
The next day, she noticed it everywhere.
At work, during a long meeting she barely cared about, her mind drifted to Jin—how he would probably text her afterward asking if she survived.
At lunch, she instinctively checked her phone, not because she needed to, but because she wanted to see his name.
When something funny happened, he was the first person she wanted to tell.
That realization stopped her cold.
I'm choosing him.
Not because she needed him.Not because she was lonely.But because her heart was naturally leaning toward him.
Later that evening, she ran into him in the hallway of their apartment building. He was holding a grocery bag, slightly overloaded, struggling to unlock his door.
"Need help?" she asked.
He smiled, sheepish. "I underestimated how many snacks I bought."
She laughed and grabbed one of the bags. "Classic mistake."
They walked into his apartment together, setting the bags down on the counter. He pulled out a pack of grapes and held them up dramatically.
"Important question," he said. "Red or green?"
She didn't even think before answering. "Red."
He nodded. "Good choice."
The simplicity of the moment made her chest ache—in a good way.
They sat at his small kitchen table, sharing grapes and talking about nothing important. Just work complaints, random stories, neighborhood gossip.
At one point, Jin reached for a grape at the same time she did. Their fingers brushed.
This time, neither of them pulled away immediately.
The touch was brief, but it lingered inside her long after.
She looked at him, really looked at him.
The way he smiled without realizing it.The way he listened when she spoke.The way he made space for her feelings without trying to fix them.
And suddenly, she knew.
This is it.
Not a spark.Not a storm.
A steady warmth.
That night, back in her apartment, Lucia paced.
She tried to talk herself out of it.
It's just a crush.You're just comfortable.Don't overthink this.
But her heart refused to lie.
She thought about the past—how love had once felt like anxiety, like guessing games, like waiting to be chosen.
With Jin, she never felt like she was performing.
She was just… herself.
And he saw her. Not in a loud way. Not in a dramatic way.
But consistently.
Small gestures, she thought.
They really did mean the most.
Her phone buzzed again.
"Random thought," Jin texted."What's your favorite thing about today?"
She stared at the message for a long moment.
Then she typed:
"Honestly? The quiet parts."
A pause.
Then:
"Same," he replied."Those are my favorite too."
Her heart swelled.
She realized then that she didn't need a confession to know how she felt.
She was already there.
Falling—not fast, not recklessly—but intentionally.
One grape at a time.
The next morning, Lucia woke up lighter.
Not because everything was perfect.
But because she was finally honest with herself.
She cared about Jin.
Deeply.
And she didn't want to rush it or label it or demand anything from it. She just wanted to keep choosing the small moments—the notes, the walks, the laughter, the gentle touches.
Later that day, she slipped a note under Jin's door.
Simple. Handwritten. Honest.
"I've been thinking…The small things really do matter the most.Thank you for noticing me.—L"
She didn't wait for a response.
She didn't need one.
Because for the first time in a long while, Lucia wasn't waiting for love to arrive.
She realized it had already been growing quietly beside her.
Patient.Consistent.Real.
And as she walked down the street, the city alive around her, she smiled to herself.
She was falling.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
But deeply.
One grape at a time. 🍇✨