Valko

The rain caught Valko off guard as soon as he left the corporate building. A heavy downpour forced him to run into the first café he came to, shaking drops off his jacket. He looked up and froze. A girl sat by the window, reading a book. In that moment, time seemed to stand still. The dim light of the room, the smell of ground coffee, the soft tapping of drops on the glass, and the subtle scent of her perfume—all of it instantly merged into one. She glanced up for a second, their eyes met, and it was as if an invisible switch had flipped inside Valko. His brain processed her image in a split second: the tilt of her head, the sincere smile, the gesture with which she adjusted a strand of hair. His mind didn't yet know her name, but ancient biological mechanisms had already signaled: "It's her." A surge of dopamine washed away all thoughts, leaving only a firm, inexplicable feeling—this person would change his life forever. Valko, mesmerized, approached the table. He swallowed, not knowing what to say.